Christians in Chhattisgarh say Hindu nationalist BJP has revived claims to tarnish reputation of rival CongressIt was a stifling July afternoon when the crowd moved into the small district of Lakholi, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, and gathered o…
3,000 paedophiles in French Catholic church since 1950s – inquiry head
Figure from head of commission investigating sexual abuse comes days before publication of reportThe head of an independent commission investigating child sexual abuse in the French Catholic church has said about 3,000 paedophiles have operated inside …
In reckoning with its demons, Hillsong will be forced to move away from what made it powerful | Elle Hardy
Reining in its pastors and dealing with the scandals enveloping the megachurch risks creating a brand that’s bland and bureaucraticHillsong Church is in crisis. Australia’s greatest cultural export – with 131 churches in 30 countries, 150,000 weekly co…
Cast down the mighty/send the rich away/fill the hungry/lift the lowly
Ben Wildflower is a Philadelphia-based artist who makes Christian anarchist prints, most famously one of Mary with a raised fist and ringed with words from the Magnificat (artist’s note). In an interview with Killing the Buddha, Wildflower discusses hi…
‘Don’t pass Catholic churches’: protests as Glasgow braces for Orange walks
Campaigners call for parades to be re-routed as up to 13,000 people expected to converge in city centreCampaigners against anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish discrimination will gather in protest around vulnerable churches on Saturday, as Glasgow bra…
Archbishop of Canterbury criticises social care tax rise
Justin Welby says favouring wealthy pensioners over young and poor not a ‘people-centred policy’Boris Johnson’s plan to increase national insurance contributions to raise £12bn for the NHS and social care could pose a “serious problem” for low-income w…
‘Cardinal Keith O’Brien was like God to me. Then he tried to seduce me’: the whistleblower’s tale
As disgraced cardinal Theodore McCarrick faces trial in the US, an ex-priest tells of how he testified against the Scottish cardinalAs disgraced 91-year-old cardinal Theodore McCarrick stood in an American court last week, charged with three counts of …
Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick pleads not guilty to sexual assault
McCarrick is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14Former Roman Catholic cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the once-powerful American prelate who was expelled from the priesthood for sexual abuse, pleaded not guilty Fr…
Millions of children in religious groups in England and Wales vulnerable to abuse
IICSA report finds victim blaming, abuse of power and mistrust of authority to be commonplaceChildren involved in religious organisations, including Sunday schools and madrasas, are vulnerable to sexual abuse in cultures where victim blaming, abuse of …
All God cons: camping in churches has a record year as UK staycations boom
As conventional campsites fill up, more holidaymakers are discovering the joys of ‘champing’ – and silent nightsPenny Thomas has always favoured adventure holidays over lying on a beach. But this year, with UK destinations in such demand during the pa…