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Just weeks after a lopsided, groundbreaking vote struck down Ireland’s constitutional ban on legal abortion, the country’s Taoiseach signaled the broader moral and legal implications of this sea change in a once deeply Catholic nation. “It will not … be possible for publicly funded hospitals, no matter who their patron or owner is,” Leo Varadkar told the Dáil, “to opt out of providing these necessary services which will be legal in this state once this legislation is passed by the Dáil [the lower house of the Irish legislature] and Seanad [senate].” Britain’s Catholic Herald reported today that two large hospitals...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (RNS) — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opened its spring meeting this week with a stern reproach of the Trump administration’s latest immigration policies, with the group’s president suggesting the new rules on asylum are a “right to life” issue. Some bishops followed by urging protests, including “canonical penalties” for those who carry out the administration’s new rules. (cut) Cardinal proposed that a bishops be sent to the border to inspect the detention facilities where children are kept as a “sign of our pastoral concern and protest against the hardening of the American heart.” (continues)

Vice President Mike Pence's speech at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting Wednesday has left some Christians unhappy, especially the newly chosen leader of the SBC.

Pastor stopped at airport after speaking to European Union representatives about religious persecution A priest who is known for speaking out against Vietnam's communist government has been banned from leaving the country On June 11, Father Joseph Nguyen Duy Tan, pastor of Tho Hoa parish in Dong Nai province, was stopped at Tan Son Nhat International Airport by public security officers in Ho Chi Minh City. Airport officers said in a document that Father Tan "has not yet been allowed to travel abroad at the request of the Public Security Department of Dong Nai province." They did not give more...

Pedro Sanchez aims to remove Catholicism from public lifePolitical changes in the West mostly occur through the ballot box. A week ago, however, one exception to that rule took place in the Kingdom of Spain. On June 1, the governing People's Party lost a motion of censure which amounts to a vote of no confidence without an election, forcing Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to resign and the main opposition leader Pedro Sanchez to assume the post and form a government. The People's Party, which had won the last three elections in Spain, lost the vote to a coalition of opposition...

SYDNEY, June 11, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Minister for Women Tanya Davies was one of just eighteen members of the New South Wales Parliament to vote against a measure restricting pro-life witness in the vicinity of abortion facilities in a contentious overnight vote last week. The bill passed with 61 votes in favor around 1:20 AM Friday morning, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports, after several hours of debate. It makes it a crime punishable by jail time to film people entering or exiting abortion facilities, or engage in conduct the law deems “harassment” or “intimidation,” within 150 meters of an abortion...

Proverb 14 (NKJV) The Ways of Life and Death 01 The wise woman builds her house, 00 But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. 02 He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, 00 But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. 03 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, 00 But the lips of the wise will preserve them. 04 Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; 00 But much increase comes by the strength of an ox. 05 A faithful witness does not lie, 00 But a...

Join Freepers throughout the world to pray for PRESIDENT TRUMP and VICE-PRESIDENT PENCE and for AMERICA: All Levels of Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, Health Care Systems and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. —1 John 5:14 Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Please join us in prayer today, as we have so many things to thank God for this day!.

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CANBERRA, Australia, June 12, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – A new law in Australia requires Catholic priests in Canberra to break the sacred seal of confession to report a child-sex abuser. The law, which has drawn fierce opposition from Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra, could result in faithful priests being jailed who refuse to comply. A bill passed on June 7 by the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) extends mandatory reporting of child abuse to cover churches and church activities, including the Catholic confessional. All the political parties in the Assembly supported the measure. A Roman Catholic priest cannot...

June 5, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – A few of you might remember a horrific case in the United Kingdom a few years ago, where a Family Court judge ordered what amounted to a medical rape, sending a “mentally incompetent” teenage girl to get an abortion against her will. The girl was firmly opposed to the abortion. Experts in the trial testified that an abortion would “cause considerable harm to this young girl.” But, the judge responded that because he felt she should have an abortion, it was better to leave “to one side her own wishes and feelings” and conclude—as he...

Faith-filled believers around the world are praying the historic meeting between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un results in lasting peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and throughout the world, but it especially hits home for those in the Korean peninsula and in Singapore, where the monumental summit is taking place. On Sunday, several churches just miles away from the Trump-Kim meeting location on Santosa Island, prayed for the two world leaders before their one-on-one discussion in hopes of North Korean denuclearization and a possible peace treaty to end the Korean War. "Ask God to direct...

Teleios conducted a survey regarding faith and politics on two Instagram accounts frequented by Christian adolescents and millennials. Of the 336 responses the majority were: female (62%), <34 years old (79%), from the United States (80%) and evangelical (76%). The majority of respondents (70%) indicated their faith was 'somewhat' to 'very outreach oriented' with only 19% saying it was private. Almost 80% 'somewhat agreed' to 'strongly agreed' that their country was founded on Christian morality and ethics. Further, over 92% noted it was important to maintain Christian morals and ethics in society. Regarding the current American president, Donald Trump, 63%...

Please join with others to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Family, Government, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. I John 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled Prayer are closed to debate of any kind. Please join us in prayer.

he Australian state of New South Wales recently passed legislation banning pro-life protesters from coming within 150 meters of abortion clinics (almost 500 feet). The legislation passed with a vote of 61 to 18. The law even makes it a crime to attempt “a communication that relates to abortions, by any means.” Legislators’ overwhelming support is surprising given these draconian provisions, which the Sydney Morning Herald described as “the creation of a broad communication offense.” The penalties under the law are significant with the first offense carrying a penalty of up to six months in jail, and up to 12...

The world famous St. Cyril-White Lake Monastery-museum, located in the Vologda Region, 360 miles north of Moscow, will receive 508 million ruble (more than $8 million) for restoration under the federal “Culture of Russia” program, reports Blagovest-Info. “The scope of the work is huge. It is the leading tourist site of the region, visited by more than 300,000 people annually. I hope that all the funds will help the museum become a leading excursion site for the whole “Northern Necklace” of Russia,” Vologda Province Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov said on Monday. As explained by museum-reserve director Mikhail Sharomazov, the allocated funds...

KENOSHA, Wis. — Jill Gilmore is one of those voters who have confounded both Democrats and Never Trump Republicans the most. She is a college-educated, gun-owning female conservative Republican who voted for Donald Trump. But here’s the real kicker: She is also a devout Evangelical Christian. “In the list of what is most important to myself and my family, faith is always first,” said the striking 34-year-old mother of seven, small business owner, and community volunteer who says she and her husband teach their children daily that behavior and respect towards others is not an option, but a requirement. Contrast...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday he hoped a forthcoming summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will lead to peace for Korea. “I want, once more, to offer the beloved people of Korea an especial thought of friendship and prayer that the talks which will take place in the coming days....

A resolution submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention for its annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, has called on the nation's largest Protestant denomination to reject "homosexual identity politics" and state bans on conversion therapy. Titled "On Ministry and Counseling to Lead People from Homosexuality to Heterosexuality," the resolution, among other things, asks the SBC to "offer loving assistance to people suffering from same-sex attraction, so that they may turn from homosexuality to heterosexuality" and to reject "as heresy any claims that God makes people homosexual." "... the movement against so-called 'conversion therapy' poses an immediate threat to Christian obedience to...

Chicago, Ill., Jun 9, 2018 / 04:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A U.S. appellate court has ruled against a self-described Satanist from Chicago who had filed a lawsuit seeking to remove the motto “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency. The ruling, released May 31, found that “a reasonable observer would not perceive the motto on currency as a religious endorsement.” Kenneth Mayle, who describes himself as a non-theistic Satanist, filed the original lawsuit in May 2017. A lower court had dismissed the suit, and Mayle appealed. The 36-year-old told the Chicago Tribune that carrying and using money with the motto...