Christian woman stripped and beaten, Japan re-arming, persecution against Sudan’s churches, rising Christian-Islamic tensions in US and more ..

VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis says it is wrong to equate Islam with violence (And yet one can be forgiven for any confusion over this matter when the incidence of violence being perpetrated by Muslims is constantly increasing) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

All Islamic leaders need to condemn terror says Pope Francis  
CATHOLIC HERALD

Pope Francis rolls out "social gospel" case for Catholic-Orthodox unity 
CRUX

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew sign joint declaration 
VATICAN NEWS

"I seek communion with Orthodox Churches"—Pope Francis 
VR

Pope Francis visits Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul hospital 
RADIO VATICANA

"I prayed for Turkey, for peace, for Christian unity"—Pope Francis 
RADIO VATICANA

"Christian martyrdom makes unity urgent"—Patriarch Bartholomew 
RADIO VATICANA

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew pray for peace in the Ukraine 
RADIO VATICANA

"Wake up the world"—Pope Francis tells Religious  
RADIO VATICANA

"The joy of the gospel lies in the authentic truth about God"—Pope Emeritus 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to represent Pope for 25th anniversary of the liberation of Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church in Kiev 
ZENIT

Vatican to reveal truth about "Hitler’s Pope"  
THE SCOTSMAN

 

NORTH AMERICA

Darren Wilson resigns amidst threats 
NBC

Catholic Bishops in US politics 
POLITICO

New Chicago archbishop weighs in on politics and the Church 
CBS

Greek priest feels 
blessed to find home in Pittsburgh 
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

"You are my legacy"—Cardinal George tells faithful 
CNW

Faith leaders seeing increasing tension between Islam and Christianity in Oklahoma (This was bound to happen even as is the case between the Church and homosexuals. We seem to be facing something of a meltdown in those areas where Scriptural teaching challenges rising trends) 
TULSA WORLD

Ten Things for Monday 
AP

 

ISRAEL

"Palestinians will never recognize Israel as Jewish State"—Abbas (My question then, especially towards the liberal "elite," is how can you claim to support equality when backing an ideology which flatly refuses to acknowledge the right of the other party to exist. Is this not somehow partisan?) 
TIMES OF ISRAEL

"I personally believe that the End Times, in the sense of Bible prophecy, probably started for us in 1948 when Israel became a nation, because many of the prophecies in the New Testament especially, could not be fulfilled until Israel was at home in her nation" —David Jeremiah 
CHRISTIAN POST

Come and live with Christians in Galilee, says priest from Holy Land. Father Nadeem Shakour, emphasized the importance of people, not places. 
“We want Christians from abroad who come to Galilee to stay in our homes in Mi’ilya. Instead of just holy places, we want them to get to know the local Christians. They just have to email me at shakour.nadeem@gmail.com  and I will help organize it" 
CATHOLIC HERALD

 

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

Writing from Turkey, Max Lindenman offers insights to the meeting between Pope Francis and Ortohdox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. 
"In the short time since his elevation to the papacy, Pope Francis has built an especially harmonious relationship with Patriarch Bartholomew" (Among Francis’ seemingly endless initiatives is his work of forging a new spirit of unity with Eastern Church. Will we be the generation which witnesses the healing between East and West?) 
ALETEIA   VIDEO

Mary Hallan FioRito’s article 
"Why give ’til it hurts?" recounts her first-hand experiences of God’s faithfulness. Her testimony and her advice is both endearing and compelling. 
"Often it’s the gift of our time that God is asking us to share." Mary’s piece is a MUST READ and comes with my recommendation 
ALETEIA

 

BRITAIN

Queen attends Christening of great-granddaughter 
DAILY MAIL

Nun who helps police raid brothels run by human traffickers 
GUARDIAN

Catholic schools record rise in pupils from ethnic minorities 
CATHOLIC HERALD

"Do not use Ouija boards," says Catholic priest (And I would add .. or anything which is associated with the occult) 
MIRROR

Former soldier becomes Moscow priest 
THE MOSCOW TIMES

British Muslims have greater ‘faith in the police’ than the rest of the population (Because they know British law will defend even their most depraved acts, as we have recently seen regarding the abuses in Birmingham) 
DAILY MAIL

St. Paul’s Church Edinburgh set on fire 
BBC

Regions demand the same powers as Scotland (This is a "natural" progression when employing a policy of devolution) 
DAILY MAIL

Church where Duchess of Cambridge was christened holds final service 
BBC

 

EUROPE

Turkey’s argument on Islamophobia in the West 
"Critics also will say that Erdogan has seized upon Islamophobia not because he’s genuinely concerned about religious freedom, but because of his ambitions to position himself as the de facto ruler of a 21st-century version of the Ottoman Empire." (Yes we may indeed wish to say so—because there are many pointers indicating precisely that!) 
CRUX

Turkish expectations from Pope Francis’ visit (A view from the other side) 
AL ARABIYA

New archbishop to bring ‘wisdom and warmth’ to Limerick and Tipperary parishes 
LIMERICK LEADER

 

AFRICA

Another Boko Haram attack in northern Nigeria 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Sudanese 
police arrest Church leaders for refusing to surrender Church property 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

MIDDLE EAST

ISIS using children as human shields and forcing them to donate blood to injured militants, UN reports 
CHRISTIAN POST

ISIS kidnaps former IDF soldier (a Canadian-Israeli)  who went to fight for Kurds 
JERUSALEM POST

ASIA AND CHINA

Pregnant 
Christian woman suffers miscarriage after being stripped and beaten by Muslims in Pakistan (As with other parts of the world, we are beginning to see a steady and consistent rise in the levels of persecution against Christians in Pakistan. Why are the Western governments completely silent, or are we already well past the point where we can expect them to support Christianity?) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Anti-Christianity incidents not representative of Malaysia as a whole, says minister (Perhaps not, but they are on the rise and, as mentioned above, the Church has few supporters in this battle) 
UCA NEWS

Taliban using birds at bombs 
DAILY MAIL

As 
China gets aggressive, Japan re-arms and America gets ready to help 
NASDAQ

 

FAMILY MATTERS

Successes in married Catholic life 
TCP

 

~ ~ ~

 

ADDITIONAL

The week in review —A recommended video 
JASON A

What is replacing Christianity? 
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT