Christians who remain in Syria 39 s Raqqa province nbsp may now be subject to a quot dhimmi pact quot In classical Islamic law a dhimmi or ldquo protected person rdquo is allowed to live in Muslim lands provided he pays the jizya a residency tax in a state of submission and abides by other

While worldwide attention has focused on Ukraine tensions or searched for signs of hope in Syrian peace negotiations in Geneva, conditions in the world’s newest nation, South Sudan, have deteriorated rapidly. A ceasefire signed on Jan. 23 that seemed to offer a chance for a peaceful resolution

Just two days ago they killed nbsp killed 59 pupils at a boarding school in Yobe state nbsp Why can 39 t these terrorists be stopped From Voice of America YOLA NIGERIA nbsp mdash Gunmen from Islamist sect Boko Haram shot dead at least 12 people during a four-hour siege on villages in northeas

I know parents who treat their children like little gods apparently the latest in Rome is to dress up your kid like a little pope This is the second papal mini-me shot to cross my desk this week Not sure I can endorse this particular innovation in Catholic parenting and this young man seems to h

There are lies, damn lies, statistics and now Congressional Budget Office estimates.

While most of the world has already ratified the U N 39 s Ottawa Convention banning the use of land mines the United States stands among the hold-outs with Russia Iran China Israel Vietnam Egypt and a collection of other mostly Arab and Middle and South East Asian states A decision may fina

As some African nations continue or contemplate a judicial and legislative clampdown on gay and lesbian people the Southern Cross South Africa 39 s Catholic weekly took an editorial stand recently ldquo It would require a very peculiar reading of the Gospel to locate Jesus anywhere else but at

Bureaucratic overreach, a fundamental misunderstanding of the interplay of canon law with secular authority, a headline-grabbing “food fight”: these are just some of the criticisms of a recent broadside from a United Nations committee reviewing the Vatican’s global record on the pr

Too little too late nbsp In an effort to quot define conclusively the posture of the congregation with respect to the behavior of Fr Marcial Maciel and his role as founder quot the nbsp Legion of Christ issued an apology today to Maciel 39 s legion of victims Many have argued that the order

A report highly critical nbsp of the Holy See 39 s response to the global crisis of clerical sexual abuse from the nbsp United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child nbsp was perhaps not a complete surprise giving the tone of the interrogation Vatican officials were treated to during their t