Tag: Catholics

‘Christians appear weak,’ says Bangladesh Christian Association president after rapes

November 12, 2018 Bangladesh Bangladesh, Catholics, Children, Rape, Women

“Christians appear weak and can be easily persecuted.” That’s the reaction of the president of the Bangladesh Christian Association to reports of two Catholics being sexually assaulted in recent days – one a 15-year-old girl, the other a mother of three. The assaults are reported by Asia News to have . . . Read More

Chinese ‘underground’ bishop detained by police for fifth time in two years

November 9, 2018 China Catholics, China, Hebei, Peter Shao Zhumin, Wenzhou, Zhejiang

China's catholic dioceses are to respond to the government led campaign of the 'sinicization of religion' with a plan of action. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Chinese “underground” bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the coastal city of Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province, was taken by police this morning, 9 November, reports AsiaNews. He is expected to be held for 10-15 days, the news site reported, adding that while the police generally calls these times “vacation periods … . . . Read More

Malaysia’s ‘deep-seated tensions’ exposed by MP’s call for religious freedom

November 7, 2018 Malaysia Apostasy, Catholics, Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia, Proselytism, Putrajaya, Raymond Koh, Religious freedom, UN

A Malaysian Catholic MP’s call last month for the government to sign the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief has highlighted the “deep-seated tensions between ultra-conservative Muslims and the new government”, says the director of Malaysia’s Religious Freedom . . . Read More

China: Cultivate ‘patriotic’ clergy, Henan officials told

November 2, 2018 China Catholics, Chengdu, China, Churches, Fujian, Fuzhou, Henan, Human rights, Police, Proselytism, Religious freedom, Sichuan, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement

Local government officials in China’s central Henan province are being encouraged to cultivate “patriotic” clergy for leadership positions in the Catholic Church, according to a document outlining how to implement the new religion regulations. The guidelines, published in a confidential document titled ‘Supervision and Self-Inspection Framework for Implementing the Central . . . Read More

Record anti-Christian violence in India’s most populous state

October 31, 2018 India BJP, Catholics, Chennai, Hindu nationalism, Jharkhand, Manipur, Narendra Modi, Protestants, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh

India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, saw a “record level” of anti-Christian violence last month, according to a survey by Violence Monitor, a monthly magazine that reports incidents of violence against minorities, as reported by AsiaNews. The magazine revealed that out of 25 cases of religious intolerance reported in the . . . Read More

Ukraine: Churches forced to close after registration denied

October 26, 2018 Ukraine Catholics, Churches, Luhansk, Protestants, Religion Law, Ukraine

In the battle for Luhansk between Ukrainian forces and rebels in 2014, churches like this one in Pervomaisk, some 50 km west of Luhansk, were also attacked. (Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Dozens of churches in the rebel-held Luhansk region of Ukraine have had to stop meeting after their registration applications were turned down by the authorities of the self-declared republic, reports Oslo-based news agency Forum 18. The deadline for religious communities to register, set for 15 October by the Luhansk People’s . . . Read More

China introduces three-person teams to monitor religious groups

October 23, 2018 China Catholics, China, Churches, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Wenzhou

In Wenzhou city – also dubbed “China’s Jerusalem” – teams of three government officials will now monitor the activities of religious groups by keeping their meeting-places under observation, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Alongside other requirements, the groups must align their teachings with the agenda of the government. The teams . . . Read More

Vietnam frees Catholic blogger but upholds 20-year sentence for another activist

October 22, 2018 Vietnam Catholics, Human rights, Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, Vietnam

Vietnamese blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh (L), also known as 'Mother Mushroom', stands trial at a courthouse in the central city of Nha Trang on June 29, 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)

A Vietnamese Catholic blogger arrived in the United States last week after she was released from jail unexpectedly, reports the Catholic news site UCAN. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as “Mother Mushroom”, was sentenced in June last year to ten years in prison for posting what police described as . . . Read More

Turkey’s Protestant Christians ‘feel stronger’ after trauma of Brunson case

October 22, 2018 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Catholics, Coup, Izmir, Orthodox, Protestants, Sunni, Turkey, USA

Soner Tufan with Andrew Brunson on the evening of the 12 October 2018 trial

A spokesman for Turkey’s Protestant Christians declared yesterday that his country’s tiny Christian community has “emerged stronger” from the high-profile trauma of evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson’s highly contested imprisonment and trial. The US pastor’s two-year ordeal culminated in a Turkish court’s decision on 12 October for his release and departure . . . Read More

One year after Marawi’s liberation from IS, thousands of Christians still displaced

October 19, 2018 Philippines Catholics, Islamic State, Marawi, Maute, Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte

Street in battle-scarred Marawi in a still taken from a video.

A year ago this month, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, declared victory over Islamic State-linked militants in a battle for the city of Marawi in the south of the country. On 23 May 2017, militants belonging to the Maute group, an affiliate of Islamic State, had taken over . . . Read More

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