- The Vatican in January ended 80 years of automatically adopting Italian laws, saying too many laws passed by the Italian Parliament conflict with Catholic principles. The decision follows the Vatican’s refusal to approve a United Nations declaration to decriminalize homosexuality.
- Pentecostal leaders in Ukraine accused prominent Kiev pastor Sunday Adelaja of promoting a Ponzi scheme that cost investors $100 million. Church members in November filed complaints against King’s Capital, led by a fellow church member, claiming lost investments. Adelaja denied involvement and said the company was a legitimate business that failed in the global financial crisis.
- India’s Supreme Court warned the state government of Orissa in January that it will not “tolerate persecution of religious minorities.” If officials cannot protect Christians, “then quit office,” the court said. Its warning followed a petition filed by Orissa’s Roman Catholic archbishop requesting protection and compensation for Christians targeted by Hindu extremists in 2008 (CT, Nov., page 15).
- The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in January accused two Christian colleges of violating the academic freedom of professors. The AAUP said Illinois’s Olivet Nazarene University violated the rights of Richard Colling, a biology professor who believes in evolution, by barring him from teaching a biology course and using his book. The association also said Ohio’s Cedarville University inappropriately fired tenured professor David Hoffeditz, who argued the institution was drifting from its theological roots. The universities said the reports contained errors and were unfair. Cedarville accused the aaup of historical bias against religious schools.
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