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Tag Archives: Religion

Waiting for Raila, listening to God, in Nairobi slum

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  Churches preached peace on Sunday in Mathare, a Nairobi slum that has been hit by days of violent demonstrations since last week’s disputed presidential vote, but it was opposition leader Raila Odinga the people were desperate to hear from. Odinga had been silent since the …

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Top cardinal aims to set up Pope visit to Russia

Rome, Italy | AFP | A top cardinal due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow this month says he will be seeking to clear the way for Pope Francis to make a historic visit to Russia. Pietro Parolin, the number two in the Vatican hierarchy and its de-facto foreign minister, …

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Mormon leader ousted in rare excommunication

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | The Mormon church excommunicated one of its senior leaders Tuesday, without providing a reason for the rare dismissal. The removal of James Hamula as a “general authority” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the first time a top leader had …

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Turkey defends plan to allow religious marriages amid controversy

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | The Turkish government on Sunday strongly defended a plan to let state-approved clerics conduct marriage ceremonies, rejecting fierce criticism that this would undermine the modern republic’s secular foundations. Turkey is mainly Muslim but officially is a secular state. Under its current laws, even religiously observant couples …

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Archbishop of Canterbury declares Sudan new Anglican province

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Sunday declared Sudan the 39th province of the worldwide Anglican Communion, six years after the predominantly Christian south gained independence from the north. The Anglican church in Sudan, a majority Muslim country, has been administered from South Sudan since the …

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Russian court confirms Jehovah’s Witnesses ban

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s Supreme Court Monday confirmed a ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses, labelled by authorities as an “extremist organisation”. “The Russian Supreme Court has decided to reject the appeal of the organisation against its ban,” the court, quoted by RIA-Novosti news agency, said in its decision. In April, …

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No visitors allowed on Japan’s men-only UNESCO island

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Visitors will not be allowed to set foot on a men-only UNESCO World Heritage island in Japan from next year, an official said Saturday. The tiny landmass of Okinoshima, where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its …

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Botswana risks China ties with visit from Dalai Lama

Gaborone, Botswana | AFP |  The Dalai Lama will visit Botswana next month and meet with President Ian Khama in a trip likely to anger China, a key investor across Africa and its largest trade partner. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist campaigning for Tibetan independence and …

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Cardinal Pell back in Australia to face abuse charges

Embed from Getty Images   Sydney, Australia | AFP |  Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell arrived back in Australia on Monday ahead of a court appearance later this month over historical sex abuse charges. The 76-year-old, a top advisor to Pope Francis, touched down in Sydney and was met …

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