The cause of Christians striving to practise their faith without fear or pressure often advances and retreats in countries outside those where Christians directly live under the most oppression. In London, New York, Strasbourg, Washington, and other centres of deliberation, important developments happen concerning Christians and religious freedom more broadly. This is the page where we consolidate news with an international scope.
Vatican: Peace talks must consider Christian needs
The Geneva peace talks aimed at ending the Syrian civil war must “take into consideration” the needs of Christians, . The talks – due to start on 29 Jan. and last for six months – are aimed at finding a political solution to the on-going Syrian crisis. The UN said the first […]
2016 World Watch List drawn from world headlines
Some of the most urgent headlines of the past 12 months, from the global spread of jihadist violence to North Korea’s test of a putative atomic weapon, intersect with an updated list of the most difficult places to live as a Christian. For the 14th straight year, North Korea is […]
Push to include Christians in IS ‘genocide’ charge
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on its government to include Christians in the definition of those at risk of genocide from Islamic State’s campaign in Syria and Iraq. A calls for a broader inclusion of Christians, Shi’a, Turkmen and Shabak communities as well as Yazidis, […]
Special Report: Violence Against Women
Pope Francis’ first pontifical trip to Africa concludes with a visit to the Central African Republic, where wholesale deadly violence against Christians in 2013 was largely characterised by attacks that singled out women. The first day of his trip to the continent, which beings in Kenya, is also the 17th […]
Pope in Africa says conflict ‘feeds on fear, mistrust and despair’
For his first trip to Africa, Pope Francis is visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR), from 25-30 November. The three countries all have predominantly Christian populations – Kenya about 80%, Uganda 85% and CAR 76% – with about 10% or so Muslim in each of them. But […]
Global Church meets to seek unity in face of persecution
Twenty-five years ago, on 4 Nov. 1990, a priest risked his life to hold a mass in a cemetery in Albania. In 1967 his president, Enver Hoxha, had declared that he had “abolished” the Christian faith, and that his country was henceforth the world’s first atheist state. On 4 Nov. […]
Report: Christianity contracting in MidEast, Africa
Christianity is fast disappearing from entire regions, most notably a huge chunk of the Middle East, and could vanish from Iraq within five years, according to a new report by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. Released in the UK’s House of Lords on Tuesday, the report, “Persecuted and […]
West doesn’t understand terrorist ideology
Speaking at New York’s 9/11 museum yesterday, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has appealed to the West to understand how terrorists are driven by jihadist ideology. Delivering a speech published by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Blair said: “we have spent the years since 9/11 trying to make sense […]
Why do we not save Christians?
Why is the West, with its “overwhelming” majority of Christians, showing reluctance to offer a home to Christians fleeing the Middle East, asks Elliott Abrams, writing in The Weekly Standard. The former foreign policy advisor to President George W. Bush compares the reluctance with Israel’s willingness to accept Jews persecuted […]
Religious freedom network should be as ‘outspoken and organised’ as the extremists
In the face of rising persecution of people on the grounds of faith or belief, more than 100 parliamentarians from almost 50 countries met on 18 September in New York to discuss ways to advance religious freedoms. One hundred and thirty delegates packed into a room that was booked for […]