Human Dignity Initiative
Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with an invitation to a global conversation about preserving and protecting human dignity for everyone everywhere.
Talk About: Law and Religion
Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies
Featured Conversations
Recent Posts
In some countries, legal systems are deeply shaped by religious doctrines, especially in areas concerning personal status, such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Under these frameworks, individuals belonging to different religious communities are often governed by distinct sets of laws. Although they may possess equal citizenship in theory, the legal rights, responsibilities, and protections afforded them in personal and familial matters can differ significantly depending on their religious affiliation. For instance, Kuwait’s 1984 Personal Status Law provides separate legal frameworks for Sunni and Shiʿi Muslim citizens, reinforcing religious distinctions within the legal system. Under this law, in the context of marriage, a bride’s signature is not legally required in Sunni contracts but is mandatory in Shiʿi contracts to confirm her consent.
Thomas Massaro, S.J. comments in detail on recently elected Pope Leo XIV—his personality, American background, and relations with his predecessor, Pope Francis. Massaro explains major internal and external challenges that Pope Leo will face during his pontificate and posits the expansion of the famous Vatican bon mot “John Paul II listened, Benedict taught, Francis touched the heart” to include the new Pope.
Series: Pope Francis and His Legacy
by Thomas Massaro, Ingeborg Gabriel, Antonio Autiero, Montserrat Gas Aixendri, Greg Marcar, and Martina Bär
The series brings together a group of Catholic thinkers to reflect on Pope Francis’s pontificate and legacy. The authors discuss the late Pope’s contribution to peacebuilding, human dignity, social justice, and environmentalism in addition to his reforms, often revolutionary, of Catholic theology, canon law, and the Church’s internal life. Pointing to peaks and valleys of the first Jesuit pope’s rule, they depict him as an extraordinary religious leader, tireless promoter of peace across the globe, and persistent defender of the vulnerable.
A Symbol of Faith or Culture? Brazil’s Constitutional Dilemma
by Bruno Santos Cunha & Renato Costa
This blog post examines religious expression in Brazilian public institutions, a topic that has been debated since at least 1892, following the 1891 Constitution’s formal disestablishment of an official state religion in Brazil. While this matter has been discussed across various public fora over the years, it is ultimately the judiciary that adjudicates controversies pertaining to the inclusion of pluriform religious expressions in public institutions.
The focus of our analysis is the latest decision by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF), rendered in late November 2024, which marks a significant development in the ongoing relationship between religion and state within Brazil’s constitutional framework. By exploring both the historical context and the STF’s 2024 decision and other recent rulings on the theme, this post aims to illuminate how Brazil continues to navigate the complex relationship between religious expression and state neutrality in its public spaces.
Search Topics in Law and Religion
Explore topics such as COVID-19, Gender, Jewish Law, LGBTI+, Marriage, Religious Exemption, and Security
Anti-Extremism | Assisted Dying | Autocephaly | Children | Church-State Relations | Constitutional Space | COVID-19 | Death Penalty | Definition of Religion | Digitalization | Discrimination | Equality | Extremism | Family | Family Law | Freedom of Expression | Gender | Genocide | Hagia Sophia | Human Dignity | Human Rights | In Memoriam | Interfaith Dialogue | Islamic Law | Jewish Law | LGBTI+ | Marriage | Minorities | Peacebuilding | Pluralism | Politics | Race | Reasonable Accommodation | Religious Autonomy | Religious Exemption | Religious Freedom | Religious Institutions | Religious Law | Rule of Law | Secularity | Security | Social Service | Ukraine | Russia | War | Digitalization | Humanitarian Aid | Religion and Constitution
Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter
Fill out the form below to receive updates on topics in law and religion.