Church and State Archives - Page 2 of 4

FEMA rethinking ban on disaster aid to church buildings
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- Nov 7, 2017
FEMA grants are available to religiously affiliated schools, health care providers and nursing homes. And FEMA also can provide money to repair church-run facilities that function like community centers, but only if less than half the space or use is for religious purposes. Now the federal disaster agency is rethinking its policy after religious organizations sued, saying they are being discriminated against based solely on their faith.
READ MORE
Federal judge strikes down housing allowance for clergy
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- Oct 9, 2017
A housing benefit that saves clergy $800 million a year in taxes has been deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge. Under the law, housing allowances paid as part of clergy salary can be subtracted from their taxable income. Religious freedom advocates fear the ruling could force many churches in poor areas to close.
READ MORE
Catholic leaders trying to correct sins of Poland’s leaders
- Associated Press, Global Church
- Sep 15, 2017
Poland’s Law and Justice party came to power in 2015 thanks in part to the support of the Catholic Church. Parish priests in small towns and villages used their sermons to help the party in its campaign by praising the values it advocated. Now the bishops are questioning some of the government’s policies, especially its view towards immigrants and a proposed overhaul of the judicial system.
READ MORE

Discussion focuses on civility, tolerance as key to religious freedom

24 years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act during a White House ceremony attended by Republican and Democratic members of Congress and numerous religious leaders in a sign of unity. But within a decade, such unity began to fragment as people coalesced around divergent views with little tolerance for opposing opinions on religion or politics.

Claiming ‘sanctuary’ in the current immigration climate

Kevin Appleby, director at the Center for Migration Studies of New York, says that ultimately, law enforcement has the right to detain and deport a person, and if they have probable cause that someone’s in the church that they need to apprehend, they can step on to its property and do so. The term “sanctuary” has to be clarified so all parties know what it can provide, and what it can’t.