Pope Francis declared Devasahayam, also known as Lazarus, a saint on May 16, thus making him the first Indian layman to be canonized.
Devasahayam was born into an upper-caste Hindu family in 1712 in the south Indian town of Kanyakumari. He was baptized in 1745 in Travancore (modern-day Kerela), fought against caste discrimination, and advocated for social equality.
Students in a Christian middle school in Kentucky, USA, were assigned a writing project where they contacted a hypothetical gay friend and tried to persuade them to stop being gay.
Modern day education assignment at Christian Academy of Louisville. Middle school. Write a letter to your homosexual friend explaining why it’s wrong. Shameful. #stopthehatepic.twitter.com/UdgXv3FEBA
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the city of Boston had violated the free speech of a Christian group by rejecting its request to fly a Christian flag at the city hall.
On May 2, the supreme court unanimously ruled that Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, has infringed on the first amendment rights of the Christian group, Camp Constitution.
For the third year, the United States panel on international religious affairs recommended labeling India as one of the "countries of particular concern." The report accuses India and other countries of engaging or tolerating "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations" of religious rights.
After announcing their " Fasting From Whiteness " for the Lenten season, a Christian church in Oak Park, Illinois, is in hot water. According to Religion News (RNS), the issue sparked so much controversy causing the church’s website to crash.
On March 6th, during a Forgiveness Sunday sermon, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, hinted that the pride parades caused the war on Ukraine. Kiril implied that the expanding liberal Western values justified Putin’s war.
A well-known American televangelist came out of retirement to announce that Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, is invading Ukraine because he was "compelled by God."
On January 19, a Tennessee couple sued the Department of Children's Services after an adoption agency refused to facilitate their adoption because they are Jewish. Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram said they were denied state-mandated training and certification because of their religion.
A survey conducted in 2021 showed that an overwhelming majority of UK LGBTQ Christians are not comfortable and do not feel safe in their churches. According to the study, only 31% of the 754 respondents felt safe to be themselves in their local church.