Paul Keenan
Chinese churches forced to surrender income, donations
Churches in Zheijiang province in China are being forced to hand over income and donations under a new law, it has been reported. According to Chinaaid.org, which monitors the situation of Christian communities in the country, government officials have begun to oversee donations to churches while, under provisions of the new law, communities must make applications to the authorities if they wish to purchase fixtures for their church, or merely decorate it.
The province of Zheijiang has become notorious for its drive against Christian places of worship, forcibly removing crosses from buildings and demolishing churches deemed ‘illegal’. At least 2,000 church buildings have been demolished in the province since 2014.
Ancient tomb uncovered inside Turkish church
An ancient tomb has been found inside a 7th-Century Christian church in Turkey. Dated to approximately 1009 AD, the tomb was found by experts who were undertaking restoration work inside the church, part of the Georgian Ishkhani monastery complex.
The crypt has been described as containing extensive inscriptions, pointing to the burial of a noble or bishop.
One historian has suggested the site may even be the tomb of King Gurgen, whose son, Bagrat III, founded the church.
Levan Tsikarishvili, one of those who discovered the tomb said: “It is difficult to convey the emotions that overcame me when, having crept into the narrow, extremely dark head of the crypt, I lit my lantern and became the first witness of this unique opening.”
Appeal for international help after monastery raid in Vietnam
A Catholic priest in Vietnam has issued appeals to foreign embassies for help after police attempted to seize the monastery he leads. Fr Antoine Nguyen Van Duc, head of the Thien An monastery in Hue, central Vietnam, sent petitions to the EU commission and the US embassy appealing for assistance in defending the religious site from repeated attempts by local officials to seize it.
It has been previously alleged that the Thien An monastery (pictured) and its many acres have been targeted for development as a theme park. The latest incursion by police reportedly came when construction began at the monastery to create a new path to the garden on the same land. Authorities had previously moved in to prevent the construction of a roof over a Marian shrine. Vietnam has, since communist victory in 1975, repeatedly subjected religious communities to forced evictions and land grabs.
Terror charges against Pakistani Christians dropped
Terrorism charges against 42 members of a Christian church in Pakistan have been dropped. Following a case which began in May when members of the Christian Life Ministries in Faisalabad were arrested as they attempted to prevent police from beating two men on the steps of their church, a court in Lahore ruled that there was no evidence to support charges of terrorism levelled against the community. The court further ruled that a full investigation of police handling of the case should take place amid allegations that male detainees were tortured while in custody.