Pope Francis Denies Resignation Reports; Wants To Visit Moscow, Kyiv
Pope Francis says he will not resign soon despite several ailments, and he hopes to visit Kyiv and Moscow soon as part of a peace initiative.
South Sudan
South Sudan Christians Displaced After Islamists Kill Dozens
Attacks by “Islamic extremists” in a border region of South Sudan killed dozens of people and left “huge numbers of Christian villagers with nothing but their clothes,” aid workers told Worthy News.
South Sudan: Islamic extremists kill 28 in attack on Christian community
Islamic extremists killed people in an attack on a Christian community in South Sudan earlier this month, burning down 57 homes in the same attack, Barnabas Fund reports.
Sudan Coup Fails; Dozens Detained
Authorities in Sudan, where minority Christians face persecution, say dozens of military officers have been detained for an alleged coup.
Thousands of Christians Fleeing Executions In Afghanistan
Many of thousands of Afghan Christians are fleeing through mountains and other challenging terrains to neighboring nations amid fears they will be killed by Afghanistan’s ruling Islamist Taliban group, according to multiple sources.
Gunmen Kill Nuns In South Sudan
Pope Francis has offered condolences to victims’ families after two Catholic nuns were shot and killed along a highway in South Sudan.
“Apocalyptic” Fires, Floods Hit World Raising Questions
Apocalyptic scenes ranging from droughts to massive fires and floods are making life difficult for millions of people worldwide. For example, thousands have fled wildfires in Greece where, after a small break, another heatwave with temperatures of over 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit) was on its way — with the potential to worsen the situation.
Christians Worried As 14 Die In Sudan Clashes
Christian rights activists are concerned about tensions in Sudan, where at least 14 people were reportedly killed in recent violence in the disputed oil-rich region Abyei.
Sudan Authorities Threaten To Kill Christian Leader After Church Attack
Sudanese authorities detained, mistreated, and threatened to kill a Christian leader who wants to rebuild a church destroyed in an arson attack, Worthy News learned late Monday.
Leading Rights Activist Faith McDonell Advocacy Director At GKI Global Amid Massive Persecution (Worthy News Focus)
Leading Christian rights activist, broadcaster, and author Faith McDonnell, has become director of advocacy at the U.S.-based Katartismos Global (KGI Global) charity. The group says it “exists to equip the Church for mission and ministry” by supporting persecuted Christians and other believers in need.
Sudan Detains Church Arsonists
Sudan’s police reportedly detained nine men suspected of repeatedly burning church properties amid ongoing Islamic pressure on minority Christians.
World Food Program Gets Nobel Peace Prize Amid Global Hunger Fears
The World Food Program (WFP) has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its life-saving work amid rising starvation cases. With the coronavirus crisis pushing millions of men, women, and children into hunger, Nobel committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said the United Nations agency deserved this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Flooding in South Sudan: 700,000 people in hunger and livelihood crisis
Unprecedented flooding in South Sudan has devastated the lives of around 700,000 people, causing a hunger crisis amid the destruction of jobs and harvests, VOA News reports. The World Food Program (WFP) has sounded the alarm about a disaster that is exacerbated by ongoing violence and the COVID-19 economic crisis in the country. WFP is calling for $58 million for the next six months to rebuild South Sudanese infrastructure and to support those in need.
Slaughter of Christians in Africa continues
Hundreds of Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic terrorists in at least three African countries in recent weeks, CBN News reports. Christian communities in Nigeria, South Sudan, and Cameroon have been targeted by terrorists from different groups, including Boko Haram and Fulani militants.
Christians Rejoice As Sudan Scraps Death Sentence For Leaving Islam
Christian converts in Sudan are rejoicing after the transitional government scrapped legislation that made leaving Islam punishable by death, Worthy News learned.
Wycliffe Associates Reports That Bible Translators in 21 Countries Risk Starvation Due to COVID-19 Food Shortages
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, reports that Bible translators and their families in remote and poverty-stricken areas are facing starvation due to food shortages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN experts say South Sudan peace deal is at risk
UN experts are concerned South Sudan’s peace deal is at risk because unity government partners are arguing about security and resources instead of implementing the terms of the 2018 agreement, VOA News reports. A panel of experts on South Sudan reported to the UN Security Council last week that “selective and incomplete implementation” of agreed security arrangements threatened peace and stability in the country.
East Africa’s Huge Locust Outbreak Now Spreads to Congo
The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization says a small group of desert locusts has entered Congo, marking the first time the voracious insects have been seen in the Central African country since 1944.
Locust plague begins to spread from Africa to Middle East and Asia
Locusts swarming across eastern Africa have now made their way out of the continent, into the Middle East, and as far as India, Pakistan, and China, though authorities in east Asia say they are not yet worried about the locusts coming further inland.
Christians deploy to help east Africans against locust swarms ‘as big as major cities’
Christian aid groups, along with pesticide-wielding UN troops, are deploying to eastern Africa to fight a locust swarm that experts say is the worst to hit the region in 70 years and could grow by 500 times between now and June.