The Hazards of Belief

Independent wrote:

A heavily pregnant Christian doctor in Sudan has been sentenced to hang for not being raised as a Muslim. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim (27) was convicted on charges of apostasy, or the abandonment of religion, by a court in Khartoum.

Following her conviction on Sunday, she was given three days to recant her faith. "We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged," Judge Abbas Mohammed Al-Khalifa told the woman.

Mrs Ibrahim also faces a sentence of 100 lashes for adultery on the grounds that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan is considered void under Sharia law.

She was brought up as a Christian by her mother. However, because her father was Muslim, she was considered by the court to be the same. Amnesty International says that Ibrahim is eight months pregnant and in detention with her 20-month-old son.

"Adultery and apostasy are acts which should not be considered crimes at all, let alone meet the international standard of most serious crimes in relation to the death penalty. It is flagrant breach of international human rights law," the group said. In a joint statement, the embassies of the US, UK, the Netherlands and Canada expressed "deep concern".

"We call upon the government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion, including one's right to change one's faith or beliefs," it said.

Irish Times wrote:

Twenty-six Italian women who say they are “in love” with priests have written to Pope Francis, calling on him to change Catholic Church teaching on the priestly vow of celibacy, according to religious website Vatican Insider. The women call on Pope Francis to help “break down the wall of silence and indifference” generated by their fate.

Calling themselves a “small sample” of many women “living in silence”, they write: “We humbly place our suffering at your feet in the hope that something may change, not just for us, but for the good of the church.” Precise figures on the number of priests who have abandoned their vocations and been laicised to live with a woman are not available. Between 1970 and 1995, an estimated 46,000 priests abandoned the priesthood, but many did so for reasons other than a relationship with a woman. Vocatio, an Italian movement for married priests, claims there may be up to 8,000 former priests in Italy alone who have abandoned the church for a woman.

However, it seems unlikely that the letter will prompt Pope Francis to instigate radical change. In the book On Heaven and Earth, written with Argentine rabbi Abraham Skorka, he appears to defend celibacy, saying: “For now, I am in favour of maintaining celibacy, with all the pros and cons that come with it, because in 10 centuries there have been more positive experiences than errors... “Tradition plays an important role. Catholic ministers gradually chose celibacy. Until 1100 some opted for it and some didn’t.”

Even though he writes that, “personally I never considered marrying”, the pope does not entirely shut the door on the argument, saying the celibacy question is one “of discipline, not faith”, which “can be changed”.