UNDER PERSECUTION / PRISONER ALERT

Shabaz Kaka
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: June 2001
Days Imprisoned: 1822
Shabaz Kaka boarded a bus bound from Lahore to Faisalabad in June 2001. When the bus stopped at Jamia Mosque in Faisalabad for a break, Shabaz visited the restroom along with the other passengers. The leaders of the mosque saw he was wearing a cross and began to question him. Learning of his Christian faith, the authorities objected that he had visited the restroom adjacent to the mosque and therefore accused him of desecrating the Koran saying he had torn out pages and trampled them under his feet. This is a common lie used by Muslims to trap Christians. They contacted the nearest police station and filed a complaint. Shabaz was arrested and charged with committing offenses under articles 295a and 295b of the Pakistan Penal Code generally referred to as the Blasphemy Law. He was held in the local jail. The authorities did not advise his parents of his arrest or imprisonment. For more than a year, his parents did not know what had happened to their son or where he was. More than three years after his arrest, Shabaz appeared in court in Faisalabad for his hearing. On September 25, 2004, Judge Shahid Rafiq made the final decision of life in prison for this young man. His attorney has appealed this decision.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Shabaz while he is in prison.




Rhanja Masih
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: May 1998
Days Imprisoned: 2945
Christians comprise only two percent of the population of Pakistan. During a Christian funeral on May 8, 1998, Muslim witnesses say that Rhanja threw a rock at an Islamic sign. Rhanja denies this claim. He has been in prison since his arrest, a victim of Law 295c, blaspheming Mohammed, which normally carries a mandatory death sentence. But on April 26, 2003, Rhanja was sentenced to life in prison and fined 50,000 rupees ($830).
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Rhanja while he is in prison.



Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka
Location: Indonesia
Arrested: May 2005
Days Imprisoned: 380
These three women, Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka, (L-R in photo) were arrested May 16, 2005, and charged under the Children Protection Act of 2002. Their trial began June 30th and ended September 1, 2005, when Indonesian judges sentenced the women to three years in prison plus a fine for allowing Muslim children to attend a Christian Sunday school program. According to Compass Direct News Service, Islamic extremists directed threats inside and outside of the courtroom during the trial. An observer who had attended most of the court sessions indicated there were nine trucks of protestors at this final hearing. These protestors brought with them a coffin to bury the accused if they were not found guilty.

The irony of this case is that the women launched the “Happy Sunday” children’s program in September of 2003, in response to a request by a local elementary school for assistance to meet legal requirements to comply with the National Education System Bill. Because of the popularity of this program with Christian students, some Muslim children wanted to attend. These Muslim children were only permitted to attend if they had their parent’s permission. Later some Muslim parents complained that a picnic held in Jakarta was a trick to Christianize their children while they were away from their village. Eventually their protests went to the Council for County Officers (Muspika). The local MUI (Indonesia Ulama Council) then urged that this problem be resolved by law, which led to accusing the three women of trying to Christianize Muslims.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Mrs. Ratna, Mrs. Eti and Dr. Rebekka while they are in prison.



Pastor Hamid Pourmand
Location: Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Arrested: September 2004
Days Imprisoned: 629
Pastor Hamid Pourmand, a former Iranian army colonel, was arrested when security police raided a church conference of more than 80 church leaders that he was attending. He had become a Christian about 25 years ago. During his military career, his superiors had acknowledged that he was a Christian and he had even been excused from observing the Muslim month of fasting. However, it is illegal for a non-Muslim to serve as a military officer; and on February 17, 2005, a Tehran military court sentenced Hamid to three years in jail and ordered his transfer to Evin Prison. Found guilty on charges of deceiving the Iranian armed forces, his sentence automatically discharges him from the army, cuts off his regular income, and eliminates his military pension. His wife and two teenage children were forced to leave their military housing.

In addition, he was charged with apostasy from Islam and proselytizing Muslims to Christianity. Both charges are punishable by death. Because news of his appearance before an Islamic Shariah court in Tehran leaked out to the international press he was taken by armored car to Bandar-i Bushehr to stand trail. On May 28th an Islamic judge acquitted pastor Pourmand of these charges. According to Compass Direct, the judge reportedly stated “I don’t know who you are, but the rest-of-the-world does,” a clear reference to the international attention that this case has attracted.
Please pray for protection and spiritual strength for Pastor Hamid while he is in prison.




Parvez Masih
Location: Pakistan
Arrested: April 2001
Parvez Masih, was the headmaster of a Christian school near Lahore, Pakistan when some of his students asked him if it was true that Mohammed had a nine-year-old wife. Parvez graciously mentioned her name, "Aisha," and told them to ask their religious leaders (Mullahs). On April 1, 2001 he was arrested and accused of violating Law 295C, blaspheming Mohammed as a result of the testimonies of two of the boys. It is believed that a teacher of a rival high school was involved in an attempt to close this rival school. Attacks on Christians in Pakistan include the elements of ignorance, greed, anger and misinformation.
Paryez is RELEASED.
God bless You Parvez.

More here:
http://www.prisoneralert.com/

"I am indebted to Dan Brown"

Andrea Ermini

Andrea Ermini is 28 and works in Florence, in Italy. A year and a half ago he read the "Da Vinci Code" and was surprised by the picture it gives of Opus Dei. He made enquiries and... now has joined the institution. "Thanks to Dan Brown," he says, "I have rediscovered the beauty of the faith."

Andrea Ermini works in a company in Florence in human resources.
Having read the "Da Vinci Code" he was surprised at his harsh description of Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church. "I found it suspicious and decided to make enquiries",he says.

How did you discover Opus Dei?
Andrea: It happened a year and a half ago. After reading the "Da Vinci Code", I was surprised that some critics should say Opus Dei was a "strange Catholic organisation", using brainwashing to recruit new members, secrecy and masochistic practices. That sounded rather odd and I decided to check up myself. It seemed absurd that the Church could approve of such an organisation.

So what do you think of the "Da Vinci Code"?
Andrea: To be honest if it hadn't been for Dan Brown, I wouldn't have rediscoverd the beauty of the faith and my vocation. Perhaps God would have found other ways to get to me, no doubt, but for me that it began with an enigma: a dark and sinister description of the Catholic Church. There's no question about it: I am greatly indebted to Dan Brown. And perhaps I'm not the only one...
http://www.opusdei.us/

No, you are not the only one Andrea :)

20+ Questions on Jesus Christ

In recent months readers - young and not so young - of the Da Vinci Code have found themselves asking a number of questions about Jesus, his message, and his Church. Here are some Questions & Answers.

1. What do we really know about Jesus?
2. What does Mary’s virginity imply?
3. Did St. Joseph marry a second time?
4. Was Jesus single, married or widower?
5. Current situation of historical research of Jesus
6. What sort of historical credibility does the Bible have?
7. Who were the evangelists?
8. How were the first gospels written?
9. What are the canonical and the apocryphal gospels? How many are there?
10. What is the difference between the canonical gospels and the apocryphal gospels?
11. What do the apocryphal gospels say?
12. Who are the Gnostics?
13. What do Roman and Jewish sources tell us about Jesus?
14. What do the Qumran manuscripts tell us?
15. What is the Nag Hammadi library?
16. Who was Mary Magdalene?
17. What was the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene?
18. What does the “Gospel according to Mary (Magdalene)” say?
19. What was the relationship between Peter and Mary Magdalene?
20. What went on at the Last Supper?
21. What does the gospel of Philip say?
22. Did Jesus really mean to found a Church?
23. What is the Holy Grail? How is it related to the Holy Chalice?

All answers here:
http://www.opusdei.us/art.php?p=16138

Prayer Requests

Pray for strength for those who come to Christ, despite the threats and dangers.
Pray for those who are forced to flee their country, that they may find refuge and help.

An Iranian Christian who has been conducting Bible studies in his home for many years and has been actively involved in itinerant evangelism is being held in police custody without charge.

Ali Kaboli (51) converted to Christianity as a teenager and has been serving in lay ministry for decades. Over the years, he has been repeatedly arrested, threatened and interrogated and has faced travel restrictions and an arson attack on his home but has remained undeterred.

Pray that Ali will know the peace and joy of the Lord during his time of isolation and imprisonment (Philippians 4:7). Pray for strength for his family and members of the church. Pray for Christians throughout Iran who are facing opposition for their faith.

On May 8, three women from the Full Gospel Church in Nefasit, Eritrea were detained on allegations of "actively witnessing about Christ."

“Can you imagine if you were thrown in prison for "Actively witnessing about Christ" and while you're in prison, away from your baby - your baby dies?”

No reason is given for their arrest other than their involvement in a church banned by the government.

Pray that the Eritrean believers will remain faithful and unashamed of the Gospel, knowing that the power of the gospel will continue to affect lives for eternity despite the government's concerted efforts to control or destroy the Church (Romans 1:16). Pray that the mother who has lost her baby will be comforted in the fact that she will see him again (2 Samuel 12:23). Ask God to protect the children who are left without their mothers' care, and that the mothers will have the joy of knowing that the Lord is caring for them in their absence (Psalm 68:5). Ask God to encourage the military students in Asmara and give them His wisdom as they face their accusers (Matthew 10:19). Ask God to comfort and strengthen those within the Eritrean Orthodox Church who are facing repercussions for their involvement the Sunday School movement.

MUMBAI, India, May 26 ,Animist worshipers of nature in a village in Jharkhand state this week humiliated and drove out a local family for becoming Christians.

Santosh Karmali, 42, on Sunday (May 21) was forced to sign an agreement with followers of the Sarna religion in Dubalia village, Ranchi district, forfeiting his family’s land. Sarna is the collective name for animist tribal religions.

Karmali’s wife, Shiva Devi, was then tonsured and had lime powder applied to her face. Villagers paraded her around the village and chased her, Karmali and sons Amar, Vikram and Preetam out of the village. Cutting all ties with the family, Santosh’s father, Ram Kishun Karmali, and mother joined thousands of villagers in driving them out of Dubalia.

Pray for strength for Karmali and his family. Pray for Christians throughout India who are facing opposition for their faith.

http://www.compassdirect.org/

Benedict XVI's Farewell to Poland / Pierwsza pielgrzymka papieża Benedykta XVI do Polski dobiegła końca.

Benedykt XVI:
"Dear Polish people!
I want to confide in you that this pilgrimage, during which I have visited places particularly dear to the great John Paul II, has brought me even closer to you, his compatriots. I thank you for the prayer with which you have surrounded me from the moment of my election. During my meetings with you, at audiences in the Vatican, I have often felt a bond of intense prayer and spontaneous sympathy. I would like you to continue to remember me in your prayers, asking the Lord to increase my strength in the service of the universal Church."

"I would like to conclude my visit with the words of the Apostle Paul which have accompanied my pilgrimage in Polish territory: "Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
My blessing upon you all! "

"Drodzy Polacy!
Chciałbym wyznać, że to pielgrzymowanie, podczas którego odwiedziłem miejsca szczególnie drogie wielkiemu Janowi Pawłowi II, w jakiś sposób jeszcze bardziej zbliżyło mnie do was, jego rodaków. Dziękuję wam za modlitwę, którą wspieracie mnie od chwili wyboru na papieża. Dowody modlitewnej więzi oraz zwyczajnej sympatii widziałem wielokrotnie podczas spotkań z Wami na audiencjach w Watykanie. Chciałbym, abyście w swoich modlitwach nadal pamiętali o mnie, prosząc Boga, by dodał mi sił w posługiwaniu dla dobra Kościoła powszechnego. "

"Pragnę zakończyć tę wizytę słowami z Listu św. Pawła, słowami, które towarzyszyły mojemu pielgrzymowaniu po polskiej ziemi: „Czuwajcie, trwajcie mocno w wierze, bądźcie mężni i umacniajcie się! Wszystkie wasze sprawy niech się dokonują w miłości!” (1 Kor 16,13-14).
Wszystkim błogosławię! "



"You must be strong with the strength of faith. You must be faithful. Today, more than in any other age, you need this strength."
"Trwajcie mocno w wierze"

Papież Benedykt XVI jadący w papamobile żegna pielgrzymów.

"Do zobaczenia w Rzymie, a jeśli Bóg pozwoli - to w Krakowie"

More
http://www.zenit.org/english/

Dzień czwarty: Cud

To, co przeżyliśmy w Birkenau, głupio byłoby komentować. Opiszę tylko, co się wydarzyło. Siedzieliśmy przed pomnikiem pamięci pomordowanych. Od początku pielgrzymki było po raz pierwszy naprawdę słonecznie i ciepło. Czekaliśmy na przyjazd Benedykta XVI, gdy zupełnie niespodziewanie nadciągnęła ciemnogranatowa chmura. Zerwał się porywisty wiatr i nie mogłem się oprzeć poczuciu déja vu. Przypomniałem sobie, jak w kwietniu zeszłego roku stałem na Placu Świętego Piotra i patrzyłem na początek papieskiego pogrzebu. Niespodziewanie z fasady Bazyliki uderzył lodowaty wicher. Pamiętamy, jak szarpał krwiste ornaty kardynałów, zrywał z ich głów piuski i wściekle toczył po kamiennych schodach. A wreszcie zatrzasnął ewangeliarz położony na trumnie Jana Pawła II. W ostatni dzień pielgrzymki Benedykta XVI miałem poczucie, że powiał identyczny wiatr. Zaraz jednak pomyślałem, że przesadzam. Wiatr, jak wiatr. Ale po chwili poczułem na twarzy pierwsze krople deszczu. „Płacze niebo”, pomyślałem i od razu zrobiło mi się głupio. Co za banalna, idiotyczna metafora. Wtedy zobaczyliśmy Benedykta XVI. Szedł wolnym krokiem, pod białym parasolem, wzdłuż tablic poświęconych narodom pomordowanym w KL Auschwitz-Birkenau. Zatrzymywał się przed każdą z nich i przez chwilę się modlił. Kiedy mijał kolejną, jeden z dziennikarzy szarpnął mnie za ramię i obrócił w kierunku rampy, gdzie dokonywano selekcji przybywających do obozu transportów. Nad linią horyzontu przebiegała tęcza. Przez cały dzień powtarzaliśmy w dziennikarskich komentarzach jedno pytanie: gdzie był Bóg, gdy w Auschwitz-Birkenau gazowano i palono tysiące niewinnych? A teraz widzieliśmy na niebie biblijny znak przymierza Boga z człowiekiem. Być może przyszło nam żyć w czasach, gdy Bóg przestał milczeć i przemawia do swojego ludu.
Marek Zając, "Tygodnik Powszechny"

Rage & Pride

by
Oriana Fallaci
English translation by Letizia Grasso

I want to give you the conclusion of my argument. A conclusion that will not please many, seeing that to defend one’s own culture is becoming a mortal sin in Italy. And seeing that intimidated by the improper word “racist”, everyone is keeping quiet like rabbits.
I don’t go and put up tents in Mecca. I don’t go to sing Our Father or Hail Marys before the tomb of Mohamed. I don’t go and pee on the marble walls of their Mosques, I don’t do cacca at the feet of their minaret. When I find myself in their countries (something from which I have never derived any pleasure) I never forget that I am a guest and a foreigner. I am careful to not offend them with my dress or my gestures or the way I act which for us is normal and for them inadmissible. I treat them with due respect, with due courtesy. I apologize if by some absent mindedness or ignorance I break one of their rules or superstitions. I wrote this scream of pain and disdain while having in my mind's eye scenes which did not always give me apocalyptic fits. Sometimes I would see the image, for me symbolic (therefore infuriating), of the big tent with which one summer ago the Somali Muslims disfigured, smeared with shit and profaned for three months piazza Del Duomo in Florence. My city. A tent raised to curse and condemn and insult the Italian government that was hosting them but would not give them the necessary documents to run around Europe and would not let them bring into Italy their hordes of their relatives. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, pregnant in-laws and even the relatives of their relatives. A tent raised next to the beautiful building of the Archbishop’s residence on whose sidewalk they kept their shoes and slippers which in their countries they line up outside of their Mosques. And with their shoes and slippers, the bottles of water with which they wash their feet before prayer. A tent raised in front of Brunelleschi’s cupola and next to the Baptistery with Ghiberti’s doors of paradise. A tent, furnished like a primitive apartment: chairs, tables, chaise-lounges, mattresses to sleep on and to copulate, ranges to cook the food and stench up the piazza with the smoke and smell. Thanks to the usual unconscionable Enel who cares about our works of art as much as it cares for our countryside, the tent was furnished with electricity. Thanks to a tape recorder, enriched by the coarse ugly voice of a muezzin who punctually exhorted the faithful, deafening the infidels, and suffocated the sound of the bells. To add to this, the yellow lines of urine that profaned the marble of the Baptistery. (My gosh! They have a long "spray" these sons of Allah! How did they manage to
hit their objective, which is separated from the street by a protective fence, hence almost two meters distant from their urinary apparatus?) With the yellow lines of urine, and the stench of the excrements the huge door of San Salvatore was blocked and the Bishop unable to use it. The exquisite romanic styled church (built in the year one thousand) which is right behind Piazza del Duomo and that the sons of Allah had transformed into a shit-hole. You know it well............

The other arrogant guests of the city: the Albanians, Sudanese, Bengalis, Tunisians, Algerians, Pakistani, Nigerians who with much fervor contribute to the commerce of drugs and prostitution, which apparently is not prohibited by the Koran.
If the citizen dares protest, or say to them “go exercise those rights in your own home”, then the dreaded cry “Racist, Racist” is heard.
If a police officer dares to say to them “Mr. Allah’s son, your excellency, would you mind moving over an inch so that people can get by?” They eat him up alive. They assault him with knives. At the very least, they insult his mother and his ancestors, along with the cry “Racist! Racist!"
It happens in other cities too, I know. In Turin, for example. That Turin that made Italy and that now doesn’t even look like an Italian city. It looks like Algeria, Dacca, Nairobi, Damascus, Beirut. In Venice, where the pigeons of St. Mark’s square have been replaced by carpets with wares, even Othello would feel out of place there.
More here
http://www.borg.com/%7Epaperina/fallaci/fallaci_1.html

Vatican Unease Over Islamic Countries

Clear Talk About Problems Facing Christians

VATICAN CITY, MAY 27, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Persecution of Christians in Islamic countries makes the news almost daily, and the Vatican is concerned. On May 17 Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for relations with states in the Vatican's Secretariat of State, spoke to participants in the plenary session of Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers. The May 15-17 meeting focused on the theme of migration and Islamic countries.

After dealing with issues related to migration, Archbishop Lajolo, the equivalent of the Holy See's foreign minister, turned to Islam. The faith factor, he noted, is becoming more and more important in the debate over migration.

What should the Church do in the face of these difficulties? Archbishop Lajolo outlined recommendations:

-- Faced with Islam the Church is called to live its own identity to the full, without backing down and by taking clear and courageous positions to affirm Christian identity. Radical Islamists, the prelate warned, take advantage of every sign they interpret as weakness.

-- We should also be open to dialogue, whether with individual nations or within the United Nations or other organizations.

-- An underlying problem in dealing with Islamic nations is the lack of separation between religion and the state. Part of the dialogue with Islamic religious and political authorities should be aimed at helping to develop a separation between these two spheres.

-- A particularly sensitive point is that of respect for minorities and for human rights, especially religious rights. The Holy See will continue to speak out at international meetings for the human rights of migrants. For its part the international community should ensure that humanitarian organizations do not unduly pressure recipients of aid to change religion.

-- The Holy See will continue to declare its firm opposition to all attempts to exploit religion by using it to justify terrorism and violence.

-- The protection of Christians in Islamic countries is particularly difficult in the area ranging from Turkey to the Middle East. Solutions must be found for the many Christians who flee their country of residence in search of safety.

-- Muslims who live in predominantly Christian countries should be integrated into the nation.

-- The Catholic media can play an important role in educating Christians, including those living in Islamic countries.

-- The Roman Curia together with bishops' conferences and local churches need to work closely together in these matters, including looking at the way to spread the Gospel in the Islamic world. This is our duty and our right, concluded Archbishop Lajolo.


British view

Muslim-Catholic relations were also examined recently by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. In a speech May 16 at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies, the archbishop of Westminster said: "Our mutual understanding is crucial for world peace and human progress, not least in this era when globalization and mass migration have placed Christians and Muslims ever closer to each others, as neighbors in the same European towns and cities."

Reciprocity

On the negative side, he observed that the Koran contains many invocations to violence. Moreover, Muslims believe that the Koran comes directly from God, unmediated. This makes it difficult for the Koran to be subjected to the same sort of critical analysis and reflection that has taken place among Christians over the Bible, according to Cardinal Pell.

more

Pielgrzymka papieża Benedykta XVI do Polski / Benedict XVI in Poland.

Pope Benedict XVI is making his first trip to Poland,
since being elected to the papacy a year ago.

The Pope has already been to southern Italy and to Germany,
but the trip to Poland is the first one he sheduled himself.


Benedykt XVI do Krakowian: dziękuję za serdeczne przyjęcie

W "papieskim oknie" Benedykt XVI pojawił się na około 6 minut - o godz. 21.44. Pobłogosławił zebranych i podziękował im za serdeczne przyjęcie.

"Zgodnie z tradycją, jaka powstała podczas pobytów Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, zgromadziliście się przed siedzibą arcybiskupów, aby pozdrowić Papieża. Dziękuję wam za tę obecność i za serdeczne przyjęcie" - rozpoczął po polsku swoje wystąpienie Ojciec Święty, zwracając się do wiernych z "okna papieskiego" w Pałacu Arcybiskupów Krakowskich. Słowa te zostały przyjęte entuzjastyczną owacją.
.


Na koniec spotkania papież udzielił błogosławieństwa zgromadzonym, a oni skandowali: "Zostań z nami!" Gdy po chwili Ojciec Święty oddalił się, a światło w pokoju zgasło, wierni zaśpiewali Benedyktowi XVI: Sto lat! Dobrej nocy Ojcze! Przyjdziemy jutro! - wznosili okrzyki.

Qvo Vadis Domine?