On 6 October, when Samuel Paty, a popular history and geography teacher at a school in a quiet Paris suburb, presented a copy of the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that provoked the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine five years ago, he self-evidently had no idea of the tragic consequence for his own life, French Read more
Pope Francis is praying for constructive dialogue and respect for international law amidst rising tensions between Greece and Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean. During his Angelus address on Sunday Francis said he “follows with concern the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.” Avoiding mentioning the nations involved, he prayed for the “instability” in the area. “I Read more
Turkey is ‘weaponizing water’ in parts of Syria, say humanitarian groups. They have repeatedly accused Turkey of ‘weaponizing water’ since its military takeover of the region in October 2019. Those especially affected are those living in the north of Syria. The past few years’ religious freedom for Kurds, Christians and Yazidis is reportedly again under Read more
By reconverting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque and holding celebratory prayers there for the cameras, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan seems keen to divert attention from the fact that his country is entering a new phase of acute political and financial turmoil. The Hagia Sophia dates to the sixth century, and for almost a Read more
The World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to change his mind about turning the Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque. The Council, which represents 350 Churches and over 500 million Christians, says the move would sow division. The Hagia Sophia has been a museum since 1934. The president Read more
Turkey is urging China to close mass detention camps estimated to hold 1 million people. Turkey, which is a majority-Muslim country, says China’s mass repression of its Uighur Muslim ethnic minority is a “great shame for humanity”. Read more
Pope Francis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met privately on Monday at the Vatican. This is the first visit by a Turkish head of state to the Vatican in 59 years. Erdoğan was returning a visit Francis made to Turkey in 2014. Vatican sources say that at the meeting Francis and Erdoğan discussed “bilateral Read more
Santa’s not someone (perhaps something) many of us believe in for long once we start school. There’s always someone to put you right about the magical appearance of sweet-and-toy filled socks. Yet Santa Claus was a real person who is otherwise known as St Nicholas. Revered for his gift-giving and aid to the poor, the Read more
The Promise, the grandest big-screen portrayal ever made about the mass killings of Armenians during World War I, has been rated by more than 111,300 people on IMDb — a remarkable total considering it doesn’t open in theatres until Friday and has thus far been screened only a handful of times publicly. The passionate reaction is Read more
Migrants are paying a heavy price in Europe because of an agreement made a year ago between the European Union (EU) and Turkey, says Caritas The agreement aimed to stem the flow of migrants and refugees seeking protection in Europe. Caritas says the agreement has left thousands of vulnerable people stranded in degrading conditions in Read more