Haitians return to quake-damaged churches, gangs offer aid
Les Cayes, Haiti AP A Haitian gang leader on Sunday offered a truce and help for communities shattered by a devastating earthquake – potentially offering a break for a relief effort that has been plagued by hijacked aid trucks and disorder. The offer came as many Haitians resumed services in or outside damaged churches, sometimes […]
US “unwavering” in Afghanistan evacuations, Biden says; Taliban beat back crowd at airport
Kabul, Afghanistan/Washington DC, US Reuters The United States has an “unwavering commitment” to get US citizens and at-risk Afghans to safety out of Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said, as Taliban fighters beat back thousands desperate to flee outside Kabul airport on Sunday. Biden said the security situation in Afghanistan was changing rapidly and his administration […]
Gunmen kidnap more than 75 people in north-west Nigeria
Maiduguri, Nigeria Reuters Armed gunmen kidnapped at least 75 people from a village in north-west Nigeria, residents said on Saturday, the latest in a slew of abductions that have plagued the West African country’s west. The spate of kidnappings has thwarted all security forces’ efforts to stem the crimes, often carried out for ransom, and […]
Constantinople Patriarch visits Ukraine for independence anniversary
Kyiv, Ukraine AP The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has arrived on a visit to Ukraine to attend festivities marking the 30th anniversary of its declaration of independence. On Saturday, Patriarch Batholomew I and the leader of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius I, together conducted a lithurgy in Kyiv’s St Michael’s Cathedral. Ecumenical […]
Fate of rock churches of Lalibela raises concerns among US Ethiopians
RNS The fate of the ancient rock-hewn churches of northern Ethiopia has become a grave concern for Ethiopian Americans, as a civil war between the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigray rebels imperil the fate of many religious sites across the country. For months, Ethiopian troops have fought a rebellion by the Tigray […]
Vatican disciplines Polish archbishop after abuse cover-up investigation
Warsaw, Poland Reuters The Vatican has disciplined the former Archbishop of Wroclaw in Poland following an investigation into negligence over sex abuse allegations, banning him from taking part in any public ceremonies, both religious and secular. The move against retired Archbishop Marian Golebiewski was announced on Saturday by the Archdiocese of Wroclaw in western Poland. […]
Afghan refugees: As the vulnerable flee Kabul, US faith groups prepare to aid them
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports on preparations US faith groups are making to receive refugees from Afghanistan…
With black flags, Sri Lanka Christians protest bombing probe
Colombo, Sri Lanka AP Sri Lanka’s Christian community hoisted black flags at churches and homes on Saturday to express anger over the government’s investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which killed 269 people. Twenty-five people were charged last week in connection with the bombings. But the country’s Catholic Church says these could be “smaller fish,” […]
Police arrest hundreds of protesters as Australia reports record COVID-19 cases
Melbourne, Australia Reuters Australian police arrested hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne and Sydney on Saturday and seven officers were hospitalised as a result of clashes, as the country saw its highest ever single-day rise in COVID-19 cases. Mounted police used pepper spray in Melbourne to break up crowds of more than 4,000 surging toward […]
Hurricane Grace unleashes severe flooding in Mexico, killing eight
Teocluta, Mexico Reuters Hurricane Grace pummeled Mexico with torrential rain on Saturday, causing severe flooding and mudslides that killed at least eight people after becoming one of the most powerful storms in years to hit the country’s Gulf coast. Grace was blowing maximum sustained winds of 201 km per hour, a Category 3 hurricane on […]