Even as Gay Pride Month celebrations continue, LGBT advocates are facing significant headwinds. In recent years, a strong public backlash has emerged — particularly around efforts to promote gender transition to minors. Numerous states have passed laws barring males from competing in women’s sports, and others have prohibited sex-change procedures on children. At least nine states have introduced resolutions aimed at reversing the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, with most calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 2015 ruling on the issue. While these resolutions would not have the force of law, they could lay the groundwork for a new legal challenge before the high court.
America has always been a deeply religious nation. When the thirteen original colonies united and declared independence in 1776, there were already 3,228 houses of worship across the land — and the country was remarkably diverse in its faiths. Congregationalists were the largest group, with roughly 670 congregations making up just over 20 percent of the total. Presbyterians ranked second, followed by Baptists, Episcopalians, and Quakers. Methodists accounted for about two percent, Catholics came in just under that figure, and there were also a small number of synagogues along with more than a dozen Mennonite congregations.
The Vatican has announced that Pope Leo met with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse during his visit to Spain, holding the meeting in Madrid. The pontiff pledged to take their recommendations into consideration as the Catholic Church works to improve how it handles abuse cases. Spain’s Catholic leadership has only recently begun confronting its own history of abuse and cover-up, having long downplayed the severity of the scandal — one that was brought to public attention largely through reporting by the newspaper El País (pronounced pie-EES). Sexual abuse by Catholic clergy remains a worldwide crisis that has pushed many people away from the church and threatens to financially devastate some dioceses.
Violence against Christians in India is intensifying once again. According to International Christian Concern, a mob of Hindu nationalists stormed a church service in the Sukma District, leaving 25 people injured — some of them critically. Local clergy say conditions in the district have deteriorated since local officials enacted an anti-conversion law. The persecution of Christians in India has been growing for more than two decades, dating back to when a Hindu nationalist political party rose to power in the national government. Although India’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, government officials are accused of failing to uphold that protection.
