SOUTH SUDAN “Without peace everything is difficult” says Cardinal Turkson ‘This country has all the potential necessary,’ says Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, but “without peace one can do nothing.” For a long time the Holy See has tried to find a way to achieve peace, explained Cardinal...
PHILIPPINES Bishops call for end to hostilities and inter-faith dialogue in Marawi The bishops of the Philippines have issued a joint statement, calling for an end to hostilities and inter-faith dialogue in Marawi so that life there can return to normal. “Turn from Evil and Do Good, Seek Peace and Pursue It” (Ps. 34:14)...
IRAQ – Islamic State used a Christian church as a prison for slaves An Iraqi official revealed that terrorists from the Islamic State (ISIS) used a Syrian-Orthodox church in Mosul in northern Iraq, as a prison for a large number of Yazidi women who were used as sex slaves. When IS fighters captured Mosul in...
PHILIPPINES – Terrorists desecrate Eucharist and destroy Catholic chapel Members of a terrorist group destroyed a Catholic chapel during a nine-hour long attack on the town of Malagakit in southern Philippines. The militants used hammers to destroy religious icons and vital fixtures. They also desecrated consecrated hosts. The 21 June attack was reportedly carried...
SYRIA – Six months of tense peace in Aleppo At the end of December 2016 the forces allied to President Bashar al Assad took definitive control of the city of Aleppo. Just six months have passed since the bombings ceased in this great northern city of Syria, the largest city in the country and...
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Mosque renamed “Mary, mother of Jesus” One of the mosques in Abu Dhabi recently changed its name to “Mary, mother of Jesus” at the request of the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammad Ben Zayed Al Nayan – a strong signal for inter-religious dialogue. The Emirate Sheikh asked that one of the...
MEXICO – Another priest killed as violence soars Another Catholic priest has been found stabbed to death in Mexico, now officially considered the most dangerous country in the world to be a priest. Father Luis Lopez Villa, parish priest of San Isidro Labrador in the city of Los Reyes La Paz in Mexico State, was...
Night of Witness highlights the importance of religious freedom The plight of Christians persecuted for their faith was the focus of prayer, song and reflection at the Night of Witness held in Malta, organised by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Malta. People filled the chapel of the Good Shepherd convent in Balzan on...
CHINA – Bishop forcibly removed from diocese still missing The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, has issued a statement about Chinese Bishop Shao, who has not been returned since being forcibly removed from his diocese by the Chinese state on 18 May. “The Holy See is observing with grave concern the...
ALGERIA – Church demolished to build a mosque and a Koranic school On 9 June the Algerian state ordered the demolition by bulldozers of an ancient Catholic church located in the center of the city of Sidi Mousa, 25 km from Algiers. The Algerian authorities have justified this anti-Christian act of demolition saying that the...
