The state of religious freedom around the world is “increasingly dire”, according to the chairperson of a United States agency that monitors threats to this human right. The reasons include the rise of violent religious extremism and the actions and inactions of governments, according to Dr Katrina Lantos Swett of the US Commission for International Read more
The globally trendy TED conferences came to the Vatican on April 19, with contributions from a Serbian basketball star, a Muslim graffiti artist from Birmingham, scientists, a rabbi and Cuban-born American singer Gloria Estefan. TED — short for Technology, Entertainment and Design — offers a worldwide platform for what it calls “ideas worth spreading”. Its Read more
Violence against Christians in Indonesia continues with a number of new incidents occurring last week. On Thursday, the congregation of the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) in Taman Sari, Setu district in Bekasi regency, watched the local administration demolish their unfinished church building. The congregation formed a barrier between their church and the idling bulldozer. They Read more
In the midst of the activities surrounding the Papal resignation and speculation on the next choice for the Chair of St Peter, a very important anniversary has gone virtually unnoticed. In February 313 AD, in the reign of Pope St. Melchiades (311-314), the Edict of Milan was promulgated by the Emperor Constantine, a measure that Read more
Hugo Chavez, the socialist president who transformed Venezuela while oppressing Catholic institutions in the 96 per cent Catholic country, reportedly died in “the bosom of the Church” on March 5. The Catholic News Agency said Chavez received spiritual direction and the sacraments in his last days, and Vice President Nicolas Maduro said he died “clinging Read more
Discrimination, arrests, kidnapping and killing of Christians around the world have led National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen to suggest the next pope will be pressed to make defence of religious freedom his number one job. Allen offers these statistics on anti-Christian discrimination: + According to the Germany-based International Society for Human Rights, 80 per Read more
A parent with a child attending a Catholic school has complained to the Fiji Times that the school is forcing students who ar not catholics to attend Mass. In a letter, the school informed parents that if they did not want their children to Mass they should find another school. One parent said.”I had personally Read more
The countries where Christians are worst off are those where the Arab Spring revolts took place, according to a survey by an American human rights organization. After mapping the religious freedom situation around the world, Open Doors said as many as eight out of 10 states that have adopted repressive measures against Christians are Islamic. Read more
In a wide-ranging message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, Pope Benedict XVI says peace is threatened by a much broader set of causes than war, terrorism and international crime. Peace involves the human person as a whole, the Pope says, so true peacemakers defend human life at every stage of its Read more
Congratulating the re-elected President Barack Obama, the president of the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference has emphasised that the bishops “will continue to stand in defence of life, marriage, and our first, most cherished, liberty, religious freedom”. “The Catholic bishops of the United States offer our prayers that God will give you strength and wisdom Read more