Ireland’s constitution protects the right to a religious education and for parents to ‘provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children’. A new proposal preventing Catholic schools from prioritising Catholic students is being called discriminatory, as it does not apply to schools of other faiths. The Church runs 90% of state schools. When a school is full, it prioritises Catholic students when deciding how high they are on the waiting list. The education minister wants to end giving preference to Catholic children who live some distance away over non-Catholic children living close to the school. The changes would not apply to non-Catholic faith schools. Faith in Our Schools is fighting the proposal, saying the policy ‘openly discriminates against the conscience and educational rights of Catholic parents and the autonomy, and associational rights of Catholic faith schools.’

France’s unions have started three months of industrial action. On two days in five trains will not run, and workers will down tools for a total of 36 days. 77% of train drivers are striking over government proposals to reduce the ‘jobs for life and early retirement’ status. Macron insists reforms are essential to stem rising debt and prepare the way for competition starting next year. He is facing his toughest test to date. It is unclear how this ‘war of attrition’ will pan out, as Air France, dustmen, and energy workers intend to join the battle.. If rail reform passes, it paves the way for subsequent overhauls of the education system and pensions. University students have already joined the protests against Macron's proposals. Attempted reforms have been the undoing of past French presidents.

There will be ten international chaplains at the Commonwealth Games. Their first role is to make themselves available on a pastoral level to anyone who wants it. Christian athletes will want to have Bible studies and corporate worship, and the chaplains will provide that for them. Pray for them to be excellent servants to all the athletes, coaches and games officials. Pray for the special relationships they will develop with athletes - both those who are committed Christians and those who wish to explore Christian faith. May those friendships grow deeper over the course of the Games. Pray for boldness at such a large event, where they will be outside their comfort zones.

Three Japanese whaling ships returned to their home port in Shimonoseki on 30 March with 333 minke whales killed in Antarctica. They attracted international protests and condemnation. Supposedly, these sea mammals were harpooned ‘for scientific purposes’. The International Court of Justice ordered a suspension of Japan's ‘scientific whaling’ in 2014, which led the country to cut its whaling programme. Minke whales are categorised as great whales, and commercial hunting of great whales was banned in 1986. Japan wants whaling to be permitted once more, and its steadfast participation in whale hunts continues to provoke protests worldwide. In its defence, Tokyo points out that the International Whaling Commission allows whales to be killed for ‘research’ purposes.

The ‘March of Return’ in the Gaza Strip began on Good Friday. 30,000 Gazans overwhelmed the border security fence, and the resultant clashes with Israeli forces resulted in 18 dead and 1,400 injured. Israel has been accused of using disproportionate force against what became a vast violent march. Hamas has called for mass demonstrations to continue for seven weeks. There are fears that this could turn into war on several fronts. Hamas is indebted to Iran. If major conflicts erupt in Gaza, Iran might order Hezbollah in Lebanon and in Syria to attack the Jewish State. The march goes beyond resistance. A situation is erupting, and political issues in the region have resurfaced. Violent Israel-Gaza border activity was described locally as ‘peaceful protests being infiltrated by terrorists’ and ‘Israel exercising its right to defend its sovereignty and protect citizens from terrorism’.

In January Archbishop Justin Welby tweeted his sadness about the killings and displacements in Nigeria. Writing to the country’s primate, Nicholas Okoh, he offered to contribute towards negotiating peace. He has now repeated that offer, saying, ‘My condolences go to those who have lost loved ones and property. I urge the authorities to seek for ways to ameliorate their sufferings and losses. I call on all people of goodwill to continue to pray for the peace of Nigeria. I mourn with this great country and stand with them in prayer. I once again exhort President Buhari and other authorities, civil and religious, national and international, to build a coalition to end this violence immediately.’ Since January 175,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Benue State and are now living in refugee camps.

Proposals for dialogue between North Korean and American national leaders in the midst of increasing tensions, conflicts, and fear of war have inspired International Prayer Connections (IPC) to call on Christians to pray for a just and peaceful resolution. Pray for wisdom for political, diplomatic and military leaders as they work through differences toward a goal of peace, security and freedom. Ask God to bless the efforts of citizens who seek to bridge the vast differences between these countries. Pray that, however profound the differences between their governments, Americans and North Koreans will not view each other as enemies, but on the contrary desire only the best for each other. May the decades of business, humanitarian and education contact between the two countries now bear fruit by putting a human face on those who are characterised as enemies.

Archbishop Allan Migi, the Anglican primate in PNG, has condemned the increasing number of alleged witches and sorcerers being killed. He said killing a child suspected of witchcraft is strongly opposed to the way of Christ; it is child abuse in its worst form. The practice of sorcery and witchcraft is ‘an evil thing’, as is ‘the killing of a suspect or taking somebody’s life’. Recently the UN high commissioner for human rights, visiting the country, called for ‘decisive government action’ to tackle the endemic gender-based violence and horrific attacks against those accused of sorcery. The new police minister said, ‘It is not in our history to burn or stone people for sorcery. In the last year or so it has accelerated.’ There is now a police task force to tackle attacks on suspected witches.

Historically, Saudi Arabia has a hatred for Israel and Jews. No Jew may live in the kingdom, which has never opened diplomatic relations with Israel. For 70 years no Israeli passenger planes have been allowed over Saudi airspace. But there are now signs that this hostile stance may be cautiously changing. The Saudis have a ‘peace plan’ related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and recently there have been rumours of secret communications between the two countries. When President Trump made his maiden trip abroad last May, his first stop was in Saudi Arabia. From there his plane made one of the few flights ever allowed from Arabia to Israel. Netanyahu recently spoke of Israeli relations with the Arab world (including Saudi Arabia) as ‘best ever.’ As of April 2018, flights from India over the Arabian Peninsula will take place three times a week.

Christians are to stop putting politics ahead of the Gospel as they advance racial reconciliation, according to comments at an event held in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. While focusing on racial tension in the USA, the dean for intercultural student development at Calvin College Michigan said there had been ‘significant consequences’ of Donald Trump’s win. ‘For those of us who wept as a result of it, we didn't weep because we're big fans of the Democrats. We wept because we knew not just the national but the global witness of the Church was at stake’, she said. A senior pastor from Austin, Texas called on churches to focus on ‘the politics of heaven’ over ‘the politics of this earth.’