Violence between Christian farming communities and Muslim Fulani herdsmen in the middle belt areas of Nigeria has increased in recent years, although the land-based rivalry is ongoing.

Many Christians fled the more Muslim Northern states because of lack of opportunities and discrimination and settled in areas such as Plateau state and Benue state. However, these areas now face violence and the increasing targetting of church communities.

Sulieman, a Christian from Nigeria, told Premier that Plateau state had experienced some of the worst violence: “This year alone we counted more than 56 villages that have been attacked” he said, “even last week, there has been at least three attacks…these attacks target these communities; burning houses, killing people and basically displacing people from their homes, from their farmlands and from their sources of income”

When asked why this was happening, he explained that it was a battle over land – as Christians move from the north to avoid discrimination they clash with those in the states they move to.

“The attacks from 2009-2014 have mostly been through Boko Haram in the north east, where several Christians were uprooted from their communities and many of those people ran from those communities to places like Jos and Plateau state to find a place of refuge, but now we struggle with communities being attacked by Muslim…

Benedict Rogers from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said any forthcoming trip could only be endorsed if the pontiff took regime leader Kim Jong Un to task over human rights concerns.

He said: “On the surface, it’s of course a welcome invitation but I think it should be treated with a huge amount of caution.”

“If the pope does accept the invitation, he should only do so if he goes and speaks about the horrific human rights situation – particularly religious freedom – in the country.”

A letter of invitation has been passed on from leaders in Pyongyang to the President of neighbouring South Korea, officials in Seoul announced on Tuesday. Moon Jan-in is due to meet Pope Francis during a visit to Europe next week.

It comes four months after a much-anticipated visit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

North Korea has consistently been named in Open Doors’ annual World Watch List as the country where persecution against Christians is worst.

Spokeswoman, Tamsin Taylor told Premier: “We know that there are 70,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korean camps.

“It would be really interesting to hear what the pope’s views are on a forthcoming visit.”

Following a similar invitation for the then-Pope John Paul II to visit North Korea, the Vatican said a papal trip would only be possible if Catholic priests were accepted there.

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The model measures 23 feet across and is 500,000 times smaller than the moon itself. It is made up of thousands of Nasa satellite images of the moon’s surface.

It features alongside Tim Peake’s Soyuz TMA-19M space capsule.

The cathedral, which is celebrating its 900th anniversary this year, won a competion to become the sixth location to host the Soyuz space capsule as it makes a tour of eight cities across the UK.

It has been presenting a programme of space-themed activities during the exhibition, including a StarDome presented by Leicester’s National Space Centre and now, the Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram.

The Very Rev Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said: “We are delighted that Museum of the Moon will join Tim Peake’s Spacecraft in the Cathedral during our 900th anniversary year.

“Just as the Cathedral has been lifting our eyes heavenward for centuries, so these contemporary works of art and science help us to do the same, prompting questions about our place in the universe, and the mystery and love of God that lie at the heart of it.”

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History was made when a record number of the Christian group’s leaders from around the globe voted for Sheran Harper from Guyana to represent and lead the 142 year old movement’s four million members in 84 countries.

“I am delighted to accept the role of Worldwide President for the new triennium,” Harper said in a statement.

“I feel very excited and privileged and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our members who voted to make this dream a reality.”

While Harper was born in the UK, she grew up in the Caribbean and later worked with the Ministry of Health in Guyana where she opened and managed new physiotherapy departments in hospitals throughout the country.

She joined Mother’s Union 17-years-ago and has since been responsible for the roll-out of their parenting programmes in 23 countries.

Further changes have been brought into place including the election of eleven trustees from within eleven zones worldwide – five from the provinces within Britain and Ireland and six from outside.

The current worldwide president, Lynne Tembey, oversaw the constitutional changes with the current board’s help.

She said: “I thank God for his abundant blessings and his unfailing loving guidance.

“I pray that the Lord will continue to guide members and leaders everywhere and especially Sheran and the new worldwide board as they take up leadership of the Worldwide Mothers’ Union for the…

The Christian charity Hope UK says its poll of 100 congregations shows many may not know how to respond to situations such as teenagers smoking cannabis in their car park.

Chief executive officer, Joe Griffiths told Premier: “The drugs policy, in its simplest form, is a set of guidelines that ensure issues related to drugs and alcohol are treated fairly and efficiently within your church.

“Part of your drugs policy should be a lot of allocation towards prevention work; working with young people within your church and doing drug education work with them”.

A drugs policy ought to set out which substances are not acceptable within church and how the use of drugs for medicinal purposes can be managed, according to Hope UK.

The organisation, which promotes drugs literacy, found 75-per-cent of churches lack paperwork on how to guide young people who are offered drugs by their friends or strangers.

Ninety-nine-per-cent of churches who did not have a drugs policy admitted it would be a good idea.

Joe Griffiths added: “Only 43-per-cent of respondents said that they did have a drugs policy, that everyone was trained and followed the policy.

“That actually means that of those 57-per-cent of churches that aren’t training their staff, effectively, they don’t have a drugs policy.”

Click here to listen to Premier’s John Pantry and…