BEIJING, China – As part of an ongoing crackdown on religious practice in the country, Chinese authorities demolished two Catholic Marian shrines this week. The move comes just one month after the Chinese government signed an agreement with the Vatican regarding the appointment of bishops.

HONG KONG – The recent agreement between the Vatican and China is a step towards the “annihilation” of the Catholic Church in China, Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published on Wednesday.

The new Quebec government’s proposed assault on religious freedom by barring public wearing of overt faith markers is worrisome enough.

VANCOUVER – Dehumanized. Spat on by a professor. Attacked. Assaulted.

MEXICO CITY – An auxiliary police officer was shot dead at the Mexico City home of Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera in what authorities described as an unsuccessful attempt at robbing the retired churchman.

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam has freed a well-known Catholic blogger and rights activist jailed two years ago for posting anti-government material on social media and forced her into exile in the United States.

OTTAWA – A proposed law by Quebec’s new government that would ban religious symbols is a clear violation of fundamental rights, said Montreal’s archbishop and Canada’s former Ambassador of Religious Freedom.

The State of Alabama has had a controversial relationship with the Ten Commandments. Not so much its teachings but its physical representation.

OTTAWA – Experts warned religious freedom is at risk in Canada as it is no longer seen as a fundamental right but something that can be trumped by vague “charter values” and partisan politics.

WASHINGTON – Debate continues about whether the Vatican's provisional agreement with China will improve relations between the Chinese state and members of religious groups, which have had a long history of conflict.

The phrases “hot ticket” and “religious freedom forum” appear only infrequently in the same sentence, especially on Parliament Hill where the operative word is secularism, secularism and more secularism.

VATICAN – The recent Vatican-China agreement on the nomination of bishops seeks the true good of the church, the promotion of preaching the Gospel in China and the re-establishment of the church's full and visible unity, Pope Francis said in a message to Catholics in China and worldwide.

VILNIUS, Lithuania – Outside the former KGB headquarters in Vilnius, Pope Francis ended a day of paying homage to victims of communist, Nazi totalitarianism and of warning Lithuanians to be attentive to any signs of anti-Semitism or hatred.

OTTAWA – A new survey shows Canada’s high levels of immigration are making the country more religious and heightening the need to respect religion’s place in the public square, says Andrew Bennett, Canada’s former ambassador for religious freedom.

OTTAWA – Trinity Western University’s decision to drop its mandatory community covenant has left religious freedom advocates wondering how it will impact the future of their cause.