BEIJING — Unable to buy a train ticket, or even see a doctor at a hospital, a Chinese pastor found that his even after his release from prison, he is not quite free. The Rev. John Sanqiang Cao was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison while coming back from a missionary trip in … Read more
The body of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed over to his mother, a top aide to Navalny said Saturday on his social media account. Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, made the announcement on his Telegram account and thanked “everyone” who had called on Russian authorities to return Navalny’s body … Read more
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump promised to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and even suggested he’d shield the faith’s central iconography, warning a convention of religious broadcasters on Thursday night that the left wants “to tear down crosses.” “Remember, every communist regime throughout history has … Read more
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s parliament is set to vote Thursday to legalize same-sex civil marriage, in a first for an Orthodox Christian country and despite opposition from the influential Greek Church. Opinion polls suggest that most Greeks support the proposed reform, and the issue has failed to trigger deep divisions in a country more worried … Read more
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II signed her historic abdication on Sunday, paving the way for her son Frederik X to immediately become king, Danish broadcaster DR reported. Margrethe, 83, is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years since King Erik III Lam stepped down to enter a … Read more
Orthodox Christians packed churches Saturday night for Christmas Eve services, a holiday overshadowed for many believers by conflict. Traditions vary, but typically the main worship service for Orthodox Christians takes place the night before Christmas, which is Jan. 7. Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest Orthodox denomination, led elaborate and … Read more
TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law into effect that significantly tightens control over various religious denominations and organizations. The law, published on the presidential website this week, mandates that all denominations and religious groups reapply for state registration, which authorities reserve the right to refuse. It’s the latest step in … Read more
AIN EBEL, Lebanon — Christians in the border villages of south Lebanon prepared for a subdued Christmas under the shadow of the ongoing war in Gaza and its spillover in Lebanon. While in Beirut restaurants were packed and hundreds flocked to Christmas markets in the days leading up to the holiday, in the border towns … Read more
BANGKOK — Ding Zhongfu was awakened by loud pounding on his door. Five policemen greeted Ding, an elder in a Chinese church. The officers pinned him to the wall that Thursday morning in November and interrogated him while searching the apartment he shared with his wife, Ge Yunxia, and their 6-year old daughter. Ding’s family … Read more
Luxembourg’s Christian Democrats and free-trade liberals have announced a two-party center-right coalition that will run the Grand Duchy for the next five years under Prime Minister Luc Frieden ByThe Associated Press November 16, 2023, 5:34 AM LUXEMBOURG — Luxembourg’s Christian Democrats and free-trade liberals announced a two-party center-right coalition on Thursday that will run the … Read more