Britain should celebrate the role Christianity plays in the country and Christians must feel free to talk about their faith, Prime Minister Theresa May has stressed. Mrs May made her comments during a reception at Downing Street, telling guests “We have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of. We must continue to ensure that people feel able to speak about their faith, and that absolutely includes their faith in Christ.” The Prime Minister went on to praise the work of Churches for “millions in our country at some of the most difficult moments in their lives”. She added that, on the issue of persecution of Christians in other parts of the world, she viewed this as an area of cooperation between her government and Churches and hopes “to take further measures as a government to support this…It is hard to comprehend that today people are still being attacked and murdered because of their Christianity.”

An Australian MP has withdrawn two abortion Bills he tabled before the Queensland parliament following a mass campaign against them. Independent MP Rob Pyne had hoped to prompt legislation removing abortion from the criminal code, the creation of a 50-metre exclusion zone for protestors around abortion clinics, and forcing medical staff to provide abortions regardless of conscientious objections. However, for the past 10 months, legislators and members of the public have fought the passage of the Bills through a flurry of submissions to committee hearings and petitions which gained 56,604 signatures. It is reported that 83% of submissions during the committee stage were against the Bills. Their withdrawal has been hailed as “a great victory for life and decency” by the Cherish Life group, which added that “Mr Pyne was used by the pro-abortion lobby, who gave him disastrous advice”.

A bus covered with anti-gender ideology slogans in Spain has been seized by police. An investigation is now underway into the group, HazteOir (‘Make yourself heard’), which commissioned the spraying of the bus with the message: “Boys have penises, girls have vaginas. Don’t let them fool you. If you’re born a man, you’re a man, if you’re a woman, you will continue to be so.” The group had hoped to use the bus to bring its message on a tour of Spanish cities, but police moved to seize the bus, citing potential ‘LGBT phobia’. The investigation now underway is seeking evidence that the bus’s message constitutes a hate crime.

Britain needs to learn to accommodate those who hold traditional views on marriage and gender, a former equality chief has said. Trevor Phillips, who led the country’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said Britain risks “failing the acid test of a democracy” in how it mistreats those who believe in marriage as between one man and one woman and those who oppose gender ideology. Phillips made his comments during a television documentary, ‘Has Political Correctness Gone Mad?’, which heard from various individuals who spoke anecdotally of how voicing traditional beliefs in Britain now put people at risk of abuse. Phillips, who stepped down from his equality role in 2012 has acknowledged that he has begun to question his own views over the years.

Christians are fleeing the Sinai region of Egypt following the latest murders targeting the community, and just days after so-called Islamic State (ISIS) called for the slaughter of all Christians there. According to reports from the region, within days of a February 19 online video calling on supporters of ISIS to target Christians in Sinai, three Christians were murdered. One of those killed was burned alive. Over a single weekend at least 75 families arrived in the city of Ismailia on the Suez Canal, with many reporting they had received death threats on their mobile phones. The Christians of Sinai have endured a wave of murders since the start of 2017 – the latest bringing to six the number of dead.

US President Donald Trump has revoked an order issued by his predecessor requiring schools to permit students to use the toilets and changing room of the sex they self-identify as. The contentious requirement was already the subject of a court injunction following a backlash by authorities in 13 states, but the move by the Trump administration now puts an end to the federal order. It is now up to individual states or schools to decide their rules. Opponents of the original guidelines have welcomed Mr Trump’s move. A member of the Students and Parents for Privacy group, Vicki Wilson said: “Our daughters should never be forced to share private, intimate spaces with male classmates, even if those young men are struggling with these issues. It violates their right to privacy and harms their dignity.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – on behalf of one of the 13 states taking legal action on the guidelines – said: “Our fight over the bathroom directive has always been about former President Obama’s attempt to bypass Congress and rewrite the laws to fit his political agenda for radical social change.”

The terror group Islamic State (ISIS) has issued a video in which it calls for the slaughter of Christians in Egypt. In a video entitled ‘Kill all the Kuffar’ (unbelievers), the group urges militants and supporters to target the Christian minority across the country. The video also featured the testimony of Abu Abdallah al-Masri, the suicide bomber who killed 28 Coptic Christians in an attack on Cairo’s St Mark’s cathedral in December. Since the start of 2017 there has be a rise in the number of murders of Christians in Egypt, mainly random attacks on individual members of the community. Five died in knife attacks in January, while three were shot to death in separate attacks in Sinai in February.

The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland have issued an updated pastoral reflection in advance of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, set for March 2. In releasing the new version of ‘A Better Future: Towards a Culture of Life, Care and Hope for All’, the prelates address politicians and voters, urging them “to work towards creating a society that values all of its people”. Describing the “premature collapse of our political institutions is a serious matter for all of us”, the bishops warn that “the bitter language and tone of conflict have to some extent returned to the political discourse. We ask you to reject – and to leave behind – divisive language and actions which will make negotiations more difficult after the election.” Offered 10 questions derived from Catholic Social Teaching, politicians are urged “to recommit to working for the common good, especially for the vulnerable, the disadvantaged and all who struggle daily to bring up their families”, while voters are called on “to take seriously the responsibility of voting in the forthcoming Assembly Election.  As Catholics, we have a duty to be hopeful and, despite the challenges, to work towards creating a society that values all of its people.”

The Family Law Court in Co. Clare has appointed a woman who brought surrogate twins from India as their legal guardian. The unnamed woman was granted the right despite being neither the birth nor biological mother to the twins. The children were born as part of a surrogacy arrangement involving the woman’s husband whose sperm was used to fertilise the eggs of a donor woman who was not the surrogate mother. In obtaining guardianship, the woman will legally have a duty to maintain and properly care for the children. She will also have the right to make decisions about the children’s religious and secular education, health requirements and general welfare. After the case, a spokeswoman at the Department of Health said: “Officials in the Department of Health are currently drafting the General Scheme of legislative provisions on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated research, which will include provisions relating to surrogacy.”