Mark Movsesian

Essentially, the European Court is saying, a state can ban religious expression in order to maintain what the state sees as particular norms of “living together.” What ban on religious expression would not be allowed under such a standard? Continue Reading »

For those who are interested, our latest podcast at the Center for Law and Religion Forum discusses yesterday’s decision in the Contraception Mandate case. My colleague Marc DeGirolami and I explain the issues and the Court’s reasoning in the case and discuss implications for future . . . . Continue Reading »

Hobby Lobby’s a pretty narrow decision, but an important win for religious freedom. Continue Reading »

We shouldn’t give up on the idea of international religious freedom, but we may need to adopt somewhat modest goals and avoid universal assumptions. Continue Reading »

Pope Francis opened an academic conference in Rome last week with a statement on religious liberty and the persecution of Christians. He reflected on the place of religious liberty in Catholic thought and decried religious discrimination across the world, particularly against Christians. Continue Reading »

I’m in Rome this week, where the Center for Law and Religion is co-hosting its third international conference, “International Religious Freedom and the Global Clash of Values,” on June 20-21. For people interested in law and religion, Rome is an endlessly fascinating place. On . . . . Continue Reading »

At the Liberty Law Blog, my friend John McGinnis has posted a very perceptive criticism of Francis Fukuyama’s recent essay on the 25th anniversary of his famous article, “The End of History.” That extremely influential article, which Fukuyama wrote in the heady days of 1989, . . . . Continue Reading »

Cornerstone has published a short essay of mine on whether a corporation qualifies as a person for purposes of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act—a main issue in the Contraception Mandate case the Supreme Court will decide this month. Relying on a comment from Chief Justice John Roberts at . . . . Continue Reading »

For those interested, here’s an update on that Rome conference on international religious freedom I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, co-sponsored by the Center for Law and Religion at St. John’s University. The conference will now take place over two days, Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, at the main campus of the Libera Universita Maria SS. Assunta in the Borgo. The updated agenda is available here. Speakers include keynoters Tom Farr and John Witte, as well as Abduh An-Na’im, Pasquale Annicchino, Heiner Bielefeldt, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, Ken Hackett, Francisca Perez-Madrid, Olivier Roy, Nina Shea, Marco Ventura, and Roberto Zaccaria. Proceedings will be in English and Italian with simultaneous translation. If you’re in the area, please join us! 

For First Things readers in the neighborhood:  On June 20, the Center for Law and Religion will co-host a conference, “International Religious Freedom and the Global Clash of Values,” at the Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta in Rome. The conference will bring together American and European scholars and officials; proceedings will be in English and Italian with simultaneous translation. 

Panels will include “Comparative Perspectives on International Religious Freedom,” “Christian and Muslim Perspectives on International Religious Freedom,” and “The Politics of International Religious Freedom.” Participants will include Abdullahi An-Na’im, Pasquale Annicchino, Heiner Bielefeldt, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, Marc DeGirolami, Thomas Farr, Ken Hackett, Monica Lugato, Mark Movsesian, Francisca Pérez-Madrid, Olivier Roy, Nina Shea, Marco Ventura, John Witte, and Roberto Zaccaria.

For details and information about registration, please click here.