ISIS Crucifies Catholic Priest Father Thomas Uzhunnalil on Good Friday

-
0
ISIS Crucifies Catholic Priest Father Thomas Uzhunnalil on Good Friday

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Father Tom Uzhunnalil” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Father Tom Uzhunnalil” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/95168/father-tom-uzhunnalil.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Facebook/ Tom Uzhunnalil)

Christian Post Report – Father Tom Uzhunnalil

Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, 56, a Catholic Priest who was kidnapped by the Islamic State earlier this month was crucified by militants on Good Friday, according to Austrian media.

Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, told a congregation gathered in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the Austrian capital that the Salesian priest had been crucified.

The Christian Post reported last week that Father Uzhunnalil was believed to have been kidnapped by IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL) during an attack at a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement home in Aden, Yemen, on March 4. During the attack, the militants killed 16 people, including four nuns. No trace of Uzhunnalil was found after the attack but a neighbor reportedly witnessed militants taking the priest and driving away with him in a car.

Cardinal Schönborn’s report is yet to be confirmed.

Several posts on social media, including one on Facebook by the South African-based Franciscan Sisters of Siessen which has since been removed, had warned of the priest’s pending fate.

“Was informed that the Salesian priest, Fr.Tom who was kidnapped by ISIS from the Missionaries of Charity Home in Yemen is being tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday,” the post stated. “This calls for serious concerted prayers from all of us. Can we all pray 3 ‘I Believe for the conversion of people who are persecuting Christians’ and 3 Hail Marys for Fr. Tom.”

Father Uzhunnalil was a priest from Bangalore, India, who dedicated his life to serving the poor and disadvantaged around him, according to Catholic Online.

Father C.P. Varghese of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church and Father Mike Pampara of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Gothenburg, Nebraska, told KNOP News that they both knew Father Uzhunnalil when news first broke that he was captured. They prayed, however, that the information was wrong.

“We worked in the same province until I came over to the United States,” Father Varghese said.

Father Pampara added: “We grew up together. We hope the social media that gave the news, we hope it is really wrong. We hope it is not true. We hope and pray that because really it is not confirmed there’s still no body who’s claimed responsibility so we are not sure what is happening.”

CP reached out to Father Pampara for a reaction to the reported death of his colleague on Monday morning but he was unavailable.

Church officials had denied initial reports of Father Uzhunnalil’s kidnap and pending crucifixion by IS.

“We have absolutely no information” on Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, said Father Mathew Valarkot, spokesman for the Salesians’ Bangalore province to which the kidnapped priest belonged, according to UCA News.

Church offices in the Vatican and Vatican diplomatic channels were also reportedly working to locate the priest and secure his release. Father Valarkot further noted that the Salesians had been pressuring government officials for answers.

“But even today we do not know who has taken him and what their motives are because no one has claimed responsibility,” Father Valarkot said.

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

Source : Christian Post

Pope Francis Washes, Kisses Feet of Muslim Refugees on Easter, Says All People Are ‘Children of Same God’

-
0
Pope Francis Washes, Kisses Feet of Muslim Refugees on Easter, Says All People Are ‘Children of Same God’

Pope Francis (Photo: Osservatore Romano / Reuters )

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis kisses the foot of a refugee during the foot washing ritual at the Castelnuovo di Porto refugees center near Rome, Italy, March 24, 2016.

Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of 12 refugees on Holy Thursday last week in preparation of Easter, declaring that people of all religions are “children of the same God.”

“All of us together: Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Copts, Evangelicals … all brothers and children of the same God,” the pontiff said during mass before the foot washing ceremony. “We want to live together in peace.”

The 12 refugees chosen to take part of the interfaith ceremony included Muslims, Coptic Christians, and one Hindu. For the fist time the foot washing event also included women, as Francis asked for them to be added.

The Maundy Thursday tradition dates back to the Last Supper of Christ, where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

Pope Francis has participated in several such ceremonies throughout his time as pontiff, including at juvenile detention centers, where he has also broken from tradition and washed the feet of women.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, has attempted to explain the symbolic value of Francis’ efforts:

“His actions mean to tell us that it is important to pay due attention to the weakest in this historic moment; that we are all called to restore their dignity without resorting to subterfuge. We are urged to look forward to Easter with the eyes of those who make of their faith a life lived in service to those whose faces bear signs of suffering and violence,” Fisichella said.

The Roman Catholic Church leader has been outspoken about the plight of refugees coming into Europe, many of them fleeing war and persecution, and has warned that those who ignore their plight are like the people who washed their hands of Jesus’ fate.

In a Palm Sunday homily last week, Francis recalled the “mockery, insults, and spitting,” along with the beatings and torture that Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers before His crucifixion.

“Pilate then sends Him to Herod, who in turn sends Him to the Roman governor. Even as every form of justice is denied to Him, Jesus also experiences in His own flesh indifference, since no one wishes to take responsibility for His fate,” he said, and then paused to reflect: “And I am thinking of so many people, so many on the margins, so many refugees” for whom “many don’t want to assume responsibility for their destiny.”

Francis has urged European leaders to refuse to allow fear and uncertainty to get in the way of helping the refugees.

“Extremism and fundamentalism find fertile soil not only in the exploitation of religion for purposes of power, but also in the vacuum of ideals and the loss of identity — including religious identity — which dramatically marks the so-called West,” the pope told European diplomats in January.

“This vacuum gives rise to the fear which leads to seeing the other as a threat and an enemy, to closed-mindedness and intransigence in defending preconceived notions.”

Source : Christian Post

‘Batman v Superman’ Oscar Winning Actor Jeremy Irons Under Attack for Pro-Life Comments

-
0
‘Batman v Superman’ Oscar Winning Actor Jeremy Irons Under Attack for Pro-Life Comments

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Actor Jeremy Irons arrives at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 15, 2012.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Actor Jeremy Irons arrives at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 15, 2012.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/59578/actor-jeremy-irons-arrives-at-the-69th-annual-golden-globe-awards-in-beverly-hills-california-january-15-2012.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Reuters/Danny Moloshok)

Christian Post Report – Actor Jeremy Irons arrives at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 15, 2012.

British actor Jeremy Irons is receiving criticism on social media for saying that abortion harms a woman both psychologically and physically, and that the Church is right in calling it a sin.

“Take abortion … I believe women should be allowed to make the decision, but I also think the Church is right to say it’s a sin,” Irons, the “Die Hard With a Vengeance” star, told The Guardian.

“Because sin is actions that harm us,” the 67-year-old actor, who plays Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” explained. “Lying harms us. Abortion harms a woman — it’s a tremendous mental attack, and physical, sometimes. But we seem to get that muddled. In a way, thank God the Catholic Church does say we won’t allow it, because otherwise nobody’s saying that it’s a sin.”

Backlash began soon after Irons’ comments.

“Jeremy Irons, a man who’s previously equated gay marriage to incest, spent a recent Guardian interview preaching about the mental and physical cost of abortion. Jeremy, my guy! Do us all a favor and shut your [expletive] cake hole, okay?” wrote a blogger on Jezebel.com.

The Marie Claire magazine tweeted: “Jeremy Irons has WAY too many strong opinions about abortion,” with a link to an article it carried on the actor’s comments.

However, Irons was also thanked by some of fans for speaking the truth. “Thank you, Jeremy Irons, for speaking truth about the harm abortion brings to women!” said Live Action on Twitter.

In the interview, Irons also suggested that the U.K. is based on Christian values.

“Our society is based on a Christian structure. If you take those religious tenets away, then anything goes and it will become terrible — and you usually get into trouble,” he said.

“Adultery might be very nice, but finally it [expletive] us up. And it [expletive] up the structure of society. We don’t steal — well, some people do — because it makes life intolerable for everybody. Yes, you can be in love and raise a family wonderfully by not being married, but actually marriage does give us a strength, because it’s quite hard to get out of, and so it makes us fight more to keep it together. If divorce becomes dead easy — which it sort of has — then we don’t have that backup. Because, for everybody, relationships are hard,” the actor added.

Source : Christian Post

Donald Trump ‘Judas’ Effigies Burned by Mexican Christians Celebrating Easter

-
0
Donald Trump ‘Judas’ Effigies Burned by Mexican Christians Celebrating Easter

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Mexicans burn an effigy of U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as they celebrate an Easter ritual late on Saturday in Mexico City’s poor La Merced neighborhood March 26, 2016.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Mexicans burn an effigy of U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as they celebrate an Easter ritual late on Saturday in Mexico City’s poor La Merced neighborhood March 26, 2016.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/95362/mexicans-burn-an-effigy-of-u-s-republican-presidential-hopeful-donald-trump-as-they-celebrate-an-easter-ritual-late-on-saturday-in-mexico-citys-poor-la-merced-neighborhood-march-26-2016.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Reuters/Henry Romero)

Christian Post Report – Mexicans burn an effigy of U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as they celebrate an Easter ritual late on Saturday in Mexico City’s poor La Merced neighborhood March 26, 2016.

Effigies of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, standing in place of Judas Iscariot from the Bible, were burned by Mexican Christians celebrating Easter rituals Saturday night.

Reuters reports that effigies of Trump were burned across Mexico in retaliation to the billionaire businessman’s divisive comments on illegal immigrants coming to America. Traditionally, such Easter effigies are modeled after Judas for his betrayal of Jesus Christ in the Bible.

“Since he started his campaign and began talking about immigrants, Mexico, and Mexicans, I said ‘I’ve got to get this guy,'” said Felipe Linares, one artisan who crafted a Trump effigy.

Photos and videos from an effigy burning event in Mexico City’s poor La Merced neighborhood showed a papier-mâché model of Trump, with a blue blazer, red tie, and blond hair, going up in flames to the sound of cheering residents.

Trump has repeatedly insisted throughout his presidential campaign that one of the main ways he will stop illegal immigration is by building a giant wall across the U.S. southern border, and would make the Mexican government pay for it.

He also said back in June: “I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people, but you have people coming through the border that are from all over. And they’re bad. They’re really bad. You have people coming in, and I’m not just saying Mexicans, I’m talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists and they’re coming into this country.”

Trump’s comments prompted much controversy in the U.S., with several big-name companies, including Macy’s, NBC Universal, and Univision, immediately severing their business relationship with the real estate mogul.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has further rejected any suggestions that Mexico would agree to pay for such a wall, and has compared Trump to German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“And there have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations in the history of humanity,” the Mexican president said earlier in March.

“That’s how Mussolini got in, that’s how Hitler got in, they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis,” he added.

Source : Christian Post

Islamic Radicals Kill 70 Pakistani Christians, Children Celebrating Easter in Park

-
0
Islamic Radicals Kill 70 Pakistani Christians, Children Celebrating Easter in Park

Pakistani Christians (Photo: Reuters/Mohsin Raza)

Christian Post Report – Family members mourn the death of a relative, who was killed in a blast that happened outside a public park on Sunday, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 28, 2016.

At least 70 people, mostly Christians and children, have been killed in a mass suicide attack in Lahore, Pakistan, on Easter Sunday, with the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terror group claiming responsibility and admitting it targeted Christians.

Another 300 people were injured in the bomb blast, which was carried out in a park in Lahore, close to a children’s playground which was more crowded than usual as the minority Christian population was celebrating Easter, BBC News reported.

Persecution watchdog groups have called for a response from the Western world, asking why close attention is only paid to terror attacks in the U.S. and Europe, and not elsewhere around the world as well.

“Today’s suicide bombing in Pakistan, which was specifically targeted at Christians celebrating the Easter holiday, is one of the countless examples of the escalating global persecution against Christians. Each life lost is precious. I’m disappointed that the Western world only seems to pay close attention when attacks happen here in the West. The lives lost in Africa, the Middle East or Southeast Asia are just as valuable as those lost in Europe or the United States. We should be equally outraged by their loss,” Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry responded to the news in a statement.

“Countering the kind of terrorism we saw today in Pakistan will take strong leadership and skilled diplomacy from the United States with other like-minded nations. Together, we must speak out against religious persecution wherever it may be found,” he added.

Pakistani officials said on Monday that they are searching for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar militants that could have been involved in the planning of the attack, who according to Reuters are a Taliban splinter group that has pledged loyalty to the Islamic State.

“We must bring the killers of our innocent brothers, sisters and children to justice and will never allow these savage inhumans to over-run our life and liberty,” military spokesman Asim Bajwa said.

One witness explained that the park had been so overcrowded that he was unable to enter when he arrived there.

“We went to a canteen to have something to eat, when there was suddenly a big blast,” said the man, who gave his name as Danish.

“Everyone went panic, running to all directions. Many of them were blocked at the gate of the park. Dead bodies can be found everywhere.”

Another man who chose to remain anonymous told The Associated Press that he had taken 20 children to hospital, and said: “I can’t explain to you the tragic situation.”

A spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said that the attack on Christians was a direct challenge to the government.

“The target was Christians,” spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore.”

Pakistan’s minority Christian population has suffered numerous heavy attacks in the last few years, including a deadly bomb blast at a Peshawar church in 2013, where over 80 people were killed.

Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, explained that Pakistani Christians have a long tradition of celebrating as families at local park fun fairs, and said that the attackers specifically targeted children.

“The bomb that was packed full of ball bearings was set of near the children’s area with intent to pick off the most vulnerable of visitors to the park,” Chowdhry added, noting that the BPCA has started a donations fund for the victims.

Source : Christian Post

US State Dept. Omits Fact Pakistan Terror Attack Targeted Christians Celebrating Easter

-
0
US State Dept. Omits Fact Pakistan Terror Attack Targeted Christians Celebrating Easter

Christian Post Report – 1

2

3

4

  • Pakistan(Photo: Reuters/Mohsin Raza)
Men mourn the death of their relatives after a blast outside a public park in Lahore, Pakistan, March 27, 20Christian Post Report – 16.
  • Pakistan bomb blast(Photo: Reuters/Mohsin Raza)
    • Forensic officers look for evidence at the site of a blast that happened outside a public park on Sunday, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 28, 20Christian Post Report – 16.
  • Pakistan bomb blast(Photo: Reuters/Map)
    • Maps of Pakistan and Lahore locating a suicide bomb attack that killed dozens of people in a park on Sunday.
  • Pakistan(Photo: Reuters/Mohsin Raza)
    • Family members mourn the death of a relative, who was killed in a blast outside a public park on Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan, March 28, 20Christian Post Report – 16.

    The U.S. State Department of issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” Sunday’s suicide bombing in Pakistan but made no mention that the terror attack targeted Christians celebrating Easter.

    “This cowardly act, which targeted innocent civilians in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, has killed dozens and left scores injured,” the State Department said in its release after the attack in a busy park in the eastern city of Lahore on Sunday evening.

    At least 70 people were killed, mostly women and children who were on an Easter weekend outing, according to Reuters. About 340 others were wounded, and 25 of them are said to be in serious condition.

    Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility clearly said it was to challenge the government and Christians were the target.

    “The target was Christians,” the terror group’s spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan was quoted as saying. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore.”

    “The United States stands with the people and government of Pakistan at this difficult hour,” the State Department added. “We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Lahore as they respond to and recover from this terrible tragedy.”

    Lahore is seen as the power base of Sharif, and is the capital of Punjab province. The terror group has declared loyalty to the Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in the past.

    “Attacks like these only deepen our shared resolve to defeat terrorism around the world, and we will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat the threat of terrorism,” the State Department said.

    “We must bring the killers of our innocent brothers, sisters and children to justice and will never allow these savage inhumans to over-run our life and liberty,” Pakistan’s military spokesman Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.

    The attack took place hours after about 2, 000 people protested the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged last month for assassinating Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, in Islamabad, according to AFP.

    The protesters demanded that all Sunni clerics and leaders booked on various charges including murder and terrorism be released unconditionally, Qadri be declared as a martyr and that the controversial blasphemy laws must not be amended.

    Christians are routinely targeted by Islamists and others under the blasphemy laws.

    In December 2Christian Post Report – 104, seven gunmen from the Tehrik-i-Taliban group carried out an attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least Christian Post Report – 14Christian Post Report – 1 people, including Christian Post Report – 132 schoolchildren ranging between eight and Christian Post Report – 18 years of age.

    In 20Christian Post Report – 13, about 80 people were killed in a suicide bombing on a church in Peshawar.

    Source : Christian Post