After pop boy band One Direction posted a video of two of its members smoking pot and joking about drug use, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for the band to be banned in the Philippines.
On August 12th, MNLF founder Nur Misuari declared independence for the Muslim-majority southern region of the Catholic-majority country and called for the besieging of government installations. On September 10th, it was reported that Muslim militants were using 180 residents as “human shields” as they traded fire with the Army
MANILA, Philippines -- Angered by a new law in the Philippines that would provide poor Filipinos easier birth control access, leaders of the Catholic Church threw their weight behind an effort to sway public sentiment just before the midterm elections on May 13 -- but they appear to have miscalculated their influence.
