EGYPT - Christians hope new law will allow them to build churches Despite being the Middle East's largest Christian minority, Egypt's Copts have struggled for a long time to obtain official permission to build churches. Egyptian authorities often refuse to give Christians permits to build churches on the grounds that this would [...]
SYRIA - Christians fear persecution by ISIS in the Beqaa Valley as well The long arm of the jihadistsLet 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]