ROME — During an 80-minute news conference on his flight home from participating in World Youth Day in Brazil, Pope Francis told reporters that it was not his job to judge homosexual priests. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” he said. “The […]
CAPE TOWN — During a news conference introducing a United Nations homosexual rights campaign, former African Angelican archbishop and anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu told reporters that he would rather go to Hell than a “homophobic Heaven.” “I would refuse to go to a homophobic Heaven. No, I would say, ‘Sorry, I would much rather go […]
ISTANBUL – Eight Christians in Iran were recently sentenced to prison on charges of “action against the national security” and “propaganda against the order of the system.” According to a press release by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW)—a ministry devoted to demonstrating solidarity with the persecuted Christian church—Eskandar Rezaie and Roxana Forughi were both sentenced to one-year […]
An American pastor who is imprisoned in his homeland of Iran for planting house churches in the country over a decade ago has finally received medical treatment after being denied care for many months. As previously reported, 32-year-old Saeed Abedini, who resides in Idaho with his wife Naghmeh and their two children, has been incarcerated in […]
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities have announced the discovery of remains from King David’s palace near modern-day Jerusalem. In a statement released on Thursday by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), officials explain how remnants of two buildings were discovered at a site located between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea. The findings came after several years of […]
LAHORE, Pakistan – A Christian man was recently sentenced to life in prison by a Pakistani court for allegedly sending blasphemous text messages, even though the prosecution’s evidence was said to be highly questionable. Earlier this month, Additional District and Sessions Judge Mian Shahzad Raza of Pakistan’s Toba Tek Singh district ruled that Sajjad Masih will spend the […]
TELL ES-SAFI, Israel – A large archaeological team is currently in the middle of a month-long project to excavate and study the remains of Gath, the ancient hometown of one of the Bible’s most famous villains: Goliath. Since the last day of June, an international team of archaeologists has been carefully studying Tell es-Safi, a historic […]
CANTERBURY — (RNS) England and Wales became the 16th and 17th countries in the world to recognize gay marriage after Queen Elizabeth II gave “royal assent” to a same-sex marriage bill. Under the new law, gay men and women will be able to join together in civil ceremonies or in church services — although no […]
ROME — In an effort to modernize one of the oldest practices of the Roman Catholic religion, the Vatican is offering indulgences–a reduction of time spent in purgatory–to those who will follow Pope Francis next Monday on Twitter and other social media during World Youth Day. Indulgences were one of the key contentions that sparked the […]
CAIRO – A court in Egypt has sentenced a radical Muslim preacher to 14 years in prison for repeatedly offending Christianity. Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Islam, is a firebrand Islamist who has drawn heavy criticism for his controversial statements, many of which are specifically directed against Christians. In an anti-American rally last September, […]