BAHRAIN Dignitaries gather for ground-breaking ceremony of new cathedral   The site for the new cathedral in Bahrain is moving along in its journey to be the seat of the Church in Northern Arabia. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia at Awali, Bahrain, took a step toward completion on [...]

NICARAGUA Church mediated ceasefire breaks down as talks are suspended again   On Tuesday, 19 June Mgr. Silvio Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, announced that the National Dialogue table would not begin as planned. Talks will again be suspended until Ortega’s government presents to all the members of the Dialogue, the proof [...]

MOZAMBIQUE Bishop Lisboa calls for calm after the latest terrorist attacks   There is grave concern in the Church in Mozambique, following the recent violent attacks perpetrated by members of a new jihadist group who, since the month of October last year and through to June this year, have killed [...]

GENEVA Pope Francis makes an ecumenical visit for the World Council of Churches' 70th anniversary   Pope Francis made a landmark ecumenical day trip to Geneva on 21 June as part of celebrations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches(WCC) - the global body representing over [...]

SYRIA Wartime in Aleppo: ‘many days it was like living in a movie’    Jad Abed is a 10-year-old Syriac Orthodox boy living in Aleppo, Syria. He is in fifth grade. In this interview, he reflects on his life in the city that saw some of the most intense fightings [...]

NIGERIA At least 86 killed in more violent attacks by Fulani herdsmen on Christian villages   Nigeria’s government late last Sunday announced “deeply unfortunate killings across a number of communities” in central Plateau State but did not give a death toll. However, a Plateau State police spokesman, Mathias Tyopev, said [...]

KOREA “The summit is a new step towards peace” say local Church leaders.   Local Church leaders have expressed cautious optimism following the declaration signed by Trump and Kim after the summit last week. “You can imagine how anxiously the Korean people and the church here in Korea are experiencing [...]

NIGERIA Militants set fire to church building   The Diocese of Maiduguri reported that militants connected with the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram set fire to the Catechetical Training Centre in Kaya, and burnt down another 22 buildings on Monday 11 June. One member of Boko Haram was killed during [...]

INDIA Bishops appeal for 'true nationalism' and dialogue between different religions   'Dialogue with followers of other religions and with ecumenical groups is the need of the hour' India’s bishops have issued a statement appealing for “true nationalism” in order to bring “genuine peace, harmony, progress and prosperity”.  Referring to [...]

IRAQ Vatican opens cause for sainthood of martyred priest and deacons   The Congregation for Saints’ Causes at the Vatican has given its permission for the opening of the sainthood cause of an Iraqi priest and three deacons who were murdered by armed gunmen in Mosul. The Eparchy of St. [...]