Tag Archives: Religion

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African court on Friday convicted a self-styled prophet who sprayed his followers in the face with domestic insect killer as a supposed cure for illness. Lethebo Rabalago was found guilty on five charges of grievous assault and contravening chemicals laws for using “Doom”, …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Pope Francis on Monday, with a protest ban imposed in central Rome as feelings run high over Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish militia inside Syria. For the first such visit by a Turkish leader for 59 years, …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will send the Vatican’s top expert on sex abuse to Chile to hear from witnesses in the case of a Chilean bishop accused of covering for a paedophile priest, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The pope’s decision was taken on the basis of …

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, Undefined | AFP | Pope Francis on Monday apologised to victims of sexual abuse after he caused outrage by appearing to support a controversial Chilean bishop. The pope acknowledged he had “hurt” people by suggesting there was no “proof” against Juan Barros, who is accused of covering …

Beijing, China | AFP | Authorities in a Muslim-majority county in northwest China have banned schoolchildren from going to mosques during their winter holidays, a state-run daily reported Friday, the latest tightening of regulations on religious freedoms. The decision was outlined in a notice sent to all high schools, primary …

Santiago, Chile | AFP | Pope Francis will hold a closely watched meeting with members of Chile’s under-fire clergy on Tuesday, the first full day of his visit to a country whose Church is beset by sex abuse scandals. He arrived in Santiago Monday night and was received by leftist President …

Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Catholic bishops in the Central African Republic have appealed to armed groups controlling swathes of the chronically unstable country to stop looting and lay down their arms. Mired in poverty but rich in minerals, the former French colony has been battered by a conflict …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis called Sunday for hospitality towards migrants, calling it a “sin” to give in to fear of the other as he marked the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. “It is not easy… to put oneself in the shoes of people so …

Niamey, Niger | AFP | A total of 141 civilians in Niger were killed, kidnapped or wounded by the Boko Haram jihadist group last year, a sharp fall compared with 2016, the UN said on Wednesday. The toll in 2016 was 227 after 214 in 2015, the Office for the Coordination …

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Mourners on a cold, barren hill outside Kabul wept Friday as they buried loved ones killed in a suicide attack targeting Shiites, the latest victims in one of the bloodiest years in the war-torn country. At a Shiite cemetery spread over the hills dozens of …