Religion News Selection
July 9 – 16, 2023
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Catholic Church
Pope Francis names nearly two dozen new cardinals (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 10 – Vatican City: Pope Francis announced he has chosen 21 new cardinals, including prelates from Jerusalem and Hong Kong – places where Catholics are a small minority – as he continues to leave his mark on the body of churchmen who will select his successor.
Pope Francis approves Bishop to head Shanghai diocese despite China’s violation of Vatican accord (ABC News)
July 16 – Pope Francis has approved a new bishop of Shanghai even as the Vatican chided China for transferring him there without consultation, in violation of bi-lateral accords.
Religious Violence
Thousands march at Budapest Pride as anxiety rises over restrictive laws (Brisbane Times)
July 16 – Budapest, Hungary: Thousands of participants of the Budapest Pride march wound through the streets of the Hungarian capital on Saturday with marchers voicing their anxiety over the increasing pressure on the LGBTQ+ community from the country’s right-wing government.
Other
Teen tourist carves name into 1200-year-old temple (The Age, Melbourne)
July 13 – A teenage tourist carved his name into an 8th-century temple in Japan’s Nara prefecture last week, police said, the latest example of bad tourist behaviour this summer.
JUDAISM
Nazi salutes, memes and assaults: Jewish students say state schools unsafe (The Age, Melbourne)
July 16 – Every day for five weeks at school, a 13-year-old boy says he was greeted with abuse, including heil Hitlers and being called a “dirty Jew” – a reminder that members of his family were murdered by Nazis.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Mormons walk away from major multinational tax evasion scheme (Brisbane Times)
July 10 – The Mormon Church is significantly reducing its use of a controversial shell company after an investigation revealed it had engaged in alleged serious tax evasion in Australia.
Pray yourself thin (ABC News)
July 12 – While Jenny was trying hard to be a good Christian, she was hiding a secret shame — one that can be traced back to biblical times.
Voodoo in the western suburbs: Judge sides with nurse over voice memo (The Age, Melbourne)
July 15 – Grace Oladejo, a registered nurse in her mid-40s from Point Cook, was worried about voodoo.
