Christians persecuted

The place of worship, dedicated to St Joseph, is located in the village of Munpi, a remote area in the Singngat region. A Catholic couple from Goa made a significant contribution to its construction. The inauguration was presided over by the Archbishop Emeritus of Imphal. For the prelate, the church ‘will contribute to their healing, their relief and their sense of stability’.

Sebastien Lai spoke to AsiaNews about his father’s ordeal. The 78-year-old Catholic businessman, who fought for democracy in Hong Kong, has been in prison since 2020. Given his poor health as a diabetic, “the fear for his life is very real.” Too many diabetics “have died in that situation in Hong Kong prisons.” The former media owner “is in solitary confinement,” denied the right to attend Mass. US President Donald Trump said that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about his case and get him released. His mother’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV gave her strength.

The Chaldean Patriarch launches an appeal less than a month before the general election, inviting people to choose candidates ‘suitable to serve the people without discrimination’. The issue of the fight against corruption and the power struggle between groups. The choice of Christian candidates and the risk of infiltration. The unresolved issue of the political participation of Iraqi minorities after 2003.

Receiving in audience the Aid to the Church in Need International, the pontiff cited Pope Francis who, in his last message to the world, stressed the link between this fundamental right and peace. For Leo, “we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.” Even small and vulnerable communities can be bearers of brotherhood, showing “that a different world is possible”.

A court has upheld decades of prison sentences for five defendants. Their ‘crime’ was participating in house church services, taking online courses on faith and attending training courses abroad (Turkey). On 7 October, another trial for blasphemy. In August, state television broadcast a propaganda documentary featuring forced confessions by converts.

The killings took place yesterday in Anaz, a village in western Homs. Gunmen on motorbikes fired at least 30 bullets before fleeing. The motive behind the attack remains unknown. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, one of the victims had been involved in a legal case, but had been acquitted after the court found the charges against him to be baseless. The case had been brought by people from Al-Hosn, a neighbouring village where the perpetrators of the crime fled to.

On two occasions, dozens of extremists interrupted Sunday prayers at a Protestant community. The attackers claimed that the shop-house did not have the necessary permits to be used as a house church. Controversy erupted online, with calls for freedom of worship. Once again, urban planning practices were used as a pretext to prevent Christians from praying.

The 42-year-old blogger and lawyer who was jailed for reporting on the pandemic in Wuhan will spend more time behind bars for “causing a public disturbance”. Her "crime" was attempting to meet and defend a trade unionist in Gansu. Friends and supporters highlight the deep Christian faith that inspires her courage.

Five kilometres from the border with Israel, the institute founded under the Ottoman Empire in 1881 for Christian girls is fighting for survival. Fr Youssef Nasr: Catholic schools welcome around 190,000 students, 20% of the total and 30% of private schools. Non-Christians account for 30%, although in some areas the figure exceeds 60%. The economic challenge for survival and post-war ethnic tensions.

An extraordinary general assembly is set for tomorrow morning. Abbot Damianos resigned recently following internal tensions and a clash with Patriarch Theophilos III. In the past few months, the historic building was the subject of a (contested) expropriation order by Egyptian authorities.

Vicar General Naaman's golden cross, keys, phone, and other personal belongings were taken. Two men claiming to be members of a security service attacked and injured him. Activists speak out against the country's new leaders, who are incapable of protecting minorities. In Idlib, the Church of Saint Anna reopens after 14 years.

According to UNHCR, in just under nine months, over 200,000 have chosen to return. Some for the first time since 2011. For the authorities in Beirut, the departures “lighten” the Land of the Cedars from a “substantial demographic burden”. But there is also a counter-exodus: from Alawites fleeing the coast to Christians who dream of leaving after the attack on the church in Damascus.