AROUND THE WORLD.Sweden Officially Separates Church And State The Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden (Swedish: Svenska kyrkan, Northern Sami: Ruoŧa girkui) is the largest church in Sweden. officially cut ties with the Swedish government Jan. 1 after 500 years as the established faith. Five years after the change was approved by the Swedish parliament, the Lutheran church is no longer an official part of the government and children of church members are no longer automatically enrolled in the church. As a separate legal entity, it will be on equal footing with other religious groups in Sweden. "The church's identity as a people's church will become clearer when it's not part of the state apparatus," the Rev. Johan Dalman told the Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Dec. 27. "The church gets more power over itself. It can influence its organization more and adjust it when needed." U.N. Tells Canada To End School Funding Bias A United Nations committee has ruled that a Canadian province Noun 1. Canadian province - Canada is divided into 12 provinces for administrative purposes province, state - the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation; "his state is in the deep south" may not provide public funds See Fund, 3. See also: Public for Catholic schools, while denying aid to schools of other faiths. On Nov. 5, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found Ontario's school funding program in violation of Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a United Nations treaty based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in 1966 and entered into force on 23 March 1976. , a treaty Canada signed in 1976. The committee gave Canada 90 days to indicate how it will correct the discriminatory policy. Arieh Waldman, a Jewish parent in Ontario, submitted a complaint to the U.N. committee after failing in Canadian courts. He explained that he has spent $95,000 on private education for his two children, while taxpayers finance all the tuition at Catholic private schools. "I expect full compensation for the monies I spent to educate my children in contrast to my Catholic neighbors who spent nothing," Waldman said. Though the U.N. ruling is non-binding, it is expected to increase political pressure to end the controversial system or risk tarnishing Canada's reputation as a leader in human rights. Provincial government officials have already announced their intention to ignore the committee's ruling. Ontario's Education Minister Janet Ecker Janet Ecker (born October 18, 1953 in Simcoe, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a senior cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. told the Calgary Herald The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta . Its major competitor is The Calgary Sun. History It was first published on August 31 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as that the province "remains committed" to the school funding system now in place. |
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