The verses from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians were broadcast on radio and Flemish TV station VRT from a Catholic mass in the town of Grimbergen.

A lay reader quoted Ephesians 5 22-33: “Women, be submissive to your husband as the husband to the Lord. For the man is the head of the woman as Christ is the head of the church.”

Sven Gatz, Flemish Minister for Culture, Youth, Media and Brussels, told newspaper Het Nieuwsblad: “The fact that they come from an old book is not an argument for letting them go to our people.

“This is not of this time, and that it is broadcast on the VRT for the whole of Flanders is already completely crazy.”

VRT has welcomed debates but in a statement pointed out that the verse that had sparked controversy had been taken out of context.

A spokesman for the Dutch Bible society told the Telegraph: “The contested statement is preceded by a very different sentence, ‘Accept each other’s authority out of respect for Christ’.

“This indicates that this is a very different matter than legitimisation of the oppression of women by men.”

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They responded to Far and Wide, a website which had warned potential visitors the central London landmark is also “so darn crowded” with “herds of tourists.”

A spokesman was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “Over a million people visited the Abbey last year… all appear to have enjoyed their visit or their moment of worship.”

The attraction was among 30 sites – which also included Stonehenge in Wiltshire – featured in a list of “Overhyped, overrated tourist traps to avoid at all costs”.

While acknowledging the Abbey is “impressive”, the article also reminded visitors they will need to go elsewhere if you want to see the resting place of William Shakespeare or the place when Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married.

It continues: “There are a lot of famous churches and cathedrals in the UK; make sure this is one you really want to see.”

In its own response, Jennifer Davies, the lead at English Heritage for Stonehenge, told the Daily Mail: “People flock from all over the world to experience this enduring symbol of mystery and ancient achievement.

“Last year, 1.5 million visitors came to Stonehenge… we’re sorry this writer didn’t see it that way”.

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Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassaké-Nisibi has said Kurdish authorities in north-east Syria are determined to drive out Christians from the region.

The senior church leader has claimed that the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS), the Kurdish self-governing regional authority, has been unfairly closing Christian schools.

Archbishop Hindo told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the DFNS has targeted 85-year-old Christian institutions because of their refusal to comply with the new Kurdish curriculum.

“The Kurdish officials had assured us that they would not even look at the private [Catholic] schools, but they not only looked at them, they closed them,” he said.

“For years I have been saying that the Kurds are trying to eliminate the Christian presence in this part of Syria.

“Since the beginning of the year, the local government has already taken possession of about 100 state-run schools and introduced their own curriculum and textbooks.”

“They do not want us to instruct pupils in the liturgical language, Syriac, and they do not want us to teach history because they prefer to drum their own history into the heads of pupils.”

He expressed concern that Kurdish forces will close the remaining Christian schools and has urged the international community to take action.

“The West cannot keep silent, Archbishop Hindo said.

“You are…

International Bible translation charity Wycliffe Associates said it wants to begin Bible translation in hundreds of languages in Indonesia in the next six months after church bombings earlier this year.

The charity said attacks on Christian churches as recently as May, where 13 people died in three church bombings on the same day, haven’t deterred Indonesian Christians from wanting to see the Bible translated into their respective languages.

Bruce Smith, CEO of Wycliffe Associates said: “People are so hungry for hope, desperate for the truth of God’s Word even in remote areas, even in areas of intense persecution.”

More than 700 languages are spoken across Indonesia, and Wycliffe Associates has received multiple requests from Christians there who want to translate the Bible for their own language groups.

Smith added: “Now the word is out Christians all over this 13,000-island nation are pleading for the training and tools to get started translating the Scriptures into their own heart language.”

Wycliffe Associates hopes to provide 1,021 computer tablets with translation software to mother tongue translators in Indonesia.

“Translators are waiting and ready, willing to risk everything in order to offer God’s Word to their people,” Smith said.

“But until they have the tools, their people-after waiting for decades-can only keep waiting. I believe the time is now.”

To…