Report: 1 in 7 Christians live under persecution (Forbes) Open Doors, an international NGO advocating on behalf of persecuted Christians, released their annual World Watch List. The World Watch List assesses 50 countries where Christians face the most severe types of persecution. The newly published data reveals significant changes in the situation of Christian minorities around the world.  According to the research, the persecution of Christians has reached the highest levels since the World Watch List began nearly 30 years ago. “Across 76 countries, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith – an increase of 20 million since last year.” 312 million Christians live in the top 50 countries alone. One in every seven Christians live under at least high levels of persecution or discrimination for their faith. ..

In abuse trial, German archbishop admits mistakes (CNS) In the first testimony ever given by a German Catholic bishop in a court case on abuse, Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hesse admitted having made mistakes in the case of an offending priest on trial in the Cologne regional court…

French President Macron calls for abortion to be added to EU rights charter (CNA) French President Emmanuel Macron called on Wednesday for abortion to be added to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Speaking to members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Jan. 19, Macron said that the rights charter, ratified in the year 2000, needed to be revised. “Twenty years after the proclamation of our Charter of Fundamental Rights, which notably enshrined the abolition of the death penalty throughout the Union, I hope that we can update this charter, notably to be more explicit on environmental protection or the recognition of the right to abortion,” he said…

Sisters released after being detained in Ethiopia (NCR) Seven Catholic sisters were released Jan. 15 after having been detained since Nov. 30, 2021, in Ethiopia, the Agenzia Fides reported. The six Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and a member of the Ursulines of Gandino had been arrested in Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian police…