JPIC News

Council of Europe hailed for religious freedom resolution

A resolution passed by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly is being lauded as an important – although limited – recognition of religious and conscience rights in the public sphere. “The important step with this resolution is the mention of the right to conscientious objection and the enlargement of its scope of application,”

Our cathedrals can pull Britain out of depression

Since the banking crash and in the face of the restructuring of our national debt many from the churches have had a lot to say about the future of capitalism and the morality of our economy. At St Paul’s Cathedral the “Occupy” demonstrators made a good deal of noise. Archbishop Vincent Nichols launched an important initiative to encourage business leaders to discuss the ethics of their firms and the Anglican Church will be using its shareholdings in banks to block excessive bonuses.

More tributes for Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, the fearless social activist

Saudis execute maid for infant's death

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Rizana Nafeek, who was imprisoned at Saudi Arabia's Dawad-mi Prison since 2005, was executed around 11:40 am local time yesterday. Before her execution, Nafeek retracted a confession that she said was made under duress, and said the infant died from choking while feeding from a bottle.

Traditional Values Resolution Hijacked at Human Rights Council in Geneva

The new draft makes the case that traditional values undermine the rights of women and minorities. It finds that certain traditions and religions spread “stereotypes about femininity, sexual orientation and the role and status of women in society.” It also lists some “best practices” to show how, in some circumstances, traditional values can reinforce human rights.

From Isaiah to Economic Justice for All: A brief history of social justice

From the saints to popes and bishops to theologians, Catholic thinkers have long made the case for social justice, tracing its origins to scriptural accounts from the Old Testament exhortations on justice to Christ’s example of love and outreach to the marginalized.

Great Righteousness does not oppress (A Statement on the Killings of Tumahubong Workers)

In a span of ten months from October of 2011 to today, three incidents of pointless ambushes were reported in the island of Basilan, Philippines. These claimed a total of seventeen (17) precious lives and more than forty (40) critically injured. 

Study reveals widening wealth gap

 A new survey has found 'widening disparities' between households at the top and bottom …The top 10% of Britain's wealthiest households are more than 500 times richer than those in the bottom 10% - and the gap has been widening, a report has found.

Women’s rights champion featured in film

“Angela Gomes is a living example in the field of women’s rights and empowerment. She has continued changing lives of tens of thousands of poor and neglected women. With this film we want to spread her life and ideals across the country and also in the world,” said Noor-E-Alam, the director.

Concern mounts over rising child labor in Pakistan

Every fourth household in Pakistan employs a child, according to the International Labor Organization. More than five million children under the age of 10 are working in Pakistan, and the problem is worsening in both sheer numbers and prevalence, said an international NGO on World Day Against Child Labor.

Catholics in Inner Mongolia appeal for prayers amid repression

 “It is very likely that the faithful have to quietly pass Pentecost this Sunday, one of the four major church feasts widely celebrated in China, as they did so at Easter,” a source told UCA News. To avoid arrest, underground priests remain in hiding and cannot carry out normal pastoral work because they have refused to support the patriotic association, the source said.

Forgotten wars: People flee as armed clash intensifies in the Philippines

At least 150 people, most of them children, were forced to flee a remote village in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao Tuesday as a battle between government troops and communist guerrillas intensified.

London Vigil to address religious persecution

The plight of Christians in South Asia will be highlighted at a “night of witness” in London this month. The vigil, at Westminster Cathedral May 17, will feature music and readings “in solidarity with people persecuted in countries including India [and] Pakistan,” says the organiser, Aid to the Church in Need.

Scandal can be the cost of truth

Being a journalist with integrity is a dangerous way to make a living. People with something to hide fear and hate journalists, because beyond providing sports scores and traffic accident reports, their vocation is to expose what is hidden in darkness so that it might be cleansed in the light. A good journalist is a passionate pursuer of truth, but also a target.

Philippines: Farmers win Hacienda Luisita battle

Farmers of the sugar estate owned by President Benigno Aquino’s family claimed victory in their decades-old struggle as the Supreme Court ruled in their favor yesterday. The court affirmed its November 2011 ruling ordering distribution of the 4,916 hectares of Hacienda Luisita and rejecting offers of shares of stock. 

Ministry in Sri-Lanka orders mosque and Hindu temple removal

The government yesterday ordered the removal of a mosque and Hindu temple from a sacred Buddhist area following the attempted storming and fire-bombing of the Muslim site on Friday. 

£255,000 drive to reduce divisions in Northern Ireland town.

Protestant and Catholic youngsters from Lurgan will be invited to take part in film making and amateur dramatics as part of the £255,000 initiative to build better cross community relations.  A team of young ambassadors aged 15-19 have also been recruited from both sides of the religious divide to promote community relations in the town.

Bishops’ Australia Day call for time limit on detention

To mark Australia Day, the Catholic Bishops Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development calls upon political parties to work towards a common approach to asylum seekers, so that human beings do not become pawns in a political argument.

Korea: Rights group also slams naval base arrests as 'serious failure of governance'

Some 35 sisters and priests from the Association of Major Superiors of Religious Women in Korea and the Catholic Solidarity to Realize Peace in Jeju held a press conference  to protest against the arrest of 29 people including 19 Religious on January 10. They had been praying in front of a naval base construction site on the resort island and urging a halt to the project. All were released within two days.

Bishops urge world leaders to address needs of people in Holy Land

 Since 1998, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has organised the annual meeting of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church of the Holy Land and at the invitation of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. It is often more simply called the Holy Land Coordination.