Ecumenicalnews
- 'Franciscan friars administer Syrian Christians in Idlib jihadist zone'Two Franciscan friars are the only remaining clergy in Idlib, Syria, and the details of their lives ministering in one of the last bastions of jihadist rule in the country, including the daily threat of being killed, tortured or attacked are revealed by Catholic aid group.
- Renewal of Vatican-China deal triggers Taiwan religious freedom concernsTaiwan has highlighted concern for religious freedom and human rights following the Oct. 22 announcement of the renewal of the Vatican-China provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.
- World churches joins UN in condemning brutal killing of 8 schoolchildren in CameroonWorld Council of Churches interim head Rev. Ioan Sauca has joined other global Christians and the United Nations in expressing horror at the news of a brutal attack on schoolchildren in Cameroon in which assailants slaughtered at least eight students with firearms and machetes.
- Churches, Buddhist group hail ratification of Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsA broad spectrum of churches and a major Buddhist group have hailed the ratification of Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which seeks for the first time to establish a comprehensive ban on atomic weapons.
- Faith likely to count in US presidential election's final vote tallyDonald Trump has continued to be White Christians' preferred candidate for the November election. Still, support among voters in three major traditions – White Catholics, White Protestants who are not evangelical, and even White evangelical Protestants – has slipped since August, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll.
- UN rights chief says 3 of India's laws stifle minorities, one discriminating against religious minoritiesUN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has appealed to India to safeguard human rights defenders, and NGOs saying three laws stifle their work including one that discriminates against religious minorities including Muslims, the second biggest religious group and Christians.
- Top Anglican clergy challenge UK government not to breach international law over BrexitThe Anglican church has publicly challenged the UK government's willingness to break international law over Brexit, with five archbishops in Britain joining to condemn what could be a "disastrous precedent."
- Hong Kong Catholic millionaire won't surrender fight for democracyHong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai said police raided his private offices on Oct. 15, months after he was arrested on suspicion of violating the city's national security law, but his will not deter him from his faith.
- World Food Program's Nobel Peace Prize shines light on global hungerThe World Council of Churches has joined the rest of the plant in welcoming the award of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize to the UN World Food Program, one of the world's first responders in global crises.
- UK and US churches urge governments to cancel debt of poorest households due to virusChurches on both sides of the Anglo-American divide have called for debt relief for those who have fallen into difficulties after months of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Countercurrents
- Debunking the MythsBook Review – Economyths: 11 Ways Economics Gets it Wrong By David Orrel At the beginning of the year, Bloomberg.com predicted that 2008 would be a year of prosperity, based on forecasts by financial pundits. The growth rate for the year was forecast at 11 percent. No one had even a hint of the impending […]
- Riot, looting continues for 2nd night in Philadelphia following fatal police shooting, troops mobilizedMedia reports from Philadelphia said: Looting and demonstrations continued for a second consecutive night Tuesday in Philadelphia following the fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. in West Philadelphia. Police have made several arrests. Several hundred troops from the Pennsylvania National Guard have been mobilized in Philadelphia following a night of violent unrest over a […]
- Caste In Heaven: Can Shudras And Dalits Find Moksha In Brahminism?I kept watching the funerals of people killed by the brutal coronavirus in the global pandemic of Covid-19 on TV channels and read about them in newspapers. Those dead bodies who are described as Hindu are being quickly burnt without anybody around. The usual presence of the Brahmin priest to recite slokas are nowhere to […]
- Make Mankind Great Again!“It has often been said that the only thing that could unite mankind was a threat from space.” I read this in Arthur C Clarke’s novel, 2061, Odyssey Three. The threat in Clarke’s science fiction was a second star — which mankind renamed Lucifer but was actually Jupiter set ablaze by superior space engineering by […]
- Dictatorship And Democracy As Loaded Language: Anti-Communist Cold-War PropagandaORIENTATION In my last article I showed how the word “totalitarian” was used as a loaded vice word to attack the Soviet Union after World War II and to red-bait communists around the world. The use of the word totalitarian began in the 1930s, but even before then in the 1920’s, the word “dictator” began […]
- “Sugar”Sweet apocalypse in the blood! Stephen-King nightmare in the brain! Mortar rounds at synapses! Invader of our personal stash! SweetSweet as Delilah’s lips! Cooing with the voice of Mom— Bubela, Bambino, come home, come home To peaches and cream and castles of fructose, To sugared hot cocoa and honeycombed words In hives of endearments […]
- Menstrual Hygiene – Talk about what’s not comfortable!“When I first got my periods, I felt I was about to die. I didn’t know what it was,” Says Sonam, a resident of Nalhar village in Mewat district of Haryana, who is now in her 20s and married. Sonam’s experience is the story of every second girl in India. Menstruation as a subject is […]
- So You want to ally with the Dalit Rights Movement?On 25th May 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man was murdered in police custody in Minneapolis, USA. A video showing a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes while he was pinned to the floor went viral. Following this, large anti-racism protests took place with many white people also standing […]
- Crunch TimeA week from now is Election Day. How much longer than that until the election tally is decided? No one knows. How much longer than even that until we know who will be President for at least the next four years? No one knows. So what do we who hate Trump and Trumpism and who […]
- How the War Came Home, Big Time – Perspectives From a Military SpouseIt was July 2017, a few weeks before the “Unite the Right” Charlottesville riots, when white men marched through the streets of that Virginia city protesting the planned takedown of a confederate statue and chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” I was sitting at a coffee shop in my quiet town of Poulsbo in Washington […]
LA CIVILTÀ CATTOLICA
- Nicolas Kluiters: A martyr for faith, justice and peaceNicolas Kluiters: A martyr for faith, justice and peace He was cruelly killed on March 14, 1985, but his memory continues to be alive and a blessing to the people of the Northern Beqaa Valley, where he carried out his pastoral service and committed himself to social and economic improvement, giving all his strength for […]
- People of Israel, Land of Israel, State of IsraelPeople of Israel, Land of Israel, State of Israel In 1994, the Holy See signed an agreement with the State of Israel, establishing diplomatic relations. Ever since, a debate has been raging about the position of the Catholic Church regarding a state that defines itself as Jewish and sees itself in continuity with ancient Israel […]
- The Emergence of Religion in Human EvolutionThe Emergence of Religion in Human Evolution The last 20 years have seen significant progress in the fields of bioscience and neuroscience. Particularly interesting is the question of when and how “religious capacity” evolved in hominids, and how it should be understood from the biological point of view. A new volume, The Emergence of Religion […]
- The Wealth of Indigenous Peoples: The thought of Archbishop Bergoglio of Buenos AiresThe Wealth of Indigenous Peoples: The thought of Archbishop Bergoglio of Buenos Aires The interest of Pope Francis for the indigenous peoples has deepened with time. What is true in general is true for him, too: “Today, we are more aware of the wealth of indigenous peoples. This is true precisely in an era when, both […]
- Bishop Mario Grech: An interview with the new secretary of the Synod of BishopsBishop Mario Grech: An interview with the new secretary of the Synod of Bishops Bishop Mario Grech is the new secretary general of the Synod of Bishops. Born in Malta in 1957, he was appointed Bishop of Gozo in 2005 by Benedict XVI. From 2013 to 2016 he was president of the Episcopal Conference of […]
- Sixteen Centuries of St. JeromeSixteen Centuries of St. Jerome Jerome has been one of the most influential Bible scholars in the history of Christianity.[1] He was the first to translate most of the biblical texts into Latin, and his translation, known as the Vulgate, was commonly accepted as authoritative in the Christian West for more than a millennium. Already […]
- Maestro: Ennio Morricone’s life in musicMaestro: Ennio Morricone’s life in music A few years ago we dedicated an essay to the Missa Papae Francisci,[1] which Ennio Morricone, overcoming some hesitation, had composed and dedicated to Pope Francis. At the time we thought we had penned a definitive tribute to the Roman composer. He appreciated it so much that he confided […]
- Fraternity and Social FriendshipFraternity and Social Friendship Eight years after his election, Pope Francis has written a new encyclical that brings together much of his previous teachings (cf. Fratelli Tutti, No. 5).[1] When he began his pontificate, the first idea Francis referred to was “fraternity.” He bowed his head in front of the people gathered in St. Peter’s […]
- Francis’ Government: What is the driving force of his pontificate?Francis’ Government: What is the driving force of his pontificate? After seven years of this pontificate, what is its driving force? Some commentators and analysts have wondered if Francis’ drive still exists; others have tried to reflect on its substance. The question could be re-phrased as follows: What kind of government does Francis exercise, and […]
- Ritual or Ritualism: The spirit of ConfucianismRitual or Ritualism: The spirit of Confucianism For Confucius, “a noble man of spirit does not use colors such as amaranth or purple for the hems of his clothes, neither red nor purple for everyday wear.”[1] The Analects of Confucius abound in similar aphorisms and, at first glance, one might wonder whether the detail of […]
Palestine Updates
- Constructing shared stages against the Tyranny of womenPalestine Update 415 Comment Constructing shared stages against the Tyranny of women Leila Khaled is a Palestinian refugee and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine In mid September 2020, Leila Khaled was scheduled to speak at a virtual Zoom conference at San Francisco State University hosted by Professor Rabab Abdulhadi and Dr Tomomi Kinukawa. Following […]
- Endless warnings of Gaza’s collapse we are failing to preventPalestine Update 414 Endless warnings of Gaza’s collapse we are failing to prevent “For years, well-intentioned reports have cautioned about the strip’s “impending” collapse. But this endless forecasting has only given cover to the public health crises that exist right now, stalling our impetus for action until it was too late. These crises are unacceptable […]
- Palestine Update Nr. 411 .. Die „neue Normalität“ .. 9.10.20Palestine Update Nr. 411 .. Die „neue Normalität“ .. 9.10.20 *Die „neue Normalität“ werden die alten Kriegsspiele sein* Donald Trumps „Deals of the Century” werden ihren Platz in der Geschichte finden als eine der größten Tricksereien, die man dem palästinensischen Volk angetan hat. Die Herrscher der Länder, die Abkommen mit den USA und Israel unterzeichnet […]
- Footsteps – A Poem by Mu’in BseisoPalestine Update 413 Footsteps – A Poem by Mu’in Bseiso By Muin Bseiso (Translated by May Jayyusi and Naomi Shihab Nye) Brother! If they should sharpen the sword on my neck, I would not kneel, even if their whips lashed my bloodied mouth If dawn is so close to coming I shall not retreat. I will […]
- Women and the liberation of PalestinePalestine Update 412 Comment Women and the liberation of Palestine Liberation Movements around the world have always had women playing vital roles during the struggles. Like men, they have faced torture, incarceration, separation from their families, and myriad forms of oppression. Yet, when liberation dawns, women are assigned secondary status in politics and society as […]
- Even Ben-Gurion thought ‘most Jews are thieves’The quote in the headline wasn’t uttered by an antisemitic leader, a Jew hater or a neo-Nazi. The words are those of the founder of the State of Israel, two months after it was founded. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was furious, or at least pretended to be, at a meeting of his political party Mapai, […]
- Pal.-Update Nr. 408 Israel macht Friedensabkommen mit einer Hand und … 29.9.20Kommentar *Israel macht Friedensabkommen mit der einen Hand und verstärkt die Gewalt mit der anderen ..* Heute vor 20 Jahren: Die zweite palästinensische Intifada begann als Antwort auf eine Provokation von Israels Ariel Sharon nach dem Zusammenbruch der von USA unterstützten Friedensgespräche. Die brutale israelische Antwort war der Anstoß zum Krieg mit der palästinensischen Gesellschaft, […]
- Palestine Update Nr. 406 – Welchen Frieden mit gewehrschleppenden Zionisten ..23.9.20Kommentar *Was für einen Frieden kann man haben mit gewehrschleppenden Zionisten?* (Bild: Strategische Geschäfte) Wer glaubt, dass die unter Präsident Trumps Patenschaft unterzeichneten Friedensdeals irgendetwas mit Frieden zu tun haben, müssen den ersten Abschnitt in dieser Ausgabe lesen. Israel kommt als Sieger heraus, immer dank seiner Fähigkeit, seine Lobbyisten dazu zu bringen, vor der […]
- Palestine Update Nr. 404 .. Ist die Dritte Intifada angekommen 17.9.20qKommentar *Ist die Dritte Intifada angekommen?* Der Verrat der arabischen Staaten an den Palästinensern und die Fehlentscheidung der Arabischen Liga, gemeinsam mit den USA und europäischen Mächte entschlossen vorzugehen, ist eine vorherrschende Botschaft für die Palästinenser. Ihr Kampf um die Befreiung heißt, allein in der politischen Arena zu kämpfen. Die Arabische Liga ist eine egoistische […]
- The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and ResistanceRashid Khalidi’s telling of the story of the loss of his homeland and its gradual invasion is a deeply personal one, and is unlike other more detached accounts I have read. The author hails from a prominent family in the traditional Palestinian elite in the city of Jerusalem. He breaks down the history of Palestine’s […]
Christian Conference of Asia
- GS Statement and Letter (2016-2019)(1). Statement Condemning the Police Firing against Farmers in Kidapawan, Mindanao in the Philippines (2). GS Keynote Address In Search of a New Vision for Christian Mission in Asia_March 2016 (3). GS Letter to Suicide bomb attack against innocent people in Pakistan (29 March 2016) (4). Report of the CCA General-Secretary-18 July 2016(5). Statement on […]
- Sudhir Adhikari, Bangladesh Ecumenical Leader Passes AwaySudhir Adhikari, a prominent ecumenical leader in Bangladesh passed away this morning (21 September) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Born in Barisal, Bangladesh in a traditional Baptist Christian family, Sudhir Adhikari was a scientist by profession and worked with the government of Pakistan and Bangladesh for several years. As a devoted lay member of the Bangladesh Baptist […]