US entering new era of religious hostility, 40 killed in Nigeria bombing, parents forgive ISIS killers, Pope Francis calls for a “change in mentality” within Church and more ..

New Kremlin-Vatican axis emerges as Europe falters: 
"As the home of godlessness since the French Revolution, Europe cannot expect an easy ride from the Vatican." "Massimo Franco, the political columnist for Corriere della Sera newspaper who has written about the Francis-Putin alliance, says it is not a vote of confidence in Mr. Putin or a desire to distance the Vatican from western values. Rather it is a recognition of the “contradictions, divisions and lack of strategic vision of the West in the Middle East."  (I contend, as I have for some time, that despite reports to the contrary, we are going to see a closing of the gap between Russia and Rome. Time will tell!) 
THE NATIONAL

US entering dangerous 
new era in religious hostility
CBN

Peter Kassig’s 
parents forgive ISIS killers for beheading their son 
GOSPEL HERALD

400-year-old relic arrives in San Antonio 
KSAT

Catholic school 
principal shuts down Grade 6 students’ project on gay rights (And the gay lobby "rejoice" as we fumble over how to respond to these matters. What a mess!) 
OTTAWA CITIZEN

Conservative and liberal Catholics don’t agree on much at the moment, but they do agree on one thing: The 
Catholic Church is headed toward a schism
PHILLY

Motorcycling 
nun leads clinic program to help uninsured 
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Mexican police discover 11 mutilated and decapitated corpses dumped on the roadside (Mexico remains in need of our continued prayers) 
DAILY MAIL LONDON

Tough times for Catholic aid workers in Jerusalem 
CATHOLIC HERALD LONDON

Randall Smith proposes a 
"Bishop’s Accreditation" for centers of Catholic higher education—and makes some powerful points! 
ALETEIA

The Aleteia Team highlight the relentless persecution of Christians. In this instance, how an entire Christina community has had to flee their homes as a result of a marriage between a Christian and a Muslim in Pakistan. 
"This is the third time during the past few weeks that Christian families have been forced to leave their village because of Muslims." (A point to remember when someone turns around and says "those are extremists, what they are doing is not
true Islam," is that these actions are wholly mandated in the Koran). 
ALETEIA

Christians persecuted in the Middle East: An Interview with the Archbishop of Beirut—(We need to keep the plight of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East at the forefront of our hearts and minds. Thousands upon thousands are suffering while support from the West remains largely lethargic.) 
ALETEIA

Religious influence in schools criticized in House of Lords (Some who are not happy about the current direction of Pope Francis in the area of ecumenism (and by ecumenism I refer to unity between churches as opposed to multi-faith dialogue) need to consider that the Christian faith across all denominations has been under relentless attack in recent years. Some may not want us to be "close" to other Christians denominations but, I would suggest, we actually need each other in order to stand effectively against the continued and intensifying assault against our many shared beliefs) 
SECULARISM

.Islamic 
prostitution gangs active in Britain
DAILY MAIL LONDON
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