News

Israeli settlers violate status quo in the church of the Resurrection

On the morning of Tuesday, the 26^th of October/8^th of November, St Demetrius feast-day, Israeli settlers, members of the Ateret Cohanim extreme right organization, striving to liberate the Holy Land from non-Jewish elements and, in the same spirit, seizing Patriarchal property opposite the Church of the Resurrection in 1991, namely St John Hostel – in breach of a judicial agreement and deceiving the Israeli Police in Jerusalem, set an iron fence and broke the roof on the Dependency of Gethsemane opposite the Church of the Resurrection in order to gain access inside.

25,000 Swiss citizens sign petition asking not to remove crucifixes from public places

Nearly 25,000 Swiss citizens signed a petition filed November 4 in the Swiss Federal Chancellery. Signatories are asking not to remove crucifixes from the republic’s public facilities, reports Sedmitza.ru.

It was the Der Neue Rütlibund conservative Christian organization that proposed to file a petition of this kind in May 2016.

Bishops Abducted in Syria in 2013 Alive, Currently in Raqqa

According to preliminary data, Syrian bishops abducted in the vicinity of the country's northern city of Aleppo in 2013 are alive and currently in the city of Raqqa occupied by the Daesh militant group, a mother superior at the Monastery and Convent of Saint James the Mutilated, located in the western Syrian town of Qarah, said Wednesday.

In 2013, militants captured Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo Paul Yazidzhi and Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo John Ibrahim. In December 2015, reports emerged about their execution.

ISIS Destroy Assyrian Church in Iraq

Extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS) bombed an Assyrian Church in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh governorate on Sunday.

The radical group has bombed the Barbara Fouq Attal Church in the Assyrian town of Karemlis near Mosul city.

Coptic Bishop in Egypt: “Christians Are Original Inhabitants of the Nation”

Coptic Christian Bishop Daniel met with the Swiss Minister of exterior at the St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo, the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Church, during the minister’s recent visit. The bishop said that, formally, the Church enjoys good relations with the state and Al Azhar, which represents Islam in Egypt, but less formally, on the ground, “there is still a need for society to be aware of the rights of citizenship,” regardless of religion.

Polish Parliament to consider bill banning all abortions

The Polish Federation of Defenders of Life has submitted a bill banning all abortions to the Seim (the Polish Parliament), reports Polskie Radio.

On September 14, 2016, the Polish Seim received a bill which bans all abortions. The draft law was written by the Polish Federation of Defenders of Life which comprises more than ninety pro-life organizations.