Mathew Block

Mathew Block is communications manager for the International Lutheran Council.

Posts by Mathew Block

January 23, 2024

Religious Canadians Are Hated in Their Own Country

Synagogues and Jewish schools targeted by firebombings and shootings. Muslims attacked outside their mosque. Dozens of churches burned to the ground. Headlines like these over the past few months bear witness to a troubling rise in violence perpetrated against religious communities in Canada. Continue Reading...
December 07, 2023

Religious Freedom Upheld in Finland—Again

In Finland, a prominent politician and a Lutheran bishop have been acquitted of hate crimes for the second time in as many years. On November 14, 2023, the Helsinki Court of Appeals issued its unanimous decision that Finnish Member of Parliament Dr. Continue Reading...
May 26, 2022

Finland is the bellwether for religious liberty in Europe

At the end of March 2022, Finnish member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland were acquitted on charges of hate crimes—the apparent end to a trial that had drawn widespread international attention and expressions of concern over the erosion of religious freedom in Finland. Continue Reading...