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        <title>Christian Today | World</title>
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                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Concerns for Pakistani teenage boy allegedly forced into Islam]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/concerns-for-pakistani-teenage-boy-allegedly-forced-into-islam</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:11:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Forced conversion is a problem in Pakistan.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
An organization devoted to protecting the rights of Christians in Pakistan has “serious child-protection concerns” following reports that a teenage boy who has been separated from his Christian family after supposedly converting to Islam, possibly under coercion.
Sagar Masih, 15, was working in a factory in Sheikhupura, Punjab, in order to support his family.
It was in this factory that Masih was, according to his parents, pressured into abandoning Christianity and becoming a Muslim. Masih was allegedly encouraged to recite Islamic prayers and was offered “incentives” to convert.
When Masih failed to return to his family they searched for him for a number of days, eventually seeing him with Islamic clerics on video footage.
When they contacted the police, the family claim that they received conflicting information as to when and how their son could be returned to them.
It remains unclear what Masih’s position is, with some reports stating he wished to return to his family, but was not permitted to do so, and others indicating that his mother has pleaded with him to return home, to no avail.
The family have been told that the issue will have to be decided in court.
The case has drawn the interest of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), an interdenominational Christian organisation concerned with the rights of Christians in Pakistan.
Nasir Saeed, Director of CLAAS-UK, said, “We are deeply concerned for Sagar’s safety and welfare. He is only 15 years old and must first and foremost be treated as a child in need of protection. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right, but religious freedom must genuinely be free. There can be no place for coercion, threats, inducements or exploitation of a child’s poverty and vulnerability.
“We are particularly concerned about the growing number of cases involving underage Christian boys allegedly being converted to Islam. The issue of forced conversion is often associated with Christian girls, but boys can also be extremely vulnerable, particularly when poverty forces them into employment at a young age and places them under the influence of adults outside their families.”
Saeed called for a full investigation to determine exactly what happened in the case and to ensure that, if Masih indeed converted, it was not done under “pressure,  inducement or undue influence”.
Masih’s parents said, “We do not want anything else. We only want our son back.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Militants in Nigeria give Christian villagers ultimatum]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/militants-in-nigeria-give-christian-villagers-ultimatum</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/74/97493.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[nigeria]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2026 21:45:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Thankfully the inept terrorists couldn't burn down the church as they hadn't any petrol.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Christians from the Ungwan Mato community in Kebbi State Nigeria have reportedly been presented with an ultimatum by an Islamist militant group demanding they convert, leave, renounce Christ or pay a tax.
The report comes from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which said it received information from members of the community. The ultimatum came from a relatively new group known as the Lakurawa.
The group emerged a few years ago and according to a BBC report began by promising to protect locals from bandits and cattle thieves. However, the group soon began making more ideological demands, checking peoples’ phones and having them flogged if they had music on them.
Nigeria designated the Lakurawa as a terrorist group in January 2025, accusing it of hostage taking, attacks on officials and cattle theft.
In the latest alleged outrage, members of the group opened fire on the local Evangelical Church Winning All church. The group had intended to burn it down but couldn’t find any petrol. Once again, the militants made off cattle. While no-one was killed in the incident, at least one person was wounded by gunfire.
Nigerian authorities have long been criticised for their failure to take action against the militant and bandit groups that plague parts of the country. However, the country has recorded a rare win, with 21 kidnapped hostages being rescued as the result of a successful military operation.
Mervyn Thomas, founder and President of CSW, said the residents of Ungwan Mato had been presented with "an impossible and unjust ultimatum".
"While congratulating Operation Fansan Yamma on its rescue of victims in Kangiwa, we urge both state and federal authorities to ensure that the operations of the Joint Task Force are extended as a matter of urgency to include the protection of the residents of Ungwan Mato," he said, adding that he was "highly concerned" for their welfare.
“Ungoverned spaces must be reclaimed from violent insurgents as a matter of urgency. However, combatting the transnational threat posed by Lakurawa effectively and definitively will only be achieved in genuine cooperation with neighbouring countries, including those in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[UN officials demand explanation for Iranian church seizure]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/un-officials-demand-explanation-for-iranian-church-seizure</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/90/99057.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[St. Peter Evangelical Church, Tehran, Iran]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Wikipedia / Herbert Karim Masihi) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ St Peter Evangelical Church in Tehran, Iran. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 14:07:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Iran has not responded to questions fromUN officials.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Two UN experts have demanded Iran explain the confiscation of the country’s oldest Protestant church, it has emerged.
News that Iran had confiscated St Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran, and expelled the Christian residents, emerged in July.
The property is around 10 acres and contained homes, two schools and offices used by the Bible Society and of the Council of Evangelical Churches of Iran, which owns the land. Around 20 families from Iran’s historic Assyrian and Armenian Christian communities were evicted.
Now it has emerged that UN Special Rapporteur (SR) on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mai Sato, and SR on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea sent an official communication to the Iranian government on 10 July about the incident, however due to UN protocols, the communication has only been made public now, 60 days after sending.
The officials said they were “concerned that these developments do not appear to constitute an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a decades-long pattern of measures directed against the Christian community in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in particular against Persian-speaking Christian worship”.
It was stated that other church properties around the country had been confiscated, closed, demolished or repurposed and that Iran had not clarified what, if any, redress had been provided to the Christian communities concerned: “There were once around 50 Protestant churches offering services in Persian in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today there are effectively none because the three Anglican churches that were permitted to preach in Persian in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have not been allowed to reopen since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Since the publication of the original communication, the SRs said they had received no response to their questions from Iran and that St Peter’s was now under guard by regime forces.
“Forced evictions of this kind are incompatible with international human rights law, and these measures have deprived a long-standing community of both its homes and its place of worship,” they said.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Against backdrop of conflict and tough working conditions, seafarer happiness falls]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/against-backdrop-of-conflict-and-tough-working-conditions-seafarer-happiness-falls</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/against-backdrop-of-conflict-and-tough-working-conditions-seafarer-happiness-falls</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Obianuju Mbah]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[sea sunday]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mission to Seafarers ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:20:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Seafarer wellbeing has declined for the second consecutive quarter as heavy workloads, restricted shore leave and concerns over pay increasingly weigh on crews, according to new research from The Mission to Seafarers.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Seafarer wellbeing has declined for the second consecutive quarter as heavy workloads, restricted shore leave and concerns over pay increasingly weigh on crews, according to new research from The Mission to Seafarers.
The Christian maritime welfare charity’s latest Seafarers Happiness Index gave overall happiness a score of 6.87 out of 10 in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 7.18 in the first 3 months of the year and 7.26 at the end of 2025.
Published in association with Idwal and Inmarsat Maritime, the quarterly index is based on voluntary and anonymous responses from seafarers around the world across 10 areas of life and work at sea.
The report describes the index as a “window into the human realities behind international trade” and argues that conditions have shifted from the “acute shock” seen earlier in the year, when conflict and security concerns dominated responses, towards a more prolonged period of “chronic strain.”
Its opening assessment says that “the defining feature of this period is the continued erosion of crew morale,” with everyday working conditions rather than a single crisis increasingly responsible.
The findings also echo the 2026 Day of the Seafarer theme, “Carrying world trade. Carrying the risks,” with the report noting that ships carry not only cargo but people dealing with the psychological burden of geopolitical threats, inspections and commercial pressures.
All 10 categories measured by the survey recorded lower scores than in the previous quarter.
Shore leave recorded the sharpest decline, falling from 6.78 to just 5.72, making it the lowest-rated aspect of seafarer life.
Respondents described port calls as increasingly demanding, leaving little opportunity to spend time away from their vessels.
“Access to shore leave is impossible since port calls are always hectic,” one seafarer said.
The report notes: “We should not see shore leave as a marginal benefit, occasional luxury or privilege. Seafarers repeatedly describe it as essential to restoration, mental health, dignity and the feeling of being human rather than merely operational labour.”
It warns that restricted opportunities to go ashore can combine with fatigue to create a “downward spiral,” particularly as shorter port stays, immigration restrictions and operational demands make shore leave harder to access.
Workload management was the second-lowest category, scoring 6.20.
Some respondents raised concerns that official records of working and rest hours did not reflect the reality of life onboard.
“Rest hours are just for authorities and filing,” one said.
Others spoke of a constant cycle of watchkeeping, inspections, paperwork and rapid vessel turnarounds, with one respondent saying that when work has to be completed, “shore leave and downtime cannot compete.”
The report says workload has become a wider safety concern because it directly affects crews’ ability to rest, train, exercise and spend time ashore.
Training and development also saw a notable fall, dropping from 7.52 to 6.97.
Some seafarers questioned whether mandatory training was keeping pace with the threats faced by modern crews, particularly against the backdrop of conflict affecting major shipping routes.
“We train to check ID, which seems lame when we are facing missiles and drones,” one respondent said.
The report characterises some poorly designed training as “compliance theatre,” warning that exercises intended to improve competence can instead become box-ticking demands that take up already limited rest time.
Pay remained another source of discontent.
Although the wages score dipped only slightly, from 6.91 to 6.86, comments suggested that seafarers increasingly compare their earnings with opportunities available on land rather than simply with traditional maritime salaries.
“Salary is stuck in year 2000s range,” one respondent said, while others noted that similar money could be earned ashore alongside social security and other benefits, and wage increases had failed to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living.
The report warns that this could deepen recruitment and retention problems, particularly among younger workers.
“Young crew are leaving the industry because there are no advantages remaining compared with a shore job,” one seafarer said.
There were, however, significant areas of encouragement.
Relationships between crewmates remained the strongest-performing category at 7.49, while connectivity scored 7.46.
The report describes shipboard relationships as an important first line of welfare support, while access to communications allows seafarers to maintain family life despite spending long periods away from home.
“I’m super happy because of the free internet. It makes it easier to stay connected,” one seafarer said.
Another praised the atmosphere onboard their vessel, saying: “Everyone performs their duties responsibly and works well together, creating a positive and efficient working environment.”
The report nevertheless warns that connectivity can also bring new pressures, particularly when seafarers in dangerous areas have to reassure worried family members following news of conflict or severe weather.
One respondent said they spent hours trying to convince their wife that they were safe, which took a “massive toll.”
Some seafarers also spoke positively about employers that listened to their concerns, provided reliable relief at the end of contracts and rewarded staff fairly.
“I am heard, my company looks after the crew,” one respondent said.
The figures nevertheless revealed substantial differences between groups.
Female respondents recorded an average happiness score of 6.06, compared with 7.13 among men.
The report also identified particularly low morale among some mid-career seafarers, while those aged 55 to 65 recorded one of the strongest scores.
There was considerable variation by vessel type and region. Cable ship crews recorded an average score of 5.05 and container ship workers 5.85, while respondents in the Middle East averaged just 4.94.
Captains and chief engineers were also among the less satisfied ranks, something the report linked to the heavy administrative and regulatory burden placed on senior leadership.
Mission to Seafarers’ Ben Bailey said the findings should concern the wider maritime sector.
“Seafarers are extraordinarily resilient, but we must not mistake resilience for unlimited capacity; endurance is not the same as wellbeing,” he said. “The fundamentals that crews are asking for are strikingly basic: enough rest to recover, connectivity to sustain family life, quality food, and pay that justifies the sacrifice. The brightest results prove happiness at sea is achievable.”
GM and Vice President of Inmarsat Maritime Gert-Jan Panken said the findings showed that seafarer wellbeing was shaped by the decisions made across the industry, particularly around connectivity, leadership and onboard working conditions.
He added: “Technology alone is never the answer, but when combined with a genuine commitment to crew welfare and safety, it can help create a more connected, resilient and rewarding experience at sea. As our industry continues to evolve, we must ensure that progress is measured not only by operational performance, but by the safety and wellbeing of the people who keep global trade moving.”
Idwal’s Head of Global Strategic Accounts and part of its seafarer advocacy team, Thom Herbert, said the index helped bring “the realities of life at sea into clear view.”
He said Idwal’s own experience of working alongside crews reinforced the importance of “strong leadership, respectful relationships and meaningful support from shore,” adding that “the industry must ensure that seafarers’ professionalism and commitment are valued, not simply relied upon.”
The report similarly warns against mistaking the strength of seafarers for an ability to withstand unlimited pressure, saying the industry must move beyond “box-ticking compliance and collectively choose to value its people over the paperwork.”
Its conclusion goes further, warning of a “profound moral and operational crisis” created by a “dangerous chasm between regulatory compliance and human reality.”
“A vessel can be technically compliant, legally staffed, and fully certified, yet remain an environment of profound isolation and emotional exhaustion,” it states.
Despite the concerns, the report insists that declining morale is not inevitable, pointing to vessels where strong leadership, dependable contract relief, good safety cultures, modern ships and responsive shore-based management have produced much more positive experiences.
It concludes that “the divide between a thriving ship and a struggling one rests on tangible company choices,” and warns that the “industry cannot extract performance indefinitely without investing in the people who deliver it.”
The organisation is also launching a separate Shorebased Happiness Index, aimed at maritime professionals working on land.
The report acknowledges the limitations of self-reported research but argues that the comments provide an important indication of problems that may otherwise go unheard, saying: “We use numbers to start the conversation, but we use seafarers’ voices to tell the truth.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Methodists submit environmental complaint against HSBC]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/methodists-submit-environmental-complaint-against-hsbcmining-connections</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/methodists-submit-environmental-complaint-against-hsbcmining-connections</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[HSBC]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo:Getty/iStock) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[HSBC has said it is committed to achieving climate related targets.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A coalition of Methodist churches and faith organisations in Britain, Ireland and Colombia have joined forces to submit a complaint concerning HSBC’s financing relationship with a mining giant operating in the Colombian town of La Guajira.
The complaint centres on claims of environmental degradation, displacement of communities, lack of access to water and health concerns allegedly impacting local people at La Guajira.
Nearby is a mining operation run by international giant Glencore. The complaint demands that British authorities examine whether HSBC’s financing relationship with Glencore complies with OECD guidelines concerning responsible business conduct and due diligence.
The World Council of Churches has also got involved, with the WCC General Secretary, Rev Jerry Pillay, saying, “Faith communities have a moral responsibility to advocate for climate justice, human dignity, and responsible stewardship of creation.
"This initiative reflects growing concern among churches and communities worldwide regarding the role financial systems play in shaping the future of people and planet.”
Pillay said the WCC’s intervention was based on a desire for those allegedly impacted by Glencore’s operations to have their voices heard and to hold financial institutions to the climate and human rights values that they profess.
A spokesperson for the Methodist Church in Great Britain said it had “long believed that investment is not morally neutral”.
“How capital is allocated, and the consequences that flow from it, are matters of justice, stewardship and human dignity," it said.
"Our decision to support this OECD complaint reflects a clear concern that the pace of change within parts of the global banking sector falls short of the scale and urgency of the human suffering linked to climate breakdown and associated human rights harms. For us, this is not an abstract debate about policy frameworks or distant financial risk. These are questions connected to real communities, real livelihoods and real lives.”
HSBC said that while it could not comment on an individual client relationship, it was committed to achieving climate-related goals.
A spokesperson for the bank said, “We have committed to phase out financing of thermal coal-fired power and thermal coal mining by 2030 in EU and OECD markets, and by 2040 in other markets. These commitments support our ambition to align the financed emissions in our portfolio to net zero by 2050. From 2020 through 2024, we had seen a 94% reduction in our financed emissions related to thermal coal mining. We remain aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Around 300 Christians killed and over 200 abducted in Nigeria in July alone amid wave of attacks - report]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/around-300-christians-killed-and-over-200-abducted-in-nigeria-in-july-alone-amid-wave-of-attacks-report</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/around-300-christians-killed-and-over-200-abducted-in-nigeria-in-july-alone-amid-wave-of-attacks-report</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Obianuju Mbah]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria, Kaduna]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Aug. 1 funeral held for Christians killed in Naridon village, Kauru County, Kaduna state, Nigeria on July 26, 2026. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:41:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[At least 299 Christians were killed and more than 200 abducted across parts of Nigeria in July, according to a new report documenting a wave of attacks on predominantly Christian communities.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
At least 299 Christians were killed and more than 200 abducted across parts of Nigeria in July, according to a new report documenting a wave of attacks on predominantly Christian communities.
The report, by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), catalogues killings, kidnappings and displacement across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and other parts of the country during July and August.
It draws on Nigerian newspapers, international outlets, social media posts, church statements, and government/NGO sources.
Intersociety said its full-month tally for July found that “at least 299 defenceless and peaceful Christians were killed,” while at least 213 others were abducted.
The organisation attributed many of the attacks to armed Fulani groups, as well as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). 
According to the report, Benue recorded the highest number of Christian deaths during July, with 65, while Southern Kaduna recorded the largest number of abductions, at around 70.
Plateau State was also badly affected, with repeated attacks reported in Riyom, Barkin Ladi and other communities. 
Among those killed were members of the extended family of Pastor Ezekiel Dachomo, a prominent cleric who has repeatedly spoken publicly about attacks on Christian villages in the state.
The report also revisits the June 22 attack in Kawel, Plateau State, in which around 30 Christians were reportedly killed. 
The killings were subsequently referenced in a European Parliament resolution condemning violence and persecution against Christians in Nigeria.
Elsewhere, Intersociety documented attacks and kidnappings in Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Niger, Kebbi, Edo, Kogi, Enugu and Imo states.
Several clergy and church members were among those affected. The report cites the abduction of NKST pastor Rev Samuel Gbinde, who later died from injuries reportedly sustained in captivity, as well as the kidnapping of a Catholic seminarian and the killing of a Catholic priest in Kogi State.
It also reported that 37 worshippers from Ariko in Southern Kaduna had been abducted since Easter, with six said to have died while being held.
The violence continued into August.
More than 30 people were reportedly killed during attacks in Jwak Maitumbi in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State between August 16 and 18.
Citing Barnabas Aid, the report quotes resident Lonji Zuhumnan as saying: “Apart from the people they slaughtered, the terrorists also burned down over 50 houses, shops, health centers, churches and food barns.”
In Benue State, more than 20 bodies were reportedly recovered following attacks in Ukum Local Government Area around the same period.
The report also raises concern over mass kidnappings along major roads. 
It claims that about 92 predominantly Igbo Christian travellers were abducted in separate incidents on highways running through Kogi, Ondo and Benue states on August 9 and 13, with around 62 still unaccounted for when the report was published.
Another 15 members of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were abducted in Kogi on August 26. 
Intersociety highlighted conflicting statements from the police, military and state authorities over how many of the corps members had subsequently been rescued.
Church organisations have meanwhile reported much larger cumulative losses from years of violence.
The report cites the NKST Church as saying that nearly 6,000 of its members had been massacred and 753 churches ruined as a result of intensifying violence associated with herder-farmer conflicts and disputes over land.
In the Catholic Diocese of Wukari in Taraba State, more than 200 churches have been destroyed since September 2025 and around 100,000 parishioners displaced.
The death toll reported by the diocese was said to have risen from about 80 in April to more than 140 by early September.
Land and displacement feature prominently throughout the report, which claims that numerous communities in Plateau and Southern Kaduna have been abandoned following repeated attacks, with some residents unable to return to their farms and homes.
The organisation also criticised plans for a federal pilot ranching programme covering Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has opposed the initiative, arguing that communities in the region have “been bled, displaced and dispossessed enough.”
The violence has also drawn growing international attention.
In the United States, the House of Representatives passed an appropriations measure that would make half of certain assistance to Nigeria conditional on the government demonstrating progress in protecting Christians.
US Congressman Riley Moore said: “Christians in Nigeria continue to endure horrific violence, murder, and persecution while a majority of the world turns a blind eye to their suffering. This bill sends a clear message that the United States will continue to stand with persecuted Christians across the globe, especially in Nigeria.”
In Europe, lawmakers have similarly raised concerns over attacks on Christian communities, including through the European Parliament resolution following the Plateau violence.
At the beginning of the summer, the UN was also urged to investigate claims that escalating violence against Christians and moderate Muslims in Nigeria amounted to a ‘genocide by attrition’, following a submission by Genocide Watch and the Alliance Against Genocide.
Nigeria’s Middle Belt has long experienced overlapping forms of insecurity involving armed groups, communal disputes, competition over land and resources, criminal kidnapping and religious tensions. 
The latest findings build on an earlier Intersociety report, which claimed that 1,402 Christians were killed and 1,800 abducted in Nigeria between January 1 and April 6 this year.
Intersociety argues, however, that the scale and pattern of attacks documented in July and August demonstrate that Christian communities in several states continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the violence.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Many Christians among the missing and dead after Nepal floods]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/many-christians-among-the-missing-and-dead-after-nepal-floods</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/many-christians-among-the-missing-and-dead-after-nepal-floods</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/91/99120.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nepal flash flood]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:25:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Christianity has grown in Nepal, despite rising persecution.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Many Christians are among those killed and still missing as a result of the devastating flood that hit Nepal at the end of August. So far over 900 people are confirmed dead while more than 4,400 are still missing.
Christians, though a small minority in the country, have also been impacted, with dozens killed and many believers and pastors missing, as well as whole churches swept away in the deluge.
One on the ground partner of International Christian Concern said, “Local church leaders are facing severe communication challenges. Electricity, mobile networks, internet connectivity, and road access have been disrupted, making it extremely difficult to gather accurate information.
“It may take several more days to assess the full extent of damage and loss. We as a ministry are keeping a close eye on the situation, looking to assist and bring emergency relief to families affected by the floods.”
According to Nepali Christian Churches UK, churches in Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been hit particularly hard. Leaving aside the damage to the buildings, large portions of the congregations remain unaccounted for.
Christianity in Nepal remains a tiny minority, at around 1.8 per cent of the population. Christian leaders in the country have suggested that, much like in India, the authorities and society at large have taken efforts to act against the faith, which they see as an assault on the nation’s Hindu identity.
Pastors have been arrested, churches attacked and Indian-style anti-conversion laws passed. Attempts have also been made by Hindus to have the country declared an officially Hindu nation.
Despite this, Christianity in Nepal is growing. That 1.8 per cent represents over half a million believers as of the 2021 census. Ten years previously the raw number of Christians in the country was just 375,000 (representing 1.4 per cent of the overall population). The growth is largely due to conversions rather than a higher-than-average birthrate.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Egyptian pastor warns of ‘unholy alliance’ between Islam and left-wingers]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/egyptian-pastor-warns-of-unholy-alliance-between-islam-and-left-wingers</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/egyptian-pastor-warns-of-unholy-alliance-between-islam-and-left-wingers</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Robert Parr]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Hannah Spencer]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Instagram/Green Party) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Green Party campaign material in Urdu urging Muslims to vote for Hannah Spencer. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:49:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[What do Muslims, LGBT activists and trade unions all have in common?]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Egyptian-American pastor Dr Michael A Youssef has warned that Western civilization is under threat from an “unholy alliance” of left-wingers and Islamists.
Dr Youssef, who is also a cultural anthropologist, argues in his new book that left-wing activists work in support of the “Omnicause” and that this allows them to find common cause with Islamists.
This observation is by no means new. For decades conservative writers have noted the ability of left-wingers to unite on apparently un-related issues. Ill-treated factory workers, repressed homosexuals, women wanting abortions and Palestinians in Israel, all have completely different interests, and yet it’s almost guaranteed that the trade union boss will support all of the above, as will the pro-abortion advocate and the LGBT activist.
Of increasing concern is the courting of Islamic support. According to Dr Youssef’s new book, “An Unholy Alliance: How Progressivism Brought About an Islamist Invasion”, Qatar is funding American universities and the election of “socialist-Islamist politicians”.
Dr Youssef said that the alliance was merely “a marriage of convenience between two ideologies that agree on one thing: tearing down Judeo-Christian civilization.”
History does have examples of similar movements and can give a clue as to how they end.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution was supported not only by the theocrats who eventually came to power, but by a broad range of left-wing groups and parties. As the Islamic faction consolidated its power under Ayatollah Khomeini, the left-wing parties were increasingly marginalised and eventually supressed out of existence.
Dr Youssef said his book is intended “as a wake-up call for the Christian church - and for all of Western society.”
While intended for an American audience, the book also has relevance in Britain where the Green Party is perhaps a perfect demonstration of the phenomenon described.
The Green Party is led by Zack Polanski, a gay Jew, who promotes left-wing utopian ideals. Meanwhile, the party’s deputy leader, Mothin Ali, a Muslim, has been more lukewarm on LGBT issues but described his winning a council seat in Leeds as a “win for the people of Gaza”.
Ali later apologised for the comments and has said that Muslims and members of the LGBT community should unite to confront “Reform and the far right”.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[More than 30 Christians Slain in Plateau State, Nigeria]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/more-than-30-christians-slain-in-plateau-state-nigeria</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/more-than-30-christians-slain-in-plateau-state-nigeria</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International-Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Plateau State]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Plateau State, Nigeria. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:01:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Attacks on villages of one area also leave injuries and destruction.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed more than 30 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in the past month, sources said.
The latest attack in Mangu County took place on Saturday (Sept. 5), where three Christians were killed in two villages, said area resident Leo Lawrence.
“A Christian was killed in Fungtim community, while two other Christians were killed in Kinat community,” Lawrence told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “In total, three Christians were killed by suspected Fulani terrorists in these attacks.”
On Thursday (Sept. 3), two Christians were slain in predominantly Christian Kinat and Kop-Naanle villages, said area community leader Tubwot Sunday.
“Two Christians were killed in separate attacks by Fulani militants on two Christian villages,” Sunday said. “Mr. Bulus Danladi, 78, was killed in Kop-Naanle village, while Mr. Kwopnaan Lot Yunana, 33, was killed in Kinat village.”
On Aug. 18 in the predominantly Christian village of Bin-Per, Fulani herdsmen killed 25 Christian in an attack at about 3 a.m., area resident Nelson Dogara said in a text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
“Bin-per village is bleeding as Muslim Fulani herdsmen have killed 25 Christians in an overnight attack,” Dogara said.
Jeremiah Dakahap, spokesman for the Mangu Local Government Council, confirmed the killings.
“We are still grieving the tragic killing of 25 Christians in Bin-Per village in Mangu Local Government Area,” Dakahap said. “The chairman of Mangu Local Government Council, Emmanuel Bala Mwolpun, is saddened with the killing of 25 Christians by Fulani in early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 18.”
Resident Daniel Musa confirmed that 25 Christians were killed, that several others sustained serious injuries and houses were burned down and crops destroyed.
“Most of the victims were women and children,” Musa said. “The dead were buried the same day in a single grave, while the injured victims were taken to public health facilities for medical care in the city of Jos.”
On Aug. 18 in Sabon Layi, Mangu County, soldiers drafted to the area shot and killed a Christian who along with other Christians was protesting the killings in the area, said community leader Jonathan Yusuf.
On Aug. 15, Jwak and Murish villages were attacked, and on Aug. 9 a Christian was slain in in Jakatai community. Yusuf said Fwangshak Dawuk was killed by soldiers while he and other Christians were guarding their village against herdsmen.
“We mourn Fwangshak with profound grief, but we also use this solemn occasion to renew our call for justice, accountability and immediate government action,” Yusuf told mourners at the funeral for Dawuk. “The circumstances surrounding the death of Fwangshak Dawuk, particularly reports alleging that he was a militia, are completely false. Fwangshak was killed while performing his community vigilance responsibilities.”
Yusuf said the community demanded a transparent, independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death.
“The military exists to protect citizens, and whenever allegations arise concerning the unlawful killing of a civilian, the public deserves to know the truth,” Yusuf said.
He said that Fulanis on Aug. 12 killed 20-year-old Moses Emmanuel Panse in Murish village, Bwai District.
“His death further deepened the grief among our people,” he said. “Similarly, in Jwak Maitumbi, Mangu District, 38 houses were burned down on the same day, while farmlands were invaded and crops destroyed. These acts of destruction represent not only the loss of homes and property, but also a direct threat to the livelihoods and food security of affected families.”
These incidents cannot be treated as isolated events or be reduced to competing narratives, he added.
“We cannot continue to bury our community members while perpetrators remain unidentified, unarrested and unprosecuted,” Yusuf said, demanding immediate investigation of the killings and destruction of property.
Alfred Alabo, spokesperson for state police command, said some assailants in the Mangu area have been arrested. Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang visited some of the affected villages, describing the attacks as barbaric and unacceptable.
“We will do everything within our powers to ensure that you remain on your land. Nobody will take over your land,” Mutfwang said.
More Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025, according to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 3,490 – 72 percent – were Nigerians, an increase from 3,100 the prior year. Nigeria ranked No. 7 on the WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
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 2020 report.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP 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.
In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.
The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali. 
© 2026 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Extremist abductions in Nigeria surge by 153% as violence rises again, report finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/extremist-abductions-in-nigeria-surge-by-153-as-violence-rises-again-report-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/extremist-abductions-in-nigeria-surge-by-153-as-violence-rises-again-report-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Obianuju Mbah]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:40:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Abductions linked to extremist violence in Nigeria more than doubled in the final three months of 2025, according to a new report warning that insecurity in the country is worsening again after several years of comparatively lower violence.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Abductions linked to extremist violence in Nigeria more than doubled in the final three months of 2025, according to a new report warning that insecurity in the country is worsening again after several years of comparatively lower violence.
The report, titled ‘Nigeria at the Crossroads,’ published by Christian persecution charity Open Doors, found that 3,415 people were abducted between October and December 2025.
That compares with 1,352 people during the same period in 2024, representing an increase of 153%.
Civilian deaths also rose sharply. Open Doors recorded 1,735 killings in the final quarter of 2025 – up 51% from the 1,148 killings documented during the same three-month period the previous year. 
The report says violence attributed to militant Fulani groups now accounts for substantially more killings and abductions than attacks by Boko Haram, despite the latter having a far higher international profile
The findings come amid renewed concern over security in northern Nigeria, where communities continue to face extremist attacks, mass kidnappings and displacement.
According to Open Doors, killings and abductions by extremist groups had previously reached a high point in 2021 before declining or stabilising for several years. 
The charity says the sharp rise recorded towards the end of 2025 suggests that this period of relative stabilisation may be coming to an end.
Jane Boswell, Senior Advocacy Officer at Open Doors International, said: “Our research shows that violence in Nigeria appears to be on the increase again. However, with decisive intervention from the Nigerian government, it is possible to alter the trajectory.”
She called on the authorities to strengthen security measures, prosecute those responsible for attacks and create conditions in which displaced communities can safely return home.
“Sustained international attention and pressure on Nigeria is also vital to ensure that justice is upheld and impunity is brought to an end,” she said.
“The future of so many citizens - particularly in the north of Nigeria - hangs in the balance. It is imperative that the Nigerian government seizes this moment and sets a clear path towards protection, justice and restoration.”
The report also examines how the impact of extremist violence is being felt across religious communities.
Between October 2023 and December 2025, Christians remained among those who suffered substantial loss of life, while Open Doors also recorded an increase in Muslim victims.
The pattern of abductions has also shifted. While Christians had previously accounted for more recorded kidnapping victims, the report says that from the 2024 reporting period onwards, the number of Muslims abducted exceeded the number of Christians.
The report also raises concern about the growing humanitarian consequences of prolonged insecurity.
Almost 4 million Nigerians are currently displaced within the country and the report cautions that continued violence and impunity could make it increasingly difficult for displaced communities to return to their homes.
Open Doors acknowledges that the Nigerian government has made some efforts to confront the violence but warns that these measures will have limited effect without sustained political commitment and accountability.
“If current trends of violence and impunity continue, displacement will deepen and the prospects for return will recede further,” the report states.
However, it argues: “If Nigerian government efforts to address insecurity are strengthened, supported by consistent international pressure and partnership, there remains a pathway towards greater security, justice, and a genuine ‘road home’ for displaced communities.”
Nigeria’s security crisis drew increased political attention towards the end of last year when Donald Trump, president of the US, re-categorised Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over infringements on religious freedom in October 2025.
The following month, a national security emergency was announced by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu after a series of mass abductions involving students and teachers. 
Nigeria currently ranks 7th on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Scottish Christian woman recognised in Auschwitz memorial plaque]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/scottish-christian-woman-recognised-in-auschwitz-memorial-plaque</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/scottish-christian-woman-recognised-in-auschwitz-memorial-plaque</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Jane Haining]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Church of Scotland) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Jane Haining ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:09:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Teacher Jane Haining refused to abandon her Jewish schoolchildren and eventually died in Auschwitz.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A plaque commemorating the life and sacrifice of Scottish Christian woman, Jane Haining, has been unveiled at Auschwitz.
Haining was born in Dumfriesshire in 1897. In 1932 she moved to Hungary to serve as matron of the Scottish Mission School in Budapest. The school was run by the Scottish Mission to the Jews, an arm of the Church of Scotland.
When war broke out in 1939, the Church of Scotland advised Haining to return to Scotland. Instead, she opted to stay and watch over her charges, many of whom were Jewish. She said, “If these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?”
Shortly after Germany’s occupation of Hungary in 1944, it is believed that Haining was reported to German authorities following an argument. Despite telling the children she would “be back by lunch”, she was in fact sent to Auschwitz, where she died two months later at the age of 47.
The plaque commemorating Haining is one of many that have been added to a new display at the Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a long corridor containing the names of hundreds of those killed, but who had no registration photograph taken or whose photograph was subsequently lost or destroyed.
A spokesman for Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum said, “The corridor has two important purposes. It restores individual names and identities to people who were imprisoned and killed in Auschwitz, but it also helps visitors understand the complexity of the prisoner population.
“Prisoners came from many different countries, communities, backgrounds and groups. By presenting hundreds of individual names together, the exhibition shows both the scale of persecution and the diversity of the people who experienced the camp.”
Deirdre MacDowell, Haining's niece, commented, “To see Jane’s name on a permanent memorial wall makes one ask how is it that she came to be in Auschwitz? And that’s the beginning of her story and it can be told to all who ask about her.
“Her story is humbling, full of compassion and kindness and makes us think about how we live our own lives - it is a legacy for us all.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Ukrainian bishop on war: ‘We understand the value of peace most clearly when it is gone’]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/ukrainian-bishop-on-war-we-understand-the-value-of-peace-most-clearly-when-it-is-gone</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/ukrainian-bishop-on-war-we-understand-the-value-of-peace-most-clearly-when-it-is-gone</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Obianuju Mbah]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Kyiv, Kiev, Ukraine]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Unsplash/Robert Anasch) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Kyiv ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:31:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A Ukrainian Catholic bishop has spoken of the immense value of peace and religious freedom as his country marks 35 years since regaining independence from the Soviet Union while continuing to endure the devastation of war.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A Ukrainian Catholic bishop has spoken of the immense value of peace and religious freedom as his country marks 35 years since regaining independence from the Soviet Union while continuing to endure the devastation of war.
Bishop Vitalij Skomarovskyj of Lutsk, president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Ukraine of the Latin Rite, said the years since independence had brought Ukrainians freedoms that previous generations were denied, but that Russia’s full-scale invasion had also brought home to him the true cost of war.
Speaking to Vatican News, Bishop Skomarovskyj reflected on Ukraine’s journey since independence, its experience of religious persecution under Soviet rule and the solidarity it has received from people around the world since the outbreak of war.
Although 35 years represents a relatively short period in Ukraine’s long history, the bishop said the country had experienced enormous change during that time, from “the severe economic crisis of the 1990s” to the conflict that began in 2014 and “escalated into a full-scale invasion in 2022”.
One of the most significant changes, he said, has been the establishment of genuine religious freedom.
“Today we live in an independent state and enjoy genuine freedom of conscience, not merely freedom written on paper,” he said. “Every person has the opportunity to profess and bear witness to their faith.”
He contrasted the situation with life under the Soviet Union, when religious freedom was formally recognised in the constitution, but believers and churches faced persecution in practice, with believers being imprisoned, barred from certain jobs, or even dying for their faith. 
The bishop reflected on the human cost of the ongoing war and the Ukrainians who have lost their lives defending the country.
He said those going to the front do not necessarily think of themselves as sacrificing their lives, but instead “hope to survive”. while carrying out a role that exposes them to “mortal danger.”
“Ukrainian citizens have to go into the fight to defend themselves because there is no one else who can do it in our place,” he said. 
Bishop Skomarovskyj said the price being paid “is truly enormous, but so is the threat hanging over us”. 
The experience of living through war has also profoundly changed his own understanding of the reality of conflict: “I could never have imagined that war was actually like this.”
Bishop Skomarovskyj echoed St John Paul II’s belief that war was a great scourge that must be avoided wherever possible.
“Peace is an immense gift, while war is an immeasurable evil for anyone caught up in it. I have come to understand profoundly that prayer for peace has immeasurable value, because peace is an extremely precious good,” he said. 
“We probably understand its value most clearly when peace is gone, when there is war and everyone is in danger: children, the elderly, the weak and the strong - no one is excluded. It is then that you understand how precious peace - the absence of war - is for a people and a nation.”
Alongside the suffering, Bishop Skomarovskyj said one of the most powerful experiences of the war had been witnessing the continued international solidarity shown towards Ukrainians.
He expressed gratitude for the material assistance and prayers that have continued to come from people around the world, saying the support had endured despite the length of the conflict.
“People do not grow tired of praying for us and helping us. This is a tremendous gift,” he said. “Such solidarity does not come from being forced to give it; it comes directly from the heart. It is the voice of people’s hearts.”
The bishop said this support was helping Ukrainians persevere through the war. 
“And all of this gives us so much strength and hope. We continue to pray that this war will end as soon as possible,” he concluded. ]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Calls for release of Christian pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/calls-for-release-of-christian-pro-democracy-activist-joshua-wong</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/calls-for-release-of-christian-pro-democracy-activist-joshua-wong</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Anugrah Kumar]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[hong kong]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Unsplash/Ryan McManimie) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:27:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Nancy Pelosi told colleagues on the House floor that lawmakers must speak out for freedom.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House Speaker Emerita, called for the release of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, a Christian who could face life in prison after pleading guilty to a national security charge. She told colleagues on the House floor that lawmakers must speak out for freedom.
In a transcript of this week’s speech released by her office, Pelosi said Wong had pleaded guilty to “speaking out for freedom,” adding that he could be sentenced to life in prison for it. She said Hong Kong’s national security law was “anything but security” and amounted to “a repression law.”
Pelosi also named Jimmy Lai, whom she said was “at the other end of life.” She added that he “could spend the rest of his life in prison” and urged Congress and the international community to press for both men’s freedom.
Pelosi said Congress has long held a bipartisan record of backing human rights in Hong Kong, Tibet and elsewhere in China. She said the Chinese government’s harshest treatment of political prisoners is to tell them that no one remembers them or why they are there.
“We must speak out for freedom. We must not let this be ignored,” Pelosi said, adding that lawmakers wanted Wong and Lai to know they are remembered.
Wong, 29, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday on a charge of colluding with foreign entities, a national security offense punishable by up to life in prison, according to Reuters. Judge William Tam, one of the security judges Hong Kong’s government hand-picks to hear such cases, took the plea at the High Court in Hong Kong’s Admiralty district.
Several Western diplomats attended the hearing. Prosecutors linked the charge to Wong’s role in Demosisto, a political party that has since disbanded, and said it campaigned abroad for sanctions and other punitive action against Hong Kong and Beijing during 2019 and 2020.
The charge accused Wong of working with self-exiled dissident Nathan Law and other figures to push foreign governments, institutions and individuals toward sanctions or blockades on Hong Kong.
The alleged conduct took place between July 1 and Nov. 23, 2020.
Wong is already serving a sentence for an earlier national security conviction, conspiracy to commit subversion, tied to his role in an unofficial 2020 primary election. That sentence is due to end in January.
His lawyer, Derek Chan, argued in mitigation that Wong’s conduct did not reach the most serious level of the offense and asked for “a term at the upper end of the lower band” of three to 10 years, noting Wong has spent almost six years behind bars already.
Chan said Wong has read widely in detention, is in a positive frame of mind and wants to be released to care for his aging parents.
Judge Tam set no date but said he would rule as soon as possible.
The plea follows the convictions last month of 69-year-old Lee Cheuk-yan and 41-year-old Chow Hang-tung for inciting subversion, over their use of the phrase “end one-party dictatorship.”
Both were part of a group that organized annual vigils marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Wong rose to prominence as a teenage pro-democracy campaigner, helping found a student activist group and taking part in the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, according to The Voice of San Francisco.
Wong grew up in a Christian family and attended a church-run secondary school. Time and Fortune magazines have named him among influential young leaders.
Wong asked U.S. authorities for asylum in 2020, and the outlet reported that the State Department turned down the request.
Hong Kong enacted the National Security Law on June 30, 2020, responding in part to the sometimes violent pro-democracy protests of the previous year.
International rights groups and many governments have criticized the law as excessive given the autonomy promised to Hong Kong under the Basic Law, the territory’s mini-constitution adopted at its 1997 handover from Britain to China.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[US closes door to Christians fleeing persecution, report warns]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/us-closes-door-to-christians-fleeing-persecution-report-warns</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/us-closes-door-to-christians-fleeing-persecution-report-warns</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Foley]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[persecution]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Open Doors UK and Ireland) ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:26:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The United States is on track to admit zero Christians fleeing from the world's worst countries for persecution in fiscal year 2026, according to a new report from the global watchdog Open Doors and the Evangelical refugee resettlement agency World Relief. ]]></description>
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The United States is on track to admit zero Christians fleeing from the world's worst countries for persecution in fiscal year 2026, according to a new report from the global watchdog Open Doors and the Evangelical refugee resettlement agency World Relief. 
The organizations unveiled their new report Thursday at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, documenting the state of Christian persecution worldwide and the number of refugees admitted into the U.S.
The release comes one month before the Trump administration is set to determine the number of refugees to be admitted to the country in fiscal year 2027, which begins Oct. 1.
“The U.S. has essentially taken this golden door and closed it,” asserted World Relief CEO Myal Greene at Thursday’s event. 
The report, titled “State of the Golden Door: Evaluating U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum in Light of Global Christian Persecution,” states that the number of refugee admissions from the 50 countries on the 2026 Open Doors World Watch List had plummeted to zero in fiscal year 2026, which concludes at the end of the month. 
While the report primarily focused on persecuted Christians, it acknowledged that the halt on refugee resettlement during the Trump administration has applied to all religious minorities in those countries, not just Christians.
“Only three refugees were resettled from a country on the Open Doors World Watch List, and those individuals were not religious minorities," the report states. "We can conclude with a high degree of confidence that in FY2026, no refugees experiencing religious persecution will be resettled in the U.S."
The report is critical of President Donald Trump’s designation of an “invasion” at the southern border, his halting of all refugee resettlement in a January 2025 executive order and the administration’s implementation of guidance encouraging enforcement officials to “remove any noncitizens attempting to enter either at or between ports of entry even if they were attempting to seek asylum.”
Although refugees have been admitted to the U.S. in fiscal year 2026, the Trump administration has prioritized the resettlement of white South Africans whom it describes as “victims of unjust racial discrimination.”
The title of the report refers to a phrase in the poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty describing the U.S. as having a “golden door” that is “open to those yearning to breathe free, including free from religious persecution.”
While refugees are vetted overseas and seek entry into the U.S. from a third country typically near their home country, asylum seekers present themselves at a port of entry in the United States and say that they have experienced persecution in their home country and they’re requesting asylum.
Statistics in the report reveal that the asylum approval rate for countries on the World Watch List decreased from 58% in fiscal year 2023 to 10% in fiscal year 2026.
As fiscal year 2026 is on track to be the first year in at least a quarter century when not a single Christian refugee was admitted to the U.S., Open Doors estimates that 388 million Christians faced persecution worldwide — one out of every seven Christians around the globe.
Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown said “the breadth of persecution” and “the depth of persecution” against Christians have increased.
Specific examples of Christian persecution mentioned by Brown include Sub-Saharan Africa, which has seen a “continued surge in the ways that violence is characterizing the ways that persecution is being experienced by Christians on the ground there,” as well as the advancement of “digital surveillance” at “exponential rates” in countries such as China, where “the church is being monitored and technology is being used as a tool to create harm and displacement.”
The actions of the Trump administration as they relate to refugees and asylum seekers come as part of an effort to prioritize border security.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Brown lamented that “one of the things that has become confused in the discourse and the dialogue, especially with Christians, is these issues of border security, these issues of … folks fleeing for economic reasons or those types of opportunities that the U.S. seems to uniquely afford them.” 
“That’s not what this report’s talking about," he said. 
“This report is specifically talking about those individuals that have a reasonable fear for their life and their safety because of their Christian faith and identity,” Brown added. “Throughout the Church history … the Holy Spirit has used people having to leave because of persecution to bring the Gospel and to … spark revival in different places around the globe.”
Brown urged Christians to “prayerfully consider those things to try to just separate those issues that often seem to convolute issues of border security, issues of folks chasing economic opportunity and look at this issue of Christian persecution and those being forced to flee persecution on its own merits.”
He doesn't believe expanding refugee resettlement will endanger the border security the Trump administration has prioritized.
“Often when we engage these conversations, we can do so with this trepidation that there … are floodgates of individuals that … if we open the door a crack … that it’s going to be overflowing with … folks that are coming in," Brown said. "That is traditionally not the case.”
Brown characterized asylum seekers as “a relatively small number of people” who “truly have no other options,” insisting that “these are thousands of cases” as opposed to “millions of cases.”
Looking ahead to fiscal year 2027, Greene maintained that he is not "optimistic to expect a significant reversal of the policy.”
“That said, we’re people of faith, and we’re committed to being faithful in our advocacy and being consistent in bringing these causes to light,” he vowed. “We wouldn’t be issuing this report if we didn’t believe that there are Christians and people close to the administration who have a deep desire to see these policy changes and what that entails.”
World Relief Vice President of Advocacy and Policy Matthew Soerens expressed hope that Trump would reimplement the policy of his first administration, where the president made “individuals who are fleeing religious persecution a priority within the refugee determination in 2019.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Venezuelan bishop released after 5 years in prison, alleges torture]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/venezuelan-bishop-released-after-5-years-in-prison-alleges-torture</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/venezuelan-bishop-released-after-5-years-in-prison-alleges-torture</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/91/99133.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: CSW) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:16:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The case against the bishop was “marred by serious irregularities”.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A Venezuelan bishop has been released after five years in prison, during which he was allegedly tortured.
Bishop Dr Jylman Red Jurado Farfán was arrested on 30 July 2021 and charged with terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy. The authorities accused him of attempting to destabilise the state.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) alleges that the legal process against Bishop Jurado Farfán was “marred by serious irregularities”. It is alleged that the bishop’s case file was withheld for almost 10 months and his trial was suspended following two years of hearings, during which no conclusive evidence of his supposed crimes was presented.
Concerns for the welfare of the bishop were heightened earlier this year in June, when he told CSW of serious health concerns including atypical pneumonia, intercostal neuritis, and both upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding.
Now, however, the bishop has been released, along with 80 other prisoners set free on 14 August. Bishop Jurado Farfán claimed that during his five year ordeal he was subject to torture. His toenails were allegedly pulled out and a burn wound on his chest opened with electricity.
Speaking to CSW, Bishop Jurado Farfán said, “My beloved brothers and sisters in the unity of the body of Christ, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, my fraternal hugs; and I bless God for the feeling and the desire that God placed in your hearts so that this liberation would be possible, where the Lord broke the chains of oppression, of fear, of torture, and gave us [physical] freedom.
"We know that freedom is a precious gift that comes from the presence of the Lord, which is why I have learned from within, during five years and fifteen days, that every morning He showed His mercy, and everything that has breath praises the God of justice.”
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl, welcomed his release while saying that "he should never have been imprisoned in the first place".
"We strongly condemn the torture he experienced and the failure of those in authority to ensure he was provided adequate treatment for his medical conditions," she said.
"Now that he is free, we wish him a full recovery from this ordeal. The Venezuelan government must cease its harassment of religious leaders and others whose only crime is peacefully supporting their communities as they feel called to do.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Christians rally to help victims of devastating Nepal floods]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/christians-in-nepal-to-assist-with-flood-aftermath</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/christians-in-nepal-to-assist-with-flood-aftermath</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nepal]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Landscape picture of Nepal where landslides and flash floods have claimed lives. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:12:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Catholics and Evangelicals are doing what they can to aid survivors.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Christians across Nepal are helping communities devastated by floods and landslides that have left hundreds dead or missing and caused widespread destruction along the country’s northern border with Tibet.
The disaster, which struck on 26 August, has been particularly severe in Rasuwa District, including the communities of Timure and Syabrubesi.
Homes, roads, bridges, businesses and other infrastructure have been swept away, while some communities remain cut off. Nepal’s disaster agency reported 987 confirmed deaths and 3,916 people missing as of 1 September, although search and rescue operations are continuing.
Churches and Christian organisations are responding with practical assistance, working to reach people who have lost family members, homes and livelihoods.
The National Christian Fellowship Nepal and Nepal Christian Society have sent three assessment teams into affected areas, including teams travelling by mountain bike where roads have been destroyed. Medical assistance is also being provided, while local churches are opening their remaining buildings to people who have lost their homes.
Catholic organisations are likewise providing emergency assistance.
Caritas Nepal has established community kitchens and is supplying meals to around 300 affected families for just over two weeks. With many survivors still sleeping outdoors amid forecasts of further rain, the most urgent needs are tarpaulins, blankets and sleeping mats.
The response is being offered to people regardless of their religious background. Father Silas Bogati, Apostolic Administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, “[We have] always worked for the Nepali population irrespective of their religion, and we will continue to do so as they suffer in this hour of need."
The scale of the destruction means that the immediate relief effort will need to be followed by longer-term reconstruction. Christian leaders have called for prayer for those still missing, grieving families and rescue workers, as well as financial support for food, clean water, shelter, medical care and transportation.]]></content:encoded>
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