Minority denominations with fewer than 3,000 members would not be allowed to legally register, under a planned amendment to the country’s Religious Denominations Act.

Mark Jeffrey, a missionary in Exeter who regularly visits Bulgaria with his wife to preach in churches, said the clause could be used to target smaller Protestant churches which are already registered.

Mr Jeffrey, who first visited Bulgaria ten years ago, told Premier: “It will make it impossible to continue legally.

“It will basically take the Church back to Communist days… the Church will have to go underground which most people would have thought would be impossible to see in modern Europe.”

BULGARIA: Bulgarian lawmakers concede some restrictions in a new Religion Denominations Act after international pressure and intensive protests. A new constraint however threatens the legal existence of many denominations. An in-depth analysis:https://t.co/htueHKC89T

— Evangelical Focus (@Evan_Focus) November 22, 2018

Following objections and protests from various faith groups in Bulgaria, the proposals – which are intended to tackle radical Islam – have already been watered down. The Baptist World Alliance and the World Evangelical Alliance have been among those to highlight their concerns.

It is understood the original version would have prevented foreign church leaders from conducting religious services…

Conservative (pictured below) asked Theresa May on Wednesday to “put the record straight”; following reports that “fearing a backlash here in the UK she personally intervened”.

The Christian mother of five has been facing death threats since she was acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan last month.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May told Mr Goldsmith: “My honourable friend shouldn’t necessarily believe everything that he reads in the papers.

“The position the government takes is very clear. The absolute prime concern that we must have is the safety and the security of Asia Bibi and her family and we want to see a swift resolution of the situation.

“We could approach this in two ways. We could say ‘we want to go out there and say something just so we show that the UK is doing that’. Or we can say, ‘what is right for Asia Bibi’?”

Pakistan’s top court has acquitted Asia Bibi who was sentenced to death in 2010 on blasphemy charges, a landmark ruling that ignited mass protests by hard-line Islamists.

Some of the protesters have also called for the public execution of Asia Bibi and the judges in the case.

Mrs May told the Commons that the government is “working with others in the international community and with the Pakistani government” to provide sanctuary for…

But pastor Bartholomew Orr’s dramatic entrance at Brown Baptist Church in Southaven, Mississippi proved controversial on social media.

One Facebook user wrote: “This is ridiculous! Look at how much money has been wasted on this contraption to lift him up like this! Nothing but a waste of funds!

“Do you know how many homeless people you could help and feed with the money you spent on this…? Absolutely ridiculous.”

Another person commented: “My goodness…Then we wonder why folks don’t take church serious anymore.”

The head pastor at Brown Baptist used the device while preaching on Sunday about the second coming of Jesus Christ.

See the zip wire movement by skipping ahead in the video to the three-and-a-half minute mark.

Hovering above pews of laughing church-goers, pastor Orr said: “I sense that day is going to come when the sky is cracked and Jesus Christ comes again and everyone will see him.

“Are you ready for his return? Brothers and sisters, are you ready today for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ? Because he’s on his way.”

Not everyone was critical of the stunt.

One Facebook user said: “Love the ingenuity. Thanks for the laugh and the reminder.”

Another wrote: “The thing is people will always down [criticise] what they didn’t create. Do it big, pastor. I know you meant positivity with the message.”

Speaking after his entrance, he told local news broadcaster…

The group, Midwives and Nurses For Life, says that if women opt for a surgical termination, nurses and midwives will be asked to provide the pre- and post-operative care, which they object to.

The petition states they find the “end of life of a foetus is morally objectionable”, and that “participation includes any supervision, delegation, planning or supporting of staff involved in termination of pregnancy”.

The group states that although the new proposed legislation provides for freedom on conscience, it states the staff involved must refer the patient on to another staff member, which they see as participation in the procedure.

Mary Fitzgibbon, a nurse, midwife and lecturer; Fiona McHugh, a paediatric nurse; and registered nurse Margaret McGovern spoke to the media about what they see as lack of negotiation from the government with those “who will be at the coalface” when legislation is implemented.

“We want to be sensitive to the women, I don’t want to meet a woman in the morning and later tell her I’m not getting involved in her care.

“We need to have that discussion at ward level, with our nurse managers, but that is not happening,” Ms Fitzgibbon said.

“There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, people are worried about promotional aspects if they say they’re invoking freedom of conscience, where does that leave them?”

The petition, which has been live for over two…

In 2009, Asia Bibi was arrested and accused of criticising the Prophet Muhammad in an argument about her drinking from the same cup as some Muslim women near a well. 

She was arrested five days later for blasphemy against Islam and, in 2010, she was sentenced to death by hanging.

After nearly a decade of petitions, visits by the family to the Pope and the UK and growing international interest, she was freed in October.

At the risk of threats from hardline Islamists, lawyer Saif ul-Malook took up Asia Bibi’s case after she lost in the first court

Asia’s case had become high-profile with far-right Muslim groups, such as the TLP party in Pakistan, determined to see her sentence fulfilled, either by the law or by mob-killing.

Before she was acquitted, two politicians were killed for speaking out in her defence – Shahbaz Bhatti and Salman Taseer. 

When the Supreme Court decided she would not face the death sentence, there were riots in Pakistan.

Saif ul-Malook fled the country, saying earlier this month that he has been inundated with threats.

He took shelter in the French Embassy in Pakistan for three nights before the army took him to their airport where he eventually went to the Netherlands.

At the Secular Conference event on Sunday, called Sharia, Segregation and Secularism, he delivered the keynote speech, speaking about how he had worked on the case for four years.

He…

The silk relic was donated to St Peter’s Church in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, by a woman with terminal cancer who used to regularly attend the church.

Fr Huw Bryant, associate priest in Bro Enlli ministry area explained in a Facebook post that the woman who donated it was actually a pilgrim.

“Not many people know that Pwllheli was once an important pilgrimage site – we tend to focus more on the ancient pilgrimage route to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey).

“But Hywel Rheinallt wrote in the 15th Century of hundreds of people coming on Mary’s feast day and says “this holy town is Mary’s ground.” Hywel Rheinallt was a bard.

Fr Bryant said she asked “for the strength to accept her death and find peace”.

He continued: “This she received and in thanksgiving organised a gift to the shrine upon her death, a piece of the veil worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the Christ’s cross.”

It is thought the 6m-long silk veil was first transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople – modern day Istanbul.

It was then given to the Emperor Charlemagne in 876 AD by the Byzantine Empress Irene, but it is currently kept in the cathedral in Chartres in France.

Officials claim the piece given to St Peter’s Church was removed from the full veil in 1829 and sealed with Spanish wax, bearing the imprint of the coat of arms of Fr Giuseppe Mancini, Archbishop of Sienna.

… Read More

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