Backlash Against Muslims in Europe, Niger Churches Burn and More…

VATICAN CITY

Poverty stems from unjust economic system, not big families, says Pope 
CNS

 

Pope Francis makes history in Philippines, drawing 7 million in Mass amid Manila rain 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

 

Pope tells parents not to breed like rabbits! 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

 

Pope Francis to visit New York 
CHRISTIAN TIMES

 

Francis appoints Scicluna to head new abuse committee — Pope Francis has appointed the Vatican’s former chief prosecutor, Bishop Charles Scicluna, as the head of a new body to handle appeals by priests accused of abuse 
THE TABLET

 

Cardinal Filoni meets with Vietnam officials during visit to Hanoi 
RADIO VATICANA

 

Jordan’s King Abdullah backs Pope’s statement on respect for religion 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

 

Will a future Pope be forced to flee Rome? — The current arc of history seems to be drawing us back into a very dark past — a time when Islam ruled half the civilized world and threatened the rest of it 
CWR

 

China says “yes” to dialogue with Vatican, but urges severing of ties with Taiwan 
VATICAN INSIDER

 

Pope Francis blesses lambs on feast of St. Agnes — Pope Francis marked the Feast of St. Agnes with a centuries-old rite: the blessing of lambs, from whose wool the Pallium will be made 
VATICAN NEWS

 

NORTH AMERICA

Boehner snubs Obama
 — House Speaker John Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting the White House, in an apparent challenge to President Obama’s policy on negotiations with Iran 
USA TODAY

 

Obama calls same-sex "marriage" a "story of freedom" in State of Union address — ("Freedom" from obedience to God, yes) 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

Obama invokes Pope Francis in State of the Union address 
CRUX

 

"America was founded upon Christian principles, not Islam" — Franklin Graham 
CNS

 

America’s most godless cities: San Francisco and Las Vegas among worst 
TIME

 

Bishop James Johnston: Don’t violate God’s law over government regulations 
CP

 

The future of Catholic schools and the future of America 
FIRST THINGS

 

Tim Busch argues that capitalism embodies the vision of Catholic social teaching “better than any other economic system” 
WALL STREET JOURNAL

 

The Catholic Church cannot “celebrate” the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, Cardinal Reinhard Marx has said 
AMERICA

 

Austin’s vicar general named auxiliary bishop of Texas diocese 
NCR

 

Nun recounts trip to Iraq 
CONNECTICUT NEWS

 

 

Canadian Foreign Minister abused in Palestine — Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird’s convoy was pelted with eggs and shoes while visiting the West Bank recently 
YNET

 

Canada’s best kids book is an anti-Christian novel about a sex-obsessed transgender teen — Teenage life sucks and then it gets worse. This seems to be the message judges of children’s literature are looking for these days, at least if the winners of the Governor General’s and B.C. Lieutenant Governor’s writing contests are anything to go by 
LIFE SITE

 

LATIN AMERICA

Did Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner cover up bombing of Jewish center?
 
DAILY MAIL

 

Group of Jewish backpackers tortured for hours in Argentinian hostel by locals — Ten Israeli tourists have been robbed, beaten and burned in a four hour-long anti-Semitic attack at a hostel in southern Argentina 
DAILY MAIL

 

Two murders a day, horrific kidnappings and even the police dare not enter: Inside the ghost towns of Mexico’s "Murder Valley" — one of the deadliest places on earth 
DAILY MAIL

 

ISRAEL

UN holds meeting on rising anti-Semitism
 — For the first time in its history, the United Nations is sponsoring a meeting on rising anti-Semitism worldwide 
CBN

 

 

Messianic Jews declare: We are Israel — A group of young Israeli believers in Yeshua (Jesus) have started an online media campaign aimed at driving home that point that they remain an integral part of the Jewish people and state 
ISRAEL TODAY

 

RUSSIA

Russia and Iran sign deal to expand military cooperation
 (If you read my comments from previous news tips before Christmas, you will notice that I said to "watch out" for closer cooperation between Russia and Iran. Here we see evidence of just that, and .. it is likely to continue with some "interesting" consequences for Middle East and even global politics) 
WN

 

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

Top Ten Things Planned Parenthood Does Not Want You to Know
 — In addition to the other 58 million reasons, that is

 

We Will See Roe v. Wade Overturned In The United States — Alliance Defending Freedom president also discusses assaults on religious liberty

 

Snarkiness and the New Evangelization — Is there a place for satire? (The link to Pope Benedict’s letter to Piergiorgio Odifreddi on page two is a must read)

 

Islam: Religion of Peace or Font of Terror? — A conversation with John Esposito of the Georgetown Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding

 

BRITAIN & IRELAND

David Cameron says Pope Francis is WRONG!
 — The British Premier has said that Pope Francis is wrong to claim people who mock Islam and other religions should "expect a punch" 
DAILY MAIL

 

British government tells mosques to force out preachers of hate 
DAILY TELEGRAPH

 

Muslim leaders accuse British government ministers of being "far right" — as ministers say they are "disappointed" after the Muslim Council of Britain hits out at government request for mosques to help root out "men of hate" (And what should we rightfully expect? A people of different culture, different values and different beliefs who, clearly, have shown their disdain for exerting any sort of control over the more extreme expressions of their religion. How will Britain—or any other country—manage this challenge?) 
DAILY TELEGRAPH

 

Brother of Lee Rigby’s killer praises Paris jihadis who killed 12 in Charlie Hebdo attack 
DAILY MAIL

 

Britain’s Christianity 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Consecration of traditionalist bishop set to highlight Church of England divisions — No bishop who has previously laid hands on a woman priest or bishop during an ordination or consecration will lay hands on traditionalist Anglican Father Philip North during his own consecration as a bishop. Effectively, it means the Church of England’s Catholic wing is being allowed to preserve the traditionalist apostolic succession, creating a line of male bishops in perpetuity. (I extend my personal invitation for any Anglicans wishing to join the Catholic Church to "come and explore!") 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

"Islam is greatest threat to humanity" — says Hamas leader’s son. The son of a Hamas leader has told of the dangers of Islam during a meeting at a British synagogue 
HAM & HIGH

Christian school shut down because boy didn’t know what a Muslim was? — Additionally, another school labeled "intolerant" when 10-year-old did not know what lesbians "do" when asked by inspectors (Inspectors from hell by the sound of it!) 
CHRISTIAN POST

Catholic Education Service apologizes after bitter row over changes to religious education syllabus 
THE TABLET

Thousands sign petition calling for Richard III to have a Catholic burial 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Irish government says no referendum on blasphemy before election 
CATHOLIC HERALD

Council grants planning for new Perthshire church 
COS

 

EUROPE

Is there an answer to French anti-Semitism?
 
CAROLINE GLICK

 

What’s happening to the Catholic Church in France? — "But there was something that set him apart from many of the Catholic priests my parents’ generation grew up listening to" 
THE WEEK

 

Jihad and terrorism in France: It’s just beginning 
GATESTONE INSTITUTE

 

France takes battle against radical Islam into schools — France has announced new measures aimed at helping schools combat radical Islam, racism and anti-Semitism 
CHRISTIAN DAILY

 

Inside France’s "no-go" sharia zones 
BB

 

French bishop resigns after furor in diocese 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

 

France’s Catholic church helps society reflect after terrorist attacks 
NCR

 

Our world of "fairness and equality" — How just 1% of earth’s population owns 50% of the world’s wealth 
THE GUARDIAN

 

Chechens arrested in France 
planning new terror attack 
DAILY MAIL

 

New mosque ban in Padua after Paris attacks — The mayor of Padua has said that no more permits will be granted for the construction of mosques in the northern Italian city in the wake of the Paris terror attacks 
LOCAL

 

Turkish woman, 26, arrested for posting poem criticizing Recep Erdogan 
DAILY MAIL

 

13 killed in mortar attack on tram in Ukraine 
DAILY MAIL

 

Anti-Islamist group Pegida spreads across Europe — A growing anti-Islamist group which started in Germany, has spread to a number of European countries, including Spain, Norway and Denmark 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

 

Cardinal Wyszyński, the Polish Cardinal who helped Jewish families escape the Holocaust 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

 

Pius XII helped Jews in Rome – and an Italian historian has the evidence 
CNA

 

Catholic parishes in Crimea re-register with Russian authorities 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

 

Russia has 9,000 troops in Ukraine, Poroshenko tells Davos forum 
CHRISTIAN DAILY

 

Evaporating inflation and growth put pressure on central banks 
REUTERS

 

AFRICA

Muslims mount anti-West "Je suis Muslim" campaign across Africa and Asia
 
DAILY MAIL

 

21 Christians held captive by ISIS in Libya, facing torture and unspeakable abuse (I fear that the issue of unspeakable abuse is going to become the "hallmark" of militant Islam, and that we have yet to see the worst. I hope I am wrong) 
GOSPEL HERALD

 

Gospel of Mark manuscript discovered in Egyptian mummy 
GOSPEL HERALD 

 

Christians attacked and murdered in Tanzania 
CHRISTIAN DAILY

 

Christian murdered outside church in Kenya 
CHRISTIAN NEWS

 

MIDDLE EAST

New ISIS executions reveal the medieval brutality jihadists wish to bring to the West
 
DAILY MAIL

 

Charlie Hebdo’s "Survivor" edition, the response: Churches burned, photographer shot in chest, clashes in Jordan, demonstrations in Pakistan 
DAILY MAIL

 

ISIS executes 13 boys for watching soccer 
GOSPEL HERALD 

 

Japanese Christian lays down life for ISIS-captured friend 
CHARISMA

 

Israel’s Mossad tells US to curb sanctions against Iran 
BLOOMBERG

 

Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon calls on Muslims to confront "culture of hatred" 
CNA

 

Iraqi shepherds beaten for refusing to declare faith in Mohammed 
GUARDIAN

 

Iran brands satellite dishes "enemies of Islam" 
NCRI

 

Saudis to construct "Great Wall of Arabia" — The kingdom of Saud is planning to build a 600 mile wall along its border with Iraq, but will it keep ISIS out? (Some political analysts predict that Saudi Arabia WILL be overrun by Islamists (whether ISIS or some equivalent group) and if/when that happens is when we can expect to see some "interesting" alliances between Arabia, Iran and possibly countries much further north!) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

 

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah aies age 90 — (As mentioned before Christmas, look out for some "important" political changes taking place in Saudi Arabia in the near future) 
ABC

 

New Saudi Deputy Crown Prince marks generational shift 
REUTERS

 

Is Saudi Arabia as bad as ISIS? — Kingdom’s harsh capital punishment rivals terror group, says Middle East news site 
CHRISTIAN POST

 

Yemen collapsing — Chaos deepens in Yemen as president steps down 
IRISH TIMES

 

ASIA, AUSTRALIA & FAR EAST

800,000 Muslims march through Chechnya praising Charlie Hebdo killers
 
DAILY MAIL

 

India’s bishops appeal to prime minister: save secular society — (Hopefully what they mean is the preservation of religious freedom) 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

 

All Sri Lankans, not just Catholics, welcomed papal visit, bishop reports 
CATHOLIC CULTURE

 

5,000 rally against Charlie Hebdo in Pakistan — Around 5,000 people gathered in Lahore, Pakistan, for the latest rally against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo‘s depiction of the Prophet Muhammad 
TIME

 

"You may NOT use the word "Allah" to refer to God" — Malaysian government to Catholic newspaper. Malaysia’s top court has ruled that a Catholic newspaper cannot use the word "Allah" to refer to God. (Not quite sure why the 
Herald Malaysia would be wanting to call the God of Christianity "Allah" in the first place?) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY

 

12 year old Philippine girl asks Pope Francis how God could allow child prostitution 
ICH

 

A local council in the Philippines has passed a resolution naming Pope Francis as a “Superpope” —(Oh dear!) 
CBCP

 

Top UN official slams Myanmar monk over "whore" comments — The United Nations’ top human rights official has called on Myanmar’s leaders to "unequivocally condemn" an ultra-nationalist Buddhist monk who labeled a visiting UN rapporteur a "whore" at a protest (Actually, the Buddhist monk may have point!) 
CNN

 

Australian jihadists tell their sex slaves to embrace Islam 
ABC

 

Crashing Chinese stocks as easy as "flicking a switch" — (Why investors need to remind themselves of the global volatility of stocks) 
BLOOMBERG

 

Catholic leader says Hong Kong is "sitting on its hands" as government remains intransigent 
CHRISTIAN DAILY

 

North Korea urges South to lift sanctions before talks can begin 
REUTERS

 

FAMILY MATTERS

House Republicans drop controversial abortion bill ahead of Roe v. Wade anniversary 
— (Politicians do such things, according to this report, out of fear of "alienating" certain types of voters. What they fail to see is that their weakness in being able to stand up for what is right alienates many more) 
FN

 

Republican woman derails abortion ban — Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina led the charge against a 20-week abortion ban that was defeated in the House on Wednesday, saying its mandate that rape must be reported to police prior to obtaining an abortion is too extreme 
TDB

 

Daughter’s tears over "lesbian" quiz: Ten-year-old left humiliated after being questioned over homosexuality and asked if she felt "trapped in her own body" — (Shameful and disgusting behavior on the part of the "inspectors")
 DAILY MAIL

 

ADDITIONAL

Christian music group co-founder says "I’m now an atheist"
 
CHRISTIAN NEWS