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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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CWN - The Coptic Orthodox bishop of Minya, Egypt, criticized government officials for failing to allow for the reopening of 15 local churches that had been closed by security order.
“Every time we move to resolve the problems that cause these grievances we are met with the same lame excuse: the security situation does not allow it,” said Bishop Macarius, according to a Cairo newspaper.
“Security officials explained that the sentiments of Muslim villagers should be respected, implying that Coptic sentiments yearning for a place to pray are not worthy of the same respect,” he continued. “It looks as though the great, sovereign State of Egypt is governed not by law but by those who object to Coptic prayers.”
The prelate added: Egypt’s Constitution guarantees the right to worship, but on the ground Copts are denied this right according to the personal whim of local officials. Worse, it has become customary for local security apparatuses to monitor the activity of Coptic communities so as to ensure that no Christian prayers are held, even if this implies official use of force against congregations or clerics.
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CWN - Mohabat News, an Iranian Christian news agency, said in a recent report that Christianity is spreading rapidly among youth in some cities.
“This high rate of conversion of Iranian youth to Christianity is in spite of rigorous Islamic indoctrination of the youth in their families and educational system,” according to the report.
“The Islamic government of Iran dedicates massive budgets to the support of Islamic organizations that promote Islam among the youth within and without Iran’s borders,” the report continued. “Regardless of such efforts, Iranian youth seem to become increasingly distant from Islam, which is a cause of great concern for the Iranian Islamic government.”
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CWN - The Indian priest who was kidnapped by Islamic terrorists in Yemen in March 2016 might be released soon, an Indian government official says.
Representatives of the Salesian order met last week with India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, to press for more government action in the quest to secure the release of Father Tom Uzhunnalil. The foreign minister said that the priest is alive, and said she thinks he will be freed soon. She promised that the Indian government would continue diplomatic efforts on his behalf.
In May, Father Uzhunnalil released a video in which he pleaded for help, saying that he needed medical attention. Swaraj confirmed that he has been rough “unimaginable trauma and suffering” in captivity.
In July the foreign minister of Yemen had said that Father Uzhunnalil is alive, and that his government is also working for his release. Neither government has indicated where the priest is being held. His captors are believed to be associated with the Islamic State.
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CWN - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin welcomed a “constructive trust-based dialogue” between his government and the Holy See, as he met on August 23 with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
Putin also hailed a “new dynamic” in talks between the Vatican and the Patriarchate of Moscow. “We welcome this dialogue that has begun directly between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church,” he said. He voiced his hope that ecumenical ties would continue to improve “in order to expand our cooperation and bring us even closer together.”
Putin, who has frequently identified himself as a Russian Orthodox believer, referred to the talks between “our churches” as he met with Cardinal Parolin. The Vatican leader had previously met with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.
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CWN - Following a visit to Iraq, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) offered policy recommendations to assist Iraq’s beleaguered Christians.
“There is an ever-increasing concern that many of the ethnic and religious minority communities will be unable to return home due to the destruction, and the growing political tensions between the central government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and other non-state actors,” he said, adding: If something bold is not done by the United States and the international community, I believe we will see the end of Christianity in the cradle of Christendom and a loss of religious and ethnic diversity throughout the region which could result in further destabilization across the Middle East and present a threat to US national security interests.
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CWN - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill said that the Moscow patriarchate and the Vatican were close to agreement on the situation in Ukraine, after an August 22 meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.
“We greatly appreciated that this time, we found a mutual understanding on the role that our churches must play concerning the reconciliation of the population in Ukraine,” the Russian patriarch said. He added that churches “cannot play any other role if not one of peacemaking.”
Patriarch Kirill’s statement is particularly significant because the Russian Orthodox Church has frequently blamed the Byzantine-rite Ukrainian Catholic Church for fomenting divisions in Ukraine. Tensions over the role of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, in a country that the Moscow patriarchate regards as its “canonical territory,” have troubled relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church for years, since the Catholic Church in Ukraine burst into vigorous activity after the fall of the Communist regime.
Cardinal Parolin spoke with Patriarch Kirill about the expansion of ecumenical ties between Rome and Moscow, which took a dramatic step forward when Pope Francis met with the Russian patriarch in Havana. This year, more than 2.3 million Russians venerated the relics of St. Nicholas, which were displayed in Moscow and St. Petersburg, on loan from the Catholic cathedral of Bari, Italy. Cardinal Parolin remarked that this massive display of faith illustrates the depth of belief that unites the Catholic and Orthodox faithful. “The ecumenism of holiness is real,” he said; “it exists.”
During their talk, held at the Danilovsky monastery, the cardinal and the patriarch also discussed the plight of Christians in the Middle East, agreeing that they should cooperate in providing support for those in need.
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