Mormons “Naive,” Says Baptist Leader; Religious Freedom Worsening in Cuba, and More…

Asquith’s News Tips: A weekly roundup of news stories you don’t want to miss

VATICAN CITY

Francis: Church elites must not "privatize" faith

CATHOLIC HERALD

Pope Francis tells new cardinals to be humble and shun parties
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Vatican downplays warning of Islamic State attack as Pope warns of "shadows and dangers" over mankind
THE TABLET

Pope Francis urges people to put away their iPhones and start talking to each other — as he warns his new cardinals of the dangers of drinking on an empty stomach
DAILY MAIL

Pope’s ambassador tweets accusing Francis of being "completely and utterly wrong" — Discretion, tact and working behind the scenes; Vatican diplomats are normally well-versed in the classical skills of diplomacy, but Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, the apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, appears to be bucking the trend
THE TABLET

Pope Francis reported to have met with transgender man and his boyfriend at Vatican
HUFFINGTON POST CHRISTIAN TODAY CHRISTIAN POST

Oriental Orthodox and Catholics work to conclude joint document
RADIO VATICANA

Vatican will offer Rome’s homeless shaves and haircuts in St. Peter’s Square
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Vatican condemns plastic surgery, calling it "aggression" against women — A new Vatican document expresses a negative view of elective plastic surgery for women, warning that procedures such as facelifts and tummy tucks can become a form of “aggression” that threatens female identity
CRUX

NORTH AMERICA

The under-policing of black America

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Santorum finds it hard to listen to Pope Francis — Potential Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he often finds it "very difficult" to listen to Pope Francis, particularly when he makes "off the cuff" and impromptu comments, such as he did when he commented to reporters on a Monday flight from the Philippines that Church teaching on contraception does not mean Catholics should breed "like rabbits"
NEWSMAX

"Taliban are not terrorists"
— Obama administration
DAILY CALLER FN

The biggest corporate lay-off in history is expected within days: IBM believed to be scrapping 110,000 (Watch out for a potentially worseneing economy in the US this year)
DAILY MAIL

"My faith has at times been questioned, by people who don’t know me; they say that I adhere to a different religion, as if that were somehow a bad thing" —
Barack Hussein Obama (Thing is Barack, what you say doesn’t speak as loudly as what you do!)
GOSPEL HERALD

Financial enemies fighting for America’s collapse — One of the newer threats to national security is economic warfare. Its goal is to cripple a country’s economy, rendering it weak and ineffective. (This threat isn’t actually "new", but has been gnawing away in various forms for decades. The time of its eventual impact is however likely to be sooner rather than later)
CBN

US Churches accuse JPMorgan of mishandling funds worth millions
CHRISTIAN TIMES

One in five American children rely on food stamps; Number is DOUBLE pre-recession levels — (I’ve said before, prepare for the emerging of economic woes this year across Western Europe and the United States)
CHRISTIAN DAILY

ISIS hack American Westminster Presbyterian Church’s website
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Even if I wasn’t a Christian, that would be OK — Barack Hussein Obama
CHRISTIAN POST

Senate passes bill approving Keystone XL oil pipeline — The Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday approved a bipartisan bill to construct the Keystone XL oil pipeline, defying a presidential veto threat and setting up the first of many battles with the White House
UT SAN DIEGO

"Christophobia:" The anti-Christian hostility which has infected a powerful elite subculture — A small but elite group of Americans demonstrate clear signs of anti-Christian hostility, say sociologists David Williamson and George Yancey
CHRISTIAN POST

84% of Americans think Islamic terrorists will launch attack on US soil soon
CHRISTIAN TIMES

"They are out of their minds." Gorbachev slams US "triumphalism" for "turning cold war hot"
IW

San Francisco priest bans altar girls — A priest who recently took charge of a San Francisco parish has said only boys can be altar servers, stating that the Catholic Church has become too “feminized”
CRUX

Southern Baptist leader says Mormons are "naïve" for supporting LGBT anti-discrimination laws
CHRISTIAN TIMES

City University of New York decrees that titles "Mr." and "Ms" will no longer be used — (More PC madness!)
TBD

Measles outbreak spreads to seven States as health officials warn of more cases
CHRISTIAN TIMES

LATIN AMERICA

"I don’t trust the US nor have I exchanged a word with them"
— Fidel Castro
DAILY MAIL

Religious freedom worsening in Cuba: Violations of religious freedom are increasing in Cuba, according to a new report
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Bishop, priests and parishioners victims of armed robbery in Venezuela
CATHOLIC CULTURE

ISRAEL

Lebanese Hezbollah militants kill Israeli soldiers

GLOBE AND MAIL

This is the BEST thing any Palestinian teenager can do — says HAMAS
DEMOTIX NEWS

RUSSIA

Obama blames Russia for rocket attacks against Ukraine in which at least 30 are killed

INDEPENDENT

Protesters arrested in Red Square after holy water stunt — Two men were arrested after pouring holy water on the Red Square tomb of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and shouting
"Rise and be gone!"
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Cold War II: Russia’s ambassador to Britain was summoned to the UK’s Foreign Office on Thursday to explain why two Russian bombers were flying over the English Channel this week
CNN

RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA

Understanding the Apocalyptic Vision of Pope Francis
— The Church at war with the world underlies all

Parish Goes Out into the Streets and Compels Them to Come In — St. Bernard’s E-Team: Answering the Call for a New Evangelization

Call No Man Your "Father," Especially on Facebook — Priests threatened with loss of accounts when using their religious title on social media site

BRITAIN & IRELAND

Protester
shouts "Not in the Bible" during "consecration" of Britain’s first female Bishop

DAILY MAIL

Catholic Bishop of Birmingham confirms that Catholic Church will be maintaining its ban on women priests in wake of Church of England’s elevation of first women to the episcopacy
CHRISTIAN POST

"I’m going Jew bashing" — says Muslim teenager before attacking Orthodox Jewish man in UK
DAILY MAIL

Banks accused of being "fundamentally corrupt" — (For over a decade I’ve been trying to highlight the dangers of placing too much trust in our banks. It’s a sad and sorry story, but one we need to listen to if we are to protect ourselves. The truth surrounding today’s banks means we need to seriously consider viable alternatives when it comes to securing our savings)
DAILY MAIL

Catholic MP Sarah Teather will join Jesuit Refugee Service on leaving Westminster
CHRISTIAN TODAY

2,000 Tesco workers told their jobs are at risk
DAILY MAIL

Bet now that shares will fall, says City tycoon who made millions by predicting the credit crunch — (Others are also warning that 2015
may see the beginning of the worst economic crisis in recent modern history)
DAILY MAIL

Bed and breakfast run to Rule of St. Benedict named the world’s best
CATHOLIC HERALD

EUROPE

"Our past must not become the future for our children"
— Survivors of Auschwitz on Holocaust Memorial Day
DAILY MAIL

"The darkest hour of human history":
David Cameron honours Auschwitz victims as he and Prince Charles meet Holocaust survivors and call on Britain to stand together against anti-Semitism
DAILY MAIL

Tens of thousands of Germans rally in streets carrying crosses, Israeli flags, ready to fight Islam
TRS

Ukrainian chaplain killed on way to pray for wounded soldiers
CHRISTIAN TODAY

AFRICA

15 protesters killed on anniversary of Egyptian uprising against Mubarak

JERUSALEM POST

Female protester shot and killed by Egyptian police in Cairo
DAILY MAIL

Egyptian Christian shot dead by Islamists
CHRISTIAN TODAY

ISIS kills 27 in Egypt
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Boko Haram attacks two towns in Nigeria’s Borno state — Maiduguri and Monguno, the seat of local government
WALL STREET JOURNAL

Church minister slaughtered by Nigerian Islamists
GOSPEL HERALD

Eight killed in a
ttack on Libyan hotel
INDEPENDENT

Global call for release of Eritrean Orthodox church head, under house arrest for 8 years
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Ugandan Anglican bishop willing to defend notorious Lord’s Resistance Army commander in war crimes court — (He would rather expend his efforts assiting the victms of the LRA’s atrocities)
RNS

Ugandan Imam beats daughter to death for converting to Christianity
CHRISTIAN NEWS

South Sudan militia free 280 child soldiers — South Sudanese child soldiers surrendered their weapons on Tuesday, in the first step of a planned release of 3,000 (Few are even aware of the current plight in Southern Sudan)
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Bible survives Muslim attack on Church
CHARISMA

Kenyan Christian radio station hijacked by Islamists
CHRISTIAN TODAY

MIDDLE EAST

Why Saudi Arabia is more vulnerable than ever before

DAILY MAIL

Saudi Arabia’s coming struggle
WASHINGTON POST

Saudi Arabia wants men-only Olympics with strict segregation from women
DAILY MAIL

Separate check-outs for non-Muslim foods coming to Dubai supermarkets
GULF NEWS

19 killed in Iraq
ABC

Angelina Jolie speechless after visiting refugees in Iraq;
"Nothing prepares you for the human misery"
CHRISTIAN DAILY

Hundreds of historic Iraqi Christian manuscripts being digitized after a priest saves them from destruction by ISIS
NCR

How ISIS is administering "justice" in Syria
DAILY MAIL

Al Jazeera bans use of the words "Terrorist" and "Islamist" — (Of little surprise coming from the mouthpiece of an Islamist regime which has persistently sponsored terrorism)
CHARISMA

ASIA, PACIFIC & CHINA

Indian Muslim who didn’t like girls tries to kill his 10 year old daughter

DAILY MAIL

Islamic revenge: Christian school attacked in Pakistan. Over 200 Muslim students, angered by caricatures of Muhammad in a Parisian publication, attacked a Christian boys’ school in Pakistan and demanded its closure
CATHOLIC CULTURE

A day in the life of a female teacher in Pakistan
DAILY MAIL

40 killed in Afghanistan attacks — Of those killed 12 were civilians, a further 36 civilians were injured
XINHUANET

Alcohol sales banned in Muslim-majority areas of Malaysia
FREE MALAYSIA

Two Christian teachers gang-raped then murdered in Burma
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Myanmar authorities order removal of cross — Authorities in Chin State, which is located in western Myanmar (Burma), have ordered the removal of a hillside cross
CATHOLIC CULTURE

Philippine
Islamists kill 50 policemen
DAILY MAIL

Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafi of Tonga, who will become the world’s youngest cardinal on February 14, says new role carries “heavy responsibility”
RNZ

China’s oldest priest dies at 105
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Beijing police raid Christian meeting
CHRISTIAN NEWS

FAMILY MATTERS

US Catholics and Evangelicals join forces to warn of "grave threat" of gay "marriage"

CHRISTIAN TODAY

The many lies of abortion
CHRISTIAN POST

New ABC sitcom celebrates radical gay activist — When older generations think of ABC TV sitcoms, “The Brady Bunch” or “Happy Days” might come to mind. Now, long removed from the days of Richie Cunningham and Alice the housekeeper, the legacy network is celebrating the life of one of the nation’s most provocative homosexual activists
WND

ADDITIONAL

Bitcoin and the digital-currency revolution

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Ripping yarns: How a British Empire novelist has become the darling of the American Right
CHRISTIAN TODAY

America is going to face tough times — Michael Bresciani
APO

America’s future financial woes: “Listening to the president’s State of the Union address, I was reminded of ancient Israel. The people convinced themselves that they were coming back stronger than before, and then it all collapsed, and the judgment came." The American age that began more than 140 years ago, quietly came to an end. According to a report by the International Monetary Fund, China’s economy had for the first time surpassed that of the United States and now claims the distinction of being the world’s largest economy, according to an
October report by Business Insider
WND

Ewan McGregor on whether religious people will like his interpretation of Jesus: "I can’t imagine any issue with it"
CHRISTIAN TODAY

Katy Perry’s father says he’s "always proud" of his daughter despite once calling her the "devil’s child" — (Perhaps Mr. Hudson has yet to discover the difference between loving one’s child and being proud of them?)
CHRISTIAN POST

Taking a selfie is a sin,
declares Muslim cleric — (While I don’t fully agree, I do have some sympathy with this view)
CHRISTIAN TIMES

Priests hold inaugural ceremony for "ice church" in mountains of Romania
CATHOLIC HERALD