Rebuffed by Vatican, Pompeo assails China (The New York Times) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently published a sharp letter excoriating the Vatican’s plans to renew an agreement with the Chinese government on Church operations in China. He promoted the article in a tweet, concluding, “The Vatican endangers its moral authority, should it renew the deal.” An indignant Vatican took the article more as a calculated affront than a diplomatic gesture. The friction broke into the open on Wednesday as Mr. Pompeo arrived in Rome and met with prelates and others who are hostile to Pope Francis, while the Vatican denied him a meeting with the pontiff and rebuffed his efforts to derail the deal with China…
Suffering of persecuted Christians is real, speakers tell conference (CNS) Shakeel Raphael projected an image of his brother Nadeem Samson on the screen, prison bars superimposed over the man’s sorrowful face. Three years ago, Samson, a Christian, was arrested and, Raphael believes, falsely charged with blasphemy — the crime of speaking out against Islam, the prophet Muhammad or the Quran. He was beaten to near death and has been locked in a prison in Lahore, Pakistan, ever since. Samson’s life, his family’s lives and the lives of the 24 other prisoners charged with blasphemy in Pakistan have been shattered, said Raphael. “But with your help and prayer, (God) can do miracles for my brother,” he said…
Revisiting a COVID-19 epicenter, as the virus hits a milestone (AP) As the world counts more than 1 million COVID-19 victims, the quiet of everyday life and hum of industry has returned to Bergamo, Italy, which along with the surrounding Lombardy region was the one-time epicenter of the outbreak in Europe. But the memory of those dark winter days, and the monumental toll of dead they left behind, has remained with those who survived only to see the rest of the world fall victim, too…
People of Praise website hacked (CNA) Days before Judge Amy Coney Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court, the website of the People of Praise was hacked, CNA has learned. The hack breached the membership database of the charismatic community, in which Barrett and her family are reportedly members. “On September 21, 2020, our security staff identified an incident via our website involving unauthorized access to contact information in our membership directory,” Sean Connolly, a spokesman for the group, said Tuesday night in response to questions from CNA about the hack…
Christian churches in India attacked for rejecting idol worship (UCANews.com) Christian families in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh had their houses vandalized after refusing to follow the local Sarna religion. A mob attacked houses in five villages in Kondagaon district of Bastar division on Sept. 22-23, PTI news agency reported. “There was an incident of clashes between tribal groups and tribal Christians as the villagers wanted the Christian group to follow the traditional tribal Sarna religion of worshiping nature, which the Christian groups refused to do,” Bishop Joseph Kollamparampil of Jagdalpur told UCA News…
