✣Employers ‘can ban crosses and hijabs at work’
What happened? The european Court of Justice has ruled that employers have the right to ban employees from wearing religious symbols. It must be a general policy and employers must not target particular religions. The court said: “An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination.” The case was brought by two Muslim women who had been sacked for wearing the hijab at work.What the media said
Writing in the Independent, Sofia Ahmed criticised the ruling. “Such discriminatory and openly xenophobic policies contradict Europe’s inherent belief that it is a bastion of freedom in an otherwise barbaric and intolerant world,” she said.
Fr Neil McNicholas, writing in the Yorkshire Post, said the decision was “an apparent flouting of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states ‘everyone has the right to manifest his religion in freedom of belief in practice, worship and observance’”.
The Anglican Bishop of Leeds, Nicholas Baines, also criticised the ruling, telling the Telegraph: “This judgment once again raises vital questions about freedom of expression … and shows that the denial of freedom of religion is not a neutral act.”
What Catholics said
The Catholic News Service reported a mixed reaction. Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth said the ruling was “totalitarian” because it “limits the religious expression of an individual”. “This is a grave infringement of human rights,” he said. “It is a disproportionate application, like cracking a nut with a huge sledgehammer … before we know it we are going to have huge restrictions.”
But Neil Addison, director of the Liverpool-based Thomas More Legal Centre, said he was “perfectly happy” with the judgment.
“The starting point is that you are at work to work and the employer has a right to determine its image,” he said.
He explained that any blanket bans must include non-religious symbols too, such as a gay rights ribbon. “You can’t ban one without the other.”
The most overlooked story of the week
✣ Exorcist says demonic activity is on the rise
What happened? There has been an increase in demonic activity, according to Fr Vincent Lampert, an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis since 2005. He cited pornography, illegal drug use and the occult as key factors. “The problem isn’t that the Devil has upped his game, but more people are willing to play it,” he said.Why was it under-reported?
The story was reported in the Catholic press but gained almost no attention in the secular media. This may be because editors are not so interested in hearing about the evils of pornography, drugs and the occult – they know these are bad. Stories of exorcists blaming Harry Potter, yoga or Ouija boards are another matter – headline writers love these. It has also already been reported that exorcisms are on the rise. Last year it was revealed that the number of official exorcists in the US had risen from 12 to 50 in just a decade.
What will happen next?
Fr Lampert told the National Catholic Register that, despite the rapid increase in the number of US exorcists, demand was still outstripping supply.
In 2012 the Pope Leo XII Institute began training exorcists in the Archdiocese of Chicago, with four 10-day sessions over two years; first class of 55 exorcists graduated in 2015, and a further 52 will graduate this autumn.
Fr Lampert said: “If people would build up their faith lives, the Devil will be defeated.”
✣The week ahead
This sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday will be celebrated in churches and homes across the country. It was originally the day when domestic servants could return to their mother church with flowers and visit their families.Traditionally the Lenten restrictions were lifted with the eating of the fruit and marzipan Simnel cake.
Sunday is also the 50th anniversary of Populorum Progressio, Paul VI’s encyclical on “the development of peoples”, which focused on Catholic social teaching, including the right to a just wage and reasonable working conditions.
The 40 hours (or Quarant’Ore) of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at the London Oratory, London, will begin on Tuesday with a Solemn Mass of Exposition at 6.30pm. On Wednesday the Holy Hour and Benediction begin at 6.30pm. Quarant’Ore will close with a solemn Benediction on Thursday. The Oratory will be filled with candles for the devotion.
