Related Resources • History: December • Religious Timelines

0537
Pope Silverius died.

1170
After a six year exile in France, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket returned to England.

1552
Saint Francis Xavier, one of the first members of the Jesuits, died

1823
In a message to the U.S. Congress, President James Monroe expressed what came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine: no European power would be permitted to interfere in the concerns of any independent state in the Western Hemisphere.

1869
F.C. Bauer, founder of the Tübingen School, died.

1947
Fighting between Jews and Arabs spreads across Jerusalem. Haganah, the Jewish defense force, launches reprisals against Arabs when Jewish stores are attacked. Muslim clerics in the El Azhar university of Cairo call for a jihad against the partition of Palestine.

1964
Pope Paul VI visited India for the 38th Eucharistic Conference. During his four day stay, he made a statement to a gathering of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Jainists that they as "children of God" had within their religious traditions "consecrated ... ways of organization and cooperation."

1993
Decided: Clever v. Cherry Hill Township
How far can a public school go when including religious symbols in school functions? According to a New Jersey District Court, any religious symbols can be used, but only so long as they are part of a legitimate, secular education program.

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