Rt Rev Dr William Henry, the Moderator, wrote to all ministers and congregations in the denomination in Northern Ireland, where there has been a political stalemate in their assembly for nearly three years, saying this winter election “will open in darkness and close in darkness.”

The leader read: “For younger members of your congregation this may be an exciting time as they engage and participate in their first General Election. However, given the ongoing stagnation in Northern Ireland’s political situation, or the stalemate over Brexit at Westminster, which precipitated this very election, and other more seasonal reasons, some may feel a little reluctant to go out and vote.

 
 
“Even so, may I encourage you and your congregation to approach this General Election prayerfully and to vote in the hope that those we elect will work with a commitment to the common good and with generosity of spirit towards one another?

There are 18 seats in Northern Ireland, with the DUP currently holding 10, Sinn Fein on 7 and one independent.
 
He added that election day “may provide additional opportunities to demonstrate in both a practical and personal way the love of Christ through offering a lift to those who may have difficulty in getting out to vote, or may be a little apprehensive about venturing to a polling station in the cold or the dark.
 
“Engaging and participating…

The reports come from multiple sources including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCRIF) and Humanists International.

The USCIRF reports there are 80 people in Pakistan imprisoned on blasphemy charges.

The latest Freedom of Thought report from Humanists International says Pakistan remains a “perennial offender” in imprisoning people for blasphemy – long after the country’s Supreme Court discredited the high-profile case against Asia Bibi.
 
According to the report: “The authorities prosecuted a total of 1,170 blasphemy cases between 1987 and 2012, with scores of new cases every year. Civil society reports estimate that in 2017 alone at least 50 individuals were imprisoned on charges of blasphemy, with at least 17 facing possible death sentences.”

Andrew Boyd from Release International, a charity supporting persecuted Christians told Premier: “Whether you’re found guilty or acquitted as Asia Bibi was, it is effectively a death sentence [being accused of blasphemy], there’s a number of different forms of it. It could be blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed, it could be something that is said against Muhammad, or it could be disrespecting the Quran.”

More than 70 people have been murdered following blasphemy allegations since 1990, according to Al Jazeera.
 
In 2018 Amnesty International reported a large increase in blasphemy cases since the…

The Congregation of Christian Brothers, a Catholic community who do evangelism and youth work, owed €6.8m to agency Caranua because of a pledge they made to the organisation.

The Irish Department of Education and Skills said on Monday that it had been paid, completed through a series of monthly cash transfers between September and December this year.

Caranua, a state body, was set up to deal with a €110m scheme to help improve housing, health and education for people who suffered abuse as children in residential institutions.

The Irish Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, whose department oversees the survivor fund, said: “I welcome the latest contributions made by the Christian Brothers as it fulfils the congregation’s pledge to complete its voluntary contributions.

“These payments ensure that Caranua has access to the full €110m in cash contributions which were committed to.

“Most importantly, the financial contributions will allow Caranua to continue its supports for survivors.”

The Congregation of Christian Brothers has now voluntarily contributed a total of €30 million toward redress.

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With the theme “Follow the Star”, the advert tells the story of Christmas preparations at St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees.

The advert is accompanied by singers from Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir performing “We Three Kings”, which is the Church’s official 2019 Christmas carol. Featuring in the advert are refugees and asylum seekers who attend St Peter’s, together with Stockton residents.

In the ad, members of the congregation speak lines from ‘We Three Kings’ in turn. One line is spoken in the Farsi (Persian) language by an asylum seeker who fled his native Iran.

Other members of the church’s English Language Class, which serves people from more than 30 countries, also feature, together with pensioners who hang a large star from the church tower and a trio of ‘wise men’.

The parish priest, Rev Bill Braviner said: “Jesus was a refugee and the themes of displacement and journeying are at the heart of the Christmas story.

“Nowadays, journeys are not made by donkey or camel but, as in the time, of Jesus they can be perilous – especially for those fleeing oppression and war.

“The star on our church shows Jesus as the destination for all who travel to Christmas, from near and far, wherever they are in the world, and the best bit is that the story doesn’t end after the Christmas lights have come down.”

Michael, a Christian from Iran who speaks in Farsi (Persian) in the…

St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle which dates back to the 1400s, is to sell 35 of its Victorian-era oak pews to raise money ahead of a £6m renovation.

Project chiefs said the decoratively carved benches, made in the 1880s, could become garden furniture or be used in hotels and restaurants.

They will be sold on a first come, first served basis for upwards of £450 and it is hoped the sales will raise up to £20,000.

Their replacement will be “plain, simple benches and chairs” which can be moved about easily for concerts and community events. Pews in the choir area will be left in place.

It comes after Durham Cathedral raised £125,000 by auctioning off 85 weather-beaten pieces of stonework which dated back to the mid-1800s. 

Lindy Gilliland, who is managing the St Nicholas Cathedral project, said “many” churches and cathedrals in the UK are selling items to raise money for maintenance.

She told the BBC: “Christmas is the cathedral’s busiest time so we will only have a short period to take them out before works start in mid-January.

“The pews are mid-Victorian era, from approximately 1882 when the parish church became a cathedral, and are very solid with beautiful decorative carving at the ends.

“It’s a shame to lose them, but we will keep six decorative ends as a record as well as documentary photos.”

The cathedral was awarded £4.2m of lottery funding this year,…