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Fulani Herdsmen Kill Pastor, 3-Year-Old Son in Nigeria

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Fulani Herdsmen Kill Pastor, 3-Year-Old Son in Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen in Niger state, Nigeria have shot to death a missionary and pastor and his 3-year-old son, sources said.

Leviticus Makpa, 39, had established a Christian school in Kamberi village, where he served as a pastor and church planter. His son, Godsend Makpa, was killed in the attack on his mission base on May 21.

“Our missionary brother, Pastor Leviticus Makpa, was shot dead with his son by Fulani bandits,” area resident Deborah Omeiza told Morning Star News in a text message. “His wife escaped with their daughter.”

A close associate of Pastor Makpa, Folashade Obidiya Obadan, said the pastor had texted her as herdsmen surrounded his house.

“Pastor Leviticus Makpa advised that I should not phone, as the herdsmen have surrounded his house and are attacking his mission base,” Obadan told Morning Star News. “I quickly sent airtime to him to enable him keep communicating with me. While I was waiting to hear from him, we began to pray for their protection.”

She and her husband learned of the deaths of the pastor and his son the next morning, she said.

“Soldier of Christ, Leviticus Makpa, one of my greatest 2021 blessings is to have met you,” she said in a tribute to the slain pastor. “Thank you for giving me the privilege to serve in my little way. What a life you lived, sir!”

Another close associate, Samuel Solomon, said in a tribute that herdsmen had attacked Pastor Makpa previously.

“Fulani bandits came against them, they hid in the cave to save their lives, and after they left, he went back to the field with his family; how many of us can do this?” Solomon said. “He eventually lost his life and that of his son; the wife and daughter escaped. He knew his life was at stake, but burden for souls won’t let him run away from the field.”

Pastor Makpa was serving in a remote village where education was lacking, he said.

“He established the only Christian school in the village and raised many souls,” Solomon said. “He came and attended the last Christian conference with us, and we had planned on how to adopt him as our missionary, but painfully he has joined the league of martyrs in Heaven. His blood will testify over the land and also against the insecurity of a corrupt Islamist government in Nigeria.”

Appealing for aid for the pastor’s widow and daughter, Solomon said the attack was part of an attempt to wipe out Christianity in the region.

“Pastor Makpa had no money, in fact, the community he is serving has no basic social services provided by the government. So, what were the herdsmen looking for?” he said. “Definitely it couldn’t have been money, their mission was to obliterate the church.”

Another associate, Yural Molkalang Mai, said Pastor Makpa was a graduate of industrial chemistry from the University of Jos and a missionary serving among the Kambari people of Niger state.

“Pastor Leviticus Makpa, you denied yourself, you took up your cross, you fought a good fight, you finished your course, you kept the faith, you were a true soldier of the Lord, you died at your post, rest on brother!” she said in a tribute. “I weep no more, for verily I know, precious in the eye of the Lord is the death of His saint.”

Benjamin Yeagar, another ministry associate, said area churches need prayer.

“The church advances through the blood of the saints,” Yeagar said. “The courage and life of Pastor Leviticus Makpa has really inspired me. The church in Nigeria needs prayers, especially those in high-risk areas such as the Middle Belt and the northern part of the country.”

A funeral service was held for the pastor and his son in Suleja, Niger state on May 23.

Nigeria was the country with the most Christians killed for their faith last year (November 2019-October 2020), at 3,530, up from 1,350 in 2019, according to Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List report. In overall violence, Nigeria was second only to Pakistan, and it trailed only China in the number of churches attacked or closed, 270, according to the list.

Nigeria led the world in number of kidnapped Christians last year with 990. In this year’s World Watch List list of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria broke into the top 10 for the first time, jumping to No. 9 from No. 12 the previous year.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a recent report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

The APPG report noted that tribal loyalties cannot be overlooked.

“In 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani, was elected president of Nigeria,” the group reported. “He has done virtually nothing to address the behavior of his fellow tribesmen in the Middle Belt and in the south of the country.”

The U.S. State Department on Dec. 7 added Nigeria to its list of Countries of Particular Concern for engaging in or tolerating “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” Nigeria joined Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on the list.

In a more recent category of non-state actors, the State Department also designated ISWAP, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, and the Taliban as “Entities of Particular Concern.”

On Dec. 10 the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, issued a statement calling for investigation into crimes against humanity in Nigeria.

SOURCE: CHRISTIAN HEADLINES

American Missionary Shares How God Is Moving in Mozambique amid ISIS Attacks

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American Missionary Shares How God Is Moving in Mozambique amid ISIS Attacks

Heidi Baker is a resident in one of the world’s poorest and most dangerous countries. Since 2017, ISIS-linked militants have killed over 2,600 people and displaced 700,000 more in their invasion to establish an Islamic caliphate in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province. Al Shabab, a militant terror group, is responsible for the dozens of terror attacks on churches in the region.

According to the U.S. State Department, on March 24, 2021, Al Shabab launched one of the bloodiest Islamic terror attacks in southern Africa, storming the town of Palma, north of Baker’s house, sending many fleeing for their lives. According to Faithwire, dozens of civilians, including 12 foreigners, were killed. Reportedly, some were even beheaded on the beaches of Palma.

Baker, who runs the Christian humanitarian organization Iris Global, has lived in Mozambique for more than 25 years, experiencing firsthand the carnage and suffering. Nonetheless, she claims that the Lord is strongly working across the country. “I’m telling you in the midst of the tragedy, God is doing the most incredibly beautiful things, and He’s wiping away the tears,” she said.

“Churches have been burned, and anyone who is not agreeing with this specific group of terrorists, whatever faith they have, their homes are being burnt as well, their crops are being burnt,” Baker said. Nina Diadara, another resident of Palma, confirmed what Baker said. In a statement obtained by Faithwire after escaping an attack, Diadara said, “They were killing us, they were burning houses, and they were taking our children.”

But Baker just wants to keep preaching the gospel, even amid the militant terror group. “Al Shabab, they are a frightening bunch. I’m not going to be phony, I don’t want to get chopped up, I don’t want to be kidnapped, I want to continue to preach this glorious gospel for many more decades.” But she also said, “If you are a believer in Jesus, you are one of the first who is right on the list.”

SOURCE: CHRISTIAN HEADLINES

Pastor Contracts COVID-19 after Assault in Eastern India

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Pastor Contracts COVID-19 after Assault in Eastern India

A pastor in eastern India contracted COVID-19 while seeking treatment at hospitals where personnel were reluctant to admit him for injuries sustained in a Hindu extremist assault last month, sources said.

Pastor Ramnivas Kumar suffered a hairline fracture of his shoulder and internal injuries in the April 22 assault in Pritamadi village, Ranjitpur Shivanagar in Sitamarhi District, Bihar state on him and his wife, Pinky Kumari, which left her unconscious. The Hindu villagers also assaulted the pastor’s uncle, Nagendra Thakur, who along with Kumari sustained head and internal injuries, along with bruising.

The day of the attack, government hospital personnel initially delayed treating Pastor Kumar, saying they had to wait for police to arrive since it was an assault case.

“We waited for the police to arrive for a long time,” area Christian leader Solomon Ghosh told Morning Star News. “The police finally arrived at 3 p.m. and said that, ‘These people are involved in conversions, and therefore the villagers beat them up, so no police case can be made.’”

At 5 p.m. government hospital staff members told Christians leaders to take the victims to a private hospital. They reached a private hospital in Muzaffarpur, where staff members told them the facility was too full with COVID-19 patients to admit them, so they drove to a hospital in Sitamarhi and received treatment.

“After giving some medical treatment, the doctors at the hospital sent them home, expressing fear that they could contract COVID if they stayed in the hospital any longer,” Pastor Ghosh said.

Pastor Kumar and the others returned for check-ups five days later as instructed by doctors.

Asserting that the pastor became infected by having gone from one hospital to another, Kumari said he began exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms on May 4. After searching hard for a hospital with an oxygen cylinder, he was driven by ambulance to Duncan Hospital in Raxaul, 57 miles away. He was immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and put on a ventilator, Pastor Ghosh said.

Pastor Kumar remained in ICU for 10 days, and by Saturday (May 22) he had stabilized and was moved to the general ward, Pastor Ghosh said.

VICTIM CHARGED

The assault was the seventh in 18 months, Kumari said.

At about 5 a.m. that day, she and her husband noticed villagers hiding outside with wooden sticks, iron rods and other weapons, she said. Pastor Kumar called his uncle, who arrived at about 8 a.m. as the pastor and his wife were leaving to visit a church member who had requested prayer.

“Suddenly a mob of about 10-12 people appeared,” said the 25-year-old Kumari. “Three men and a woman stepped forward and assaulted me. The woman slapped me, twisted my hand and then suddenly someone hit me with a spade, and I fell unconscious.”

She later regained consciousness to find the assailants hitting her husband. Kumari said she got up and tried to help him when she was hit again on the head and collapsed. She did not regain consciousness until she had been taken to a hospital at about noon.

After beating Kumar and his uncle, the three men and the woman left, warning that they would kill them if they did not renounce their Christian faith or leave the village, Kumar said.

She received four stitches on her head, while Thakur’s head wound required eight stitches.

The assailants also damaged their house, breaking the main gate and water tank, and took some valuables.

Pastor Kumar’s church has faced violent opposition from Hindu villagers since they began Sunday worship in his house in November 2019, Kumari said.

Kumar has regularly visited the Punaura police station to submit complaints about the attacks, but police have never acted, Kumari said. Officers refused to file a complaint from Pastor Kumar on April 22 but agreed to register one the following day after a Christian leader from Patna intervened.

“The police have yet to take action even though we registered a First Information Report then,” said Pastor Ghosh.

Instead of addressing the victims’ complaints, police registered a counter complaint against Thakur on April 25 at the Punaura police station under sections of the Indian Penal Code for wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons, theft, outraging a woman’s modesty, insult and provocation. The same people who assaulted the Christians filed the complaint against Thakur.

Denying the allegations, Pastor Kumar told Morning Star News that the complaint against Thakur, his uncle, is false and fictional in its entirety.

Questioned about the inaction on the complaints filed by Pastor Kumar, Station House Officer Shambhu Nath Singh of the Punaura police station told Morning Star News he could not comment.

“I have just been transferred to this police station, so I cannot comment on the actions taken on the previous complaints, but for the current complaint we are awaiting injury report from the hospital, and then we will take action,” he said.

POLICE INACTION

Since the 28-year-old Pastor Kumar returned to his native village after completing formal theological education in 2016, he has faced threats and opposition from villagers and his parents and siblings for becoming a Christian.

“We had about 100 church members, but some have given up their faith because of threats and ostracization from the villagers, and only about 70 remain,” Kumari said.

Pastor Kumar has submitted written complaints to senior police authorities in Sitamarhi for assaults on Nov. 24, 2019, March 5, 2020, July 13, 2020 and Aug. 12, 2020. He has also submitted complaints on July 15, 2020 and Sept. 10, 2020 to the Sub-Divisional Public Grievances Redressal Officer in Sitamarhi.

“We also submitted a video clip of an assault along with the written complaint at the Punaura police station, but they took no action in spite of all our complaints,” Kumari said.

HOST COUPLE ATTACKED

Prior to the April 22 attack, Christian leaders in the state had advised the couple to leave the village temporarily.

“Otherwise, the villagers would have killed them,” Pastor Ghosh told Morning Star News.

The pastor and his wife moved to a church member’s house in another village five miles away. They were returning to check on the house and then pray at the house of a church member when they were attacked on April 22.

On April 25-26 in the village where the pastor and his wife had taken refuge since Dec. 6, 2020, a mob of around 40 Hindus attacked the Christian couple that was housing them, beating them and their oldest son.

“One assaulter bit my wife’s cheek with his teeth,” said the husband, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Police on April 26 took him and his family to a hospital for medical attention but did not register a formal complaint against the assailants, Pastor Ghosh said.

“Only after we checked for the FIR and found that the police had not registered any, we sent a complaint by registered post to the said police station,” he said.

The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, against non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 10th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, as it was in 2020. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Modi came to power.

SOURCE: CHRISTIAN HEADLINES

The decline of Christianity in Pakistan

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The decline of Christianity in Pakistan

Church leaders should worry about the fleeing faithful as persecution takes a toll on the religious minority.

The title of this article may not please some in the Catholic Church hierarchy but that’s what Pakistan’s Bureau of Statistics claimed when it revealed the report of the sixth Population and Housing Census-2017 on May 18.

Christians make up 1.27 percent of Pakistan’s population of 207.68 million. In 1998, the official estimate of the figure was 1.59 percent. In 1947, when modern Pakistan was formed, non-Muslims made up 23 percent with 27 million people.

While the analysts worry about the country’s exploding population, church leaders should worry about the fleeing faithful. Without going into the rhetoric of discrimination and misuse of blasphemy laws, let us read another story from the May 18 edition of Daily Samaa, an Urdu periodical published in Lahore.

“Minority assembly members fail in initiating development projects in Christian settlement. The registry of Joseph Colony houses [rebuilt after the 2013 mob attack] suffers delay. Youhanabad, Asia’s biggest Christian colony, awaits development,” it states.  

“Gora Qabristans [white cemeteries] in Lahore display jungle scenes. The system of scholarships for children is nominal. Despite three years of the present government, Christian settlements and graveyards await decoration.”

As per media reports, more than 80 percent of Christian family units of six to eight people live in two rooms. Most of them are headed by couples working as sanitary workers. Christian colonies erected along open drains are a common sight. Only 35 percent of Christians in Pakistan are literate, according to an Islamabad-based NGO.

Unable to find better proposals, some educated minority females are inclined to choose Muslim suitors

Thankfully, the Samaa story didn’t include updates on Christian hospitals in Punjab. The Taxila Christian Hospital, once known across the country for affordable and good quality eye care, has been reportedly downsizing its staff and delaying their salaries since March 2020 amid scandals of administrative mismanagement.

Friends of UCH (United Christian Hospital), a team of Christian volunteers, has been trying to restore the dilapidated facility for more than a year. The first open-heart surgery in Pakistan was performed in 1968 in the same facility that became the talk of the town in 2006 when its former chairman was reported to have sold 253 square meters of land for a car park for about US$330,300.

Several church-run hostels for students from poor Christian families have been closed in recent years. A Catholic organization has not increased the salaries of its staff for the past four years. Underpaid, overworked and unappreciated, the mid-grade church employees continue to serve the mission halfheartedly, unable to find better jobs in the commercial sector.

Unable to find better proposals, some educated minority females are inclined to choose Muslim suitors. Tired of perpetual poverty, few underage girls are entrapped in “love jihad,” a phenomenon previously echoed in neighboring India.

Meanwhile, religious extremists continue to wreak havoc in the name of saving the dignity of their prophet, attack Christians on allegations of blasphemy and raid their colonies.

Fifteen Muslims nominated in a mob attack on a Christian colony in Chak 5 village in Punjab province have already secured pre-arrest bail. According to the local parish priest, police are seeking a truce between locals and even threatened the Christians injured by a radical Islamist group.  

Amid the chaos, Christians with professional degrees seek new lives abroad. Those left behind work silently adjusting their lives in the present constraints on freedom of speech or thought. Christian rights activists earn a bad reputation for protesting against discriminatory laws and maligning the image of the country.

Some pastors are further complicating the situation amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict by professing their religious affiliation with Israel on social media. Reverend Irfan James of Lahore recently shared a Facebook post with an X mark on a church banner condemning Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“I strongly condemn this stupid act done by St. Thomas Catholic Church Malir Karachi,” he stated.

Blasphemy accusations can put us on death row for openly criticizing extremist narratives

Archbishop Sebastian Shaw described it as another challenge. “Clerics of our interfaith groups complained of such pastors. Carefully choosing my words, I explained that some Psalms refer to Israel but historical facts have changed. Christians shouldn’t be related with Jews,” he told me.

The census may be disputed but the prevailing insecurity among Pakistani Christians isn’t. As opposed to a recent claim by a Christian lawmaker, I do not feel more protected, safe and peaceful in Pakistan than in any other country of the world. Such parliamentarians live in a parallel and privileged world.

Blasphemy accusations can put us on death row for openly criticizing extremist narratives, liking a post on social media, drinking water from a Muslim’s glass or discussing certain topics in educational institutes. The list goes on.

Religious minorities are merely surviving in the Islamic republic. Both church and political leaders should make every effort to make sure they are thriving. Church and state are considered to be mothers for their members. Christian asylum seekers feel abandoned by both.   

   SOURCE: UCANEWS

Indian tribal Christians denied food over their faith

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Indian tribal Christians denied food over their faith

Families in Chhattisgarh face a social boycott for refusing to follow the Sarna religion.

Sixteen Christian families in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have been denied access to food, water and other basic necessities due to refusing to abandon their religion.

Some 100 Christians from these families are facing a social boycott by tribal villagers for refusing to follow the Sarna tribal religion.

“The problem started last September when Christian family members refused to follow the Sarna religion, but things were sorted out in November when the district court intervened,” said Pastor Moses Logan, president of the Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society.

“The local administration and even the government are aware of the persecution of Christian families, but they are not worried about the problem. It is very unfortunate that even after the case was solved by the court and people agreed to live peacefully, they have failed to abide by the law.

“When the problem started last year, our forum wrote a letter to the state chief minister, followed by a case in the local court, and everything was amicably solved, but now it looks like the same problem has arisen again. We will not leave our people to suffer in the name of their faith and will work towards their welfare.”

A group opposed to indigenous people following Christianity vandalized 16 houses of tribal Christians in three villages — Kakrabeda, Singanpur and Tiliyabeda — in Bastar region last September.

We are paying a heavy price for following Jesus. We are even accused of practicing a foreign faith and leaving their age-old tribal tradition

They used wooden sticks and poles to partially destroy the thatched roofs and walls of mud houses. The attack came after the Christians refused to join the rituals and prayers of the indigenous Sarna religion, the tribal creed that worships nature. They also assaulted women and children, with many running into the forest to save their lives.

Some 66 Christians from 10 families were driven out of Kakrabeda village but 30 Christians from six families from Singanpur and Tiliyabeda returned to their villages after the court order on Nov. 8.

Meanwhile, a local Christian told International Christian Concern (ICC), a persecution watchdog, that Hindu nationalists have denied these families access to food rations and the village’s main source of income.

The ICC report said that during the attack the radical group also took away the ration cards from the Christian families so that they would not be able to purchase government-subsidized food.

“We are paying a heavy price for following Jesus. We are even accused of practicing a foreign faith and leaving their age-old tribal tradition,” Bhima Sodi told ICC. “The boycott by the villagers affects our livelihoods and we are even facing the challenges of physical abuse.” 

Many critics say that after the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, attacks on minorities have seen an increase.

Hindu nationalists often accuse Christians of using force and surreptitious tactics in pursuing conversions, often storming into villages and leading “reconversion” ceremonies in which Christians are compelled to perform Hindu rituals.

Chhattisgarh is India’s most densely Hindu state with 98.3 percent of its 23 million people being Hindu. Muslims account for 1 percent, while Christians, mostly tribal people, account for 0.7 percent.

SOURCE: UCANEWS

Laotian pastor forced to promise he will not resume preaching

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Laotian pastor forced to promise he will not resume preaching

Sithon Thippavong is released after a year in jail after pledging he will refrain from holding Christian religious activities.

A Christian pastor who was kept in jail in the communist nation of Laos was made to sign a document before his release promising he will not resume religious activities, a foreign Christian group has learned.

Sithon Thippavong, 35, a Christian leader from the southern province of Savannakhet, was arrested on March 15 last year and convicted the following month by a provincial court on charges of “disrupting unity” and “creating disorder.”

He was released last month after a year in prison, but not before he promised that he would refrain from preaching and organizing Christian religious activities until March next year, according to Open Doors International, a non-denominational mission that supports persecuted Christians worldwide.

On the day of his arrest, Sithon was preparing to hold a religious service when seven police officers showed up and told him to cancel the proceedings.

The officers reportedly asked the Christian man to sign a document renouncing his faith and when Sithon refused, they detained him.

The travails of the Laotian pastor drew large-scale attention last year.

Christians have long been seen as possible fifth-columnists because Christianity has been portrayed in official propaganda as an alien creed imported by foreign invaders and colonialists

The US State Department cited his arrest and subsequent imprisonment as an example of ongoing violations of religious freedoms in Laos where Christians number around 150,000 in a population of 7 million.

“Local sources said the possible charges against him changed from violating Decree 315 to political charges, given what local officials said were Sithon’s connections to foreign powers based largely on previous international travel,” the State Department noted.

In the communist holdout, Christians have long been seen as possible fifth-columnists because Christianity has been portrayed in official propaganda as an alien creed imported by foreign invaders and colonialists.

Christians are routinely victimized in the Buddhist nation, especially in rural communities where they might find themselves expelled over their faith by other villagers.

Last year alone, several Christians were driven from their homes in Laos, while many others felt compelled to practice their faith in secret lest they be similarly victimized.

The plight of these villagers was documented by Christian groups such as Open Doors based on testimonies from locals.

“Christian activities are heavily monitored by the communist authorities, including those of registered churches. Especially in rural areas, house churches are forced to meet underground as they are considered illegal gatherings,” Open Doors explains.

“Life is especially difficult for converts to the Christian faith, who are at risk of persecution from their family and the local authorities. This can involve damage to property, confiscation of possessions and issuing of fines.

“Opposition is heightened when a convert’s family or the local authorities stir up the local community against them, sometimes through local village meetings or by seeking the support of local religious leaders.” 

Although Laos’ constitution guarantees the right of Christians to practice their faith unmolested, local authorities around the impoverished countryside in the mountainous nation routinely ignore the law while harassing and persecuting Christians. 

SOURCE: UCANEWS

Pastor Arrested for Holding Worship Service against COVID-19 Restrictions Shares Gospel with Police

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Pastor Arrested for Holding Worship Service against COVID-19 Restrictions Shares Gospel with Police

Another Canadian pastor was arrested Sunday for holding a church service in violation of COVID-19 health restrictions, making him the second minister this month and the third this year to be taken into custody by police for organizing a worship service.

Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, Alberta, hugged his wife and children before being placed in a police vehicle and arrested for violating local restrictions, which limit church services to a maximum of 15 individuals.

In a blog this month, Stephens acknowledged COVID-19 is “serious” but argued the “cure should not be worse than the disease,” pointing to problems of mental health and suicide. His church, he said, had not had a “single transmission” of COVID-19.

“Restricting the church to 15 people – which essentially restricts the church from gathering – is against the will of Christ and against the conscience of many who desire to worship the Lord of glory according to his word,” Stephens wrote.

Adam Soos of Rebel News said in a Sunday video that Stephens is “nothing like pastor Artur Pawlowski,” who was arrested last week. Stephens is a “quiet, reserved man who is simply leading his congregation in worship,” Soos said.

“He didn’t make this a large political deal,” Soos added. 

The church is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.

“The pastor acknowledged the injunction, but chose to move forward with today’s service, ignoring requirements for social distancing, mask-wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees,” Calgary police told CBC in an email.

Stephens’ wife, Raquel, tweeted Sunday that the “kids have been in tears all afternoon,” and she was “still in shock.”

“He is calm as ever, rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name,” she wrote. “He was able to share the gospel with the officers that drove him away! He asked specifically that you pray for his freedom, and the freedom of the church.”

Raquel Stephens released a letter her husband wrote to the children. It read, in part, “I have been arrested because I am convinced by the word of God, reason, and science, that we must gather as a church and live our lives with freedom in Christ.”

SOURCE: CHRISTIAN HEADLINES

Third Canadian pastor arrested over breaking coronavirus rules

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Third Canadian pastor arrested over breaking coronavirus rules

The pastor of a Baptist church in the city of Calgary in Canada has become the third church leader to be arrested for hosting in-person services surpassing the attendance cap imposed by covid regulations in the area. 

Tim Stephens, lead pastor of the Fairview Baptist Church, was arrested on Sunday after he had finished leading the church´s 11am service. 

In a joint statement, police and Alberta Health Authorities said that Pastor Stephens was given a court order that required him to stop holding in-person services earlier this month but he nevertheless “chose to move forward with today’s service, ignoring requirements for social distancing, mask-wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees”. 

“For several weeks, AHS has attempted to work collaboratively with leadership at Fairview Baptist Church to address the ongoing public health concerns at the site. It is only when significant risk is identified or continued non-compliance is noted, that AHS resorts to enforcement action,” the statement continues. 

Pastor Stephens had been very vocal against the coronavirus restrictions on places of worship. He had recently written a blog on the church´s website stating the reasons why the church was continuing to gather in person. 
A video of pastor Stephens called ” The reasons why we gather” was also posted on the church´s YouTube channel. 

“Our actions are borne out of theological commitments to the Lordship of Christ and his instruction to the church as revealed in Scripture,” Pastor Stephens wrote. “This, above all, is the reason why we have been gathering and will continue to gather … the consequences may be severe. But we stand before Christ rather than bend before consequences.”

Only on Friday pastor Stephens wrote on Twitter: “As I head into another weekend facing threats of arrest for leading my church to gather in worship… 
“I believe a clear conscience is a more desirable than staying clear of unpleasant consequences.” 

The arrestment of Pastor Stephens follows that of Pastor Artur Pawlowski who, earlier this month, was detained and later released and that of Pastor James Coates, who spent 35 days in jail is currently on trial. 

All three have been charged for defying coronavirus rules. 

Current restrictions in Calgary mean indoor church services can only go ahead with a maximum of 15 people following social distancing and masking. 

SOURCE: PREMIER CHRISTIAN NEWS

Myanmar military arrest Catholic priest in Kachin state

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Myanmar military arrest Catholic priest in Kachin state

Church calls for the release of a priest detained as he carried out pastoral duties in the conflict-torn region.

A priest from Banmaw Diocese in Myanmar’s Kachin state was arrested by security forces while he was traveling between towns.

As Father Columban Labang Lar Di was traveling from Banmaw to Myitkyina on May 13, soldiers checked his identity card and mobile phone and then detained him in military quarters as they needed to ask more questions, according to church officials.

They said the priest needed to make a day trip between Banmaw and Myitkyina and left early in the morning when not many people were on the road.

The priest’s mobile phone might contain photos of internally displaced persons as there is an IDP camp in his parish.

The priest was arrested in Momauk township where the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have been engaged in intense fighting since late April, with the military deploying fighter planes and heavy artillery.

A senior cleric from Banmaw Diocese said it appears that security forces wanted to know more details so they detained him.

The priest’s arrest comes as fighting has been intensifying between the military and the KIA in several townships in Kachin state 

“We are communicating with the military to appeal to them that he is a priest and he was going on a pastoral duty. We hope he will be released soon,” the cleric told UCA News.

Catholics in Kachin and elsewhere in Myanmar have spoken out about the arrest of the priest on social media. One said “May he be released as soon as possible” while another said “May God protect him.”

In April, the military raided churches in Kachin state and at least five Catholic churches in Pathein Diocese in the Irrawaddy Delta.

The priest’s arrest comes as fighting has been intensifying between the military and the KIA in several townships in Kachin state since March that has displaced over 5,000 people. The Church has provided humanitarian aid to IDPs who have taken refuge in churches and monasteries.

More than 100,000 people remain at IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states due to renewed conflict since June 2011.

Kachin state, a predominantly Christian region, is home to about 116,000 Catholics among a population of 1.7 million.

Kachin and Karen guerrillas who support anti-coup protests have been engaged in intense conflict with the military since March.

While the military has been battling in Kachin and Karen regions, its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters shows no signs of abating as the death toll has risen to almost 800.

SOURCE: UCANEWS

Hong Kong gets new bishop after two-year wait

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Hong Kong gets new bishop after two-year wait

Jesuit Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan ‘has strong faith and strong leadership skills’.

The Vatican has appointed a 61-year-old Jesuit as the new bishop of Hong Kong after delaying the appointment for more than two years because of diplomatic sensibilities over China’s communist regime.

Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan was appointed on May 17 to succeed Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, who died on Jan. 3, 2019, leaving the diocese vacant.

“The appointment is a moment of gratitude for the Catholic Church in Hong Kong as it has been prayerfully awaiting the shepherd who will accompany the faithful in these times of socio-political polarization in the city,” the diocese said while announcing the news on its website.

Cardinal John Tong Hon, 82, has been leading the diocese as its apostolic administrator, although he retired as bishop when Bishop Yeung was appointed in 2017.

The Vatican overlooked Hong Kong’s Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing for the post after he openly criticized Beijing and supported the pro-democracy movement in the city that began in 2019.

Observers say the Vatican delayed the appointment in order to find a candidate acceptable to the Chinese communist regime that has tightened its control over Hong Kong’s administration since last year.

His experience with education will boost the Catholics’ confidence in Catholic education

Bishop-elect Chow was the Jesuit provincial superior of the Chinese Province at the time of his appointment.

Bishop Ha, a Franciscan, is seen as unacceptable to Beijing as he often appeared at prayer vigils and at protest gatherings saying that “no matter how long” the protesters stayed, he would stay with them.

Beijing’s approval of the Hong Kong bishop is also seen as essential after the Vatican and China inked an agreement on the appointment of bishops in China in an effort to stop the state from appointing bishops without the Vatican’s mandate.

Although Hong Kong enjoys autonomy as a special administrative region, China treats the city as part of its territory for all practical purposes, especially after Hong Kong’s national security law was enacted in June 2020.

“Father Chow is a good choice for the diocese. He has strong faith and strong leadership skills,” said a local Catholic who has known the Jesuit for a few decades.

“His experience with education will boost the Catholics’ confidence in Catholic education.”

After completing his doctorate in education in the US, Father Chow took up the leadership of Wah Yan College in Hong Kong in 2007.

Father Chow has headed the Education Commission of the China Province since 2009.

“Educating the youth not to become champions but to become responsible citizens has been the priority of the Jesuit education mission,” the diocesan site said while introducing Father Chow.

Reconciliation and unity are much needed in the Catholic Church in Hong Kong

Since 2012, Father Chow has also served at Holy Spirit Seminary as a part-time lecturer in psychology. He also served as a member of the Diocesan Priests’ Council from 2012 to 2014.

“Reconciliation and unity are much needed in the Catholic Church in Hong Kong and unity is most important for the diocese at the moment,” a Catholic woman told UCA News, indicating the division among clergy and laity.

While some Hong Kong Catholics adamantly oppose having any links with the communist regime, others seek a compromise to practice their faith without being communist victims, another Catholic woman said.

“It is definitely a wise decision of the Vatican and will probably help the local Church move forward with a more united spirit,” said the woman, who identified herself only as Theresa.

SOURCE: UCANEWS

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