Kenyan primates support Gen Z tax protests
Young people protesting against the Kenyan government's finance bill are not “enemies of the country” and should be listened to, Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit said. He said this on Monday after trying to block politicians from addressing the congregation at the ordination ceremony of Archbishop Samson Mburu, the bishop of Nyahururu. “Generation Z is not the enemy of the country. They have the right and the reason to protest,” he said, reported The Nation. “Police should refrain from using excessive force…Let us listen to them. They are our children and we need solutions for what they are asking for.” Thirteen people were reported killed in the escalating violence. The bill was passed by Parliament on Tuesday despite opposition. A statement from the Kenya Interreligious Council, signed by the Kenya Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Kenya National Council of Churches, called for the withdrawal of the bill and its “punitive tax measures.” Jennifer Larby, UK advocacy and campaigns director at Christian Aid, said on Wednesday: “Can the UK government remain silent while riots ensue over tax increases to pay for debt interest? We have a moral responsibility to step in with debt relief to help prosper millions of people living in the horror of conflict and poverty.”
Vigano has no intention of responding to summons to Rome
Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former papal nuncio to the United States, posted online a notice from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith summoning him to Rome to undergo “extrajudicial criminal procedures” for alleged schism. In 2018, he published a 7,000-word letter accusing Pope Francis of deliberately concealing the crimes of abuser Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and calling for the pope's resignation (News, August 31, 2018). The archbishop now stands accused of failing to recognize the legitimacy of the current pope and the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Viganò said. In a statement to LifeSite News, Archbishop Viganò said he “has no intention” of complying with the summons and that he does not recognize the authority of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or the Pope.
Pakistanis want laws against mob violence
Pakistan's National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly passed resolutions this week calling for measures to prevent mob lynchings and protect minorities, reported the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Reconciliation (CLAAS), a charity working for persecuted Pakistani Christians. The charity welcomed “an important moment in the country's legislative efforts to combat violence and ensure the safety and rights of all its citizens, especially religious minorities.” The charity said the legislative measures also aim to “curb the misuse of blasphemy laws and protect innocent lives from unjust persecution.” Earlier this month, 73-year-old Pakistani Christian Razar (Nazir) Masih died in hospital a week after being attacked by a mob (News, June 7). Also this month, tourist Mohammed Ismail was killed in a mob attack at a police station while he was being questioned for allegedly desecrating the Quran.
CSW welcomes Syrian commander's pledge
Sir Marvin Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, praised Syrian National Army commanders for vowing to protect the remaining Christians in Ras al-Ain, a town near the Turkish border that is currently under the control of Islamist militias. Commander Abdulaziz al-Thawadi visited St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Church and the church's library, CSW reported. Locals told the charity that farmland has been confiscated in militia-controlled areas and landowners forced to pay illegal taxes and bribes. One senior tribal leader said the militia groups were “warlords who betrayed the aspirations of the 2011 uprising.”
U.S. Clergy Join Action Against the Ten Commandments
According to Religion News Service, parents of school children, including members of the clergy, have filed a lawsuit against Louisiana's new law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments. The lawsuit, filed Monday by Americans for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union, argues that the law violates the First Amendment right to religious freedom and the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on establishing an official religion. “This is not only religious favoritism and dangerous, but it goes against my religion and beliefs,” Presbyterian pastor Rev. Jeff Sims said at a press conference.
