Last December, when Brandeis University announced a first-of-its-kind policy banning discrimination based on caste, administrators hoped other institutions would follow suit and adopt similar policies of their own.
But nearly a year later, the policy has not caught on. Instead, it’s drawing fire from Hindus who say it’s fraught with anti-Hindu bias, along with the risk of inept and unfair enforcement.
Washington, DC, archbishop Wilton Gregory is set to become the first Black American cardinal in the Catholic Church, a historic appointment that comes months after nationwide demonstrations against racial injustice.
Gregory’s ascension, announced on October 25 by Pope Francis, elevates a leader who has drawn praise for his handling of the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the church. The Washington-area archbishop also has spoken out about the importance of Catholic leaders working to combat the sin of racial discrimination.
Simone Campbell, the Roman Catholic sister made famous by her Nuns on the Bus tours and her support for the Affordable Care Act, announced on October 20 that she will step down early next year as head of Network, the influential social justice lobby.
A member of the Sisters of Social Service, Campbell, 74, has led the organization for more than a decade and a half, during which time her advocacy sometimes put her at odds with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and stoked pushback from the Vatican.
Christianity Today magazine reported that three women who worked as massage therapists at spas co-owned by the late Christian evangelist Ravi Zacharias claimed that he repeatedly masturbated and exposed himself during massage sessions and made unwanted sexual advances.
Although Ravi Zacharias International Ministries denied the allegations, it has launched what it called an “independent external investigation” into the claims. The findings of the investigation will be reported to the ministry’s executive committee.