He said we should “overcome our fears so as to encounter the other, to welcome, to know, and to acknowledge” others.

In his message to mark the day, the pope stressed the need to create a welcoming environment for migrants and refugees stating that:  “Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age.”

He proposed four action-oriented initiatives to respond to migrants: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.

He said that all immigrants should be “empowered to achieve their potential as human beings, in all the dimensions which constitute the humanity intended by the Creator”.

Pope Francis added that the Church is ready to take such steps but “political communities and civil societies” need to pitch in to for the initiative to become a reality.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales said the Office for Migration Policy will prioritise its work with the UK Government and other partners to create welcoming environments and provide well-resourced community sponsorship programmes in parishes. 

According to Christian religious freedom charity China Aid, the Christians have been unfairly swept up in a province-wide crackdown on a cult and now their lawyers’ qualifications have come under government review.

The charity said 200 people have been arrested across Yunnan Province for supposed involvement in a religious organisation called Three Grades of Servant’s.

The Chinese Communist Party has deemed the group a dangerous cult and 40 Christians have been accused of being part of it.

Lawyer Li Guisheng told China Aid a group of his clients have been “accused of being cult leaders, gathering secretly in different regions of Yunnan, doing missionary work, recruiting new members, spreading apocalypse rumors, rebuilding Three Grades of Servant’s buildings, accommodating secret gatherings, and fostering new religious leaders”.

However, all of the accused Christians maintained that they only believed in Jesus.

One of the defendants said “she only had done good work according to Biblical principles and preached how humans can be saved, never harming anyone”.

China Aid wrote in a statement: “Just recently, local officials accused their lawyers of defending them illegally, even though ten Christians… have yet to be tried and every Chinese person has the right to a lawyer….

Jerry Falwell Jr President of Liberty University in Virginia showed his support for Mr Trump in a tweet.

Complaining about the temperament of the @POTUS or saying his behavior is not presidential is no longer relevant. @realDonaldTrump has single-handedly changed the definition of what behavior is “presidential” from phony, failed & rehearsed to authentic, successful & down to earth

— Jerry Falwell (@JerryFalwellJr) January 10, 2018

Falwell’s backing came after several claims Mr Trump  used vulgar language to reject an immigration bill, asking why the US would take in more people from Haiti and *expletive* “countries” in Africa.

It’s also alleged that he said the US should bring more people in from places like Norway.

Despite several people who were present in the meeting confirming the statement and claiming it was “racist”, the US president has denied that he used those words, but admitted on Twitter that what he said was “tough”.

On the other hand, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, has seemed to express his disappointment in Mr Trump’s alleged comments.

The megachurch pastor tweeted a Bible verse, without mentioning the controversy.

“He flatters himself and does not hate or even recognize his guilt. The words from his mouth are nothing but trouble and deception. He has stopped doing what is wise and good. He invents trouble while lying on his bed. ” Psalm 36:2-4 (GWT)

— Rick Warren (@RickWarren) January 13, 2018

Several…

Christian humanitarian charity Tearfund, which commissioned the survey, said the results of the nationwide poll were an encouraging reminder that people still recognise the importance of prayer.

Rev Virginia Luckett, Tearfund’s UK churches team director, told Premier: “I found that really encouraging because it shows God is on the move whether people recognise him themselves personally or not.”

Among those who pray but are not religious, 55 per cent say they pray in times of personal crisis or tragedy, 32 per cent say they pray on the off chance that something could change and 24 per cent say they pray as a last resort.

The poll also revealed women are more likely to say they pray than men and while half of UK adults pray, far fewer attend church regularly.  Only 9 per cent do so at least once per month.

Family is ranked the number one topic of prayer for the half Brits who say they pray. It’s followed by thanking God, healing and friends.

Worldwide issues, such as praying for global poverty or natural disasters, rank seventh on the list, which Tearfund said highlights a challenge for the charity.

Rev Luckett told Premier: “Prayer is absolutely essential to our work. We don’t believe we could tackle global poverty without prayer. We understand the root cause of poverty is broken relationships… and we know it’s only Jesus Christ that can truly change people’s hearts and minds.”

As a part of Tearfund’s 50^th anniversary, the organisation…

The programme, due to be aired on Sunday, commemorates the 150 years of the Scripture Union.

Wearing a fuchsia ensemble, the Queen joined a congregation of friends and supporters of the organisation to mark its work encouraging children and young people to explore their faith.

The pre-recorded event, hosted by singer Katherine Jenkins, featured readings by Baroness Floella Benjamin.

The Queen, who has a strong faith which she often reflects upon in her annual Christmas address to the nation and Commonwealth, sat at the head of the congregation.

The Rev Tim Hastie-Smith, national director of the Scripture Union, said: “It was absolutely brilliant the Queen was able to join us, the fact that she found the time to be with us this afternoon, with a whole load of children and people celebrating God’s love, is an incredible thrill.”

 Songs of Praise airs on BBC One, on Sunday 14 at 4.30pm.