Pope to receive Liberty Medal remotely
POPE LEO will receive the 38th annual Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, in July. “The award recognizes the Holy Father’s lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world, ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” the National Constitution Center said. The Pope, remaining in Rome, will accept the award through a live stream during the ceremony in Philadelphia. The Vatican said that the Pope was “deeply grateful” for the award, especially coming at “such a meaningful anniversary”.
Cuba to release 51 prisoners in Holy Week
CUBA has said that it will pardon 51 prisoners in the coming days, thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the Vatican and the proximity of Holy Week. The Cuban government said: “In a spirit of goodwill and of the close and fluid relations between the Cuban State and the Vatican — relations through which communication has historically been maintained regarding review processes and the release of persons deprived of liberty — the Government of Cuba has decided to release, in the coming days, 51 people serving prison sentences.” The inmates in question have all served “a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good behaviour in prison”. It does not indicate whether political prisoners are included. Some 9900 prisoners have been pardoned since 2010, Cuban officials say.
WCC urgers EU to safeguard seeds for farmers
THE World Council of Churches (WCC) has joined faith-based development organisations in urging European Union (EU) negotiators to safeguard farmers’ rights to seeds. The call coincides with the start of what is regarded as a crucial phase in negotiations on the EU Plant Reproductive Material Regulation. The WCC’s programme executive for Land, Water, and Food, Dinesh Suna, said: “As a global fellowship, many member churches of WCC are in the Global South, where peasant seed systems are the backbone of food security. WCC leadership signing this letter is an act of solidarity with these farming communities, protecting them from any harmful EU regulations.”
Vatican appeals court declares mistrial of Cardinal Becciu
THE Vatican appeals court on Tuesday declared a mistrial in the handling of the case against Cardinal Angelo Becciu in 2023. It ruled that the late Pope Francis and Vatican prosecutors had both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment. The court set a date of 22 June for the a new trial to begin. In December 2023, the criminal court sentenced Cardinal Becciu to five years’ and six months’ imprisonment, perpetual disqualification from public office, and a fine of €8000, after finding him guilty on three counts of embezzlement (News, 22 December 2023). The trial concerned the management of funds of the Secretariat of State and, in particular, the purchase and sale of a building in London, 60 Sloane Avenue (News, 9 October 2020).
Buddhism in decline, Pew Center reports
BUDDHISM is the only major religion in decline, while others grew, Pew Research Center estimates for 2010 and 2020 suggest. Most Buddhists live in Asia, and its falling numbers are especially pronounced in East Asia, including China, South Korea, and Japan, where 40 per cent of adults who were brought up as Buddhists are religiously unaffiliated today, Pew’s 2024 survey found. In South Korea, the adherence figure is 42 per cent.
Naloxone dispensed by US church
A VENDING machine dispensing free naloxone has been installed at St Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Durham, in North Carolina, by the county public health department. Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is known rapidly to reverse an opioid overdose and helps to prevent deaths.
Archbishop of Brisbane to apologise to abuse survivor
THE Archbishop of Brisbane, the Most Revd Jeremy Greaves, is due to make a public apology to a survivor of sexual abuse by an Anglican clergyman, writes Muriel Porter. The apology, to Beth Heinrich, will be “for failures by former Archbishop Peter Hollingworth” in his handling of her abuser, the deposed bishop Donald Shearman, who died in 2019. Archbishop Greaves said that he hoped that the gesture, to be made during evensong in St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, on Sunday, would mark “an important step in her healing journey”. Ms Heinrich was 15 when she was abused by Shearman, then a married priest and warden of a school hostel in Bathurst diocese, in central New South Wales. Shearman later became the Bishop of Rockhampton, in Queensland, and later Bishop of Grafton, in New South Wales. He was deposed in 2004 after the ruling of a church tribunal.
Canon John Peterson’s ministry celebrated
THE ministry of the former Secretary General of the Anglican Communion — the Revd Canon John L. Peterson, who has served the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion for 50 years — was celebrated in North Carolina on 7 March. The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, was among those present at the Kanuga retreat centre for the occasion.
Evangelicals warn over planned Sri Lanka law
CHRISTIAN groups in Sri Lanka have warned that a proposed counter-terrorism law could entrench rather than end decades-old abuses against religious and ethnic minorities, write Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Riana. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) says that the draft Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) — intended to replace the widely criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) — retains vague definitions and sweeping detention powers that could criminalise peaceful advocacy, religious work, and dissent. A recent example of the use of the PTA concerned Ahnaf Jazeem, a Muslim poet who was detained for 19 months without charge over allegedly “extremist” content. Human-rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, say that the PTA disproportionately targets Tamils, Muslims, journalists, and activists, fostering a climate of fear and impunity. Christian leaders argue that the PSTA’s extraterritorial reach and broad definition of terrorism could also endanger diaspora advocacy and humanitarian work. Despite government promises of reform, and pressure exerted by the EU and the UN, arrests under the PTA have reportedly continued into 2025.
