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1. According to the AP, a Chinese province where authorities have forcibly removed hundreds of rooftop crosses from Protestant and Catholic churches has proposed a ban on any further placement of the religious symbol atop sanctuaries. The draft, if approved, would give authorities in the eastern province of Zhejiang solid legal grounds to remove rooftop crosses. Since early 2014, Zhejiang officials have toppled crosses from more than 400 churches, sometimes resulting in violent clashes with congregation members. They have said the crosses violate building codes, but critics say the rapid growth of Christian groups have made the ruling Communist Party nervous. 2. According to Fox News, Four Egyptian kids who dared make fun of ISIS in a harmless video are headed for trial along with their teacher on charges of "insulting Islam," after their Muslim neighbors got hold of the footage and went to police. Aged between 15 and 16, the youths could face up to five years in a youth detention center -- while the teacher would serve any sentence he receives in prison -- if the court finds them guilty of violating Egypt's blasphemy law. Egyptian Christian and civil rights groups are leading calls for their release, but the five - who are members of the Coptic community - have already spent weeks in police holding cells. 3. According to USA Today, Pope Francis welcomed Cuban President Raúl Castro to the Vatican on Sunday. The two had a "strictly private" meeting, in the study of the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall. The meeting came after a personal appeal by Francis played a key role in finalizing a deal to open relations between the United States and Cuba for the first time in 53 years. 4. According to the New York Times, Ebola decimated hospitals, schools, families, fortunes and, for many, even their faith in Liberia. Now that it's officially over the country is trying to rebuild just about everything, from its health and education systems to its economy and international image. Like many people here, church leaders often denied that Ebola, a disease new to West Africa, was real. Shocked by the skyrocketing number of deaths, religious leaders later began leading efforts to stop practices that could transmit the virus. Now that the epidemic has passed, many church leaders are trying to repair the damage left behind. Across the capital of Monrovia, churches have been responding by holding special prayers, revivals and workshops, all with

1. According to Christianity Today, The bodies of two convicted Australian drug smugglers—who sang hymns at their execution this week—are on their way home. The ringleaders of the “Bali Nine,” as they have been dubbed, gained international attention for turning to God during their decade-long stay in an Indonesian prison. One of the prisoners, Andrew Chan, studied theology and was ordained in February, days after his clemency plea was rejected. Just before their execution, the prisoners sang “Amazing Grace,” then “Bless the Lord, O My Soul.” Pastor Karina de Vega said, “They were praising their God. It was breathtaking. This was the first time I witnessed someone so excited to meet their God.” 2. According to Reuters, Angola's government has banned nine church groups operating in central Huambo province, where the main opposition party said hundreds were killed this month in a police crackdown on a rebel Christian sect. The Huambo provincial government and the national police have declared the fringe Christian groups illegal under new rules that require denominations to have 100,000 registered members spread across at least a third of Angola's 18 provinces. Rights groups say the bans are an example of the increasing suppression of civil liberties and freedom of speech under President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled the mostly Catholic southern African country for 36 years. 3. According to Christianity Today, Religious freedom activists are calling on the State Department to reverse its decision to deny a visa to an influential Iraqi Christian leader, Sister Diana Momeka, who planned to visit the US this spring to advocate for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. Johnnie Moore, co-chair of the 21 Martyrs Campaign, and Samuel Rodriquez, president of the NHCLC/CONEL, the large association of Hispanic Christians, issued the call after their conference in Texas this week. Sister Momeka was to be a member of a delegation of Iraqi religious leaders visiting Washington DC. Moore said, "It is incomprehensible to me that the State Department would not be inviting Momeka on an official visit to the United States, as opposed to barring her from entry." 4. According to the Washington Free Beacon, Christians and followers of other religions in China suffered the worst abuses in a decade last year as part of a state-sponsored crackdown on dissent. The organization China Aid said the persecution of religious

1. According to the Jerusalem Post, The Islamic State terrorist group released a video on Sunday purporting to show its operatives shooting and beheading what it claims are 28 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. Addressed to the "nation of the cross," the 29-minute long video, details the schisms that occurred in the Christian faith which led to the formation of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. Footage is then shown of two groups of dark-skinned captives led by armed militants. One group, numbering 12, is held by militants on Libya's northern coast and the other, numbering 16, is held by fighters in Libya's southern desert interior. The footage then shows the graphic decapitation of the first group on the beach, as well as the shooting deaths of the 16 men in the south. It is not immediately clear who the captives were, but a caption claims they are members of "the hostile Ethiopian Church." 2. According to Charisma News, at a historic event to address what Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn described as a "satanic evil" reminiscent of Nazi Germany, prominent faith, business and military leaders called on the United Nations on Friday to take action against what many are calling the worst persecution of Christians in 2,000 years. Cahn, who is also a New York Times bestselling author, told the audience that a holocaust similar to the one that took place during World War II is now underway in the Middle East with hundreds of thousands of Christians dying in horrific manners. The event, sponsored by the Global Strategic Alliance, the Eng Aja Eze Foundation and the National Israel Hispanic Coalition, was entitled, "The Persecution of Christians Globally: A Threat to International Peace and Security." The purpose of the conference is to raise awareness that the persecution of Christians in the Middle East is a threat to international peace and security. 3. According to the Pew Research Center, In the coming decades, Europe is expected to have fewer Christians and more Muslims and other religious minorities. But while these changes will be significant, they will not radically alter the continent’s religious composition. The number of Christians in Europe is forecast to drop by about 100 million, from about 553 million to 454 million, and an increasingly small share of the world’s Christians will live in Europe. In 2050, almost two-thirds of all Europeans (65%) are expected to identify as Christian, but this does not imply that most will be regular

1. According to the Associated Press, Grieving Christians prayed, sang and clapped hands at an Easter Sunday service at a church in Garissa, a Kenyan town where Islamic extremists killed 148 people in an attack on a school. Security forces patrolled the perimeter of Our Lady of Consolation Church, which was attacked by militants several years ago. Sunday's ceremony was laden with emotion for the several hundred members of Garissa's Christian minority, which is fearful following the attack by al-Shabab, a Somalia-based Islamic extremist group. The gunmen who attacked Garissa University College on Thursday singled out Christians for killing. 2. According to AFP, Pope Francis condemned indifference and "complicit silence" to jihadist attacks on Christians as he presided over Easter ceremonies in the wake of a massacre of nearly 150 people at a Kenyan university by al-Shebab Islamists. The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics brought up the extremist persecution of Christians as the holiest ceremonies of the Church calendar reached a climax on Sunday, when believers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. After the traditional Way of the Cross procession through Rome, Pope Francis said, "Today we see our brothers persecuted, decapitated, crucified for their faith in Christ, under our eyes and often with our complicit silence." 3. According to CBS News, Shifts in the world’s major religions will see Islam growing faster than any other faith, with the number of Muslims nearly equaling that of Christians by 2050. A new Pew Research Center study finds that with the exception of Buddhists, the world’s major religions will all see an increase in numbers by 2050, although some will make up a smaller percentage from today. Muslims are the only major religious group projected to increase faster than the world’s population as a whole. Over the coming four decades, Christianity will remain the world’s largest religious affiliation, but Islam will see a major increase that will make the two religions nearly equal in numbers by 2050. 4. According to the Pew Research Center, for years, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has been rising, a trend similar to what has been happening in much of Europe (including the United Kingdom). Despite this trend, in coming decades, the global share of religiously unaffiliated people is expected to fall, according to the Pew Research Center’s new study on the fut

1. According to Morning Star News, the Evangelical Fellowship of India says the number of incidents against Christians in India has increased 55 percent since Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi became prime minister in May 2014. During a protest by religious minorities near India’s Parliament House, rights activist and Christian leader John Dayal said there have been 168 incidents against Christians in Modi’s first 300 days in power. That figure compares with 108 such cases in the 300 days before Modi took office. Reported attacks against the Christian community in January totalled 20, with another 20 in February and 13 so far in March. 2. According to Morning Star News, a Sudanese pastor in South Sudan was jailed and tortured for more than three months after Islamists who tried to kill him accused him of being a spy. Adam Haron, a 37-year-old convert from Islam and a native of West Darfur, Sudan, said Muslim extremists called him on Nov. 9 and 10 threatening to kill him if he continued to proclaim Christ among Muslims. After being arrested, he was thrown in prison and robbed of $820. Haron, who pastors an underground church made up primarily of converts from Islam, said he was gratified that the mistreatment tested his faith. 3. According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis opened solemn Holy Week services with Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, stressing humility and remembering the dead in the Germanwings crash. At the end of Mass outside St. Peter’s Basilica for some 70,000 faithful, Francis prayed for those who died in Tuesday’s crash in the French Alps, noting there was a group of German schoolchildren aboard the aircraft. The disaster killed 150 people, including the co-pilot, who investigators say deliberately slammed the plane into the mountain. 4. According to Aleteia, even though they bear Muslim names like Muhammad or Ali they are Moroccan Christians who continue to attend Mass in spite of the wrath of the Islamists and suspicions cast upon them by police. Abd-al-Halim, the Moroccan Anglican Church’s coordinator, stated that “there are approximately one thousand of us who belong to approximately 50 independent churches in the larger cities of the Kingdom.” Abd-al-Halim is a 57-year old doctor who converted to Christianity 16 years ago while he was living abroad. He said, “We have been able to observe our religious practices in secret. However, for security reasons we are forced to operat

1. According to Christianity Today, if two recent viral videos from Christian broadcaster SAT-7 are any indication, there is a growing familiarity with Christian forgiveness in the Arab world in the wake of ISIS-sponsored atrocities. One video features 10-year-old Myriam from Mosul, Iraq. Her family fled their home last July with hundreds of thousands of other Christians, finding safety in Kurdistan’s Irbil. Essam Nagy of SAT-7 Kids visited the refugee camps and connected with Myriam, a faithful viewer who praised God for not allowing ISIS to kill them. Asked about her feelings toward those who drove her from her home, Myriam wondered why they did this. Then she said: “I will only ask God to forgive them. Why should they be killed?” To date, more than 1 million people have seen her witness online. Pan-Arabic newspaper al-Arabia praised Myriam for confronting ISIS with love. “Everyone who listens to her is astounded,” echoed the Egyptian newspaper Youm 7. Leading Lebanese daily al-Nahar called for the clip to be shown in the nation’s schools as a lesson in humanity. 2. According to CBC News, Plans can change in an instant. No one knows this better than David Wood. For weeks, the Canadian pastor and his family have been preparing for a trip to the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, where he would spend weeks teaching at a local church in the capital city of Port Vila. And then, Cyclone Pam came. On March 14, the cyclone devastated the islands of Vanuatu. Relief agencies are still taking full stock of the damage, as downed communications on some of the nation’s 83 islands make it difficult to get a full picture of the destruction. After it became apparent how much damage the storm had done, Wood considered cancelling the trip. After some thought, however, he decided to go anyway and help rebuild. His family put their house in Edmonton up for sale, and next week, they will fly out to Vanuatu and help assess the damage. Wood said the family will spend a couple weeks in Vanuatu, gathering information for relief organizations and determining which supplies are most needed. They will return to Canada for a short time before moving to the South Pacific nation full-time in the summer to help the rebuilding efforts. 3. According to AFP, Hundreds of thousands of people waving Vatican flags on Saturday greeted Pope Francis as he headed deep into mafia territory, visiting jailbirds and the poor in Naples amid heightened security. The po

1. According to VOA News, Authorities in Pakistan said two suicide bombings outside Christian churches in the eastern city of Lahore have killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 70 others, and a militant gang allied to the outlawed Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility. The bombings only minutes apart targeted a Catholic and a Protestant church in a majority Christian suburb where thousands of people had gathered for Sunday services. Hospital officials said about 30 of those wounded in the attack are in critical condition. 2. According to the Associated Press, the Brazilian government raised the death toll of a bus accident to 54 while police continued their search for more victims on Sunday in the rugged lands of southern Brazil. Ten people were transferred to nearby hospitals with severe injuries, and only one patient has been reported in stable condition. The group was traveling from Uniao da Vitoria for an evangelical Christian event near the coast in Parana state. 3. According to the Associated Press, A nun in her 70s was gang-raped by a group of bandits on Saturday when she tried to prevent them from robbing a Christian missionary school in eastern India, in what has become the latest crime to focus attention on the scourge of sexual violence in the country. The nun was hospitalized in serious condition after being attacked by seven or eight men at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Nadia district. The men escaped and police are searching for them. 4. According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis said on Friday he doesn’t expect to be Pope much longer. In an interview with Mexican broadcaster Noticieros Televisa, Pope Francis said, “I have the feeling that my Pontificate will be brief: four or five years; I do not know, even two or three. But I feel that the Lord has placed me here for a short time, and nothing more.” This comes on the second anniversary of Pope Francis taking over after Pope Benedict stepped down. 5. Kurdish fighters and Christian militiamen are making gains against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria, with intense clashes amid airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition. Nasser Haj Mansour, a defense official in Syria’s Kurdish region, said the fighters captured the Christian village of Tal Maghas in Hassakeh province, which had been under the control of Islamic State militants. The Islamic State group has been fighting YPG fighters and members of the Chri

1. According to ­the New York Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India expressed concern on Friday about a series of episodes at Catholic churches in New Delhi that have raised fears among Christians here about a deliberate campaign of violence. Mr. Modi’s remarks, part of a conversation with the police commissioner of the Delhi region and relayed through the commissioner, came after President Obama called for religious tolerance during a visit to India last month. The latest suspicious incident, what appeared to be a robbery at a Catholic girls’ school in the capital, was reported on Friday morning. At least five Catholic churches in and around Delhi have reported various attacks, including suspected arson, burglary, vandalism and stone throwing. 2. According to ­the New York Times, the Catholic news agency UCANews reported Bishop Cosma Shi Enxiang's death on Feb. 2, citing his great-niece Shi Chunyan, who said the family had been informed by a local official. But a Hong Kong-based reporter for the agency, Lucia Cheung, said that after the family approached the local authorities to recover the bishop’s remains, they were told that the official who had told them he was dead had been drunk, or misinformed. For the last 14 years, Bishop Shi was being held without charge in a secret location. His offense was refusing to renounce his loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church, which ordained him in 1947. Bishop Shi is, or was, one of the last of a disappearing breed — Catholic bishops appointed by the Vatican decades ago who refused to cooperate with the state-sponsored Catholic Church, meant to supplant the church loyal to the pope. 3. According to the BBC, the Archbishop of Irbil has told British lawmakers that Christians in Iraq "do not have much time left" without direct military action on the ground. Archbishop Bashar Warda said air strikes were "not enough" to defeat Islamic State militants and "begged" for Western troops to be deployed. He said Iraq's Christian population was declining and that he would speak to the UK government about further action. The government has said efforts to defeat IS were "comprehensive". 4. According to International Business Times, egypt has been preparing to evacuate its citizens from neighboring Libya after the Islamic State group released photographs on Thursday of what are believed to be 21 Coptic Christians abducted by the extremists. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sa

1. According to ­Religion News Service, a papal commission on clergy sex abuse is close to giving Pope Francis recommendations on how to punish bishops who shield priests suspected of misconduct, one of several moves announced Saturday that are encouraging the two victims on the panel. But the two victims also said the Vatican has a year or two at most to implement policies with teeth, otherwise they will leave. Peter Saunders of Great Britain, who was sexually assaulted as a boy by priests at his Catholic school, said, "I’m actually very, very hopeful that there are going to be some very significant things happening,” especially on disciplining bishops. But he added, "We’re not here for lip service. We’re here to protect our children." 2. According to ­the Associated Press, Britain’s Prince Charles says he fears there will be “very, very few” Christians left in the Middle East after the turmoil wracking the region. The heir to the British throne, who is on a trip to the region, told the BBC that the plight of Christians persecuted by Islamic extremists was “a most agonizing situation,” though it was important to remember they were just one persecuted minority among many around the world. He said, “I fear that the problems in the Middle East are not going to go away immediately. And so there is a danger that there [are] going to be very, very few [Christians] left.” 3. According to the AP, Nigeria's electoral commission will postpone Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram. Millions could be disenfranchised if next week's voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes. 4. According to Al Jazeera, Hundreds of Indian Christians were arrested in New Delhi on Thursday during a protest against government inaction following a series of attacks on local churches that raised fears of increasing religious intolerance in the Indian capital. The protesters — who included nuns and priests — attempted to march from a cathedral near the country’s parliament to Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence, located in a high-security area where protests are banned. The protesters targeted Singh because he is responsible for maintaining domestic law and order. The action, organized by church l

1. According to Christian Post, close to 300 Muslim students armed with iron bars and sticks attacked a Christian boys' school in northern Pakistan, reportedly in retaliation to French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's controversial drawings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The attack left four Christians injured. Nasir Saeed, director of the NGO Center for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement said, "It is very sad that Islamic radicals attack Pakistani Christians because of Charlie Hebdo. Christians condemn the blasphemous cartoons. It is a shame that even after 67 years since the birth of Pakistan, Christians have not yet been considered Pakistani citizens, but are seen as 'Western allies.'" 2. According to Morningstar News, Muslim Fulani herdsmen on last Friday killed a father of two in Taraba state, Nigeria, whose pastoral ministry had brought education, medicine and clothing to thousands of impoverished people. Pastor Joshua Adah was returning to his mission station from an evangelistic outreach to some villagers when his vehicle broke down. Armed, ethnic Fulani cattlemen, who had invaded the area's Christian communities in the weeks prior, found him and killed him. Pastor Adah is survived by his wife and two children, ages 8 and 6. 3. According to VOA News, a vigil was held in Tokyo on Sunday for a Japanese Christian journalist Kenji Goto who was apparently beheaded by Islamic State extremists. As Japan mourned it loss, the relatives of Jordanian fighter pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh asked the government in Amman to be more open about its negotiations to secure the pilot's release from the militants. An uncle of the pilot said "we want the government to tell us the truth." The fates of the two hostages had previously been linked, but the beheading video did not mention Kasaesbeh, raising concerns for his life. Japan and the United States condemned the Islamic State jihadists Saturday after the grisly Internet video showed the execution. 4. According to Reuters, Islamist insurgents attacked the outskirts of northeast Nigeria's main city Maiduguri on Sunday, engaging in a gun battle with soldiers that killed at least eight people. Militant group Boko Haram has killed thousands since it launched its revolt in Maiduguri five years ago and wants the city to become the capital of a separate Islamist state. Idris Abubakar, a resident of Polo on the western outskirts of the city said, "There is heavy gunfire going on. Everybody is p