Freed Priest Denies Islamic Rebel Group Kidnapped Him
A frail 79-year-old Irish Catholic priest, who was released after one month of captivity in the Philippines, denied Friday, November 13, that an Islamic rebel group had kidnapped him.
church
Iran Closes Friday Church Services, Detains Pastor
Iran’s government has ordered one of the country’s largest Protestant churches to halt Friday services, while a pastor remains detained for protesting plans to “impose the reading of the Koran” on Christian children, Worthy News monitored Monday, November 9.
Millions Pray For Persecuted Church
Millions of Christians from Vancouver to Vladivostok were praying Sunday, November 8, for persecuted Christians, amid reports of increased repression in several countries around the world.
Armenia, Turkey Sign Landmark Accord Despite Tensions
The former Soviet republic of Armenia and Turkey have signed a historic accord on normalizing relations after a century of hostility.
Palestinians Remember Murdered Christian Bookstore Leader
Palestinian Christians on Tuesday, October 7, urged prayers as they observed the second anniversary of the day that militants murdered the director of the only known Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip.
EU Ambassadors Discuss Belarus Threats To Close Megachurch
European ambassadors to Belarus have met with the leader of New Life Church in the capital Minsk to discuss “threats” by authorities to “destroy” one of the country’s largest evangelical churches by confiscating its building, a former cowshed, church officials said in a statement obtained by Worthy News Thursday, August 27.
China Forces Raid Bible School
Security forces raided a Bible school in eastern China run by the vice-president of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA) and briefly detained a dozen people, a Christian advocacy group said Monday July 20.
BREAKING NEWS: Prominent Vietnam Pastor Flees Encircled Home; Wife Beaten, Dissidents
A prominent Mennonite pastor and religious rights advocate has escaped from his besieged home in central Vietnam after “several months of police encirclement” to seek “help, food and medication” for his children and frail wife, who has been abused by police, dissidents said in messages obtained by BosNewsLife Monday, July 20.
NEWS ALERT: Tense Stand-Off Between Christians And Chinese Security Forces Reported
A tense stand-off continued Friday, July 10, in China’s Shandong Province between Chinese security forces and Christians who have tried to prevent the destruction of their church building, representatives said.
NEWS ALERT: Chinese Pastor And Wife Sentenced To One Year Labor Camp
The pastor of a major Chinese evangelical church and his wife have been sentenced to one year “re-education through labor” for “engaging in illegal religious activities,” trial observers confirmed Wednesday, July 1.
China Arrests Overshadow Release Of Long-Time Prisoner
News that China released a Christian woman after serving over two and a half years in prison for protesting the destruction of a mega-church has been overshadowed by the ongoing detention of Christians in a similar case, Chinese Christians and rights investigators said Wednesday, June 24.
Vietnam Continues Crackdown On Protestant Christians, sources
Several Protestant Christians in Vietnam, including Degar-Montagnards, were uncertain Monday, June 22, where to worship as government forces raided and destroyed churches in recent weeks, church sources and rights investigators said.
BREAKING NEWS: Iran President Ahmadinejad “Losing” Election, Mousavi Claims Victory (Developing Story)
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has lost the presidential election, his challenger said, a development that was expected to be welcomed by Christians seeking more religious rights and the United States, where President Barack Obama seeks new relations with the strict Islamic nation.
BREAKING NEWS: Burma Army Attacks Christian Orphanage; Many Flee
A Christian-run orphanage in Burma near the border with Thailand has been attacked by the Burmese army, amid a fresh crackdown on the predominantly Christian Karen people in the area, officials and children told Worthy News Friday, June 5.
US University Prohibits Thanking Jesus At Graduation
A professor at the government-funded University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has prohibited a graduating student from saying “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” in her own graduation speech, amid a heated debate over using that name in public across the United States, BosNewsLife monitored Wednesday, June 3.
NEWS ALERT: Belarus Evangelical Church Faces Imminent Eviction By Security Forces
There was uncertainty about the future of one of the largest evangelical churches in Belarus Tuesday, June 2, after authorities ordered it to abandon its building in the capital Minsk.
Christians Among Executed, Tortured People in Philippines
A Protestant pastor who says he was tortured while being detained in the Philippines has warned of widespread killings and other attacks against church members in the Asian nation.
Chinese Christian Lawyer “Held Hostage” For 50 Days
Abducted Chinese Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was missing 50 days on Thursday, March 26, amid “increasing concern for his life,” human rights investigator said.
Family Missing Colombia Pastor Appeals For Help Amid Threats And Violence (Worthy News In-Depth)
The young family of a missing evangelical pastor in Colombia was still waiting Wednesday, March 25, for Colombian authorities to launch an official investigation into his disappearance six months ago, amid concerns he may be the latest victim of violence against Christian leaders in the South American country.
Bulgaria To Appeal European Court Ruling In Orthodox Row
Bulgaria’s government is planning to appeal a ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which found Bulgaria guilty of violating religious rights of over 100 Bulgarian Orthodox priests, bishops and lay-workers, who were violently thrown out of their churches, Worthy News learned Monday, March 23.