NEWS ARTICLES, COMMENTARIES & FEATURES

This is the second time in recent years that the Turkish government has converted a unique Christian church into a mosque Source: http://neoskosmos.com/news/en/turkey-government-desecrates-the-church-of-agia-sophia 17 Jul 2013 The Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia has called upon the Australian government and the international community to protect Anatolia’s indigenous Christian heritage. The announcement follows an incident two weeks ago where Muslim prayers were …

Shimon Cowen – ABC Religion and Ethics – 9 May 2012 (Source: http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/05/09/3498817.htm) Politics, understood as a moral vocation, requires humility to accept truth – and being wary of the prejudices that might lead one to dismiss it or the fears that might keep one from affirming it. Over the years, I have frequently studied a famous essay by the …

July 8, 2013 CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – Following the shooting death of a priest in Northern Sinai, Christians in Upper Egypt and elsewhere are living in fear after four Coptic Christians were killed near Luxor in the wake of the deposing of Mohamed Morsi as president. “I am too scared to leave – I haven’t been able to go …

July 4, 2013 Minya – Among the episodes of violence in Egypt after the overthrow of President Morsi there is also the attack against the Coptic Catholic parish of St. George, in the village of Delgia, 60 kilometers from Minya. Since Wednesday evening, July 3 groups of fanatical Islamists first looted and then burned down the pastor’s house and church group …

14 June 2013 Speakers at a conference in Oxford last week gave strong indications that the two Orthodox archbishops kidnapped near the Syrian city of Aleppo on 22 April had been killed. A senior regional source said he thought Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi had been murdered on the day that they were kidnapped. The pair …

PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS ‘MISTREATED’ BY ISRAEL AT EASTER CELEBRATIONS (Source: AlArabiya) Israel is causing “countless difficulties” for Palestinian Christians and Muslims to reach their holy sites, the Palestine Liberation Organization said late Saturday as Orthodox Christians held the “Holy Fire” ceremony in Jerusalem. Thousands of Israeli police officers were deployed on the eve of the Orthodox Easter as throngs of Christians …

In a recent long announcement, Metropolitan Serapheim of Piraeus spoke about the Neo-Pagan character and sympathies of the extreme right-wing party Golden Dawn. Within his declaration, he called upon Golden Dawn leaders to clarify exactly what their position was regarding Christianity and the Church. In forcefully expressing himself, he highlighted his concern regarding the reinstitution  of a deceased religion which …

SYRIAN CHURCH OFFICIALS SAY 2 ALEPPO-BASED BISHOPS WHO WERE KIDNAPPED REMAIN MISSING Author: Barbara Surk, 24 April 2013 The whereabouts of two bishops kidnapped in northern Syria remain unknown, Syrian church officials said Wednesday, a day after telling reporters that they had been released. Bishop Tony Yazigi of the Damascus-based Greek Orthodox Church said Tuesday that the bishops, both working …

At Christmas time in year four of primary school, I was officially crowned the most unpopular pupil in class. The reason for earning this rather dubious title, is that in response to my teacher’s question as to whether we were cognizant of the identity of Santa Claus, I stated: “Yeah, I know, he was an old Greek priest who lived …

A Christian woman activist in Pakistan longs to speak out against oppressive “blasphemy laws” but is hindered by a climate of intimidation. I see myself as an extrovert person and cannot stop speaking out against injustice and inhuman practices that suppress women and religious minorities in Pakistan. Being a member of a minority community I have always felt I must …