Roundup: Migrants’ rights, Indigenous rights, gay marriage, Lent

WCC applauds EU court ruling on migrants’ rights

The World Council of Churches has applauded the landmark ruling of the European Court of Human Rights, which held Italy responsible for violating the rights of Eritrean and Somali migrants for sending them back to Libya.

Stop punishing Aboriginal families

People in remote Aboriginal communities need incentives not punishments to motivate them to get their children to school, a senate committee has been told.

WCC disowns doctrine used against Indigenous peoples

In a recent meeting, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Executive Committee denounced the “Doctrine of Discovery”, which has been used to subjugate and colonise Indigenous Peoples. The Executive Committee issued a statement calling the nature of the doctrine “completely opposed to the gospel of Jesus”.

Featherstone tells Church ‘don’t polarise gay marriage debate’

The Church does not have the exclusive right to define who should be allowed to get married, Britain’s equalities minister warned, as she suggested that religious groups have polarised the debate on gay marriage.

Lent: Christian realities in the lands of Christ’s ministry

“Ultimately, in a region that is riven with violence at the moment, we should not forget that Jesus was Crucified – He died on the cross – but was Resurrected and that, for me, is where hope always springs eternal in the Christian heart.”