World in Brief

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) was one of several religious groups represented by faith leaders at a pro-freedom event in Taipei. Representatives from several religious groups convened in the Taiwanese capital to consider the role of faith groups when it comes to “security and resilience”, according to China Aid News.

The event, co-hosted by the PCT, alongside China Aid and the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), took place against a backdrop of a recent crackdown on Christianity, and featured contributions from representatives from Lithuania, Singapore and the IGE, amongst others, calling for freedom and democracy to be protected.

French evangelicals have expressed shock after a state-owned TV channel documentary’s unfavourable portrayal of evangelicals. France 2’s 50-minute broadcast, titled Evangelicals: a not-so- angelic success story? was dubbed a “clear attack” on evangelicals and the Christian faith by the National Council of French Evangelicals (CNEF).

France Mission reports that the CNEF accused the documentary of presenting evangelicalism through “biased editorial decisions” which “stigmatise” French Christians through “questionable journalistic methods”. The council has relayed its concerns to the French Ministry.

The authorities in Punjab Province, Pakistan have cracked down on the actions of an extremist Muslim party, providing a sense of optimism for believers who have been persecuted by them in the past. Police forces clashed with members of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in an effort to thwart their planned pro-Gaza march, which was due to finish outside the American Embassy in Lahore.

Morning Star News reported that at least one police officer was killed and several were injured in clashes with demonstrators, but their operation saw over 2,700 arrested and 2,800 banned from leaving the country.

A Christian student body has described the need for employees in a Religious Affairs Office in Tarakan, Indonesia to be Muslims who can recite the Qur’an as “discriminatory”. The body’s comments were prompted by the office’s amendment to a job advertisement for custodial and security positions, according to Morning Star News.

Tarakan Branch of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement (GMKI) chairman Michael Jama claims that the move threatens religious freedom and goes against two sections of the Indonesian Constitution relating to workers’ rights.

The Canadian Government is now unlikely to amend the charitable status applied to religious bodies, in a boost for Christian organisations. Charities were bracing for the ending of religious privilege tax exemptions, but the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) said that this is now unlikely to go ahead.

The EFC had warned earlier this year that changes to existing legislation could “devastate” the charitable sector, but MPs have now said, on record, that such amendments are not currently being considered.

Violence has broken out in a village in Egypt following rumours of a relationship between a Christian man and a Muslim girl. Local Muslims who were unhappy about the development threw stones and other items at Christian properties including homes, causing damage, before the authorities intervened.

A reconciliation event is due to take place to repair local relations in Nazlat Jalf Beni Mazar, Upper Egypt, but Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said that these can be problematic, due to their imposition of “unconstitutional conditions on victims”.

The national Lausanne movements of Europe recently met in Valencia for its annual conference, this year concentrating on the theme “Together”– how they can collaborate to enhance mission efforts.

Evangelical Focus reports that this was the event’s fifth iteration, and its teaching mostly focused on Europe as Lausanne’s primary mission field. The congress featured contributions on a range of subjects, including mutual listening, reconciliation, misunderstanding and building relationships, before it ended with a reminder that believers are called to work together as part of one body, with our eyes fixed on Christ.

About 100 Christian families in a fishing village in southern India have been cut off from their local community after they refused to contribute towards the construction of a Hindu temple for the village goddess.

Local residents are denying them business and access to key services and are barring them from social events. Open Doors partners revealed that many of the ostracised believers must now travel several hours to find work, while other villagers no longer speak to them, as they would be fined heavily for doing so.

The two-part Passion of the Christ sequel, The Resurrection of the Christ, will have a budget of around $200 million (£150 million), making it likely to be one of the year’s most expensive filming projects, according to Premier Christian News. Mel Gibson’s eagerly awaited sequel is currently due to be released in 2027, on Good Friday and then on Ascension Day.

Jaako Ohtonen is set to play Jesus, replacing Jim Caviezel, while Mariela Garriga replaces Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. Much of the focus of the two movies remains unclear, but filming is underway in Rome.

A pastor in River Nile State, Sudan was recently arrested during the night and told to leave his church’s building within 30 days, in a move believed to be aligned with a Muslim businessman’s interest. Morning Star News reported that the police told him that “the law is above your religion” but later released him following pressure from the church’s lawyer.

The authorities had tried to convince the pastor to sign a document stating that he would not oppose any attempts to seize church property but he would not comply. This development is part of a long-running local dispute over church assets.

Luke Randall

A Muslim man in eastern Uganda has severely persecuted his family and destroyed a church building after discovering that they had become Christians and had attended a service.

The man discovered their involvement with the church and beat his wife and their children with a walking stick in the street, before he fled when neighbours arrived to help them. According to Morning Star News, the man destroyed the church building when his family were in hospital. They had put their faith in Christ after meeting with a church elder and his wife over the preceding three months.

Luke Randall