Could social media make you a better person?

You often hear about the dangers of social media, including: narcissism, wasted time, envy of the lives of others, lack of integrity or the temptation to restart unhealthy relationships. Of course, these are all concerns, and you need to consider them in terms of what role social media has in your life. But I don’t [...]

Vatican appeals to Buddhists for ‘climate of peace’

The Vatican has urged Buddhists and Christians to work together, “on the basis of the genuine patrimony of our religious traditions, to create a climate of peace to love, defend and promote human life.” In its first interfaith message since the election of Pope Francis, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue stressed that the Argentine [...]

Pakistan: Effigies burned in anger over girl’s rape

Hundreds of Hindus and Christians gathered on Sunday in front of the Karachi Press Club to demand justice for a six-year-old girl who was allegedly raped earlier in the month. Members of the All Pakistan Christian League and other minority activist groups blocked the road in front of the Press Club and burned effigies of [...]

Indonesia: Christians protest with postcards to president

Protestants at two churches in West Java have sent 6,000 postcards to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, urging the end of restrictions on worship ahead of Christmas. A member of GKI Yasmin, one of the two restricted churches along with the Batak Society Christian Church (HKBP) Philadelphia in Bekasi, handed the postcards to the State Secretariat [...]

Nigeria Islamists slaughter 10 Christians in north

Ten Christians had their throats slit and militants killed two police officers during attacks on churches and border posts in a fresh wave of violence in northern Nigeria, officials reported Sunday. The Islamist group Boko Haram was thought to be behind the slaughter of the Christians late on Saturday in the northern town of Chibok, [...]

Twin suicide bombings kill 11 at Nigeria church

A suicide bomber rammed a bus into a church at a military barracks in restive northern Nigeria on Sunday and another detonated his explosives-packed car minutes later, killing 11 people and wounding dozens more. The first bomb attack struck minutes after Sunday mass in the town of Jaji, the latest such attack against Christians in [...]

Pope calls on faithful to ignore doomsday warnings

Pope Benedict XVI called on Christians Sunday not to heed doomsday warnings that the world will end on December 21. During his weekly Angelus address from the window of his Vatican apartments on Saint Peter’s Square, Benedict spoke of extracts from the bible which speak of “the sun and moon going out, the stars falling [...]

China: Xi Jinping takes a bow as leader in waiting

Xi Jinping made a much-anticipated speech at the Communist Party conference today, a precursor to his almost certain confirmation as leader of the world’ most populous nation. Christians have expressed concern over the future direction of religion in China, despite Xi’s previous leadership of key Christian provinces. In what has been viewed as a landmark [...]

Humility, respect and silence

I am traveling in the United States, a country where one of the fastest growing religious identifications is “former Catholic” and where over the past few years the number of people who describe themselves as having no religion has topped one in five. Many of those, of course, are former Catholics. Because of this wholesale [...]

Indonesia: Muslims block Sunday prayer service

Muslim protesters yesterday blocked the congregation of a Protestant church from holding Sunday service in front of their sealed place of worship in Bekasi district, West Java. A spokesman for HKBP, the Batak Society Christian Church of Philadelphia, said they had to call off the service after scores of protesters gathered to stop them worshiping. [...]

Lebanese leaders salute new Egypt Coptic pope

Lebanon’s top leaders congratulated the new pope of Egypt’s Coptic Christians and the church’s followers Sunday, describing his election as an occasion to embrace inter-religious dialogue. Speaker Nabih Berri congratulated Egypt on its newly chosen Coptic pope, Bishop Tawadros. “In my name and the name of the Lebanese Parliament, I congratulate Egypt, its people, your [...]

All Saints and All Souls Day: A reflection

It’s All Saints and All Souls Day again, but this time it has a political twist, as it is already election season. So if there’s any political candidate who will be campaigning today in our seaports, bus terminals or airports or worse in the cemeteries, this should warn you not to vote for that unscrupulous [...]

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