World in Brief

A Muslim man in Pakistan has forcibly married a 14-year-old Christian girl and made her convert to Islam. Nisha Bibi had disappeared from a Muslim household, where she had worked in a domestic capacity, having been seen leaving with her attacker on CCTV.

As Morning Star News report, Bibi suffers from epilepsy and mental health problems, which only adds to the concern felt by her family. The attacker is also believed to have been married several times before and has children from his other wives.

A petition signed by over 1,000 people calling for the release of a Protestant pastor in Nicaragua has been handed to Nicaraguan embassies and consulates in eight countries. Pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López, who is diabetic, was detained four years ago and has only been given a small amount of water each day and has not been allowed to read books.

The petition, lodged by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), calls for López’s immediate and unconditional release, having been falsely imprisoned for aggravated rape and for causing psychological injuries to a vulnerable person.

Six Christians in southwest China have been arrested for their involvement in regular church initiatives, such as Sunday School teaching. The five men and one woman involved have been charged with “fraud” and “organising minors to engage in activities undermining public order”, according to China Aid.

Those arrested are involved with a house church in Kaili City, in Guizhou Province. China Aid president Bob Fu described the situation as “a deeply troubling escalation of China’s campaign against religious freedom”, and a “direct assault on the fundamental rights of parents and churches”.

Almost 900 evangelical leaders from 45 countries recently gathered for the European Leadership Forum (ELF) conference in Wisla, Poland, where they considered the approach of evangelical leaders amidst the current direction of travel of the continent and the church.

Evangelical Focus reports that talks focused on New Testament texts about serving the church, while other relevant issues of the day were addressed by psychiatric, legal, counselling and communication-related guest speakers, including en writer Helen Thorne-Allenson.

Three Christian leaders have been shot and killed as they made their way home from a church event in India. The men, pastors in the Thadou Baptist Association India (TBAI), were en route home from a Baptist convention in Churachandpur when the incident took place, which also left five other leaders and one of their drivers seriously injured.

Open Doors reports that the attackers remain unidentified and it is not clear whether the victims were targeted due to their religious beliefs, although these were signposted by wording on their vehicles.

The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance (AEP) focused on key initiatives and elected a new president at its annual assembly for 2026.

The General Assembly, held in Lisbon, saw Jorge Humberto Nobre elected to serve as AEP president for the second time, replacing Timóteo Cavaco, and featured presentations on evangelical education in schools and the Portuguese Evangelical Forum.

As Evangelical Focus report, the event also involved representation from the neighbouring Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE), strengthening the partnership between the two alliances, which work in similar ways. AEP figures were also invited to an upcoming anniversary event in Spain.

An evangelical church near Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, has been attacked during a Russian airstrike. The building in the town of Balakliya caught fire after it was hit by shells, leaving the roof “completely destroyed”, along with “significant” internal damage, but the church was empty during the attack and no one was killed.

Evangelical Focus report that the church has already suffered hardship during the wider conflict, with its pastor having previously been detained by Russia. Church members started clearing the area the day after the incident.

Islamic extremists in Indonesia have stopped a church from holding a service at its new building after they forcibly entered the premises and protested before proceedings got underway. The group, which disapproved of the church’s intention to worship at their new location before obtaining official permission, chanted “Allahu Akbar”, threatened worshippers and confronted church leaders.

The church, based in a village in the Special Capital Region of Yogyakarta, had moved building due to rising costs, as reported by Morning Star News. The extremists were led by the Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) and the police forces did not intervene to quell the unrest.

A church in Leipzig has closed its café following sustained attacks on the premises, believed to be due to its Biblical view on matters of sexuality. Incidents involved the smashing of windows, graffiti and toxic substances, causing distress to those inside and extensive repair costs, prompting Zeal Church to close it after just two years in operation.

Evangelical Focus reports that the attacks were likely perpetrated by far-left groups in protest against the church’s supposed “queerphobia”. Church pastor René Wagner told the congregation that the church’s mission remains unchanged despite the difficult decision.

Luke Randall

A church in Wenzhou City, China has been demolished months after 200 believers associated with its house church network were arrested. Cranes were sent to carry out the demolition earlier this year and the church hall was recently destroyed after the remaining Christians refused to comply with several government instructions.

Open Doors report that the authorities have imposed a lockdown on the area following the church hall’s destruction, strictly prohibiting the taking of pictures or online discussion about the church. Many of those initially arrested remain in jail, charged with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.

Luke Randall