Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2017 / 03:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Global persecution of Christians has risen for the fourth year in a row and is on a “rapid rise” in Asia, the advocacy group Open Doors UK warned on Wednesday in its annual report on Christian persecution.“Religious nationalism is sweeping the globe according to figures released today as part of the Open Doors 2017 World Watch List,” said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland.“Persecution levels have been rising rapidly across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, driven by extreme religious nationalism which is often tacitly condoned, and sometimes actively encouraged, by local and national governments.”On Wednesday, the group Open Doors released its annual World Watch List on the state of global persecution of Christians. The list ranks the countries where the worst persecutions of Christians are taking place based on information gathered from field workers and “independent e...
Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2017 / 03:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Global persecution of Christians has risen for the fourth year in a row and is on a “rapid rise” in Asia, the advocacy group Open Doors UK warned on Wednesday in its annual report on Christian persecution.
“Religious nationalism is sweeping the globe according to figures released today as part of the Open Doors 2017 World Watch List,” said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland.
“Persecution levels have been rising rapidly across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, driven by extreme religious nationalism which is often tacitly condoned, and sometimes actively encouraged, by local and national governments.”
On Wednesday, the group Open Doors released its annual World Watch List on the state of global persecution of Christians. The list ranks the countries where the worst persecutions of Christians are taking place based on information gathered from field workers and “independent experts.”
Open Doors was founded in 1955 by a Dutchman named Brother Andrew who smuggled Bibles into Communist Eastern Europe. Since then, the organization has grown to aid Christians in 50 countries by sending them Bibles and other needed materials, and speaking out for their well-being.
Overall persecution of Christians has risen from last year, Open Doors UK noted, stating that “Christians are being killed for their faith in more countries than before.”
“Christians living in these countries need the support of their family, the body of Christ, to help them stand firm in their faith,” they stated.
Pakistan had the most fatal attacks against Christians, “even more than Northern Nigeria,” the report noted. Mexico also saw a violent spike in the killings of 23 Christian leaders in 2016, including the abductions of several priests. The country has seen 15 priests killed since the election of current President Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012.
For the 16th consecutive year, Communist dictatorship North Korea was determined to be the “worst place on earth for Christians,” Open Doors UK said. There are 300,000 Christians amidst the population of 25.4 million.
Christians there suffer from a totalitarian police state that closely monitors their actions and requires them to worship the ruling family, the report said. They must pray privately. Those discovered by the state to be Christian may end up in harsh labor camps where an estimated 50-75,000 Christians currently suffer.
“Every day was as if God was pouring out all ten plagues on us simultaneously,” revealed one Christian women who was held captive in the camps but escaped. “That’s how hard it was. But God also comforted me and brought a secret fellowship into existence. Every Sunday we would gather in the toilets and pray.”
All top 10 countries with the worst persecution of Christians are in Asia and Africa. Somalia ranks second on the list, followed by Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea.
Somalia, ranked the second-worst country for persecution of Christians, “has persecution levels nearly as high as in North Korea,” Open Doors UK noted.
“Islam is Somalia's state religion and all Christians come from a Muslim background,” they explained, meaning that for converts to Christianity, if their conversion is discovered, it can mean persecution and even a “rushed beheading.”
“If a Christian is discovered in Somalia, they are unlikely to live to see another day,” Lisa Pearce stated. There are only hundreds of Christians in the country with a population of over 11 million.
At least 12 Christian converts were killed in Somalia in 2016, the report said. The country is ruled by a “tribal system” and is “basically lawless,” which means that entities like the militant group al-Shabaab can “persecute Christians with impunity.”
Afghanistan is number three on the list, another tribal country where being a Christian is illegal. The Islamic republic of Pakistan is fourth, where more Christians were recorded as killed for their faith in 2016 than any other country. There are almost 4 million Christians there amidst the population of over 196 million.
An estimated 700 Christian women and girls were abducted in 2016, many of them raped and forced to marry Muslim men. The country’s strict blasphemy laws – which carry a death sentence – enable mob violence against Christians and accusations of blasphemy committed with impunity.
Persecution of Christians has had a disturbing increase in Asia, Open Doors noted, including in the world’s second-most populated country of India where there are 15 attacks against Christians every week, and probably more than that number since some attacks are not reported by fearful victims.
There were “at least ten” abductions of Christians there in 2016, ten rapes of Christian women, and over 800 physical attacks on Christians, the report said. Laos, Bangladesh, and Vietnam have also seen greater persecution of Christians by religious nationalists.
In the Middle East, Christians have been “caught in the crossfire” of wars in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. “The Saudi-backed civil war in Yemen has reduced the country to a waste land, with many Christians caught in the crossfire, such as the 16 people killed in an attack on a Christian care home for the elderly and disabled,” the report said.
Other problems of persecution include Islamic extremism in sub-Saharan Africa, and attempts to destroy the homes of Christians who have been driven away by violence, in the hopes that they permanently resettle elsewhere.
PARIS (AP) -- Baboon grunts and mating calls may hold secrets about human speech, according to a new study suggesting that the origins of human language could reach back as much as 25 million years....
PARIS (AP) -- Baboon grunts and mating calls may hold secrets about human speech, according to a new study suggesting that the origins of human language could reach back as much as 25 million years....
(Vatican Radio) In this week's edition of There's More in the Sunday Gospel Than Meets the Eye, Jill Bevilacqua and Seàn-Patrick Lovett bring us readings and reflections for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.Listen: Gospel Jn 1:29 - 34John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.He is the one of whom I said,'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of mebecause he existed before me.'I did not know him,but the reason why I came baptizing with waterwas that he might be made known to Israel."John testified further, saying,"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heavenand remain upon him.I did not know him,but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
(Vatican Radio) In this week's edition of There's More in the Sunday Gospel Than Meets the Eye, Jill Bevilacqua and Seàn-Patrick Lovett bring us readings and reflections for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Listen:
Gospel Jn 1:29 - 34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further, saying,
"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
Tijuana, Mexico, Jan 12, 2017 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The shelters in Tijuana that care for the migrant population are now in a state of emergency, severely overcrowded due to the arrival of thousands of Haitians seeking refuge in the United States.According to the director of Migrant Care of Tijuana, César Aníbal, there are 3,200 foreign migrants in these 28 shelters, and the majority come from Haiti. Located across the US-Mexico border from San Diego, Tijuana is a destination for those seeking entry to the United States.In an interview with Agenzia Info Salesiana, Fr. Leonardo Martínez, in charge of the Salesian “Padre Chava” shelter, a center with 88 beds and a communal kitchen, said what is urgently needed is “a space to put thousands of people because more are going to continue to come.”“All the shelters are overwhelmed, so there are times when some people sleep outside in the open,” he said.This shelter curren...
Tijuana, Mexico, Jan 12, 2017 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The shelters in Tijuana that care for the migrant population are now in a state of emergency, severely overcrowded due to the arrival of thousands of Haitians seeking refuge in the United States.
According to the director of Migrant Care of Tijuana, César Aníbal, there are 3,200 foreign migrants in these 28 shelters, and the majority come from Haiti. Located across the US-Mexico border from San Diego, Tijuana is a destination for those seeking entry to the United States.
In an interview with Agenzia Info Salesiana, Fr. Leonardo Martínez, in charge of the Salesian “Padre Chava” shelter, a center with 88 beds and a communal kitchen, said what is urgently needed is “a space to put thousands of people because more are going to continue to come.”
“All the shelters are overwhelmed, so there are times when some people sleep outside in the open,” he said.
This shelter currently houses 450 Haitian migrants, especially children and women.
When no space is available, the Salesians coordinate with the National Migration Institute to find a place in one of the hostels, which are for the most part Catholic.
Fr. Martínez also pointed out there is a health emergency due to the lack of hygiene services.
Currently, the Salesian “Padre Chava” shelter is making constant appeals to the population to continue helping, asking for baby formula, diapers, food, blankets, and clothing.
The number of persons fleeing Haiti has mushroomed since Hurricane Matthew devastated the Caribbean nation in October. The storm destroyed homes in the country which had also been struck by a catastrophic earthquake in 2010, and a subsequent cholera outbreak.
BOSTON (AP) -- Have you ever wanted to know what Tom Brady sees as he stares down a pass rush, scans the field for an open receiver ... or brushes his teeth in the morning?...
BOSTON (AP) -- Have you ever wanted to know what Tom Brady sees as he stares down a pass rush, scans the field for an open receiver ... or brushes his teeth in the morning?...
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The last America saw of Don Draper, he was meditating on a Pacific hillside, imagining one of the iconic ads in television history....
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The last America saw of Don Draper, he was meditating on a Pacific hillside, imagining one of the iconic ads in television history....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- In the shadow of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City lies the "African Quarter" - home to a little-known community of nearly 50 Arab families of African descent....
JERUSALEM (AP) -- In the shadow of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City lies the "African Quarter" - home to a little-known community of nearly 50 Arab families of African descent....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate early has passed a measure to take the first step forward on dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law, responding to pressure to move quickly even as Republicans and President-elect Trump grapple with what to replace it with....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate early has passed a measure to take the first step forward on dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law, responding to pressure to move quickly even as Republicans and President-elect Trump grapple with what to replace it with....
