On the weekend of June 26, the St. Anne's Church in Upper Similkameen Indian Band was set on fire. This was one of the four incidents in the last month in which a catholic church was caught on fire in a First Nation territory in Canada. Made of wood and over a century old, the local fire department couldn't do anything to save the structure.
Rome, Italy - Amidst escalating call for the Roman Catholic Church for an apology, the current pontiff has agreed to meet with representatives from Canada's indigenous people. Pope Francis is expected to meet the delegation of representatives in Rome. The meetings are scheduled from December 17 to 20, with the Pope meeting the representatives individually at first.
On June 17, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has pushed ahead a draft in a majority vote that would deny President Joe Biden the Holy Communion because of his stance on abortion laws. Approval of this new statement will authorize individual bishops to deny Catholic politicians, who support abortion, the sacred rite of the Eucharist. Never has tensions between church divisions and the legislation been prevalent since the Trump administration. This new step has further reinstated the debate on the church's interference in politics.
In Mitzitón, Mexico, local authorities and traditionalist Catholics burned down five indigenous Tzotzil evangelical houses. The properties belonged to pastor Alejandro Jiménez Jiménez and his sons. In January 2021, they had been expelled from Mitzitón after being accused of building an evangelical temple.
In Lakewood, Colorado, Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, had won a partial victory in a 2018 Supreme Court case for refusing to design a wedding cake for a gay couple on account of his own religious beliefs. Now again, he finds himself being the subject of another case regarding state discrimination laws for refusing to bake a birthday cake for a trans woman.
In January 2021, Republican Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 55 to amend Article IX of the Constitution of Tennessee. Article IX has three sections that bar church ministers, atheists, and people who participate or aid a duel from holding any office in the civil department of the state.
