Persecuted Christians celebrate Easter with mixed emotions

Flag of Syria is waving as sign of victory over the destroyed heavily damaged city of Aleppo. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Easter this year was a time of mixed emotions for the Christians who live under pressure for their faith. While political and religious leaders called for peace, reconciliation and brotherhood, Christians in countries like Syria and the Philippines continued to face violence and its consequences. Below, World Watch Monitor gives . . . Read More

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians
The growth of Christianity in Vietnam has been charted by World Magazine, which says religious freedoms enjoyed by those living in cities are in stark contrast to the country’s rural areas. Catholicism has a centuries-old history in Vietnam, but Protestant churches only sprang up last century, the Christian publication notes, . . . Read More

New report slams Vietnam’s human-rights record

New report slams Vietnam’s human-rights record
A new report paints an abysmal picture of Vietnam’s human-rights record, documenting “one of the worst crack-downs in recent years against rights defenders, bloggers and religious followers”. Published by the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR), the report says “arrests and harsh convictions of dissidents are multiplying with frightening . . . Read More