1. Beijing hounds Chinese church seeking safety overseas, By Tassanee Vejpongsa and Dake Kang, Associated Press, September 7, 2022, 5:35 AM
Days after flying to Thailand to seek asylum, members of a Chinese church huddled in a restaurant to share their stories with journalists. But when they peered over their shoulders, they spotted strangers taking videos of them with cellphones.
In seconds, they scattered, fearing Chinese state security had come for them yet again.
“Political pressure is rising, and there’s more and more ideological control,“ said Pastor Pan Yongguang, whose church has been on the run for years. “The persecution is growing worse.”
The story of the exile of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church illustrates how the Chinese government is going to increasing lengths to control religious faith and its citizens, even far outside its borders.
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The government’s tactics against the church echo ones used against the Uyghurs and other Chinese ethnic minorities abroad, as well as fugitives accused of corruption, to coerce them to return to China.
In China, Christians are legally allowed to worship only in churches affiliated with Communist Party-controlled religious groups, but for decades, the authorities largely tolerated independent, unregistered “house churches.” They have tens of millions of worshippers, possibly outnumbering those in the official groups.
However, in recent years, house churches have come under heavy pressure, with many prominent ones shut down. Unlike previous crackdowns, such as Beijing’s ban of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement it labels a cult, the authorities have also targeted some believers not explicitly opposed to the Chinese state.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/beijing-hounds-chinese-church-seeking-safety-overseas/2022/09/07/6e2ac080-2e90-11ed-bcc6-0874b26ae296_story.html
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2. California blocked from forcing Christian doctors to assist suicides, By Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times, September 7, 2022, Pg. A2
A federal district court in California has ruled that physicians who object to assisted suicide on religious or ethical grounds can’t be required to participate in the procedure.
California legalized physician-assisted suicide and later passed a bill requiring doctors who object to “document” a patient’s request and refer the suicidal person to another doctor.
Along with transferring patient files to the alternate physician, the objecting doctor would have to “educate” patients about medicine and procedures that would help with suicide attempts.
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/sep/6/california-blocked-forcing-christian-doctors-assis/
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3. Where Abortion Is Legal and Where It Loses Protections Without Roe v. Wade, Abortion access across the U.S. now depends on state laws after Supreme Court overturned 1973 decision that established constitutional right to an abortion, By Kara Dapena and Jennifer Calfas, The Wall Street Journal, September 6, 2022, 2:13 PM
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutional right to an abortion.
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Twenty-two states have laws on the books that could ban all or most abortions as a result of the high court’s decision, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a policy group that supports abortion rights and tracks national abortion statistics. By early August, nine states had enforced laws that ban nearly all abortions. Some states have overlapping policies. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., meanwhile, have established protections for abortion rights.
Indiana on Aug. 5 became the first state to pass a ban on most abortions since the high court’s decision. Other states like West Virginia have proposed similar laws in special sessions.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/where-abortion-is-legal-and-where-it-loses-protections-without-roe-v-wade-11656080346?
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4. ‘Democracy has won,’ bishop says after broad voter rejection of new Chilean constitution, By Catholic News Agency, September 6, 2022, 1:15 PM
Bishop Isauro Covili Linfati of Iquique, Chile, said democracy “has won” after an overwhelming 62% of voters in Chile rejected a proposal for a new constitution that sought to introduce “abortion on demand and euthanasia.”
“Democracy, as an act of responsible freedom, has won,” the prelate said in a statement released Sept. 4.
The proposal on Sunday for a new constitution only obtained 38.13% of votes in favor; therefore, the country’s Magna Carta drafted during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled the country between 1973 and 1990, will be maintained. It was partly reformed during the subsequent years of democracy.
Linfati wrote that “it’s not possible to put a happy face” on this process, since there are several “lessons that we have to learn as a country.”
The prelate criticized that in the elaboration of the text, “which should bring about the unity of our nation,” “important institutions” such as the Catholic Church and its bishops were not welcomed or listened to.
He also lamented that in the creation of the new constitution’s text, “a minority intended to impose its vision and its will.”
“It is a text that, despite having very good themes, was destined not to be accepted by the majority, especially for introducing abortion on demand and euthanasia among other issues,” he said.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252216/democracy-has-won-bishop-says-after-broad-voter-rejection-of-new-chilean-constitution
__________________________________________________________TCA Media Monitoring provides a snapshot from national newspapers and major Catholic press outlets of coverage regarding significant Catholic Church news and current issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally or prominently engaged. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Association. |
