“Beyond any doubt, religious freedom has emerged as the premier social and political concern of the Catholic church in the early 21st century. Pope Benedict XVI offered confirmation as recently as last Saturday, during his trip to Lebanon.
“Speaking to politicians, diplomats and religious leaders (including representatives of all four major branches of Islam in Lebanon -- Sunni, Shi'ite, Druze and Alawite), the pope insisted that ‘religious freedom is the basic right on which many others depend.’”
“A new report released Thursday by the Pew Forum illustrates why, at least in this case, it's impossible to argue that the concern is misplaced.”
A recent article in the National Catholic Reporter reviewed this Pew Forum report, which stated “Restrictions on religion rose in each of the five major regions of the world – including in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa, the two regions where overall restrictions previously had been declining.”
To access this National Catholic Reporter article, please visit:
National Catholic Reporter: Pondering a 'rising tide' of threats to religious freedom (21 SEP 12)
To access the Pew Report, please visit:
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion (20 SEP 12)
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