On 20th June 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that the printer was guilty of illegally refusing to provide services without a “justified cause”. 

“No one should have to choose between their profession and their faith,” said Alice Neffe, Legal Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF) in Brussels, who later filed the intervention.

“The Supreme Court should have protected the printer’s constitutional conscience rights. “The right to freedom of conscience, which is protected by every major human rights treaty, must include the right to act accordingly. 

“The Court failed to recognise the printer’s religious convictions as a ‘justified cause’.

“The Constitutional Tribunal should now address the shortcomings of the current law and determine whether religious beliefs would justify a conscience-based refusal to print a particular message.” 

On Wednesday, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the law which the printer was convicted under was unconstitutional because the punishment for refusing to provide services on the grounds of belief interfered with the printer’s right to act according to his conscience.

ADF said in a statement: “It is our hope that this decision will reaffirm the standard expected from other European countries on the protection of conscience rights for service providers.”

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Speaking about the context into which Prime Minister Johnson steps, Andy Flannagan, the Executive Director of Christians in Politics, told Premier Christian Radio’s News Hour: “I’ve never known the public square to be quite as toxic as this and I think the new Prime Minister has a huge job to do.

“We are in real danger in this country of sliding towards an American style situation where it’s almost like two separate cultures operating into one country, two separate tribes who are watching different TV programmes, who are reading different newspapers, who are going to different events, who are starting to not even have the same vocabulary, or the same agreed set of facts to be able to even begin a conversation and that’s a perilous direction for a country to go in.”

He added that the new leadership team therefore have a huge responsibility in the language they use and the atmosphere they pursue.

When asked if he thinks Boris Johnson will unite the country he replied: “We will see. There are many folks involved in Christian politics who would believe that that is the case and there’s plenty involved who would believe that that is not the case, but as believers our primary call is not just to sit here being consumers, we should not just be involved in the same commentary as everyone else.”

Prayers for @BorisJohnson as he becomes our new Prime Minister and for the…

A member of City Life International Church, Sheffield decided to fashion a cross with the name ‘Living Stone Church’ written on it in Chinese script.

Living Stone Church in the Guizhou Province of China has been increasingly targeted by authorities, with many of its 700 members being pressurised not to attend services and several of its pastors facing prison sentences.

City Life International Church member Elton Clough is encouraging other congregations to follow his lead and make crosses with the name of a persecuted church in an act of solidarity and prayer.

Speaking to Premier he said his cross represented the crosses that had been taken down from other churches: “You read all the time about the difficultly Christians are having all over the world. What struck me was that some churches in China were having their crosses forcibly removed and also buildings knocked down, and other house churches restricted and pastors being put in prison.”

Mr Clough said it was one small thing that UK churches can do to stand with those in suffering and engage local communities with the plight of the persecuted.

He continued by quoting Hebrew 13:3: “Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

Following a review of persecuted Christians by the Foreign Office earlier this month, parliament…

It was discovered after a car crash involving 56-year-old Father Oscar Diaz, who broke his hip in the traffic accident, when paramedics found over $18,000 cash in the Roman Catholic priest’s car.

A hospital employee called the police, according to the Bishop of Santa Rosa, Rt Rev Robert Vasa.

Bags full of cash from months’ worth of church collections were found in his parish office and $10,000 in notes in a desk drawer.

Where he lived, at the rectory, bags were also found containing collections going back to last September.

Bishop Robert Vasa said: “All of this is certainly horribly distressing and so I hope you can understand the anger, outrage, sadness, grief and confusion which this has created. My determination to have the police involved and to proceed with a criminal investigation, arrest and charges was secure.”

Bishop Vasa said it was important for him to handle this situation “in the light of the Gospel, in prayer and in meditation.”

He said: “Our journey must be a journey from anger to peace. Our journey must be a journey from shock to understanding. Our journey must be a journey from grief to acceptance. Our journey must be a journey from confusion to compassion. Our journey must be a journey of concern for the spiritual well being of Oscar despite the fact that actions must be taken which are extremely difficult.”

Mr Diaz, who celebrated his 25th…