Church Issues

• Pope officially changes Lord’s Prayer: Pope Francis has modified the official Catholic translation of the line ‘Lead us not into temptation’, claiming that it is misleading. Read more here.

World Scene

• Aussie MP calls for religious freedom bill: Dubbed ‘Folau’s Law’, the bill would exempt religious belief from employment contracts, making it safer for Christians in any job to express scriptural views. It is being called for by leading MP Barnaby Joyce. Read more here. Also this week, Israel Folau has launched a legal case against his former employer, Rugby Australia, for unlawful sacking. Read more here.
  
• Trump rescinds funding for research using aborted babies: Federal spending on medical research that uses tissue from aborted babies is being sharply curtailed, with the Government citing the need to promote the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Read more here. Also this week, Canadian PM Trudeau announced $300m more in taxpayer funding for promoting abortion overseas, in addition to $400m already being given. Read more here.
  
• Twitter bans pro-life group for ultrasound images: A US pro-life group is in a battle with the social media giant, which banned it from advertising until it agreed to remove images of ultrasounds from both its Twitter account and its website. Read more here.
  
• A million new STD cases worldwide every day: New research from the World Health Organisation suggests that little progress has been made in curbing the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases. Read more here. Also this week, the WHO has warned that the world is entering a ‘new phase’ where large-scale epidemics of deadly diseases like Ebola will be the ‘new normal’. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• US, Russia, Israel join to seek solution on Iran: Later this month the US and Israel will join Russia at a summit in Jerusalem, where they are expected to discuss Iran’s presence in Syria. Read more here. Iran and its proxies remain the prime suspects behind multiple rocket volleys from Syria in recent days targeting Mount Hermon, which have precipitated a fierce response from the Israeli military. Read more here.
  
• Leaked documents expose Palestinian corruption: A series of documents leaked anonymously on social media this week have rocked the West Bank, revealing that the Palestinian Cabinet has been secretly rewarding itself with big pay rises and other lavish perks while its people suffer a financial crisis. Read more here.