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Nepal to Issue “Third Gender” Passports, The 50 Worst Countries for Christians and More…

James Asquith - published on 01/10/15

A roundup of news stories you don't want to miss
VATICAN CITY
“Homicidal violence is abominable and never justifiable” — Pope Francis 
VIS
"Love leads to God" — Pope Francis 
RADIO VATICANA
Vatican to become more politically active — The Vatican is to become more involved in international politics, its most senior diplomat has said 
THE TABLET
Want to see Pope Francis’ vision for the church? Look at his new cardinals
Breaking with tradition and at the same time bending a few Vatican rules, Pope Francis on Sunday named 20 new cardinals coming from various far-flung corners of the world. It is the second time he made such major appointments
RNS
Yazidi leaders tell Pope Francis “5,000 Yazidi women reduced to slavery by ISIS”
ZENIT
Francis will deliver all 11 of his major addresses in English in Sri Lanka and the Philippines next week
YN
Robert Mickens investigates rumors that Pope Francis will call an Ecumenical Council “during or after the 2015 synod”
GLOBAL PULSE
Pope appoints new secretary of Congregation for the Clergy
CATHOLIC CULTURE
Vatican’s smartest kid in the class keeps making waves — Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is an intellectual who’s become a star through a combination of brain power and media savvy, not to mention a remarkably entrepreneurial spirit 
CRUX
NORTH AMERICA
25% of all prisoners worldwide held in US
GLOBAL POST
NBC omits “God” from Pledge of Allegiance, again (Here’s the thing, you keep telling God to "go away" and  guess what .. He will! Europe and America (in my opinion) are beginning to find out what its like to live in a godless society) 
FN
"I was fired because of my Christian faith" — How an American Fire Chief was sacked for possessing Christian values 
FN
The New America: 12-year-old Missouri boy told to stop reading his Bible in free time at school
CHRISTIAN TODAYGOSPEL HERALD
Feminism to blame for men’s crisis of confidence, says cardinal — Cardinal Raymond Burke has blamed radical feminism for leaving men "marginalized" in the Church since the 1960’s 
EMANGELIZATION
Federal agent imprisoned for falsifying investigation on Texas border
BB
Is Paris a warning? — "I have repeatedly warned that the ongoing Islamization of Europe will change everything that Europeans hold dear. Free expression is already under attack. Who will write honestly about Islam if it means death to the writer or his loved ones?" 
HLR
CNN anchor shamelessly drags Israel into Paris shooting debate
ISRAEL TODAY
Father throws 5 year old daughter off Florida bridge
CNN
Will the world wake up to ISIS’s demonic ambitions? — Author Joel Rosenberg is sounding the alarm that radical Islam is spreading and if world leaders don’t deal decisively with it, we’re all in danger 
CBN
Warning: Islamic attack on French paper could be just the beginning (Some have been predicting such attacks and saying this, but, there are those who rather not hear about the approaching storm!)
CHARISMA
"Piss Christ" photo removed by AP after journalist points out double standard for not publishing offensive Charlie Hebdo Islam cartoon — The Associated Press removed a photo of an "art piece" called 
"Piss Christ" from its website Wednesday after a journalist pointed out the company’s double standard. AP has refused to publish the Charlie Hebdo cartoons mocking Muhammad that led to Hebdo’s murder due to its policy of not publishing "deliberately provocative images" (The Associated Press has harbored a covertly anti-Christian agenda for decades) 
CHRISTIAN POST
British Muslim cleric asks critical American interviewer "Are you Jewish?"

BB
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: "Western liberals are too afraid of offending Muslims" (Ain’t that the truth! One might also say "too afraid period!") 
BB
What you never knew about Nordstrom
FAITH HUB

LATIN AMERICA
Our New World: Drug cartel forced members to eat human hearts — A vicious Mexican drug gang forced members to eat the hearts of murder victims as part of a gruesome initiation rite to root out infiltrators 
HUFFINGTON POST
Head of drug-war-torn Mexican diocese to become a cardinal
CNA
RECOMMENDED ON ALETEIA
After Charlie Hebdo, Could European Churches Be Next? "It doesn’t take a prophet to foresee the threat to Christian Europe" (Err .. yep! But you’d be surprised how many slammed doors you get when trying to speak about this!) 

How Catholics caved in to LBJ on birth control .. and what this says about the fight with Obamacare

Who Wants Good Men? Satan Does—And the World Doesn’t  How modern culture has declared war on masculinity

BRITAIN & IRELAND
The New Britain: Cathedral verger hospitalized with head injuries after vicious attack 
LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH
Armed police patrol Eurostar station in London as MI5 chief warns of threats from "those who wish us harm"
DAILY MAIL
Cardinal Nichols says he is praying "with the people of France" — Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster has said his “thoughts and prayers are with the people of France” following the Paris terror attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo 
CATHOLIC HERALD
Winston Churchill warned about dangers of radical Islam over 100 years ago — “How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism (Islam) lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy” 
CHRISTIAN POST
Terror attacks on UK "likely," warns MI5 boss
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Dublin priest says 
during Mass
 that he is gay – and receives standing ovation 
IRISH CENTRAL
EUROPE
ISIS praises Charlie Hebdo attack — A fighter of the "Islamic State" insurgent group praised Wednesday’s attack on a French satirical magazine that killed 12 people, telling Reuters the raid was revenge for insults against Islam 
JERUSALEM POST
Al-Qaida praises gunmen for Charlie Hebdo attack — Al-Qaida’s North African branch has praised the gunmen behind this week’s killings at Charlie Hebdo hailing them as "knights of truth" (Those men may be many things, but knights isn’t one of them) 
JERUSALEM POST
Qatar expels Hamas leader to Turkey — Turkey is fast becoming the preferred "safe haven" for terrorists of every possible description! 
HAARETZ
Suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul’s historic center — A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday, killing one officer and wounding another 
CHRISTIAN DAILY
The pen is mightier than the sword — How the world’s cartoonists responded to the cowardly attack on Charlie Hebdo 
DAILY MAIL
Was Charlie Hebdo massacre Al-Qaeda’s bid to re-establish itself as global terror force after being "eclipsed by ISIS"
DAILY MAIL
"We cannot let them win:" Slain police officer’s brother calls on France to show solidarity against the horror of extremist-inspired violence
DAILY MAIL
Our New World: Nurse admits to killing 30 patients because he was bored and wanted to show off his ‘excellent’ resuscitation skills
DAILY MAIL
World’s oldest bishop has died — Retired Bishop Gery Leuliet, the oldest Catholic bishop in the world, passed away New Year’s Day at the age of 104 in his home country of France 
NCR
Europe’s Euthananasia craze — The case of Frank Van Den Bleeken, the Belgian murderer and rapist who requested to be euthanized rather than spend life in prison, has provoked its fair share of comment. And rightly so, for the facts of this case are shocking 
FIRST THINGS
Man jailed for nine months for leaving a sarcastic comment on his ex-girlfriend’s Facebook photo in Spain
DAILY MAIL
AFRICA
Police officers shot while guarding Coptic church — Two Egyptian policemen were shot dead on Tuesday morning as they stood guard at a Coptic Christian church in Minya, south of Cairo 
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Muslim Egyptian president in groundbreaking visit to Christian church — Egypt’s president has become the first of the country’s leaders to attend a Coptic liturgy (I pray this gesture sends some sort of message of tolerance to some of Egypt’s less-than-tolerant Muslims) 
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Boko Haram razes 16 Nigerian towns (As the world remains silent) 
DAILY MAIL
British missionary shot in DRC
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Hundreds of refugees evicted from Johannesburg church
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Radical Islam a growing threat to sub-Saharan Christians — Radical Islamists were the main persecutors of Christians around the world last year, not only in the Middle East but increasingly in sub-Saharan Africa 
CHRISTIAN DAILY
MIDDLE EAST


Powerful new Iraqi militia has deep ties to Tehran

THE TOWER
Islam is the most violent religion in the world, but let’s keep calling it "peaceful" anyway
THE BLAZE
You dare to write against Islam? You will be flogged! — A liberal activist sentenced to prison and flogging in Saudi Arabia will face a first round of lashes on Friday, rights watchdog Amnesty International has said (This is par for the course in Islam. We should not be surprised) 
TOWNHALL
Islamic militants killed twice as many Christians in 2014 than 2013 (Watch out for an increase in attacks against Christians throughout 2015) 
CHL
Islam’s war on Christians: Worst yet to come?
CBN
Christians in the Middle East are losing hope, warns Coptic bishop
CHRISTIAN DAILY
Snow leads to cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians — Palestinian Authority asked the IDF to help clear the main road leading the Palestinian capital of Ramallah amid heavy snow fall 
YNET
ASIA & FAR EAST
Indian men kidnap and rape Japanese tourist then lock her in basement for a month
DAILY MAIL
Christians jailed in India for celebrating Christmas
CHRISTIAN DAILY
Christians being persecuted in India as Hindus file complaints over "spreading Christianity" 
CHRISTIAN NEWS
Pakistani Muslim beats Christian mother with bat after she prevented him from abducting and raping her daughter
CHRISTIAN POST
Embattled Sri Lankan Anglican bishop steps down over financial scandal 
CHRISTIAN TODAY
"Third gender" passports to be issued in Nepal — Nepal has joined several countries that recognize a "third gender" for gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens 
CHRISTIAN TIMES
Buddhist nationalist attacks on Muslims could spark extremist backlash, warns new cardinal — Religious extremism could derail the much-vaunted reform process in Myanmar (Burma), said the Buddhist-majority country’s first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo 
CHRISTIAN TODAY
Man dies in Catholic parade in Manila ahead of Pope’s visit
ABC
Newborn baby girl thrown to her death in China from 17-storey building with her umbilical cord still attached
DAILY MAIL
2014 saw worst persecution of Chinese Christians in a generation
CHL
How Christianity is helping to power the Chinese economy
CHRISTIAN TODAY
FAMILY MATTERS
LGBT Warriors: Satan’s little soldiers — "While no one knows every detail concerning Joshua Alcorn’s upbringing, this much is certain; this confused child is just one more in a growing number of victims of the LGBT war on anything and everything that even hints at the existence of objective truth, in particular, as it concerns human sexuality"  
RENEW AMERICA
Canadian Mennonites officiate first same-sex "wedding" — Two Mennonite ministers in Canada have officiated the denomination’s first same-sex “wedding,” holding the service in a church building in Saskatchewan 
CHRISTIAN NEWS
The devilishly clever way that abortionists confuse just about everybody .. and get away with murder
LIFE SITE
Wichita church to host celebration of abortion for Planned Parenthood — St. James Episcopal Church will celebrate 42 years of abortion with Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid Missouri on January 22, 2015 for their Chili for Choice (Any wonder we are on the precipice of social meltdown? When the "church" compromises, what is left?)
LIFE SITE
Is there hope for those born with deformities?
41 quotes from medical textbooks stating human life begins at conception
LIFE NEWS
ADDITIONAL
Super-antibiotic that could wipe out diseases from MRSA to TB is hailed as a "game-changer" by scientists
DAILY MAIL
Angelina Jolie meets Pope Francis after screening of her movie "Unbroken" at Vatican
DAILY MAIL
The 50 countries where it is most difficult to live for Christians
CHRISTIANITY TODAY
100 million reasons to be concerned about anti-Christian persecution — The number of persecuted Christians in the world has topped 100 million, according to a new report that says even non-violent persecution of Christians has increased, amid continuing violence (Some of us have been predicting this now verified increase in persecution against Christians. The bad news is .. the worst is yet to come) 
CNA
The Synod’s shocking omissions — The first shocking omission is that the Synod completely ignored the essential importance of men in the faith lives of the family and the broader Catholic “man-crisis” 
LIFE SITE
The Regensburg speech and the Paris attack In light of the horrific attack on Charlie Hebdo: Many are quoting Benedict XVI’s lecture against violence committed in the name of the faith — but they forget that the speech was a critique of modern reason, which dismisses religion as a subculture, from within 
VATICAN INSIDER
The Vatican’s "Life of Women" video project: The bad, the ugly and the good — The Pontifical Council for Culture, which is one of the "dicasteries" or departments of the Roman Curia, announced that its February assembly would be dedicated to the theme of "Women’s Cultures" 
NCR
Oil heads for seventh weekly loss as supply glut drags (Don’t be fooled. Oil prices will begin to rise again soon enough) 
REUTERS
Russia bans transsexuals, "exhibitionists" and "fetishists" from driving as they are deemed mental disorders which leave them more likely to crash
DAILY MAIL

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