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        <title>Christian Daily International | Data</title>
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        <copyright>Christian Daily International © 2026</copyright>
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        <lastBuildDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 09:59:58 -0400</lastBuildDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Africa on track to hold nearly half the world's young people by 2100, new data shows]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africa-on-track-to-hold-nearly-half-the-world-s-young-people-by-2100-new-data-shows</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africa-on-track-to-hold-nearly-half-the-world-s-young-people-by-2100-new-data-shows</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Children in Sierra Leone, Africa]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Annie Spratt ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Children in Sierra Leone. Africa's under-25 population, currently 28% of the global total, is projected to reach 46% by 2100, Pew Research Center reported. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Africa vs Asia growth rate Pew]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pew Research Center ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 09:10:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Africa's population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep expanding through the end of the century — even as growth slows across most of the world — according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Africa's population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep expanding through the end of the century — even as growth slows across most of the world — according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week.
Drawing on United Nations population data, the report finds that the continent currently holds 19% of the global population but is home to 28% of all people under 25. That share is expected to rise sharply in the decades ahead.
Africa's population stood at roughly 230 million in 1950. It has since grown by approximately 1.3 billion people. Under the UN's middle-range projection, the continent's population will reach 3.8 billion by 2100 — though higher-fertility scenarios put that figure as high as 5.2 billion.
The continent's fertility rate of about 3.9 births per woman is currently the highest of any world region and the only one still above the global replacement level of around 2.1 births per woman, according to Pew. There is significant variation within the continent: Chad's rate stands at 5.8 births per woman, while Tunisia's is 1.8. Africa's rate is expected to decline to 2.8 by 2050 and to 2.0 by 2100 — down considerably from a peak of 6.7 births per woman recorded in 1972.
That falling fertility, combined with rising life expectancy, will reshape the continent's age profile over time. The median age in Africa is about 19 today. By 2100, Pew projects it will reach 35.

Despite that aging trend, Africa is on a trajectory to become the dominant home of the world's youth. By 2073, the continent is projected to surpass Asia — currently the largest home of young people — in its share of the global under-25 population. By the century's end, 46% of all people under 25 are expected to live in Africa, compared with 39% in Asia, the analysis found.
The demographic shift will also alter the map of the world's most populous nations. Nigeria, currently Africa's most populous country and the world's sixth-largest, is projected to become the fourth-most populous nation by 2100. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania are expected to rank fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively. Altogether, 12 of the world's 25 most populous countries are projected to be African by 2100, compared with six today.
Europe's representation on that list is expected to shrink considerably. Russia is projected to be the only European nation among the top 25 by 2100, dropping from ninth place today to 17th as its population declines. India and China are expected to remain the world's two most populous countries.
Within Africa itself, the proportion of residents under 25 — currently around 60% — is projected to fall to 35% by 2100. The share of adults ages 25 to 64 is expected to rise to 51%, while those 65 and older would grow from roughly 5% of the population today to 15%, according to Pew.
The analysis was published May 19 ahead of Africa Day on May 25, which marks the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity. It is based on the UN's 2024 World Population Prospects, with figures from 2024 onward representing projections rather than recorded data.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[BMA backs down: Cass Review right that evidence for youth puberty blockers was weak]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bma-backs-down-cass-review-right-that-evidence-for-youth-puberty-blockers-was-weak</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bma-backs-down-cass-review-right-that-evidence-for-youth-puberty-blockers-was-weak</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A general view of the NHSs Tavistock Centre in London, England, on June 23, 2023]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Dan Kitwood/Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A general view of the NHS's Tavistock Centre in London, England, on June 23, 2023. The Tavistock's Gender Identity Development Service was the only NHS-funded service in the UK working on gender issues in young people. Following an independent review led by retired pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and commissioned by NHS England, the clinic closed after its centralized service model was deemed unsustainable and lacking a safe, evidence-based foundation. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 02:43:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The British Medical Association has largely reversed its position on the Cass Review into puberty blockers for children — a landmark report the doctors' union had heavily criticized in 2024.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The British Medical Association has largely reversed its position on the Cass Review into puberty blockers for children — a landmark report the doctors' union had heavily criticized in 2024.
The BMA published its findings after a two-year internal evaluation in a paper titled "Cass Review: Evidence, Interpretation, and Implementation." Report co-author Professor David Strain told The Times the review's author "has been vindicated in the way she approached the data." When asked to name a single one of Hilary Cass's 32 recommendations that the BMA currently opposed, Strain said, "I can't," adding, "she approached an area of significant uncertainty with that prime rule of medicine, of 'first, do no harm.'"
The BMA's shift is significant because its council had, in July 2024, blasted Cass's recommendations as "unsubstantiated," called for a public critique and demanded the lifting of the puberty blocker ban — a move that triggered intense backlash from the BMA's own grassroots medical members. The council subsequently adopted a position of neutrality and launched the internal evaluation group that produced the new paper.
Writing for the Christian Medical Fellowship, Trevor Stammers — a former general practitioner, clinical teacher and past CMF chair — said the BMA's paper amounts to a concession that the evidence base in favor of puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormones for young people is "limited and uncertain."
"Whenever ideology prevails over evidence, people must eventually face up to reality," Stammers wrote. "It's very sad that now the BMA's efforts to discredit Cass' findings have turned out to broadly vindicate them, they still seek to criticise the necessary actions subsequently taken."
That ongoing criticism centers on the BMA's refusal to back a total ban on the treatments. The review group stopped short of endorsing the UK government's absolute statutory ban on the medication, calling it a political "overreach" that threatens the clinical autonomy of prescribing doctors — even as it acknowledged the "known and plausible harms" of puberty blockers.
The Cass Review was an independent analysis of the Gender Identity Development Service run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. It was led by retired pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and commissioned by NHS England. Its findings ultimately led to the closure of the Tavistock clinic, whose centralized service model was deemed unsustainable and lacking a safe, evidence-based foundation.
The review found that clinical staff internationally reported that adolescents "seem to have more complex presentations" and present "with greater mental health and psychosocial needs, as well as additional diagnoses of ASD and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." Data in the report showed that rates of depression, anxiety and eating disorders were significantly higher among those referred to the gender clinic than in the general population.
Baroness Cass also noted in the report that "it is widely accepted that exposure to sexuality is happening at a younger age," adding that the impact on young people's understanding of their sexuality or gender identity "is an area that warrants better exploration and understanding."
Stammers noted that the Cass Review had faced attacks from activists and some academics, including a non-peer-reviewed paper by McNamara et al. that claimed the review contained "serious methodological flaws." He cited the biblical proverb: "Do not testify against your neighbour without cause."
Official figures cited during the clinic's operational history show that 382 children aged up to 6 were referred to the service between 2010 and its clinical wind-down. About 70 were 3 or 4 years old.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Survey puts family at top of Jamaican values; clergy point to church influence]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-puts-family-at-top-of-jamaican-values-clergy-point-to-church-influence</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-puts-family-at-top-of-jamaican-values-clergy-point-to-church-influence</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Church volunteer ministers to children in Jamaicas Blue Mountains, reflecting the Christian communitys enduring role in shaping family and education values across the island.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ IMB ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Church volunteer ministers to children in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, reflecting the Christian community's enduring role in shaping family and education values across the island. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 02:03:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Family ranked as the most important value among Jamaicans in a new nationwide survey, and two prominent clergymen say the Christian church deserves much of the credit for that result — even though religion and spirituality came in fourth on the same list.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Family ranked as the most important value among Jamaicans in a new nationwide survey, and two prominent clergymen say the Christian church deserves much of the credit for that result — even though religion and spirituality came in fourth on the same list.
The findings come from Market Research Services Ltd.'s Heart of Jamaicans Survey, reported by the Jamaica Gleaner. The survey sampled 1,100 Jamaicans aged 18 and older between Nov. 17 and Dec. 10, 2024. Respondents ranked family, children's education, personal independence, religion and spirituality, and personal education as their five most important values. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The Rev. Devon Dick, pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church in St. Andrew, told the Gleaner he was initially surprised that religion ranked fourth rather than higher. But he argued the placement of family at the top reflects church influence more than secular priorities.
"In Jamaica, part of the reason why family is so important is because of the Church and the rites of the Church, starting from dedication of infants to baptising persons, to marriage, to death," Dick said. "All of these things happen within the Church."
He also linked the survey's strong showing for education to the church's historical role. Before and after emancipation, he said, it was the church — not the state — that pushed to educate the general population, and that legacy continues to shape what Jamaicans prioritize.
Bishop Alvin Bailey, president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, echoed that view in comments to the Gleaner. Despite what he described as inadequacies in Jamaica's public education system, he noted that some of the country's best-performing schools are church-owned.
"Education is high, the Church is playing a significant role in that; family is high, the Church is playing a significant role in that," Bailey said. "The home and the Church are still one of the most positive institutions of socialisation in this country."
The survey revealed generational differences in how Jamaicans rank their values. Younger respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 were less likely to name religion, spirituality or children's education among their top concerns — a pattern the survey attributed in part to their stage of life, as most have not yet taken on parental responsibilities or made deep spiritual commitments.
Older Jamaicans, those 65 and above, showed less interest in personal education but placed greater weight on respect, kindness and spiritual life. The survey also found that men, particularly the youngest and oldest age groups, were less inclined toward religion and traditional social norms than women.
Among higher-income respondents, children's education and adherence to rules ranked lower, while kindness and respect were more frequently cited as priorities.
At the other end of the scale, the Gleaner reported that community status, access to local information and a day-by-day approach to life were the three things Jamaicans valued least.
Bailey said the overall results confirm that Jamaica's social values remain deeply connected to its Christian heritage.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Religion linked to better mental health by 10-to-1 margin, major research review finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religion-linked-to-better-mental-health-by-10-to-1-margin-major-research-review-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religion-linked-to-better-mental-health-by-10-to-1-margin-major-research-review-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/45/4518.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Worshippers, congregants, church, catholic, service]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Kaylee Stoll ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Worshippers attend a church service in a generic file photo. A new report from the Wheatley Institute, drawing on thousands of medical and social science studies, found that religious participation is associated with improved mental health nearly 10 to one over negative outcomes. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 08:25:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A comprehensive analysis of thousands of medical and social science studies has found that religious involvement is associated with better mental health outcomes far more often than not — with positive findings outnumbering negative ones by nearly 10 to one, according to a new report released by the Wheatley Institute.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A comprehensive analysis of thousands of medical and social science studies has found that religious involvement is associated with better mental health outcomes far more often than not — with positive findings outnumbering negative ones by nearly 10 to one, according to a new report released by the Wheatley Institute.
The report, "The Religion and Mental Health Connection," published earlier this month, draws on studies catalogued in the Oxford University Press Handbook of Religion and Health (2024) and covers a broad range of mental health domains, including depression, anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, stress and emotional well-being. It is the first in a three-part series on religion and health; upcoming installments will examine physical and social health.
Of more than 1,000 high-quality studies reporting significant findings, 961 found positive associations between religious involvement and mental health, compared to 101 that found negative associations, the report states.
"Across the mental health domains we examined, the best available science indicates that religious beliefs, practices, and participation in faith communities are most often linked to improved mental health outcomes," said Loren D. Marks, the report's lead author.
Suicide, depression and anxiety
The findings carry particular weight given rising rates of mental illness and suicide in many parts of the world. Christian Daily International previously reported on calls by Christian counselors for churches to take a more active role in confronting the mental health crisis, with panelists at a National Religious Broadcasters forum earlier this year describing current suicide rates in the United States as a national emergency.
The Wheatley Institute report adds a substantial body of empirical data to that conversation. Of 76 high-quality studies on suicide, 89% found lower rates among more religious individuals, the report states. Researchers cited in the analysis have estimated that declining weekly religious attendance may account for roughly 40% of the rise in the U.S. suicide rate. One study tracking nearly 110,000 health professionals found that women who attended religious services weekly were 75% less likely to die by suicide over a 16-year period, with men 48% less likely over 26 years.
Depression and anxiety showed similar patterns. Of 247 high-quality studies on depression, 74% reported better outcomes among more religious individuals. A longitudinal study of nearly 49,000 nurses found that weekly attenders had a 25% lower probability of depression over 16 years. Of 85 studies on anxiety, 69% found lower levels among more religious participants.
Hope, meaning and coping
The evidence was strongest in the area of positive emotional well-being. Of 251 high-quality studies, 93% reported that religious involvement correlated with greater life satisfaction, happiness, hope, self-esteem and optimism. On coping with stress, 86% of 103 high-quality studies found links between religious practice and constructive responses to adversity.
The report identifies what it describes as a "threshold effect": the mental health benefits of religion appear most pronounced among those with sustained, high levels of engagement — typically weekly or more frequent religious participation — and hold across age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds and faith traditions.
"It is not nominal affiliation but committed religious involvement that appears to matter most," the report states.
Policy implications
The authors offer several recommendations based on the research, including building referral connections between healthcare providers and faith communities, equipping congregations to support suicide and substance abuse prevention in underserved areas, and recognizing religious participation as a voluntary complement — not a replacement — to professional mental health treatment.
The report also calls for protecting religious freedom and pluralism so that the documented benefits remain accessible across different faith traditions.
While acknowledging that harmful or coercive expressions of religion exist, the Wheatley Institute report concludes that the overall pattern across the available evidence is clear: religious belief and practice are strongly associated with better mental and emotional well-being.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Survey finds most American parents open to the Bible but rarely read it with children]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-finds-most-american-parents-open-to-the-bible-but-rarely-read-it-with-children</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-finds-most-american-parents-open-to-the-bible-but-rarely-read-it-with-children</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Family discipleship begins at home, where couples and parents pass on faith by reading and living out Scripture together.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Shelby Murphy Figueroa ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Most American parents pray with their children regularly, but Bible reading together remains far less common, according to the American Bible Society's 2026 State of the Bible report. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 09:11:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Most American parents express openness to the Bible, yet fewer than one in seven reads Scripture with their children on a regular basis, according to a new report from the American Bible Society.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Most American parents express openness to the Bible, yet fewer than one in seven reads Scripture with their children on a regular basis, according to a new report from the American Bible Society.
The findings come from the second chapter of the organization's annual State of the Bible report, released May 14. The survey, fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago, drew on 2,649 online and phone interviews with American adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted in January 2026.
Work-family balance topped the list of challenges facing parents, cited by 42% of respondents. Parenting fatigue and financial pressure each came in at 27%. The report found that Millennial parents were more likely than other generations to struggle with both work-family balance (49%) and exhaustion (35%), while Gen X parents were more likely to cite difficulty providing wise guidance to older children (29%).
The gap between mothers and fathers also appeared in the data. Mothers were more likely than fathers to report parenting fatigue, at 32% compared to 23%. Mothers more often named setting appropriate boundaries as a challenge (23% vs. 15%), while fathers more often cited discipline (22% vs. 16%).
Despite those pressures, the report found that parents scored higher than non-parents on measures of meaning, purpose, and life satisfaction — though they scored lower on financial and material stability.
More than one in four parents said they pray daily or often with their children. By contrast, only one in seven does the same with Bible reading, and more than half of caregivers rarely or never engage their children in either practice. The gap persists even among more committed believers: the American Bible Society report found that among Practicing Christians, 72% pray regularly with their children, but only 45% read the Bible with them at the same frequency.
"Most American parents are open to the Bible, but behavior hasn't kept pace with that openness," said Dr. John Farquhar Plake, the organization's chief innovation officer and editor of the State of the Bible series. "They're curious but not deeply engaged."
When parents do teach Scripture at home, children's story Bibles are the most widely used resource, cited by 48% of parents. Bible-based videos and Bible songs each came in at 26%, while Bible memorization tools were the least common approach, at 7%.
The report also found differences in religious identity between parents and non-parents among younger generations. Sixty-four percent of Millennial and Gen Z parents identify as Christians, compared to 47% of their non-parenting peers. Among non-parents in those same generations, 42% claim no religion — nearly double the 27% rate among young parents. The report noted no comparable gap between Gen X parents and non-parents on faith identity.
Parents also showed a notably lower rate of Bible disengagement than non-parents, at 46% versus 59%, though the American Bible Society said that greater openness had not translated into deeper engagement with Scripture.
For churchgoing families, the data offered a more encouraging picture. Nearly three-quarters of parents who attend church said they feel supported by their congregation, and 63% said their children enjoy going. The enjoyment, however, declined with age: according to their parents, 72% of children ages 2 to 5 like attending church, compared to 66% of those ages 6 to 12 and 61% of teenagers.
Plake called on church leaders to take the data seriously. "Church leaders and fellow Christians need to intentionally invest in parents during this demanding season of life," he said. "Parents are carrying a heavy load, and all of us in the Church can help them carry it."
The State of the Bible series publishes a new chapter monthly through November 2026. Upcoming installments will cover topics including artificial intelligence, calling and purpose, and the supernatural. The full second chapter is available at StateoftheBible.org.
The survey was designed by American Bible Society and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago using their AmeriSpeak panel.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Journalists' global body calls for spyware crackdown after landmark surveillance study]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/journalists-global-body-calls-for-spyware-crackdown-after-landmark-surveillance-study</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/journalists-global-body-calls-for-spyware-crackdown-after-landmark-surveillance-study</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Security cameras in London, U.K.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Levi Meir Clancy ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 07:20:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Hundreds of journalists from around the world have backed a call for the International Federation of Journalists to lead a coordinated campaign against the unlawful use of surveillance technology targeting reporters and their sources, following the publication of a major new study documenting what the IFJ describes as a worldwide infrastructure of digital control.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Hundreds of journalists from around the world have backed a call for the International Federation of Journalists to lead a coordinated campaign against the unlawful use of surveillance technology targeting reporters and their sources, following the publication of a major new study documenting what the IFJ describes as a worldwide infrastructure of digital control.
The resolution was passed unanimously by delegates at the IFJ's Centenary Congress in Paris, held May 4–7, after delegates heard from Samar Al Halal, the author of "Global Surveillance of Journalists: A Technical Mapping of Tools, Tactics and Threats." The report, commissioned by the IFJ and published April 28 as part of the EU-funded Brave Media project, examines how digital surveillance of journalists has grown into a systemic global problem.
As Christian Daily International reported earlier this month, the study found that monitoring technologies once confined to intelligence agencies are now widely available to governments and security services, including commercial spyware programs capable of silently accessing a device's messages, calls, photos, location data and microphone without the user's knowledge.
Al Halal, a computer and communications engineer who specializes in digital security and rights, told the Paris congress that the threat to journalism goes beyond technology. "When journalists are monitored self-censorship becomes normal," she said. "Even the perception of being monitored is enough to change behaviour."
In a separate interview published by the IFJ alongside the report, Al Halal described surveillance as having shifted from occasional targeted attacks to continuous, systematic monitoring. Journalists are no longer watched primarily because of a specific investigation, she said, but because they exist within data-rich systems — phones, SIM cards, platforms and networks — that generate enough information to track them constantly, often without sophisticated spyware at all.
She warned that in conflict zones the consequences can be lethal. Surveillance data can, she said, "contribute to increased physical risks for those seeking to hold power to account."
The study describes a recurring pattern across its case studies: the convergence of commercial spyware, state intelligence agencies and weak or nonexistent oversight. Al Halal argued this is not a problem limited to authoritarian governments. Democratic states, she said, use the same tools and legal justifications, with responsibility spread so thinly across governments, private vendors and regulators that no single actor is held accountable.
Delegates at the congress also heard from Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Samira de Castro of the Brazilian journalists' union FENAJ, both of whom described how legal action and public campaigns had helped expose surveillance abuses in their countries.
The congress called on the IFJ to pursue stronger regulation of the spyware industry, greater transparency in spyware exports and government procurement, enhanced accountability for telecommunications providers, stronger protections for encryption and anonymity, greater investment in regional digital forensics capacity, and the integration of security training into journalism education.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said the stories heard from delegates worldwide painted a consistent picture. "From delegates across the world we have heard similar stories of abusive, unlawful and unregulated spying on journalists and their sources which threatens media freedom and leads to greater self-censorship and in too many cases physical threats and attacks," he said.
Bellanger said the IFJ would make the issue a priority, committing to expose unlawful surveillance, help journalists understand and respond to digital threats, and press for stronger laws and regulation at both the global and national levels.
Al Halal, in her IFJ interview, said the scale of the problem means individual self-protection can only go so far. Meaningful change, she argued, requires political and legal action — regulating spyware vendors, enforcing export controls, demanding transparency from platforms and telecoms companies, and holding governments accountable. "We cannot ask individuals to defend themselves against an industrial-scale system," she said.
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 media professionals across 148 countries.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[More Americans say religion is gaining influence, but most want churches out of politics, survey finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-americans-say-religion-is-gaining-influence-but-most-want-churches-out-of-politics-survey-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-americans-say-religion-is-gaining-influence-but-most-want-churches-out-of-politics-survey-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[pulpit]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mitchell Leach | Unsplash ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 08:53:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A growing share of Americans believe religion is becoming more influential in public life, but most still oppose churches endorsing political candidates or taking sides in day-to-day political debates, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.]]></description>
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A growing share of Americans believe religion is becoming more influential in public life, but most still oppose churches endorsing political candidates or taking sides in day-to-day political debates, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
The survey, conducted April 6–12 among 3,592 U.S. adults, found that 37% now say religion is gaining influence in American life — the highest proportion recorded in Pew surveys going back to 2002. That figure has climbed 19 percentage points in just two years.
Despite the uptick in perceived influence, 79% of respondents said churches and other houses of worship should not endorse candidates during elections. Two-thirds said religious institutions should stay out of day-to-day social and political matters. Those figures have changed little in recent years.
Overall, 55% of respondents expressed what Pew described as a positive view of religion's role in American life — meaning they either welcomed religion's growing influence or regretted its decline. Twenty-two percent held a negative view.
Sharp partisan divide
The survey revealed deep disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on the value of religion's role in public life. Three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed a positive view of religion's influence, compared with 38% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Democrats were nearly as likely to hold a negative view of religion's role (37%) as a positive one.
Republicans were also considerably more likely to support government engagement with Christianity. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 27% said the federal government should declare Christianity the nation's official religion — up 6 percentage points from roughly two years ago. By contrast, only 8% of Democrats said the same.
Among all U.S. adults, 17% now favor declaring Christianity the official state religion, up from 13% in 2024. Forty-three percent said the government should not make Christianity official but should promote Christian moral values, while 38% said the government should do neither.
Bible, church-state separation
The Pew survey found no meaningful change in the share of Americans who want the Bible to guide U.S. law. About half (51%) said the Bible should have at least some influence on legislation, consistent with results going back to 2020. Among White evangelical Protestants, 85% held that view, and 62% said the Bible should take precedence over the will of the people when the two conflict.
The share of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing the separation of church and state has actually declined, falling from 19% in 2021 to 13% in 2026. The share supporting enforcement has remained essentially flat at 54%.
On one question that sometimes appears in discussions of Christian nationalism, just 5% of respondents said they believe God favors the United States over all other countries — unchanged since 2021, and a view rejected by majorities in both parties.
Christian nationalism more familiar, more polarizing
Familiarity with the term "Christian nationalism" has grown considerably. According to the Pew report, 59% of U.S. adults said they have heard or read at least a little about it, up 14 percentage points from two years ago. As awareness has spread, so have both favorable and unfavorable opinions.
Ten percent of respondents said they view Christian nationalism favorably, up from 5% in 2022. Unfavorable views rose more sharply, from 24% in 2022 to 31% in 2026. Forty percent said they have never heard of the term, and a further 19% said they lacked a clear opinion.
White evangelical Protestants were the most likely religious group to view Christian nationalism favorably (20%) and to support positions associated with it, such as declaring Christianity the national religion or giving the Bible precedence over popular will. Majorities of Catholics, White nonevangelical Protestants and Black Protestants said they hold a positive view of religion's role in society, though those groups were far less likely than White evangelicals to support formal ties between government and Christianity.
Competing frustrations
The survey also asked about perceived overreach from opposite directions. Fifty-two percent of respondents said conservative Christians have gone too far in pushing religious values into government and public schools. Forty-eight percent said secular liberals have gone too far in working to exclude religious values from those spaces. Roughly one in five (18%) agreed with both statements simultaneously.
Despite the disagreements on policy, there was one area of broad consensus across party lines: majorities of both Republicans and Democrats said churches and houses of worship should not endorse political candidates.
The survey was conducted as part of Pew Research Center's long-running series on religion, politics and society.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Press freedom groups warn of rising surveillance, attacks on journalists on World Press Freedom Day]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/press-freedom-groups-warn-of-rising-surveillance-attacks-on-journalists-on-world-press-freedom-day</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/press-freedom-groups-warn-of-rising-surveillance-attacks-on-journalists-on-world-press-freedom-day</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Surveillance cameras]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Matthias Heil ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Increasing surveillance across many countries is placing journalists under constant monitoring, raising concerns that reporting, sources and press freedom are increasingly at risk worldwide. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 00:23:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The International Federation of Journalists warned of worsening conditions for media workers worldwide as the global community marked World Press Freedom Day on May 3, citing increased violence, surveillance and technological threats that it says are undermining the public’s access to reliable information.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The International Federation of Journalists warned of worsening conditions for media workers worldwide as the global community marked World Press Freedom Day on May 3, citing increased violence, surveillance and technological threats that it says are undermining the public’s access to reliable information.
In statements released ahead of the observance, the IFJ, which represents more than 600,000 media professionals across 148 countries, described the global state of press freedom as “deplorable” and called for stronger legal protections, greater accountability and public engagement to defend the right to information, which it said is essential for democratic societies.
The warning comes alongside findings from UNESCO showing a sustained global decline in freedom of expression. According to UNESCO’s latest World Trends Report on Freedom of Expression and Media Development, press freedom has fallen by 10% since 2012, a drop the IFJ said is comparable to some of the most unstable periods of the 20th century.
Journalists killed, targeted in conflict zones
The IFJ reported that 128 journalists were killed in 2025, with additional deaths already recorded this year. It said reporters working in conflict areas face heightened risks, with individuals identified as members of the press increasingly becoming targets.
The organization cited situations in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan where journalists have been arrested, displaced or killed while carrying out their work.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said attacks on journalists have broader implications for society.
“Every attack on a media professional is an attack aimed at silencing a story intended to inform citizens,” Bellanger said, adding that restrictions on journalism ultimately prevent the public from making informed decisions.
Surveillance expanding beyond war zones
Beyond physical threats, the IFJ pointed to what it described as a growing global system of digital surveillance targeting journalists.
In a separate study published April 28, titled “Global Surveillance of Journalists: A Technical Mapping of Tools, Tactics and Threats,” the organization documented how monitoring technologies have become more widespread and sophisticated. The report draws on interviews with cybersecurity experts and journalists, along with technical investigations conducted between 2021 and 2025.
The study found that tools once limited to intelligence agencies are now widely available, including commercial spyware such as Pegasus spyware, Predator spyware and Graphite spyware. These systems can access devices with little or no user interaction, enabling what researchers describe as “zero-click” intrusions.
According to the IFJ, such technologies are often deployed with limited oversight, creating conditions where journalists may be monitored without accountability. The report describes a convergence of state intelligence capabilities, private-sector tools and weak regulatory frameworks.
Artificial intelligence raises new concerns
The IFJ study also highlights the role of artificial intelligence in expanding surveillance capacity. Data collected through digital monitoring can be integrated into AI systems that analyze communications, location data and online activity at scale.
In conflict environments, the report said, such systems can combine telecommunications data with drone or other surveillance feeds, raising concerns about how journalists are identified and tracked.
The IFJ also warned more broadly about AI-driven risks to journalism, including the spread of disinformation, identity theft and the use of automated systems that bypass editorial standards.
Calls for accountability and legal protections
The organization urged governments to introduce laws that protect press freedom, regulate surveillance technologies and ensure media independence. It also called for restrictions on spyware use and stronger safeguards for journalists’ sources.
The surveillance report recommends greater transparency in the export and use of surveillance tools, increased investment in digital security training and stronger protections for encryption and anonymity.
Samar Al Halal, the study’s lead author, said surveillance has a direct impact on the ability of journalists to report freely.
“When journalists are watched, sources disappear, investigations stop, and self-censorship becomes normal,” Al Halal said. “The public doesn’t just lose information, it loses the ability to hold power accountable.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Pew study finds Catholics losing members through switching while Protestants gain in some regions]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pew-study-finds-catholics-losing-members-through-switching-while-protestants-gain-in-some-region</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pew-study-finds-catholics-losing-members-through-switching-while-protestants-gain-in-some-region</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Worshippers, congregants, church, catholic, service]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Kaylee Stoll ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Worshippers attend a church service in a generic file photo. A new Pew Research Center study found that Catholicism has experienced net losses from religious switching in most countries surveyed, while Protestantism has recorded gains in several regions, particularly in Latin America. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:53:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A new global study by the Pew Research Center reports that Catholicism has experienced net losses through religious switching in nearly every country surveyed, while Protestantism has recorded gains in several regions, particularly in Latin America.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A new global study by the Pew Research Center reports that Catholicism has experienced net losses through religious switching in nearly every country surveyed, while Protestantism has recorded gains in several regions, particularly in Latin America.
The analysis, released as part of Pew’s Global Religious Futures project, examined patterns of adults identifying with a different religion than the one in which they were raised. Researchers analyzed survey data from 24 countries across Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
According to Pew, Christianity as a whole has seen some of the largest losses from religious switching among global religious groups. Within Christianity, however, the effects have varied significantly between Catholics and Protestants.
The report found that more people left Catholicism than joined it in 21 of the 24 countries surveyed. Hungary was the only country where converts into Catholicism outnumbered those leaving the church, while Kenya and South Korea showed roughly equal movement in and out.
Pew defines “religious switching” as a change between the religion in which a person was raised and the faith — or lack of faith — they identify with in adulthood. The term includes shifts from religion to religious nonaffiliation as well as movement between Christian traditions.
Researchers said the findings were based on surveys conducted in spring 2024, alongside data from the 2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study.
In several traditionally Catholic countries, large portions of the population now identify differently from the faith of their upbringing.
Italy, for example, recorded one of the largest net losses for Catholicism. Pew found that 22% of Italian adults said they were raised Catholic but no longer identify as Catholic, while only 1% joined Catholicism after being raised in another religion or without religion. That represented a net decline of 21 percentage points attributed to religious switching.
Spain, Chile and several Latin American countries also showed substantial losses.
In Poland, however, Catholic identity remained comparatively stable. Pew reported that 92% of Polish adults are lifelong Catholics, with 96% saying they were raised in the church.
The study found that former Catholics in Europe and Latin America frequently become religiously unaffiliated, identifying as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” In Chile, for instance, 19% of adults were described as former Catholics who no longer claim a religious affiliation.
Patterns differed in parts of Africa and some other regions. In countries including Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and the Philippines, former Catholics were more likely to become Protestant than religiously unaffiliated.
Despite the losses, Catholicism remains the majority religion in eight of the countries surveyed. Poland had the highest proportion of Catholics at 92%, followed by the Philippines at 80% and Italy at 69%, according to the report.
The study also found contrasting trends within Protestantism.
Pew reported that Protestant churches experienced net gains from religious switching in nearly as many countries as they experienced net losses. Several of the strongest gains were concentrated in Latin America.
Brazil showed one of the clearest examples. According to the study, 15% of Brazilians joined Protestantism after being raised outside the tradition, while 6% of adults raised Protestant no longer identified with it. Most of those entering Protestant churches in Brazil were former Catholics.
Mexico, Nigeria, Ghana and the Philippines also recorded Protestant gains linked to religious switching.
By contrast, Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom were among the countries where Protestantism experienced the largest net losses.
The report said adults leaving Protestant churches most often became religiously unaffiliated rather than joining another Christian tradition. In Australia, for example, 15% of adults were identified as former Protestants who now claim no religion.
Pew found that Protestants account for no more than about one-quarter of the population in most of the countries analyzed. Ghana and Kenya were exceptions, with Protestants forming majorities of 62% and 55% of the population respectively.
The research was funded through the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, which studies religious change and its social effects worldwide. Pew said funding came from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation, while the U.S. Religious Landscape Study also received support from several philanthropic organizations, including the Lilly Endowment Inc..]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Australian Christian survey finds strong support for climate action]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/australian-christian-survey-finds-strong-support-for-climate-action</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/australian-christian-survey-finds-strong-support-for-climate-action</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Australian Christians who participated in a new climate survey by NCLS Research and Common Grace reported taking practical steps such as reducing energy use and installing rooftop solar panels as part of efforts to address climate change.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / David Clode ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Australian Christians who participated in a new climate survey by NCLS Research and Common Grace reported taking practical steps such as reducing energy use and installing rooftop solar panels as part of efforts to address climate change. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:30:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A new survey released by Australian research organization NCLS Research and Christian advocacy movement Common Grace found that many Australian Christians who participated expressed concern about climate change and reported already taking practical steps to address it, including reducing household energy use, installing solar panels and engaging in civic advocacy.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A new survey released by Australian research organization NCLS Research and Christian advocacy movement Common Grace found that many Australian Christians who participated expressed concern about climate change and reported already taking practical steps to address it, including reducing household energy use, installing solar panels and engaging in civic advocacy.
The Climate Action Survey of Australian Christians, based on responses from more than 1,100 participants in late 2025, examined attitudes toward climate change, support for various climate-related policies and technologies, and the kinds of actions Christians say they are taking individually and through churches.
The findings offer a snapshot of climate engagement among a segment of Australian Christians at a time when environmental issues continue to shape political, economic and theological debates across many churches globally.
Researchers cautioned that the survey was not representative of the broader Australian church population. According to the report, participants disproportionately consisted of highly educated Christians and were largely from Protestant backgrounds.
Even so, the report said the data provides insight into what encourages or discourages climate-related engagement among churchgoers already interested in the issue.
According to the survey, nearly all respondents reported taking some form of consumer action connected to climate concerns. About nine in 10 said they had reduced energy use or undertaken measures such as installing solar power. Around seven in 10 reported participating in civic actions including voting, advocacy or discussing climate issues with family and friends.
The study also explored support for climate-related policy approaches and what respondents viewed as barriers to further action.
In comments released alongside the report, Common Grace National Director Gershon Nimbalker said many Christians involved in climate discussions are looking for practical ways to respond.
“This research confirms what we’re seeing across the Church and in our movement as well — many Christians care deeply about God’s creation and want to live out Jesus’ love in ways that ensure that their children, their communities and our global neighbours flourish,” Nimbalker said.
He added that many Christians are asking whether their actions can make a difference and whether others in the church share similar concerns.
Common Grace, which describes itself as a Christian movement focused on social justice issues, used the release of the report to renew its support for a proposed 25% levy on Australian gas exports. The organization said such a policy could help address cost-of-living pressures and fund public services, though the survey itself focused more broadly on attitudes and participation related to climate action.
The approximately 40-question survey covered demographics, beliefs about climate change, support for climate solutions, personal and church-based actions, and perceived barriers preventing greater involvement.
The report forms part of broader discussions within Australian churches over environmental stewardship, fossil fuels and renewable energy. Christian groups in Australia, as in other countries, remain divided on how climate policy should intersect with theology, economics and public policy.
NCLS Research, known for its long-running National Church Life Survey, describes itself as a research organization focused on church life, spirituality and community wellbeing. The organization said the climate survey was commissioned to help build a research base for understanding Christian engagement with climate-related issues in Australia.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Marcham+10 conference opens with renewed urgency to address gender-specific religious persecution]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/marcham10-conference-opens-with-renewed-urgency-to-address-gender-specific-religious-persecution</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/marcham10-conference-opens-with-renewed-urgency-to-address-gender-specific-religious-persecution</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Timothy Goropevsek]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Helene Fisher addresses participants at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17, as global advocates, researchers and faith leaders gathered to assess a decade of progress in confronting gender-specific religious persecution and to chart priorities for th]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Helene Fisher, a longtime specialist in gender-specific religious persecution who has worked with Open Doors International, speaks at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Marcela Szymanski of Aid to the Church in Need speaks at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17, emphasizing how documented patterns of abuse—including abduction and sexual exploitation under religious pretexts—have shaped growing policy awareness of gen]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Marcela Szymanski of Aid to the Church in Need speaks at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17, emphasizing how documented patterns of abuse—including abduction and sexual exploitation under religious pretexts—have shaped growing policy awareness of gender-specific religious persecution. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Elaine Storkey speaks at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17, highlighting the “endemic” and “institutionalized” nature of violence against women globally and its intersection with religious identity, power and social structures.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Elaine Storkey speaks at the Marcham+10 consultation on April 17, highlighting the “endemic” and “institutionalized” nature of violence against women globally and its intersection with religious identity, power and social structures. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A decade after a small gathering in 2016 first sought to name and address the distinct ways religious persecution affects women, the Marcham+10 conference began on Friday (April 17), highlighting both progress and persistent challenges in confronting what is now widely termed “gender-specific religious persecution.”]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A decade after a small gathering in 2016 first sought to name and address the distinct ways religious persecution affects women, the Marcham+10 conference began on Friday (April 17), highlighting both progress and persistent challenges in confronting what is now widely termed “gender-specific religious persecution.”
With global advocates, researchers and faith leaders in attendance, the two-day consultation on Friday and Saturday (April 17–18) brings together a diverse coalition of practitioners, academics, policy advocates who have spent the past 10 years developing frameworks, research and advocacy strategies to better understand how gender intersects with religious freedom violations.
Organizers say the anniversary moment is both reflective and forward-looking – assessing gains made since the original Marcham meeting while confronting the reality that many forms of abuse remain widespread, underreported and insufficiently addressed.
Commenting to Christian Daily International, Kate Ward, co-founder of the Gender and Religious Freedom (GRF) network, whose work helped catalyze the original 2016 gathering, described the origins of the movement as rooted in practical encounters with women facing layered vulnerabilities in contexts of religious persecution.
“I realized the problem was way bigger than even I imagined, and I needed more advocates and allies,” she said, recalling her early work with persecuted women through Release International. 
From anecdote to global framework
Ward traced the emergence of the concept of gender-specific religious persecution to her field experience in countries such as Pakistan, where she encountered what she described as “double vulnerability” – women facing both external persecution due to their faith and internal marginalization within their own communities.
She recounted cases of women harassed in public spaces because of their religious identity, while simultaneously experiencing abuse or diminished status within their homes and churches. In some cases, she said, young women were at heightened risk of trafficking or exploitation, particularly in economically vulnerable regions.
“What we call it is internalized oppression…their internal mindset that said, ‘I am worth nothing,’” Ward said. 
These early observations, initially anecdotal, became the basis for a broader realization that persecution is not experienced uniformly. Instead, it manifests differently depending on gender, age and social context – a recognition that has since reshaped research and advocacy approaches across the religious freedom sector.
Panelists at the conference underscored how the field has evolved over the past decade from scattered testimonies to a more structured, evidence-based discipline. Rachel Morley of Open Doors International noted that systematic research efforts beginning around 2018 enabled organizations to analyze how persecution impacts men and women differently, leading to the development of gender-specific reporting frameworks. 
This shift has allowed for more nuanced insights – for example, identifying patterns in which women are often targeted through sexual violence or forced marriage, while men are more frequently attacked in ways linked to their perceived roles as leaders or providers. 
The legacy of Marcham 2016
The original Marcham conference in 2016, reported at the time by World Watch Monitor, marked one of the first coordinated efforts to bring together practitioners, researchers and advocates focused on the intersection of gender and religious persecution.
Ward said the initial aim had been modest – producing a joint statement, later known as the “Marcham Letter to the Global Church.” But its most enduring impact, she suggested, was relational rather than institutional.
“What came of it, I think more powerfully, was the grouping together, the collaboration,” she said. “People who’d worked together for two and a half days became friends…and we were able to form really effective relationships moving forward.” 
That collaborative ethos remains a defining feature of the movement. Speakers on the opening day repeatedly emphasized the importance of cross-sector partnerships, including cooperation between Christian organizations, secular actors, and governments.
Ward pointed to moments where such collaboration enabled unexpected opportunities, including invitations to contribute to discussions at the United Nations and partnerships across advocacy networks.
Language, awareness and political traction
One of the most significant developments over the past decade, several speakers said, has been the growing adoption of the term “gender-specific religious persecution” in policy and public discourse.
Ward noted that the phrase, once largely unknown, is now used in parliamentary debates in the United Kingdom and in international forums. 
Conference speakers also highlighted how research reports and advocacy campaigns have influenced policymakers. Gender-specific findings have been cited in legislative settings, including UK parliamentary discussions on freedom of religion or belief, signaling increased recognition of the issue at governmental levels, they said.

Marcela Szymanski of Aid to the Church in Need described how large-scale reports documenting religious freedom violations have helped expose patterns of abuse, including what she characterized as “abduction and sexual enslavement with religious pretense,” often obscured under less precise terminology. 
At the same time, speakers acknowledged that greater visibility has not necessarily translated into proportional action. Many of the structural drivers of gender-based persecution – poverty, impunity, and entrenched cultural norms – remain deeply embedded.
‘Endemic’ and ‘institutionalized’ violence against women
The scale and complexity of gender-based violence globally were underscored in a presentation by Elaine Storkey, a longtime advocate and former president of Tearfund, who drew on decades of research and field experience.
Storkey described violence against women as “endemic” and “institutionalized” across societies, affecting girls and women from early childhood through adulthood. 
She cited a wide range of issues – including sex-selective abortion, female genital mutilation, child marriage, trafficking, domestic violence and sexual violence in conflict zones – arguing that these forms of abuse often intersect with religious identity in ways that intensify vulnerability.
In conflict settings, she noted, sexual violence has increasingly become both a tactic of war and a broader societal crisis, citing the Democratic Republic of Congo as an example where such violence has evolved into a widespread, endemic problem. 
“Religion, gender, status, power – everything comes into one as these women become victims,” she said. 
Storkey also challenged churches to confront internal dynamics that may contribute to or perpetuate inequality, calling for theological reflection and structural reform to address attitudes that enable abuse.

Intersectionality and blind spots
Another key theme emerging from the first day of the conference was the importance of intersectionality – the recognition that women’s experiences of persecution are shaped by multiple, overlapping factors, including religion, class, ethnicity and geography.
A video message from researchers involved in the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID) emphasized that even within broader feminist movements, the experiences of religious minority women are often overlooked.
This gap, speakers suggested, has historically limited both understanding and response strategies, underscoring the need for more inclusive frameworks that account for religious identity alongside other dimensions of inequality.
Challenges of resourcing and implementation
Despite advances in awareness and research, Ward identified a persistent and critical challenge: lack of funding.
“In order to bring change…it’s very poorly resourced,” she said, noting that much of the work in this field continues to be carried out with minimal financial support. 
This resource gap affects everything from research capacity to grassroots interventions, limiting the ability of organizations to scale successful initiatives or sustain long-term impact.
Yet, Ward expressed hope that Marcham+10 would serve as a catalyst for the next phase of work.
“My hope for this event is that it could become another landmark, but I don’t want this event to be a full stop,” she said. 
Instead, she called on participants to build on the knowledge and relationships developed over the past decade, working more effectively together to advance research, advocacy and practical responses.
“We need to realize we have the knowledge and the skills to take this forward into the next era,” she said.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Korea bioethics forum warns abortion becoming profit-driven industry]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/korea-bioethics-forum-warns-abortion-becoming-profit-driven-industry</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/korea-bioethics-forum-warns-abortion-becoming-profit-driven-industry</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Dr. Jang Ji-young, secretary general of the Seongsan Institute for Bioethics, presents on the commercialization of abortion during the institute’s April colloquium in Seoul on April 11, outlining concerns over the growing role of pharmaceutical and distri]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Dr. Jang Ji-young, secretary general of the Seongsan Institute for Bioethics, presents on the commercialization of abortion during the institute’s April colloquium in Seoul on April 11, outlining concerns over the growing role of pharmaceutical and distribution networks in medication abortion. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:27:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Abortion in South Korea is increasingly being shaped by commercial forces and global pharmaceutical interests, according to a presentation at an April colloquium hosted by a Seoul-based bioethics institute, which warned that the growing use of medication abortion reflects a broader shift from a medical and ethical issue to a profit-driven industry.]]></description>
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Abortion in South Korea is increasingly being shaped by commercial forces and global pharmaceutical interests, according to a presentation at an April colloquium hosted by a Seoul-based bioethics institute, which warned that the growing use of medication abortion reflects a broader shift from a medical and ethical issue to a profit-driven industry.
The April colloquium of the Seongsan Institute for Bioethics, held April 11 at Yongsan Station in Seoul, featured Dr. Jang Ji-young, the institute’s secretary general and a physician at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital. Speaking on “How does abortion become an industry? The U.S. case and legislative tasks for Korea,” Jang argued that abortion—particularly medication abortion—has evolved into a complex economic system involving pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and policy advocates.
“Abortion was once a matter of personal belief, choice and bioethics,” Jang said. “Now it has become a composite economic structure combining public funding and commercial profit.”
Jang described a multi-layered industry in which large abortion service providers expand nationwide through chain models to achieve economies of scale, while pharmaceutical companies and distributors maximize profits through telemedicine and mail-order systems. She added that policy lobbying groups promote deregulation under a “rights framework,” further enabling the expansion of the sector.
The shift toward medication abortion, she said, has been central to this transformation. In the United States, 63% of abortions are now carried out using medication rather than surgery, a change that reduces fixed costs and allows for broader distribution through remote prescriptions and postal delivery.
“This bypasses time and space constraints and minimizes labor costs, leading to maximized corporate profits,” Jang said. “It is not simply about increasing patient convenience, but a deliberate industrial choice to establish a business model capable of unlimited expansion.”
Jang pointed to regulatory changes in the United States—such as expanded eligibility for abortion drugs in 2016, the approval of telemedicine prescriptions and mail delivery in 2021, and the inclusion of large pharmacy chains in 2023—as key drivers of rapid market growth. The global medication abortion market, she said, is estimated at $4.4 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $8 billion by 2035.
She argued that the industry’s profitability is driven by significant disparities between production costs and consumer prices. While manufacturing costs for abortion drugs are estimated at $1 to $4, supply prices to medical providers range from $75 to $100, and patients may be charged more than $500.
“Medication abortion has become a stable pharmaceutical market that realizes a massive margin structure,” Jang said, adding that companies benefit financially while avoiding responsibility for post-treatment outcomes.
“Although it is justified through the public discourse of ‘women’s rights,’ in reality it disperses medical responsibility and shifts risk onto women,” she said. “Complications such as incomplete abortion or hemorrhage are borne entirely by the individual, while the public health system absorbs the social costs.”
Jang challenged widely cited claims that medication abortion is significantly safer than childbirth, arguing that such conclusions rely on flawed comparisons and incomplete data. She said that complication rates reported by U.S. regulators—often cited as below 0.5%—are based on voluntary reporting, while analyses of insurance claims data show rates as high as 10.9%.
“In the United Kingdom, official figures reported only a few hundred complications, but freedom of information requests revealed more than 11,000 cases,” she said. “The claim that medication abortion is safer than full-term childbirth is only possible due to systematic omissions in data.”
Turning to South Korea, Jang said the country remains in a prolonged legislative vacuum following the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling that found the country’s abortion law unconstitutional. In the absence of updated legislation, she said, abortion services have become increasingly commercialized, with clinics openly advertising procedures and pricing.
She cited examples of advertisements promoting same-day abortion procedures up to six weeks of pregnancy for about 500,000 won ($370), as well as claims that even late-term abortions cannot be prosecuted under current legal conditions.
Jang also highlighted the role of pharmaceutical companies preparing to enter the Korean market. She said Hyundai Pharmaceutical secured exclusive domestic rights in 2020 to distribute the abortion drug Mifegymiso through an agreement with U.K.-based Linepharma International. The company already holds a dominant share of the emergency contraceptive market in South Korea and has built extensive distribution networks.
“If legalized, an immediate monopoly market entry structure will be completed,” she said, adding that companies have already identified abortion drugs as a “new core growth driver” and are building infrastructure ahead of regulatory approval.
Jang warned that introducing medication abortion without clear legal and ethical frameworks could accelerate the commercialization of medicine, weaken professional standards and shift risks onto individuals.
“The pharmaceutical market is moving preemptively without waiting for policy,” she said. “If introduced under these conditions, public health safeguards could be dismantled, with costs ultimately borne by women and the public healthcare system.”
She described developments in the United States as a cautionary example for South Korea, urging lawmakers to establish what she called “three principles of respect for life”: legal protection of life, safeguards against medical commercialization and protection of professional ethics and conscience.
Jang also addressed ongoing legislative discussions, saying “abortion policy must not become a growth strategy for a specific industry. The most urgent national task is to establish firm legislation that ensures clear accountability, data transparency, and prioritizes both life and women’s safety.”
She further called for revisions to South Korea’s Maternal and Child Health Act to explicitly include the fetus as a protected subject, remove provisions permitting abortion and strengthen support systems such as delivery infrastructure and intensive care for high-risk pregnancies.
“No legislation that harms life, including the introduction of medication abortion, should be included in the Maternal and Child Health Act,” she said.
This report is based on original reporting by Christian Today Korea.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Bible reading declines as openness to Scripture rises in US, new State of the Bible report finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bible-reading-declines-as-openness-to-scripture-rises-in-us-new-state-of-the-bible-report-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bible-reading-declines-as-openness-to-scripture-rises-in-us-new-state-of-the-bible-report-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A new report by Cardus and the Canadian Bible Society suggests young Canadians may be showing greater openness to religion even as overall religious affiliation remains low.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Rod Long ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A new report by the American Bible Society finds that while overall Bible engagement in the United States has declined, openness to Scripture has grown, with 9 million more Americans expressing interest since 2024. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[ABS Graph how much of the Bible read]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ American Bible Society ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:03:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A newly released national study by the American Bible Society finds that while Bible reading and engagement in the United States have declined from last year’s levels, openness to the Bible has grown significantly, with 9 million more Americans expressing interest in its message since 2024.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A newly released national study by the American Bible Society finds that while Bible reading and engagement in the United States have declined from last year’s levels, openness to the Bible has grown significantly, with 9 million more Americans expressing interest in its message since 2024.
The findings come from the first chapter of the organization’s 2026 State of the Bible report, published April 9, which analyzes Americans’ attitudes toward Scripture, faith practices and church involvement. The report indicates that 28% of U.S. adults now fall into what researchers call the “Movable Middle”—those who are curious about the Bible but not deeply engaged—marking a notable increase over the past two years.
The new data mark a shift from 2025, when researchers reported a surprising rise in Bible engagement—particularly among younger men—prompting discussion of a possible spiritual renewal. In an interview with Christian Daily International last year, ABS Chief Innovation Officer John Farquhar Plake described the trend as unexpected. While that increase has since leveled off, the 2026 findings point instead to a growing pool of Americans who remain open to Scripture but are not yet actively engaged.
Researchers said the expansion of this “Movable Middle” appears to come largely from individuals who were previously disengaged from Scripture, a segment that has declined by 5 million adults since 2024. Meanwhile, the proportion of Americans considered “Scripture Engaged” has returned to about 17%, similar to levels recorded two years ago.
“Though Scripture engagement has come back down, the number of Americans who are interested in and open to the Bible has swelled,” said Plake, who also serves as the editor-in-chief of the report series. He added that many in this “Bible Curious” group indicated a willingness to explore Scripture if guided by others, pointing to what he described as an opportunity for churches and individual believers.
The report also highlights long-term familiarity with the Bible among Americans. About half of respondents said they have read at least half of the Bible, including one-third who reported reading most or all of it. Seventeen percent said they have read the entire Bible, while only 10% reported not reading any of it.

In terms of format, printed Bibles remain the most widely used, with nearly 80% of Bible users reading a physical copy at least monthly. Digital formats are also common, with 62% of users engaging Scripture digitally each month. Among younger generations, including Millennials and Generation Z, digital use slightly exceeds print, though most report using both formats regularly.
The study also found a connection between reading habits and attitudes toward the Bible. Among respondents who said the Bible has transformed their lives, 64% reported reading most or all of it. By contrast, 60% of those who view the Bible as a tool for control or manipulation said they had read little or none of it.
Use of structured reading plans was also associated with higher engagement. Nearly three-quarters of respondents who follow a reading guide or program said they had read most or all of the Bible.
The findings are based on a nationally representative survey of 2,649 U.S. adults conducted between Jan. 8 and Jan. 27, 2026, by NORC at the University of Chicago using its AmeriSpeak panel.
According to Dr. Jennifer Holloran, President and CEO of the American Bible Society, the report is intended to help church leaders respond to shifting patterns in Bible engagement. She said the accompanying resources, including a podcast series and ministry toolkits, are designed to support churches in engaging those who are curious about Scripture.
The 2026 State of the Bible report will be released in seven chapters through November, with upcoming installments expected to address topics including parenting, artificial intelligence and questions of calling and purpose.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Evangelical giving stabilizes after years of decline, new report finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/evangelical-giving-stabilizes-after-years-of-decline-new-report-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/evangelical-giving-stabilizes-after-years-of-decline-new-report-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[money, donation, dollars, giving, generosity]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Giorgio Trovato ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Evangelical giving patterns in the United States have stabilized after several years of decline, while new research highlights the influence of spiritual engagement, church attendance and generational trends on financial generosity and volunteerism. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:38:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[After several years of measurable decline, giving among evangelical Protestants in the United States appears to have stabilized, according to a new study examining patterns of generosity, political giving and volunteerism.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
After several years of measurable decline, giving among evangelical Protestants in the United States appears to have stabilized, according to a new study examining patterns of generosity, political giving and volunteerism.
The report, "The Generosity Landscape: How Evangelicals Give", was released by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research and is based on a survey of 1,008 evangelical Protestants. The findings challenge several widely held assumptions about how evangelicals allocate their financial resources and time.
Researchers found that giving levels in 2025 remained largely consistent with 2024, following a multi-year decline. Between 2020 and 2024, the proportion of evangelicals donating to their church dropped by 18%, while those supporting charities or ministries outside the church declined by 16%. The latest data suggests that downward trend has, at least temporarily, leveled off.
The study also disputes the perception that election cycles significantly divert charitable giving toward political causes. Only 12% of evangelicals reported donating to a political campaign, candidate or cause during the most recent election cycle, a figure unchanged from 2024, a non-election year. Among respondents who did not give to a church or charity, 95% also reported no political giving.
Another common assumption — that individuals often substitute volunteering for financial giving — was also not supported by the data. Just 2% of evangelicals said they volunteer with an organization without contributing financially to a church or charity, indicating that most who volunteer also give.
The report further challenges views about generational patterns in volunteerism. Contrary to expectations that older adults are the most active volunteers, the study found that evangelicals under age 35 are the most likely to volunteer through an organization, while seniors are the least likely.
Church attendance patterns were shown to have a strong relationship with financial giving. Among evangelicals who attend church in person weekly, 84% said they financially support their church. That share drops to 69% among those attending one to three times a month and to 39% among those attending less frequently. Among those who primarily attend services online, 37% reported giving financially to a church.
Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, cautioned against relying on assumptions when developing ministry strategies.
“A lot of the ‘conventional wisdom’ about giving and generosity may be conventional, but it is not very wise,” Sellers said. “Building plans and strategies around myths that are not true will lead to poor outcomes.”
The report identifies spiritual engagement as the strongest predictor of generosity. Evangelicals who regularly pray, attend worship services and small groups, and read or study the Bible were significantly more likely to give both to their church and to charitable causes.
According to the findings, spiritually engaged evangelicals are 284% more likely to give to their church and 73% more likely to give to charities outside the church. They also give more generously as a proportion of their income, both within and beyond church contexts.
Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO of Infinity Concepts, said it remains unclear whether the stabilization in giving represents a long-term shift or a temporary pause in a broader decline.
“What we do not know is whether this stabilization of giving is the beginning of a new normal, or a brief respite in a continuing decline,” Dreistadt said. “But what has been consistent in every study we have done together is that the single biggest predictor of giving and generosity is how spiritually active and engaged people are.”
He added that patterns of in-person participation and spiritual disciplines appear closely linked to financial commitment.
“In every measurable way, spiritual engagement is the strongest catalyst for financial generosity,” Dreistadt said. “The challenge of financial giving is a discipleship challenge as well.”]]></content:encoded>
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