(SRN NEWS)-( ) The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal on a Texas free speech case. The decision allows local officials to remove books deemed objectionable from public libraries. The case began in 2022 when a group of state residents sued over the removal of more than a dozen books, including several that […]
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(SRN NEWS)-( ) The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal on a Texas free speech case. The decision allows local officials to remove books deemed objectionable from public libraries. The case began in 2022 when a group of state residents sued over the removal of more than a dozen books, including several that promote the LGBT lifestyle to children. A lower federal appeals court ruled that the removal did not violate Constitutional protections against government censorship. A growing number of states are acting to remove pornographic material and other adult content from the children’s sections of public libraries.
( ) The Catholic Archdiocese of New York says it will set up a 300 million dollar fund to compensate victims of priest sex abuse who have sued the church. Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the archdiocese will pay for the fund by reducing its budget and selling off assets, including completing the sale of its former headquarters in Manhattan. Church officials hope the fund will cover settlements for most, if not all of the roughly 1,300 outstanding claims against the archdiocese. Church leaders have also agreed to engage retired Judge Daniel Buckley as a mediator between the church and victims to reach a settlement.
( ) The European Union has issued updated guidance for asylum applications by Syrian nationals that reflects new conditions in Syria a year after the fall of Bashar Assad. The E.U. says opponents of the former president and military service evaders are deemed to be “no longer at risk of persecution.” However, Christians and other religious minorities can still seek asylum. The new regime in Syria is made up of former Muslim terrorists who killed Christians in the past. Since overthrowing Assad and taking power, they have vowed to respect religious freedom. However, many Syrian Christians still fear for their lives.
( ) The New Orleans Archdiocese will pay at least 230 million dollars to hundreds of survivors of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement approved by a federal judge this week. The agreement follows years of negotiations and includes policies intended to prevent abuse by Catholic priests from happening in the future. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 to avoid handling each of the more than 500 abuse claims separately. These kinds of settlements are becoming increasingly common in the U.S. as the scope of the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal is gradually emerging. Globally, similar agreements are being forged following investigations in several nations.