Fire razes 400-year-old church in Camarines Norte

An early morning fire gutted the 400-year-old church of Vinzons, Camarines Norte on Wednesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the province said. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Vinzons town, in a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer through the PNP in Camarines Norte, said faulty electrical wiring triggered the fire that [...]

Reminders of war in a new place of worship

Spent artillery shells have become an intrinsic part of the interior of Santa Teresita of the Child Jesus church in Datu Piang, Maguindanao province. They also serve as a grim reminder of a war that robbed this Muslim-dominated town of peace and harmony for decades. In June 2008, a time of fierce armed clashes in the district [...]

Indonesia: Authorities shut down nine churches

Authorities in Banda Aceh have closed down nine churches and six Buddhist temples in the past week following mounting pressure from local Islamic groups, rights groups say. All the religious sites are in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province in Sumatra where sharia law is implemented. “Priests were forced to sign a document agreeing to stop [...]

Russia: One defendant freed in Pussy Riot case

A Moscow court has freed one of the convicted women from the punk band Pussy Riot but upheld two-year jail terms for the other two. There were cheers in court when the two-year jail term of Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, was suspended. Earlier the trio spoke defiantly at the appeal hearing, saying their protest song was [...]

India: Police investigate church violence

Police are investigating 150 people for damaging Church property and protesting without a permit after they allegedly broke up a diocese’s silver jubilee celebration on Sunday in Tamil Nadu. About 200 protesters, mainly Hindu and Christian Dalits – formerly known as ‘untouchables’ – were demanding the reinstatement of a Dalit seminarian, Michael Raj, who was [...]

The return of women’s veils at Mass sparks a debate

Retro is in, and I’m all for it, if by “retro” you mean “Mad Men,” midcentury modern furniture and martinis. But mantillas? That’s one fashion trend this vintage-loving girl is skipping. Although I adore the styles of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, I definitely prefer a more 21st-century attitude toward women. If traditionalist Catholic blogs [...]

India: Bishop arrested over fraud claims

Police yesterday arrested a prominent retired Protestant bishop after a Mumbai court ordered his remand into custody on suspicion of fraud, forgery and breach of trust related to a church land deal. Former bishop Vijay Sathe, 65, of the Church of North India (CNI), was arrested at his home in Pune and is to remain [...]

Wild leopards threatened by religious tradition in Africa

A growing religion in southern Africa is posing a threat to the survival of wild leopards. For the Nazareth Baptist Church, also known as the Shembe, leopards are seen as a symbol of pride, beauty and wealth, while their skins are viewed as essential attire for church elders who wear them around their necks during [...]

China: Catholics say church was destroyed by arsonists

Members of the congregation in a small city in central China say their church may have been deliberately burned down at the end of last week. The church had been the only building left in Caibang village near Xiantao City, Hubei province, after it held firm when developers paid off locals to move out last [...]

India: Nuns robbed at knife point

Six masked men carrying knives robbed a convent in suburban Kathmandu early this morning. They left with mobile phones, cameras, jewelry and 700,000 rupees (US$7,830) in cash. The robbers climbed through a second floor window in an empty guest room before waking the convent’s four nuns and a young maid. “They took us in one of [...]

Military program is ‘wreaking havoc’

An influx of peasant families from the Bondoc Peninsula in Quezon province have sought sanctuary in convents and religious institutions in Metro Manila in the past two weeks to escape the “constant fear and insecurity” of the ongoing military operations. “We cannot go on living in fear, so we decided to come out and appeal [...]

Korea Church, police partner on alcohol abuse

The Catholic Church and law enforcement signed an agreement earlier this week to work together to reduce the number of incidents of violence involving alcohol.

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