A man shot and wounded a Christian pastor in eastern Pakistan, according to a police complaint released on Monday, just weeks after vigilante mobs in the area attacked churches and burnt down homes, displacing hundreds in the small religious minority community.

After conducting a church service this weekend in the eastern town of Jaranwala, Elizar Sandhu, a local priest, was stopped by a man who told him to recite a Muslim religious text, according to the information report filed to police. The man then shot the priest in the arm when the religious leader recited a Christian prayer in response. The priest is being treated in a nearby hospital.

A large contingent of armed paramilitary troopers has fanned out to restore calm in Jaranwala after violence roiled the area last month, but tensions have remained high and Christians displaced from their homes have said they are scared of more violence.

More than 120 people were arrested over the hours-long rampage by a mob that residents said consisted of people carrying iron rods, knives and sticks, and which set fire to churches and scores of homes.

The criminal trial of a Finnish politician for tweeting a bible verse indicates what could occur in Scotland and Ireland when proposed new Hate Speech laws come into force, according to prominent human rights lawyer.

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, British solicitor and author of “CENSORED: How European Hate Speech Laws are Threatening Freedom of Speech”, reflected on the parallels between the Finnish legislation and that which is pending in Scotland and Ireland:

“Few would have expected that in a Western democracy, in 2023, a public figure would be dragged before the courts simply for expressing her belief in the Bible.

The treatment of Päivi Räsänen because of her expression of faith “is a canary in the coalmine for what happens when we roll out laws which ban the vague and nebulous concept of ‘hate speech’, which can be interpreted as a right to censor any thought or opinion which lies outside of state approval”.

A lack of support, poor coordination of care and insufficient resources are among the reasons why many people are unable to die at home, a new report has found.

The ‘Dying Well at Home’ report, published by the Irish Hospice Foundation, also revealed that an unsuitable standard of care for individuals or communities and a lack of other social supports are stopping many dying people from being cared for at home before their deaths.

The report compiles qualitative research from focus groups with care providers and was conducted between November 2021 and 2022. It details the enablers and barriers faced by people in Ireland which impacts whether they have a good death – one which is comfortable, gives dignity to the dying person, and empowers carers while receiving support from medical professionals when required.

A priest and a seminarian who had been kidnapped in the Diocese of Minna, in Nigeria, were released last week, after three weeks in captivity.

According to a statement released by the Missionaries of Africa, “they are both fine, alive and healthy, despite the traumatizing experience they went through in the hands of their abductors”.

Fr Paul Sanogo, and Brother Melchior Mahinini, originally from Mali and from Tanzania, respectively, were kidnapped on 2 August in the state of Niger, in Nigeria.

Kidnapping by bandits is widespread in Nigeria. Although priests and members of the clergy are far from being the only victims of this type of crime, 13 have been kidnapped in 2023 alone, although were later released. Besides these incidents, two Nigerian priests were also killed in 2023, and three priests who were kidnapped in previous years are still missing.

Women aged 27-30 are now included in a ‘free’ contraception scheme fully paid by the State that was introduced last year for 17 to 26 year olds.

This comes despite a 2019 Working Group on Access to Contraception, under the then Health Minister, Simon Harris, say the proposal would probably be a waste of public funds.

It is open to women, girls, and “people who identify as transgender or non-binary, in cases where a prescription or procedure is deemed suitable by doctors”.

It covers the costs of GP consultations, family planning, student health and primary care centres along with prescriptions for a variety of contraception options.

Those options include long-acting reversible contraception (LARCS), which include injections, implants (the bar), and hormonal and copper intra-uterine devices (the coil).

LARCS fittings, removals, and checks are included in the scheme.

Emergency contraception – which can act as an abortifacient – is also included in it as well as the oral contraceptive pill.

An estimated 7,000 pro-life campaigners of all ages filled Parliament Square in London on Saturday to participate in the ‘March for Life’.

The annual public witness, now in its ninth year, processed through Westminster before stopping to hear a series of speakers.

Lois McClatchie-Miller from ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) told the crowd ‘The apparently ’empowering’ mantra of ‘my body, my choice’ has led to a deficit of male responsibility, allowing men to shrug and say ‘your body, your choice, your problem’.

Scott Klusendorf, president of The Life Training Institute urged attendees to enter into conversations with those around them on abortion but reminded them ‘We need to have the confidence to make our case persuasively’.

Co-director of the event, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce shared her experience of being arrested for praying silently near an abortion centre

A California mother who said her daughter was ‘socially transitioned’ into a trans boy by her school has won a landmark legal victory against the district – who settled the suit for $100,000.

Jessica Konen’s daughter Alicia, 11, was allegedly told by Buena Vista Middle School that she was upset because she didn’t know who she ‘truly was inside.’

The school allowed the child to use the boys’ bathroom and male pronouns in class without her mother’s consent.

Single mom Konen accused teachers of encouraging her daughter to think she was a trans boy when she was at the school in 2019 – only for the child to return to her female persona while learning remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite not admitting fault, the school district’s settlement marks an important moment in how parental rights fit in with children’s decisions in school settings.

The Pro-Life Campaign is treating the new constituencies and extra Dáil seats as an opportunity to be engaged with.

The recommendations of the Electoral Commission included raising the number of TDs from 160 to 174 and redrawing many constituencies.

“More seats give more opportunities for candidates from all parties and none to be elected. Pro-lifers should look at the recommended increase in seats as an opportunity. It should encourage greater engagement with politics, and hopefully prompt people to stand forward for election,” said a spokesperson.

The splitting of five seat constituencies in Tipperary and Laois/Offaly into a number of smaller three seat constituencies should suit sitting pro-life TDs.

‘For Carol Nolan, since her voting base is strongly based in Offaly, the creation of a new Offaly constituency will hopefully solidify her vote and help her prospect of re-election at the next general election’, the PLC said.

Mattie McGrath’s vote is concentrated mostly in the south of county Tipperary. Therefore, the division of the county in two will likely be of net benefit to him as a candidate in Tipperary South’, they added.

Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen is on trial this week for “hate speech” and “ethnic agitation” after publicly sharing in 2019 her traditional views on sex and marriage.

In a 2019 tweet that brought about Räsänen’s current legal troubles, she criticised her Lutheran Church for embracing LGBTQ+ ideology, asking how these views could be reconciled with Scripture. In the tweet, she referenced Romans 1:24-27, which states that sexual activity with a member of the same sex is against God’s will.

Along with Räsänen, a Finnish Lutheran bishop named Juhana Pohjola is also being tried for hate speech for publishing a pamphlet written by Räsänen that advocated for the biblical understanding of sexuality and marriage.

Though they were unanimously acquitted by a Finnish District Court in 2022, prosecutors appealed their acquittal to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.