Just as Christians in the 21st century are heirs of the apostles and martyrs of the early Church, Christians in Japan are heirs of the martyrs and hidden Christians of that country from the early 17th century to the late 19th century. That is true whether we modern believers are Japanese or not, Catholic Christians Read more
The European Union and representatives from seven countries denounced the worldwide persecution of Christians on Sept. 27 at the United Nations. The panel discussion, held during the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly, was co-hosted by the permanent missions of Hungary and Brazil. The event, “Rebuilding Lives, Rebuilding Communities: Ensuring a Future for Persecuted Read more
Christians cannot pray like or with Muslims, says Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Müller, the former archbishop of Regensburg, Germany, made the comment during a reflection in Verona on the theme “Prayer: A gift from God,” telling hundreds of listeners that “the faithful of Islam are not Read more
An Egyptian Muslim who planned to kill his cousin for converting to Christianity has shared how he embraced the religion he once hated after Jesus delivered a powerful message to him in a dream. Read more
Chinese Catholics are resisting Beijing’s campaign to restrict religious freedom. As the law forbids minors from entering places of worship, Catholics are “reinventing” their homes as temporary “churches” for services that can include the whole family. “Each family is continuing its faith activities at home and maintaining its strong bonds with God,” says a young Read more
Christian conversion is not for the fainthearted in Iran. It can be a crime leading to a decade in jail. The Iranian government uses the Internet to censor and monitor activists and to enforce official religious interpretations. Surveillance cameras watch Catholic churches. They’re looking for Muslims going into Christian churches, Iranian-born journalist Sohrab Ahmari says. Read more
Interfaith unity has seen Orthodox Christians and Muslims in the Occupied West Bank join together in a march to remember those who were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza last month. Palestinian Orthodox Christians limited their celebrations on Palm Sunday, restricting the occasion to religious rituals to mourn the deaths of 17 Gazans killed in Read more
Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther, a German monk, initiated a split in Christianity that came to be known as the Protestant Reformation. After the Reformation, deep divisions between Protestants and Catholics contributed to wars, hostility and violence in Europe and America. For centuries, each side denounced the other and sought to convert its followers. Then, in the early 1900s, Read more
A Muslim extremist in Syria surrendered his life to Christ after experiencing the hospitality of Christians and hearing the Gospel from a local pastor. According to Open Doors USA the pastor was talking about a church event involving feeding the people who were still in the city and sharing the Gospel to those who were Read more
A Central African Republic cathedral has become refuge and home to over 2,000 persecuted Muslims. It is now more than two months since they were forced to take refuge at St Peter Claver cathedral in the town of Bangassou after attacks by the mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia. Read more