Leading African Ecumenical Group Elects First Female President
The Rev. Lydia Chituku Neshangwe, a Presbyterian minister, became the first woman to lead the ecumenical All Africa Conference of Churches.
Ukrainian Religious Freedom Threatened by Russian Bombs and Propaganda
This issue of A Public Witness offers a crash course lesson from one of the preeminent experts on Ukrainian religious freedom to consider what’s happening in the besieged nation and how religious freedom rights are undermined by Russia.
Art Simon, Founder of Christian Anti-Hunger Group Bread for the World, Dies at 93
‘We can be accidental accomplices in keeping people poor,’ TV travel host Rick Steves said he learned from Simon.
Jerusalem’s Church Leaders Call for Sober Christmas in Holy Land as War Rages
Leaders of Jordan’s Council of Churches issued a similar statement on Nov. 5, calling for the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in the kingdom.
Congolese Faith Leaders Step Up Efforts To Promote Dialogue Among Warring Groups
Church leaders are conducting weekly workshops to train traditional and church leadership in how to promote peace in their communities.
Pope Francis Mobilizing Vatican Diplomats to Quell a World War He Says Has Begun
Pope Francis and the Vatican are pursuing peace in the globe’s two major conflicts, working through official and unofficial channels.
A Call for ‘Biblical’ Genocide
This issue of A Public Witness considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to Amalek from Deuteronomy and unpacks what it means when politicians invoke such passages during war.
As Turkey’s Christians Celebrate a New Church, Religious Minorities Still Call for Respect
Though he has allowed new houses of worship to be built and old ones to be reopened, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needs to do more, observers say, to restore respect for a truly pluralistic society as much as for church property.
Archbishop Welby, Patriarchs of Jerusalem Urge Ceasefire, Condemn Church Bombing
Archbishop Welby spent several days in Jerusalem last week following the attack on Israelis by Hamas on Oct. 7 and the ensuing assaults on Gaza by Israeli forces.
Ukrainian Parliament Moves to Bar Russian-Linked Church From Operating in the Country
Draft law 8371, which requires another vote before moving to the president’s desk, would give Ukrainian authorities power to examine the connection of religious groups in Ukraine to the Russian Federation and to ban those whose leadership is outside of Ukraine.