SYRIA – Christians fear persecution by ISIS in the Beqaa Valley as well The long arm of the jihadists Let us call them Samir and Sabine. Let us say they are in their early 50s, Christians who have fled from Al-Raqqah, the stronghold of the terrorist militia Islamic State. They call them “Daesh” in...
ITALY – Assisi Imam thanks Pope Francis for his comments on Islam Abdel Qader Mohammed, the imam of Perugia, thanked Pope Francis for his recent statement that true Islam is not a religion of violence, but of peace. The Pope had a brief unscheduled meeting with Mohammed during his recent visit to the Porziuncola inside...
BRAZIL – Pope sends message to Brazil and Cardinal of Rio de Janeiro blesses Olympic torch Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta,the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, blessed the Olympic torch as he stood below the emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer. The torch was carried there by former Olympic Brazilian volleyball player Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado,...
CHINA – Christian church leader jailed in human rights crackdown Hu Shigen, a prominent Christian leader of an underground church, was sentenced to seven years in jail and derived of political rights for five years by a court in Tianjin in a crackdown on human rights activists. Hu was charged with subversion, becoming the second...
“Lebanon cannot cope with this big tragedy alone…. without you we can’t continue” – Interview with Sr. Hanan Youssef Sister Hanan Youssef, who is well known for her humanitarian work in Lebanon and has spoken about the refugee situation in her country at international conferences, visited Malta recently. Sr Hanan currently represents her order...
FRANCE – Muslims attend Mass in solidarity after priest’s murder As shockwaves continue to be felt over the horrific murder of a defenceless 84-year-old priest in a Normandy church last week, the Catholic church in Paris called for peace. All Muslims in the city were invited to embrace a “fraternal” greeting and join Catholics...
UNITED NATIONS -Church is contributing directly to Peace-Building in Africa The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, addressed the UN Security Council during an open debate on Peacebuilding in Africa in New York. Here is the text of his speech: My delegation wishes to thank Japan’s Presidency...
SOUTH AMERICA ACN helps missionary Sisters working in remote regions All over South America, small groups of brave Sisters are risking everything to reach out to and serve small, isolated and often very poor communities in remote areas. Enduring extreme heat, cold and weather conditions – sometimes putting their lives at risk – these...
SOUTH SUDAN – Pope sends special envoy to pursue peace Pope Francis has sent the Ghanaian president of the Pontifical Council, Cardinal Peter Turkson, as his special envoy to pursue peace in war-torn South Sudan. His mission is to urge for an end to violence in South Sudan and to help establish dialogue and trust between...
RUSSIA – Christians fear new laws will end religious freedom Christians in Russia have just been banned from discussing their faith outside of churches and other designated places under new anti-terror laws that came into effect this week. It is now illegal to preach, teach or even share your faith in private homes, online, on...
