RELIGION HEADLINES – SUN 10-26-25

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(SRN NEWS)  British prosecutors have decided that Irish TV comedy writer Graham Linehan (LYE-nuh-han) will not face charges after his arrest over social media posts critical of transgender people.  Linehan, known for co-creating “Father Ted” and “The IT Crowd,” was arrested last month at Heathrow Airport.  His arrest sparked a debate about freedom of speech. Supporters, including “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, argued that U.K. laws stifle legitimate comment.  London police say that as a result of the case they will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents.  Linehan has repeatedly stated that men cannot become women. 

(  )  New York City schools are suing over the U.S. Education Department’s decision to discontinue grants worth millions of dollars because of school policies supporting transgenderism.  City officials argue that the department acted without the required notice or hearing.  The Trump administration says policies allowing boys to play sports and use facilities set aside for girls violate Title Nine.  In a related development, New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa has ordered a school district in the suburbs of New York City to temporarily halt a new rule barring males from using female restrooms. 

(  )  The organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival say they have been forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmö, Sweden, will not screen the films, with some citing safety and security concerns.  Anti-Semitism is surging around the world, triggered by the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,000 people.  This year’s festival was supposed to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and was scheduled to run November 29th through December 2nd.  Festival organizers say they will “pause to gather strength” before starting the process of finding a new venue for the event. 

(  )  Pope Leo has met with an organization of clergy abuse survivors and advocates for the first time.  Participants in the meeting this week say he agreed to maintain a permanent dialogue with them.  The Ending Clergy Abuse group is pushing for a zero-tolerance policy for abuse in the Catholic Church.  Such policy would require the permanent removal of any priest who abuses a child.  A co-founder of the group says that the Pope acknowledged resistance to a universal law but expressed willingness to work with them.  Previous pontiffs had met with individual victims but kept activist organizations at a distance.