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Christian persecution continues worldwide

15 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

On his way to becoming a prophet, young Samuel learned how to hear and respond to the call of God, we learn in Sunday’s first reading. In many countries, Christians who dare to do the same openly risk persecution. The international Christian organization Open Doors released its annual World Watch List this week, naming the 50 countries where it says Christians face the worst persecution--and the situation is not improving. For the tenth year running North Korea topped the list. Christianity has been driven so far underground in North Korea, Open Doors said, that parents wait until their children are old enough to understand the dangers of practicing their faith before teaching them about it. The organization also estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christian are currently interned in labor camps in North Korea. For the first time in the 20 years the list has been compiled, the situation for Christians did not improve last year in any country, Open Doors said. Christians also are under attack in Nigeria, where the radical Muslim Boko Haram sect killed 44 people after it promised to murder Christians living in the predominately Muslim north of the country. Speaking Saturday to journalists, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, vowed the group's members would adequately protect themselves from the sect. He declined to offer specifics, raising concerns about retaliation. "We have decided to work out means to defend ourselves against these senseless killings," Oritsejafor said. He added: "We cannot sit back and watch people being slaughtered like animals every day, going to the church, shooting people, killing them. This is unacceptable." In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Christians last weekend celebrated their first Christmas since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and an escalation in violence associated with the growing power of Islamists. Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began amid tight security and a show of national unity. Mass at Cairo's main cathedral was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt's political spectrum, including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament. Members of the ruling military council that took power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 ouster also attended, as well as the visiting top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman. Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended their presence and appealed for national unity for "the sake of Egypt." The 88-year-old church leader said: "For the first time in the history of the cathedral, it is packed with all types of Islamist leaders in Egypt. They all agree . . . on the stability of this country and in loving it, and working for it and to work with the Copts as one hand for the sake of Egypt." Coptic Christians comprise an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 85 million. Sources: Articles by ENI News, ReligionClause.com,and Njadvara Musa and Sarah El Deeb for the Associated Press

egypt world watch list boko haram ayo oritsejafor christian association of nigeria muslim brotherhood pope shenouda iii coptic christians copts nigeria christians islamism persecution north korea open doors
Christian persecution continues worldwide

15 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

On his way to becoming a prophet, young Samuel learned how to hear and respond to the call of God, we learn in Sunday’s first reading. In many countries, Christians who dare to do the same openly risk persecution. The international Christian organization Open Doors released its annual World Watch List this week, naming the 50 countries where it says Christians face the worst persecution--and the situation is not improving. For the tenth year running North Korea topped the list. Christianity has been driven so far underground in North Korea, Open Doors said, that parents wait until their children are old enough to understand the dangers of practicing their faith before teaching them about it. The organization also estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christian are currently interned in labor camps in North Korea. For the first time in the 20 years the list has been compiled, the situation for Christians did not improve last year in any country, Open Doors said. Christians also are under attack in Nigeria, where the radical Muslim Boko Haram sect killed 44 people after it promised to murder Christians living in the predominately Muslim north of the country. Speaking Saturday to journalists, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, vowed the group's members would adequately protect themselves from the sect. He declined to offer specifics, raising concerns about retaliation. "We have decided to work out means to defend ourselves against these senseless killings," Oritsejafor said. He added: "We cannot sit back and watch people being slaughtered like animals every day, going to the church, shooting people, killing them. This is unacceptable." In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Christians last weekend celebrated their first Christmas since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and an escalation in violence associated with the growing power of Islamists. Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began amid tight security and a show of national unity. Mass at Cairo's main cathedral was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt's political spectrum, including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament. Members of the ruling military council that took power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 ouster also attended, as well as the visiting top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman. Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended their presence and appealed for national unity for "the sake of Egypt." The 88-year-old church leader said: "For the first time in the history of the cathedral, it is packed with all types of Islamist leaders in Egypt. They all agree . . . on the stability of this country and in loving it, and working for it and to work with the Copts as one hand for the sake of Egypt." Coptic Christians comprise an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 85 million. Sources: Articles by ENI News, ReligionClause.com,and Njadvara Musa and Sarah El Deeb for the Associated Press

egypt world watch list boko haram ayo oritsejafor christian association of nigeria muslim brotherhood pope shenouda iii coptic christians copts nigeria christians islamism persecution north korea open doors
Christian persecution continues worldwide

15 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

On his way to becoming a prophet, young Samuel learned how to hear and respond to the call of God, we learn in Sunday’s first reading. In many countries, Christians who dare to do the same openly risk persecution. The international Christian organization Open Doors released its annual World Watch List this week, naming the 50 countries where it says Christians face the worst persecution--and the situation is not improving. For the tenth year running North Korea topped the list. Christianity has been driven so far underground in North Korea, Open Doors said, that parents wait until their children are old enough to understand the dangers of practicing their faith before teaching them about it. The organization also estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christian are currently interned in labor camps in North Korea. For the first time in the 20 years the list has been compiled, the situation for Christians did not improve last year in any country, Open Doors said. Christians also are under attack in Nigeria, where the radical Muslim Boko Haram sect killed 44 people after it promised to murder Christians living in the predominately Muslim north of the country. Speaking Saturday to journalists, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, vowed the group's members would adequately protect themselves from the sect. He declined to offer specifics, raising concerns about retaliation. "We have decided to work out means to defend ourselves against these senseless killings," Oritsejafor said. He added: "We cannot sit back and watch people being slaughtered like animals every day, going to the church, shooting people, killing them. This is unacceptable." In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Christians last weekend celebrated their first Christmas since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and an escalation in violence associated with the growing power of Islamists. Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began amid tight security and a show of national unity. Mass at Cairo's main cathedral was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt's political spectrum, including leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament. Members of the ruling military council that took power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 ouster also attended, as well as the visiting top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman. Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended their presence and appealed for national unity for "the sake of Egypt." The 88-year-old church leader said: "For the first time in the history of the cathedral, it is packed with all types of Islamist leaders in Egypt. They all agree . . . on the stability of this country and in loving it, and working for it and to work with the Copts as one hand for the sake of Egypt." Coptic Christians comprise an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 85 million. Sources: Articles by ENI News, ReligionClause.com,and Njadvara Musa and Sarah El Deeb for the Associated Press

egypt world watch list boko haram ayo oritsejafor christian association of nigeria muslim brotherhood pope shenouda iii coptic christians copts nigeria christians islamism persecution north korea open doors
Thief has the heart of a saint

11 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

You would think that someone intent to rob a cathedral of a priceless relic might pause to consider the Book of Exodus’ admonition: “You shall not steal.” After all, says the psalmist this Sunday, the law of the Lord is perfect, trustworthy, clear, true, and--even if one’s motivation were monetary--“more precious than gold.” Alas, scriptural guidance was not enough to dissuade a thief in Dublin from making off with the 884-year-old heart of Saint Laurence O’Toole, stolen last weekend from the iron cage where it was kept in Christ Church Cathedral. “All I would ask is that whoever took it would return it with no questions asked. It's valueless to anyone but the cathedral here and our community and the community of Dublin . . . we're grieving over it, really,” Church Dean Rev. Dermot Dunne said Monday. Dunne said that the local Christian community is particularly devastated “that someone should deprive us of a special link” to their past and their Christian founder. Although Christ Church Cathedral belongs to the Anglican Church, Dunne said that both the Catholic and Anglican dioceses of Dublin venerate O'Toole as the patron of the city. “The outpouring of emotion of horror at such a crime is quite notable” among both communities, Dunne said. “It's showing how much Laurence O'Toole is in the hearts of people.” Centuries prior to the Protestant Reformation, O'Toole established the Augustinian religious order in Ireland's capital and has “been venerated as the person who established the faith in Dublin.” During a pilgrimage to Rome, O'Toole died in Normandy. His body was buried in France but his heart was returned to Ireland “because that's where his heart was really, in the life and city of Dublin,” the Anglican priest said. The relic, which was kept in a heart-shaped wooden box behind an iron cage, has been housed in the cathedral for over 800 years. Sources: Articles by Peter Taggart for CNN News, Shawn Pogatchnikfor the Associated Press, and Hillary Senour for the Catholic News Agency

theft relics laurence o’toole dublin dermot dunn christ church cathedral
Anxious Egyptian Christians grieve fallen patriarch

25 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Only when a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies can it produce much fruit, Jesus teaches his followers as he prepares them for his approaching death in this Sunday’s gospel. Coptic Christians in Egypt might have been prepared for the death last Saturday of the elderly and ill Pope Shenouda III, but his demise nevertheless leaves the Christian minority unsettled and worried in a time of transition.Shenouda, 88, led the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt for four decades, expanding the church’s presence around the world as he struggled, often unsuccessfully, to protect his Christian minority at home. He had suffered from cancer and kidney problems for years.His death comes at a time of rising fears for Egypt’s 10 million Coptic Christians, who have felt increasingly vulnerable since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak and amid attacks on churches by hard-line Islamists and repression by Egypt’s security forces.The rise to power of conservative Islamist parties has also raised concerns that Egyptian national identity is becoming more closely bound to Islam. “It’s an injection of uncertainty for Copts at a time of transition in the country,” said Michael Wahid Hanna, a fellow at the Century Foundation. “Whether people were fond of him or not, this will cause anxiety.” Source: An article by Kareem Fahim for the New York Times

egypt islamism copts coptic christians michael wahid hanna shenouda iii
A changing of the guard at Crystal Cathedral

01 Jul 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Issues of wealth and poverty, spiritual as well as material, are front and center in this week’s reading from 2 Corinthians: “Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Southern California’s glitzy Crystal Cathedral, from which Rev. Robert H. Schuller preached his “Hour of Power” prosperity gospel, fell on hard times and went on the auction blocks last year. The Catholic diocese of Orange bought the property, a development that some of Schuller’s followers took hard.What’s left of Schuller’s congregation will vacate the modernist steel-and-glass church, which the new owners have renamed Christ Cathedral, by June, 2013. The diocese plans to turn the Protestant landmark into its spiritual and administrative headquarters.Reaction to the church's sale was at first bitter: The children of one prominent philanthropist publicly threatened to disinter their father from its cemetery and another congregant sued for $30 billion.Tempers have since cooled, but the recently announced timeline for the transfer to Catholic hands has revived questions about the fate of Schuller’s once prosperous ministry once it leaves behind the iconic building that gave it its identity.Schuller built the church—an architectural marvel with 10,000 windows and room for nearly 3,000 worshippers and 1,000 musicians—in 1980, a decade after he began broadcasting his sermons on the "power of possibility thinking" into the homes of millions of evangelical Christians each Sunday.The diocese hopes to honor Schuller and the history of his ministry with a museum. It may also move its archives, which are currently not publicly available, to the cathedral grounds, said Father Christopher H.Smith, episcopal vicar and rector of the newly minted Christ Cathedral."I just hope that we attend well to all the different people who are affected by this and also that this place be seen as a place where everyone is welcome to find hope and consolation and inspiration, whether they're Catholic or not," Smith said. Sources: An article by Gillain Flaccus for the Associated Press anda press release from the Catholic Diocese of Orange (rcbo.org)

crystal cathedral robert schuller christ cathedral diocese of orange christopher smith
A changing of the guard at Crystal Cathedral

01 Jul 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Issues of wealth and poverty, spiritual as well as material, are front and center in this week’s reading from 2 Corinthians: “Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Southern California’s glitzy Crystal Cathedral, from which Rev. Robert H. Schuller preached his “Hour of Power” prosperity gospel, fell on hard times and went on the auction blocks last year. The Catholic diocese of Orange bought the property, a development that some of Schuller’s followers took hard.What’s left of Schuller’s congregation will vacate the modernist steel-and-glass church, which the new owners have renamed Christ Cathedral, by June, 2013. The diocese plans to turn the Protestant landmark into its spiritual and administrative headquarters.Reaction to the church's sale was at first bitter: The children of one prominent philanthropist publicly threatened to disinter their father from its cemetery and another congregant sued for $30 billion.Tempers have since cooled, but the recently announced timeline for the transfer to Catholic hands has revived questions about the fate of Schuller’s once prosperous ministry once it leaves behind the iconic building that gave it its identity.Schuller built the church—an architectural marvel with 10,000 windows and room for nearly 3,000 worshippers and 1,000 musicians—in 1980, a decade after he began broadcasting his sermons on the "power of possibility thinking" into the homes of millions of evangelical Christians each Sunday.The diocese hopes to honor Schuller and the history of his ministry with a museum. It may also move its archives, which are currently not publicly available, to the cathedral grounds, said Father Christopher H.Smith, episcopal vicar and rector of the newly minted Christ Cathedral."I just hope that we attend well to all the different people who are affected by this and also that this place be seen as a place where everyone is welcome to find hope and consolation and inspiration, whether they're Catholic or not," Smith said. Sources: An article by Gillain Flaccus for the Associated Press anda press release from the Catholic Diocese of Orange (rcbo.org)

crystal cathedral robert schuller christ cathedral diocese of orange christopher smith
Taliban execution of Afghan woman sparks outrage

15 Jul 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

After receiving their first commission from Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel, the apostles “went off and preached repentance.” Taliban hardliners in Afghanistan apparently allow little room for repentance, at least in the recent public slaying of an Afghan woman accused of adultery whose gruesome, execution-style killing has surfaced in video footageThe video shows the woman being shot multiple times about 10 days ago. The gunman was encouraged by people who stood nearby, smiling and cheering him on as “Mujahedeen,” or resistance fighters.The death of the unidentified woman, said to be in her 20s, set off a storm of condemnation. President Hamid Karzai, the U.S. Embassy, the top NATO military commander in Afghanistan, and activist groups all denounced the killing. Dozens of men and women took to the streets of Kabul on Wednesday to protest the slaying.Despite guaranteed rights and progressive new laws, the U.N. Development Program still ranks Afghanistan as one of the world's worst countries when it comes to basic human rights for women. Ending abuse of women is a huge challenge in a patriarchal society where traditional practices include child marriage, giving girls away to settle debts or pay for their relatives' crimes, and so-called honor killings in which girls seen as disgracing their families are murdered by relatives.Part of what is so shocking about the public execution is where it took place. Parwan Province lies just north of the capital Kabul and houses Bagram Air Field, a massive U.S. base. “This incident took place directly under the noses of the Afghan government and the international community,” wrote one observer. “We can ask the question what will happen when we leave,” added regional expert Christine Fair, “but let’s remember that this is actually happening while we’re still there.” Sources: Articles by Muhammad Lila for ABC News, Deb Riechmann for theAssociated Press, and Ben Arnoldy for the Christian Science Monitor

women afghanistan taliban execution christine fair
Anti-Islamic video sparks embassy attacks

16 Sep 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Questions of identity and representation are front and center in this Sunday’s gospel when Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" An inflammatory and amateurish, anti-Islamic video of questionable origin that portrays the prophet Mohammad as a fraud and child sex-abuser helped fuel attacks on U.S. diplomatic sites in Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere midweek. Libyan Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died in the most violent assault which occurred at the U.S. consulate and a safe house in Benghazi, Libya Tuesday night.U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday branded the attack "outrageous" and ordered increased security at U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide as violence threatened to spread to other Muslim countries.There is a growing consensus that the attack that killed Stevens was premeditated. While protesters elsewhere appeared to be genuinely outraged over the anti-Islam video, the attackers in Benghazi were armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Officials said it was likely that an organized group had either been waiting for an opportunity to exploit, such as the protests over the video, or generated the protests as a cover for their attack.Stevens, who died on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, made a career of going to difficult places and insisting that he witness tumultuous events firsthand, friends and colleagues said. He had initially traveled to North Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer where he worked as an English teacher in a town in the high Atlas mountains in Morocco. He spoke Arabic as well as French and spent much of his diplomatic life in North Africa.Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton Wednesday described Stevens as one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi, de facto headquarters of the Libyan uprising in 2011. She said he arrived on a cargo ship and immediately began building relationships with those leading the revolution.Stevens was widely admired by the Libyan rebels for his support of their struggle, and others who knew him said he was an extraordinarily talented and insightful diplomat. "He risked his life to stop a tyrant, then gave his life trying to help build a better Libya," Clinton said. Sources: Articles by Hadeel Al Shalchi for Reuters, Sara Lynch and Oren Dorell for USA TODAY, Greg Myre for National Public Radio, Dion Nissenbaum for the Wall Street Journal, and David D. Kirkpatrick for the New York Times

barack obama hillary rodham clinton libya videos attacks christopher stevens anti-islamism benghazi
Sandy blasts East Coast

04 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

God shelters, rescues, and secures us for the future, the psalmist assures us this Sunday. East Coast residents need that assurance this week after Hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, battered the densely populated East Coast Monday and Tuesday, shutting down transportation, forcing evacuations in flooded areas, and leaving millions without power or transportation.Diminished but still dangerous, the storm churned across Pennsylvania Tuesday and then swung north into Canada, mixing with a cold front to create heavy snowfalls at higher elevations. New York City’s financial markets were shut for two days by weather for the first time since 1888, while the city’s vast network of subways and tunnels were idled by historic flooding and may take weeks to fully recover.New Jersey took a particularly severe hit. Portions of the famed Atlantic City boardwalk were reduced to splinters, the casino town itself all but submerged. The Seaside Park roller coaster lay twisted in the Atlantic Ocean. Countless homes were damaged or destroyed. "The level of devastation at the Jersey Shore is unthinkable," Gov. Chris Christie said in a news conference.Before reaching the East Coast, Sandy had already wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. At least 52 people were killed, 20 are missing, and 18,000 were forced from their homes when the storm hit Haiti last week. Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe told reporters that the aftereffects of the storm could prove even more deadly."The whole south is under water. . . . The economy took a huge hit. Most of the agricultural crops . . . were destroyed. So food security will be an issue," Lamothe said. The greatest threat to life may come from cholera, which is spread via contaminated water.Homily hint: A natural disaster on the scale of Hurricane Sandy reminds us that we are truly “all in this together.” Amidst the tragedy, stories of heroism, sacrifice, and generosity abound. Encourage your audience to support the relief effort in any way they can and to reach out to someone hurting closer to home. Sources: Articles by Mike Esterl, Anton Troianovski, and Jennifer Levitzfor the Wall Street Journal and Guy Adams for The Independent (UK)

Haiti new york city chris christie laurent lamothe caribbean atlantic city jersey shore east coast hurricane sandy

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