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California church wins legal battle over lockdowns, receives $800K in settlement with LA, state
The victory helps ‘preserve religious liberty and we hope that this result will encourage Californians, and all Americans, to continue to stand firm that church is essential,’ an attorney representing Grace Community Church said.
‘Let Us Worship’ pastor calls for Christian revival amid COVID-19 lockdowns
‘Do we fear God or do we fear man? Are we willing to take a stand to break the rules to honor God?’
Judge hands huge victory to Catholic priest fighting California gov’s restrictions on churches
‘The Supreme Court’s decision in Brooklyn Diocese v. Cuomo has opened the way to the liberation of churches from the absurd and bigoted superstition that they are veritable death chambers threatening the entire population.’
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- Florida Senate passes bill declaring religious services ‘essential,’ limiting future bans on worship
Under the measure, houses of worship would be considered ‘essential services’ and no emergency order may ‘directly or indirectly’ cancel public worship if any businesses remain open.
- Pastor set free after two nights in jail following arrest in front of family for protesting lockdowns
Manitoba Justice had issued a warrant against the pastor because he attended an anti-lockdown protest in Winnipeg in May that allegedly violated public health orders.
- Missouri church wins $150,000 in settlement with county over ‘discriminatory’ COVID rules
A Baptist megachurch reached a settlement with Jackson County, Missouri, after the county restricted services to no more than 10 people last spring.
- California church wins legal battle over lockdowns, receives $800K in settlement with LA, state
The victory helps ‘preserve religious liberty and we hope that this result will encourage Californians, and all Americans, to continue to stand firm that church is essential,’ an attorney representing Grace Community Church said.
- Christian pastors slam medical mandates in new declaration of principles
‘With the rise of COVID-19 and all of the attendant ramifications, it has been incumbent upon the church to come to terms with what it believes related to the intersecting areas of biblical ethics, authority, and medical mandates.’
- Texas religious freedom law makes closing churches illegal
‘The First Amendment right to freedom of religion shall never be infringed,’ Gov. Greg Abbott declared.
- Bishops of England and Wales again permit reception of Communion on the tongue
After refusing to offer Holy Communion on the tongue for almost a year, the new guidelines published by the bishops’ conference allow Catholics to receive the Eucharist on the tongue.
- Legal settlement: California forced to stop discriminating against churches, must pay their legal fees
‘The permanent injunctions in these cases uphold and protect one of the most cherished principles of our republic: The Free Exercise of Religion.’
- Pastor tells Alberta premier: Christians serve ‘higher law,’ ‘higher authority’ than gov’t.
Pastor Tim Stephens was jailed for several days for holding indoor church services in violation of lockdowns in the province.
- The safety of Holy Communion on the tongue vs Communion in the hand, during COVID-19
The arguments that Communion in the hand during COVID time is of less risk than Communion on the tongue, is not well grounded.
- Court orders Newsom to pay $1.35M in churches’ legal fees, bans discrimination against churches in COVID policies
‘California may never again place discriminatory restrictions on churches and places of worship,’ Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said regarding the decision, which Liberty Counsel won on behalf of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry.
- Catholics should fear God…not COVID persecutions
Mother Miriam Live
- Ireland to allow public worship for the first time in almost five months
While public religious services may resume on May 10, they have been prohibited since December 26, 2020.
- Head of Scottish bishops issues rare rebuke of Irish gov’t. over ‘unjust’ worship ban
‘Recent developments that penalize the celebration of Holy Mass have been disturbing not only to the Irish bishops’ conference but also to the bishops of Scotland.’
- Judge denies gov’t request to close Canadian church that has defied coronavirus rules
‘We thank God this morning that the judge ruled, at least until May 13th, that the doors would remain open and that there will be no fines issued,’ pastor Henry Hildebrandt said.
- Canadian pastor again orders ‘Nazi Gestapo’ police, health inspectors to leave his church
‘I do not cooperate with Nazis. Talk to my lawyer … You came in your uniforms like thugs. That’s what you are: brownshirts of Adolf Hitler.’
- After loud rebukes from Supreme Court, California Gov. Newsom quietly scraps ban on church singing
Newsom’s coronavirus website now says religious service capacity limits and singing restrictions are ‘strongly recommended,’ not ‘mandatory.’
- SCOTUS says at-home religious services are permitted in California
‘California treats some comparable secular activities more favorably than at-home religious exercise,’ five of the nine Supreme Court Justices pointed out in their majority opinion.
- Pastor who chased cops out of his church: It felt like a ‘flashback’ to life ‘under the boot of the Soviets’
‘Everything kind of came back to life from my childhood (in Poland under communist rule) and the only thing I could do is to fend off the wolves as a shepherd and I used my voice to get rid of them.’
- Pastor: Fellow inmates banged ‘on their doors as a sign of support’ when I left jail
James Coates had been jailed for several weeks after holding worship services amid lockdowns in the Canadian province of Alberta.
- Police interrupt religious service in Canada. Pastor reacts: ‘Nazis, Gestapo is not allowed here’
‘Do you understand English? Get out of this property, go, go and do not come back without a warrant.’
- Over 70 Canadian churches vow to defy lockdowns, will fully open for Easter services
‘We hope the list will grow. We are over 70 churches now.’
- Canadian pastor gives emotional speech in first Sunday back at his church since being jailed
‘I’m immensely grateful, I am immensely thankful to the Lord, to you, I love you and I’ve missed you dearly and I’m excited to be back.’
- Alberta politician: Gov’t made ‘mistake’ in not listing religious practice as ‘essential’ during COVID lockdowns
Religious practice is an ‘essential part of our life and our way of life’
- Scotland’s supreme civil court rules nationwide church closures ‘unconstitutional’
The ruling judge, Lord Peter Braid, said that the government’s reasons for banning private prayer in churches were ‘insufficient to withstand even the lowest degree of scrutiny.’
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Pastor Artur Pawlowski finally set free from jail, but with strict bail conditions
The Canadian minister will be mandated to a house curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. except to attend his church services and is barred from attending protests of any kind or meeting with the public.
Québec church sues provincial gov’t for requiring COVID passports to enter places of worship
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms will be representing the Baptist Church of Saint Augustin and Pastor Rev. Guillaume Roy.
WATCH: Catholic priest begs faithful for forgiveness for withholding Eucharist during lockdown
‘We failed you by denying you the only Food that could sustain your hope. We abandoned you when we should have been closest to you.’
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- Police invade legal Good Friday service, dispel worshippers. China? No—ENGLAND
Police stopped a Good Friday Catholic service, threatening worshippers with a fine if they did not immediately leave.
- Have church lockdowns uncrowned Christ the King?
One consequence of Christ’s Social Kingship is that, ‘the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state’ (Pius XI, Quas Primas, 31). But the silence around this teaching has been deafening.
- Manitoba cracks down on church-goers over omicron concerns, limits attendance of ‘unvaxxed’ to 25
The province of Manitoba, citing the omicron COVID variant, will restrict churches that do not require its ‘worshippers to be vaccinated’ to 25 percent capacity or 25 people, ‘whichever is lower.’
- Diocese relieves priest of parish duties for failure to comply with bishop’s COVID jab edict
In announcing the priest’s removal, the Diocese of London, Ontario said the Church respects the medical privacy of individuals and yet the move was obviously vaccine-related.
- British Columbia sets capacity limit for churches based on congregation’s vaccine status
Churches that want to enforce a vaccine mandate can do so and operate at 100 percent capacity. Those that do not are restricted to 50 percent capacity.
- Quebec announces new COVID restrictions, vaccine passports for churches week before Christmas
Churches and other places of worship will now require the faithful to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or ‘vaccine passport’ upon entry.
- Canadian pastor released from court order to recite disclaimer when speaking against COVID mandates
Pastor Artur Pawlowski was ordered in October to recite a text stating that ‘the majority of medical experts favour social distancing, mask wearing’ and ‘participation in a vaccination program’ whenever he spoke out against any government health orders.
- Canadian pastor ‘won’t comply’ with gag order on COVID speech, is ‘prepared to go to prison’
This is compelled speech the judge ordered like in China and North Korea,’ Artur Pawlowski argued.
- Ontario church faces $85k in fines for breaking Doug Ford’s COVID rules
A judge agreed Tuesday to allow the church to reopen so long as a COVID safety plan is posted inside the building.
- Canadian health authority wants pastor who broke COVID rules jailed again
Alberta Health Services asked the court that the pastor and his brother serve a 21-day jail sentence for ‘openly’ flaunting COVID rules after holding worship services at their church.
- Tokyo archbishop tells Catholics coming for Olympics to ‘refrain from visiting churches’ due to COVID fears
Archbishop Kikuchi’s July 12 directive asked athletes and any visitors to Tokyo to stay away from Catholic churches, referencing the ‘important duty’ of protecting those who ‘have received God’s gift of life.’
- Government of Washington, DC must pay $200k to church it restricted during lockdown
‘Government officials need to know that illegal restrictions on First Amendment rights are intolerable and costly,’ said executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute Hiram Sasser.
- Irish government announces it will continue restrictions on Catholic sacraments
‘It is advised that religious ceremonies such as Baptisms, First Holy Communions and Confirmations should not take place at this time. Further advice will follow on resumption of these ceremonies when it is safe to do so,’ new advice published on the Irish government website on June 29 reads.
- Pastor Tim Stephens freed from Alberta jail after being imprisoned for 2 weeks for breaching COVID orders
The Justice Centre also confirms that Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, and Grace Life Church near Edmonton, have been unchained and released from government seizure and will be returned to their congregations effective July 1.
- Street preacher to pursue legal action against police after Easter Sunday arrest and COVID fine
Andrew Sathiyavan was arrested by the police on Easter Sunday, 2020, for preaching the Gospel on the streets during a COVID-19 lockdown.
- U.S. Senator calls for Canada to be put on religious freedom watch list over COVID arrests
“I am troubled that our Canadian neighbors are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship. Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada.’
- Catholic faithful were ‘scandalized’ when bishops and priests put churches under COVID lockdown
Mother Miriam Live
- New documentary highlights crackdowns on churches amid Canadian COVID lockdowns
‘I cannot believe that I’m sitting here today talking to you and telling you that they came in, they cut the locks in early morning, cut the locks off the church, chained the doors, and then put fences up.’
- Canadian lawyer says gov’t. health authority abused its authority in act of ‘deception’ by arresting pastor
‘It is our position that Alberta Health Services is engaged in an intentional act of public deception and abuse of authority in arresting Pastor Stephens and others’
- Canadian pastor tracked down by police helicopter, arrested for violating COVID rules
The pastors’ kids were in tears as they witnessed their father being hauled away by cops from their home a second time in about a month.
- Church vandalized after police threatened pastor with arrest for refusing to comply with lockdown
Pastor Peter Reicher was visited by police and issued a court order after submitting ‘under duress’ to comply with current ‘health’ restrictions. The following day, congregants at Reicher’s church found large amounts of horse manure, garbage, and needles spread throughout the parking lot.
- GraceLife church takes Alberta Health Services to court, after government seized the church building
GraceLife Church, with Pastor Coates and three members of the congregation, have taken the measures after the government seized the church building and its grounds in April, erecting fences and barricades around the property.
- Christian pastor who spent time in jail for defying COVID rules has his church doors shut by health authorities
Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary declared after the Alberta government changed its locks: ‘They can take the building but they cannot take the church.’
- Court disregards Charter freedoms in Pastor James Coates trial
‘An appeal of this decision is being considered, based on serious errors in law.’
- Alberta gov’t. uses ‘resistance to government tyranny’ sermon as proof pastor broke court order
An Alberta Health Services lawyer used as evidence against Pastor Pawlowski the sermon he gave about resistance to government tyranny to argue that he had broken a COVID-related court order.
