Father Henrykh Akalatovich, pastor of the Catholic parish in Valožyn, was sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony in Belarus Dec. 30 in a move that highlights the growing persecution of Catholics in the Russia-aligned country.

Despite Quebec Premier Francois LegaultöÏÓãÊÓƵapp insistence that secularization is a done deal in the province, a bureaucratic misstep that prevented a group of 50 Anglicans from dining at a restaurant attached to the National Assembly may indicate that consensus is more wishful thinking than reality.

Poland's Catholic bishops have urged schools to continue offering religious teaching after government attempts to restrict it were blocked by the Constitutional Tribunal following church appeals.

A Christian convert in Egypt who has been imprisoned for more than two years for publicly speaking about his conversion has declared a hunger strike, prompting religious freedom advocates to increase their calls for his release.

The Nicaraguan government has extinguished the legal status of more than 25 Catholic organizations, including religious orders such as the Franciscans, Carmelites and Augustinians, another diocesan Caritas chapter, and lay Catholic groups, as part of an attack on civil society with the closure of 1,500 nongovernmental organizations.

A deepening polarization in Canadian society and increased vandalism against houses of worship has led to an interfaith call for the federal government to provide more robust protection of religious institutions.

A lawsuit launched last August against the Quebec government by pastor Art Lucier and Harvest Ministries International (HMI) was, according to their lawyer, never about the money.

Poland's bishops have warned of growing conflict with anti-clerical politicians if they press ahead with plans to remove public crosses and curb religious education in the traditionally Catholic country, as church leaders across Europe also cautioned against the "marginalization" of Christianity.

Different kinds of persecution are top of mind in political and media circles, but what receives little attention is Christian persecution, said John McKay.

The president of a global Christian persecution watchdog is sounding the alarm over multiple bills tabled by Bloc Québécois MPs calling for repeal of religious speech protections outlined in the wilful promotion of hatred and anti-Semitism sections of the Criminal Code.