In 2014, Louy and his wife, Huda, left the town Bartella with their son, Sharbel, and respective parents, leaving behind their home and most of their possessions.

At first, they stayed in a tent at a church compound in Erbil. They later rented somewhere to live.

Louy said: “In the beginning we expected to stay for only two or three days, but the days became weeks and, we knew that it would be much longer. But we always believed that one day we would return.”

When they did, they said their house was almost unrecognisable. IS painted their slogans on the walls and raided the house. The doors were stolen and windows were broken.

Christian charity Open Doors said the family wept as the sight of the house but Louy said there was a silver lining.

“They didn’t burn the house down and it wasn’t bombed,” he said.

Louy’s house is one of the 1,274 houses in the Nineveh Plain that Open Doors’ local partners have been able to fully restore.  Around 300 of these are in Bartella.

The town is recovering from the trauma it experienced after being overrun by IS.

Thousands of Christians have been able to come home, but there are still security issues and the need for redevelopment.

“It would be terrible to see the region without Christians. Iraq without Christians? That would be impossible. That means that you won’t feel love anymore,” Louy said.

Iraq is number 13…

Mike James, who has organised the Cotswold Ghost Tours in Prestbury, Gloucestershire for four years, said he was forced to end the tours after being harassed by Rev Nick Bromfield.

James said the vicar, who’s the rector of north Cheltenham, left numerous voicemails and emails complaining about the tours. In one email, Rev Bromfield, said he “no longer wished to have St Mary’s [church] associated with the promotion of ghost tours”.

Rev Bromfield told the BBC James hadn’t asked permission to use “numerous photographs” of the church on the tour’s website.

He added: “Several people spoke to me about their concern that they are unchristian and bordering on the occult.

“I agree with those concerns.”

The tour’s website promises customers “gripping stories of the paranormal” and a tour that brings to life “the mesmerising, but creepy myths and fables” of the area.

The vicar also raised the concern tour guides possibly not having the right documentation to work with minors.

James said the photos of the church are only a “small part of the website” and “we make it clear we don’t take unaccompanied minors”.

Rev Bromfield has denied harassing James and said that his calls and emails were met with no response.

A statement on the tour’s website said: “There has been some concern from the local parish church in Prestbury about the proximity of our…

According to new figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) last week, there were an estimated 726 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered in 2018. It represents a 22 per cent increase, which is the largest rise since the figures began in 2013.

The ONS said a key driver of the change is the number of deaths related to drug poisonings, which are up by 55 per cent.

Rev Mike Long, Minister of Notting Hill Methodist Church and Chair of Shelter’s Commission, called ‘A Vision for Social Housing’, said: “These deaths represent the tragic tip of the iceberg in terms of the suffering that homelessness causes.

“Hundreds of thousands of people are classed as homeless in Britain today, having to cope with ‘temporary’ accommodation that in many cases is harmful to physical and mental health. This makes no economic sense nor is it morally acceptable.”

Roger Clark, CEO of West London Mission (WLM), which has supported thousands of homeless and vulnerable people since 1887, called the issue “an absolute scandal”.

He added: “Those that have passed must not be forgotten for whom they were and their legacy must be action.”

At WLM, a range of services prevent homelessness through helping people to make changes in their lives.

“At present we are focused on getting our centre at Seymour Place, Marylebone refurbished and relaunched to give people a route…

In a video posted on Twitter on Thursday for World Mental Health Day he said he realised last year that he was depressed.

“One of my children who has been very public about it understands these things, and had taught me that there’s no stigma to this, it’s just life. I went and got help,” he said.

“It’s not always easy but it made a huge difference.”

I wanted to share something about my experience with depression – and my hope that we continue to break down the stigma around mental health. #WorldMentalHealthDay pic.twitter.com/9h3Vzq0Sm0

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) October 10, 2019

He encouraged people who feel like they’re “walking in darkness” to not walk alone.

“We need people to know that their friends will go on loving them, that’s it’s not a disgrace to suffer from mental ill health”.

Archbishop Justin referred to Psalm 88,which he described as a psalm of someone who was “really severely depressed”.

“It’s tough, but they’re still looking outwards,” he said.

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Christian charity Middle East Concern said Mahrokh (Roksare) Kanbari was convicted of “propaganda against the system” after a hearing at Karaj Revolutionary Court on 27 July.

She was initially arrested shortly before Christmas 2018, when three agents from Iranian intelligence raided her home and confiscated mobile phones, Bibles and other Christian materials.

Kanbari endured ten days of intense interrogation before her conditional release on submission of bail of 30 million Toman (approximately £2,000).

US Vice President Mike Pence appealed for her acquittal in a Tweet on 2 August, writing: “I am appalled to hear reports that Iran’s despotic rulers have punished yet another Christian woman for exercising her freedom to worship. Iran must free Mahrokh Kanbari today. Whether Sunni, Sufi, Baha’i, Jewish or Christian, America will stand up for people of faith in Iran like Marokh.”

Kanbari’s friends have asked Christians to pray that “the Lord will use politicians and human rights defenders around the world to speak up for religious freedom and the Iranian authorities will stop harassing, arresting and imprisoning religious minorities in Iran”.

They also have asked that Christians will be inspired by the example of Kanbari and others to “stand firm in the faith for the sake of Jesus Christ”.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a…

The “Affirm Dignity-End Euthanasia” campaign has highlighted Belgium and the Netherlands as countries of particular concern as the annual numbers of euthanasia there continue to increase.

“The slippery slope is on full public display in Belgium, and we can clearly see the tragic consequences,” said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International.

“According to the most recent government report, more than six people per day are killed in this way, and that may yet be the tip of the iceberg. The figures expose the truth that, once these laws are passed, the impact of euthanasia cannot be controlled.

“Belgium has set itself on a trajectory that implicitly tells its most vulnerable, including the elderly, that their lives are not worth living. This is not an example that other countries should follow.”

In Belgium, these laws were amended in 2014 to also include children.

The campaign aims to inform about the reality of euthanasia through personal stories and testimonies, ongoing legal cases, and research into the impact of euthanasia.

Robert Clarke, director of European Advocacy for ADF International said: “The legalisation of euthanasia implicitly tells the most vulnerable that they are a burden. With this campaign, we want to send the opposite message.”

The campaign, which has been launched a day before World Hospice and Palliative Care Day,…

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January 2017, when the DUP and Sinn Fein split in a bitter row.

If the Northern Ireland Executive is not restored by 21 October, the UK Parliament has placed an obligation on the UK Government to legalise same sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland.

The leaders of the Catholic Church in Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, and the Methodist Church explained to Julian Smith on Wednesday the urgent need for the devolved government to be restored before the deadline to avoid “unacceptably wide-ranging abortion legislation being imposed on Northern Ireland”.

The church leaders said in a statement: “The protection and the dignity of all human life is of vital importance, both women and unborn children – both lives matter.

“We believe that our Northern Ireland political parties have it in their own hands to do something about this. They all need to take risks, especially for the most vulnerable in society, and make the compromises necessary to find an accommodation that will restore the devolved institution.”

A statement on the UK government’s website states that: “It has always been the Government’s strong preference for decisions on sensitive, devolved matters such as these to be taken by the locally elected representatives of the people of Northern Ireland.”

Mr Smith has said it’s…