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 …
Read More »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, …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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, …
Read More »Jerusalem holy site closure ‘crime against humanity’: Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey on Monday blasted Israel’s two-day closure of a Jerusalem holy site, following a deadly attack, as a “crime against humanity.” The Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is venerated …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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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