Pope Francis made a splash in recent days for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he laid into Donald Trump and Kamala Harris last weekend, saying that neither U.S. presidential candidate is really pro-life. Instead, he urged American voters to choose the “lesser evil” in the upcoming election — comments that drew quite a reaction.

Meanwhile, columnist Billy Hallowell weighed in on the pontiff’s separate proclamation that “all religions are paths to God,” something Mr. Hallowell believes is a violation of what’s seen in the Bible. Read more about that here.

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Nuns, religious groups push back on abortion

Meanwhile, a diverse group of religious advocates is petitioning the Supreme Court to hear a challenge to New York state’s requirement for health insurance coverage for abortions.

The petitioners include faith-based groups that provide nursing home services for the elderly, religious schools and other ministries with different charitable missions, who have asked the justices to review a lower court’s refusal to block New York’s requirement that health care coverage include abortions. Here’s the full story.

Pastor chooses radical forgiveness after wife’s murder

And Pastor Davey Blackburn lived through the unimaginable when his wife, Amanda, and their unborn daughter were murdered in November 2015 during a random crime spree. 

He told The Washington Times’ Higher Ground’s Billy Hallowell that experience made him question who God is and transformed his faith. Mr. Blackburn shares this and more about his book, “Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness and Finding Purpose in Pain.” Watch the discussion here.

Pro-Palestinian students sue

In other news, pro-Palestinian students have filed a free-speech lawsuit against the University of Maryland. Their complaint? The school reportedly canceled their plans to hold a vigil on Oct. 7 honoring “the lives lost during Israel’s ongoing genocide.” 

That date is the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, with the lawsuit alleging, “The First Amendment does not allow campus officials to establish free expression-black-out days, even on occasions that may be emotional or politically polarizing.” 

Read the full story here.

Harris skewered over ‘gender-affirming care’

On another note, Ms. Harris has been under fire over the Biden administration’s support for “gender-affirming care” for minors, with a new ad campaign claiming 236 underage girls have had their breasts removed using taxpayer dollars. 

“The ads running in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin cite Medicaid data listing the number of girls under 18 receiving mastectomies and hysterectomies in each state, as well as the number receiving hysterectomies,” The Washington Times reports, continuing, “Sound weird? Disgusting? It is. And you’re paying for it.” Here’s the full story. 

Chaos in Bangladesh sparks fear

Over in Bangladesh, fears continue to rage as instability persists. And, amid the chaos, Christians in Bangladesh are joining Buddhists and Hindus in calling for a secular state — a quest embedded in their fight against religious oppression in the Muslim-led nation.

The religious minorities have renewed pleas for the new Bangladeshi government to remove Islam as the state religion after a flurry of faith-based attacks this summer in the South Asian country. Here’s the full report.

Attack on Jewish student investigated as hate crime

Another story of note surrounds an attack on a Jewish student at the University of Michigan — something police are investigating as a hate crime after he was beaten up by assailants who first asked if he was Jewish. Here’s more.

Families sue Newsom over gender transition law

Finally, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing a lawsuit over the state’s newly signed law barring school districts from passing policies that require parents to be notified when their children adopt opposite-sex identities in class.

America First Legal sued in federal court on behalf of nine California families and the city of Huntington Beach to block Assembly Bill 1955, calling the legislation signed in July by Mr. Newsom an “attack on fundamental parental rights.” Here’s more.

In our opinion

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Here are some of the must-read political, faith and cultural opinions this week on Higher Ground:

• Dr. Everett Piper joins in the Pope Francis analysis and answers: “Is Pope Francis correct about different religions leading to the same God?”

• Meanwhile, Jeff King explores the hidden hand behind the ISIS/al Qaeda takeover of a vast stretch of Africa.

• And Jason Jimenez helps Americans make sense of another threat against Trump’s life.