Christian world

Over 3 million Iraqis have become refugees since January 2014

More than 3.09 million of Iraqi citizens have left their homes since January 2014, when ISIS militants seized a part of Ramadi and took the town of Fallujah (c. 70 kilometers, or 43 miles, west of Baghdad) under their control, reports the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, adding that two thirds of the refugees are natives of the Anbar, Nineveh and Saladin governorates, reports Sedmitza.ru.

Jerusalem: Leaflets Attributed to ‘ISIS’ Threaten to Massacre All Christians

A group calling itself the “Islamic State in Palestine” spread fliers in east Jerusalem threatening that it would massacre all Christians who fail to evacuate the Holy City.  The leaflets, which appeared on June 27, say that the Islamic State knows where the city’s Christians live, and warns that they have until Eid al-Fitr—July 19, when Ramadan ends—to leave the city or be slaughtered. The leaflet was emblazoned with the black flag associated with the Islamic State.

Early Christian Mosaic Floor Unearthed in Nazareth

An early Christian mosaic floor has been unearthed at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth by a team of archaeologists from the University of Hartford, Duquesne University, the University of Wisconsin, and Haifa University. Tradition holds that the Angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary at the site where the church was built and rebuilt over time. The ancient floor, thought to date to the fourth century, was discovered with ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity studies. “The mosaic floor is beautifully decorated with multiple stylized crosses and iconography,” Richard Freund of the University of Hartford said in a press release. The floor and the original church may have been constructed as a Christian pilgrim site when Christianity became the state religion of Rome. To read about the excavation of an early Christian community in Kuwait, go to "Archaeology Island."

Odair Pedroso Mateus named director of WCC Faith and Order Commission

Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, professor of ecumenical theology at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland and acting director of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order, has been confirmed as the new Faith and Order director. He has been appointed by the executive committee of the WCC, at their meeting in Armenia 8-12 June, on the recommendation of the general secretary, supported by the clear and unanimous recommendation from a search panel representing the Faith and Order Commission and senior staff of the WCC.

The Faith and Order Commission provides a forum for ecumenical dialogue on theological matters ofunity , and particularly on aspects of ecclesiology. Its membership extends beyond that of the WCC, including representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. The work now entrusted to the Commission has its origins in the first international conference of the Faith and Order movement at Lausanne in 1927.

Christian Monks, Students Refuse to Flee 4th-Century Monastery Near ISIS-Controlled Mosul; 'God Protects Us'

Three monks and six students have taken refuge in the ancient monastery of Mar Mattai in northern Iraq, just 12 miles from the Islamic State-occupied Mosul City, not willing to flee, and expressing "their faith that this is a secure place."

Erbil's Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda said a small unit of the Kurdish military is protecting the nine Christians but that's not why they believe they are safe in the shrine, also known as St. Matthew's Monastery.

ISIS Kidnap 88 Eritrean Christians in Libya

Several international human right’s groups and media have reported that the terror group ISIS have captured around eighty eight Eritrean Christians in Libya. This has been confirmed by some U.S. officials as well. ISIS captured one of a smugglers Caravan. Later they separated Christians from Muslims.Some of the attempted to flee where three of them escaped. Fate of the rest of the Christians remian uknown.