ROME — In a tradition that is customarily carried out by the Vatican’s interfaith dialogue department, Pope Francis issued a written greeting to Muslims on Friday in recognition of the close of the Islamic holiday Ramadan. “It gives me great pleasure to greet you as you celebrate ‘Id al-Fitr’, so concluding the month of Ramadan, dedicated […]
WASHINGTON — A United States congressman has chosen to ‘adopt’ the cause of an American pastor imprisoned in Iran as part of a congressional effort to raise awareness of the plight of those persecuted worldwide for their religious beliefs. Representative Trent Franks (R-Az.), a Christian, spoke briefly on the House floor last week during “Defending […]
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 […]