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Yemen: Locals Break into and Rob Christian Church

On Friday August 26, unidentified and armed militants broke into and robbed a Christian church, the Church of Banjasar, in Aden south of Yemen, according to a report appearing only in Arabic media. In the words of a local source, “Armed militants accompanied by youths from the village broke into the church after morning prayers and looted the contents of the church.” The source adds that in recent days robbers resembling “armed gangs” had been on the rise.

Opening of the XI General Assembly of MECC

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II participates in the Opening Ceremony of the XI General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in Amman, Jordan.

His Holiness headed the delegation of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch which included their Eminences: Mor Theophilos Georges Saliba, Archbishop of Mount Lebanon and Tripoli, Mor Justinos Boulos Safar, Patriarchal Vicar in Zahleh and Beqaa, Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, Metropolitan of Beirut, and Miss Khanom Marani. Rev. Fr. Jimmy Danho, Associate Secretary in MECC for the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and Very Rev. Raban Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, also participated.

Saudis Arrest and Deport 27 Christians for ‘Conducting Christian Prayers’

Saudi Arabian officials recently arrested 27 Christians—among them several women and children—for the crime of “conducting Christian prayers” and being “in possession of Bibles,” reports Arab media.

The group of Christians, most if not all of whom were Lebanese nationals, were celebrating a Virgin Mary feast day when authorities stormed their residence and arrested them.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Reclaims Its Confiscated Houses

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church reclaimed 28 houses which were confiscated from the Church during the nationalization program of the Dergue regime.

Megabe Kahinat Haile Selassie Zemariam, director of department of clergy administration and chairman of houses and building joint committee, which is tasked with returning the churches’ confiscated properties, said the 28 confiscated houses were returned to the church from three sub cities of Addis Ababa on August 25, 2016: 18 houses from Lideta sub city, five from Yeka and another five from Kirkos sub cities.

He also noted that based on the assessment of the committee, 283 buildings of the church, which were seized by the Dergue regime, have been identified in different sub cities of Addis. Among the houses, 137 of them have legal land certification.  Furthermore, 109 of the houses will be returned to the church till the end of this year.

The committee will continue its efforts to reclaim all the remaining buildings and houses to the church in the future, Megabe Kahinat Haile Selassie added.

Source: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church

Pope: Saint Mother Teresa 'a light in the darkness of many'

Pope Francis on Sunday declared Mother Teresa of Calcutta a Saint, saying that she shone a light in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering.

In his homily during the canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope highlighted how the little nun who died in 1997 had taken in society’s most unwanted, and shamed world leaders for the "crimes of poverty they themselves created".

Noah’s Ark Mosaic Uncovered in Ancient Galilee Synagogue

Exquisite mosaics depicting biblical scenes — one of Noah’s Ark, the other the parting of the Red Sea — were uncovered this summer by archaeologists excavating a fifth-century synagogue at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village near the Sea of Galilee.

A consortium of universities, led by Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, uncovered the mosaics during its fifth annual excavation in June.