In reply to an adjournment debate on the regulation of the funerals industry on 9 March, initiated by Dame Caroline Dinenange (Gosport, Con), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State for Health and Social Care, Dr Zubir Ahmed, noted that recent cases, though rare, had revealed serious weaknesses in the present system of regulation: [...]
On Friday 6 March 2026, the Diocese of Bangor published the findings of an independent governance review, commissioned as part of their ongoing commitment to strengthening
accountability, transparency and good governance across the diocese. Extracts[*] from the Press Release are reproduced below; the full report (19pp) may be accessed [...]
On 9 March, the UK Government published a new policy paper: Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom. In the introduction,
it announced that it is [...]
Deposition from Holy Orders, more commonly known as “defrocking” or “unfrocking”[1],[2], is the ecclesiastical penalty for depriving a cleric of their office and the
right to exercise the functions of their orders. In addition to its application to disciplinary procedures initiated by the church, it also provides clergy with a [...]
UN Human Rights Council: freedom of religion or belief, death and funerals On Wednesday, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, presented
a report at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: How freedom of religion or belief relates to death and honouring the deceased. [...]
A couple of weeks ago, the en banc 5th Circuit vacated on ripeness grounds a lower court ruling that Louisiana’s law requiring placement of the 10 Commandments in public
school classrooms violates the Establishment Clause. In this short take, Mattone Center Director Mark Movsesian explains what the case is all about, and the significance [...]
On Thursday, the Mattone Center for Law and Religion co-hosted its annual symposium with the St. John’s Journal of Catholic Legal Studies. This year’s event featured commentary
by Chris Lund (Wayne State) and Eric Rassbach (Becket) on the recent Ten Commandments case from the Fifth Circuit. [...]
On 26 February 2026, the Church in Wales published the findings of a review into the way in which Anthony Pierce, the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, was appointed to
senior church roles in the 1990s, despite senior clergy knowing of sexual abuse allegations against him. [...]
I’m very much looking forward to lecturing at the University of Padua next week on judicial review in the United States. Thanks to my friend, Professor Andrea Pin, for the
kind invitation to meet with his law students. Details below. Friends of the Forum, please stop by and say hello! [...]
