Australia: Christians call ‘time to defend the faith with flowers’
A private member’s bill to legalise same sex marriage is expected to be presented to Federal Parliament in the week beginning Monday 10 August. In response to this move Christian ministries and organisations are asking Christians across the nation to defend their faith and make a visible statement to Australia’s national leaders of their desire for the definition of marriage to remain as being between a man and a woman. Christians are asked to say ‘Thank you with Flowers’ to Australian PMs who are valiantly defending the existing Biblical Covenant of Marriage between a man and a woman. Flowers are used to express thanks for life from the heart and Christians are going to take steps to set in place a carpet of flowers at Parliament House, Canberra on 10 August as a united expression of prayer and thanks to our Prime Minister and those supporting traditional marriage in Parliament.
China: International concern as more lawyers detained
United Nations human rights experts, the European Union, UK, US and others have expressed concern regarding the detention of over 200 lawyers and activists in China since 10 July. (See Prayer-Alert 15July)
On 16 July, five UN independent experts called on the Chinese authorities to stop harassing and intimidating lawyers and their colleagues, stating that ‘Lawyers are essential to ensure the rule of law; they need to be protected not harassed’. The British Embassy in Beijing expressed deep concern about the detentions. The US strongly urged China to release all those who have recently been detained for seeking to protect the rights of Chinese citizens. Last week, the UK’s Law Society wrote to the Chinese Premier raising concerns about the situation. The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said the ‘wave of repression constitutes an undeniable setback in US-China relations’.
Canada: North Korea shows captive Canadian pastor ‘confessing’
Last month we reported on a Canadian Church having very little information about their founding pastor, Hyeon Soo Lim, detained in North Korea since early March. On 2 August North Korea released video footage of him confessing that he had committed crimes against the state. Dressed in a dark blue suit and tie Lim appeared to be reading from a script. ‘The worst crime I committed was to rashly defame and insult the highest dignity and the system of the republic.’ Last week he appeared before the media confessing to crimes aimed at overthrowing the state and was quoted saying he had travelled to North Korea in the guise of humanitarian work to gather information that he used outside the country to drive the regime to a collapse. Lim, a Canadian citizen, has over the years visited North Korea and established an orphanage and a nursing home.
Thousands of Christians who fled IS facing long-term refugee status
Christians forced to flee Islamic State last year are still living in refugee camps and losing hope of ever returning home. Mosul-born Chaldean Catholic Sahar Mansour is now living in the refugee camp at Ankawa after being driven from his home by militants last year. There are more than 1,700 Syriac Catholic families living in the camp, ministered to by priests including Father Bashar Kthea, who himself fled from Qaraqosh last August. Qaraqosh was once home to Iraq's largest Christian community. It was overrun by Islamic State jihadists in 2014. Writing on behalf of Father Kthea to Catholic News Service Mansour said there is growing discontentment and frustration in the camp, particularly among young people for whom there are few prospects. ‘The majority of the young people are thinking not to stay in Erbil anymore and they do their best to flee,’ Sahar said.
