(LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic religious sister assaulted in broad daylight by an Israeli man has said she is praying for the conversion of her attacker. The nun has been identified as Sister Marie-Reine in a statement from a friend, Leah Maryam. Catholic lay theologian Gideon Lazar publicly shared the statement on Saturday morning. I recently spoke with a friend who knows this nun. I will share a message (with permission) from my friend here. Please join us in praying for the conversion of the attacker. “The sister attacked is Sr Marie-Reine, a French sister working at the Ecole Biblique. I saw Sr… https://t.co/Np3doSQZem — Gideon Lazar – The Byzantine Scotist (@ByzCat) May 2, 2026 Sr. Marie-Reine, a Frenchwoman who works for the French School of Biblical and Archeological Research in Jerusalem, did not suffer any “further complications” from the attack aside from a bloody right temple, according to Maryam. The nun described her attacker as a “middle-aged religious Jew” who is “somewhere between the hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) and the dati leumi (religious nationalist) camps,” adding that she was rescued by three Jewish bystanders. Gideon Saar, the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, personally called the nun “to apologize for the attack.” Sr. Marie-Reine is “praying for the conversion of her attacker,” according to Maryam. SHOCKING: Footage shows BRUTAL ATTACK on a Catholic nun in Jerusalem by a 36-year-old Israeli man. pic.twitter.com/gnZhRvtcta — LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) May 1, 2026 The 36-year-old attacker has been arrested and remains in custody, according to the Israeli government. The assault took place near King David’s tomb in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the attack as a “repulsive and barbaric hate crime.” Bishop William Shomali told EWTN last Thursday that, since the beginning of this year, “the aggressions against Christians in the West Bank are multiplying.” Last year in Jerusalem alone, 155 to 181 incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism targeted at Christians were recorded, according to the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue and the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC).

Despite growing in 2025, Bible engagement has ticked down and returned to 2024 levels, according to the American Bible Society’s (ABS) State of the Bible survey. Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start” Dr. John Plake, editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series and chief innovation officer at ABS, told CBN News the results came as many wondered “what was going to happen with Bible engagement in 2026.” “Unfortunately, the headline is that uptick did not stick,” he said. “In 2026 … both Bible use and Scripture engagement returned to about what they were in 2024.” ABS divides people into three groups. First, there’s Scripture Engaged, those who allow the Bible to shape their decisions and views. Next, there’s the Moveable Middle, which consists of people who are curious about the Bible but are often stuck or confused about Scripture. The third group is the Bible Disengaged, a cohort of people who never pick up the Bible intentionally but might accidentally encounter Scripture. With that in mind, Plake pinpointed another “headline” beneath the surface that’s worth noting. “The big headline here is that, compared to 2024, the Moveable Middle has increased in size by 9 million,” he said. “We actually see that the Bible Disengaged are down by 5 million compared to two years ago.” Plake continued, “There is this moment of opportunity that we have.” The researcher said people are curious right now and need context, and encouraged Christians to step up to the plate to help answer questions these curious believers in the Moveable Middle might have. Plake also noted the data shows men continue to grow steadily as Bible readers, moving from 22% in 2024, to 23% in 2025 — and now to 24% in the latest survey. “Those moments [of curiosity] are a gift to us,” he said, but warned of lost opportunities if Christians don’t engage. And Plake also detailed one of the “sleeper trends” in the data: journaling. Millennials who use the Bible (22%) practice Bible journaling, something in which he said only 15% of Bible users overall engage. With younger people engaging Scripture in that way, he believes it could indicate a bigger behavioral wave in the future and open new ways to curate biblical interest.

New Testament scholar Jeremiah J. Johnston believes the most compelling archaeological evidence for Jesus is the famed Shroud of Turin, a burial cloth believed by some to show an image created during Christ’s resurrection. “I’ve published 300,000 words on the resurrection of Jesus,” Johnston recently told CBN News. “That’s my personal expertise. I’m a historical Jesus scholar, did my PhD on the resurrection.” But until recently, he hadn’t written about the shroud — something he was once quite skeptical of, but has since fully embraced. “I have traveled the world meeting with the physicists, the scientists, the mathematicians, the medical doctors who have staked their academic reputation that the Shroud is not only authentic, but that there’s a one in 200 billion chance it’s not the Jesus of the Bible,” Johnston continued, “And I essentially collate all the data that I’ve learned over the last three years on the Shroud … and say, ‘Here is the best arguments for the shroud,’ because the shroud is a divine, literally itemized receipt of how much Jesus loves us.” The scholar believes that, outside the Bible, it’s the only artifact that documents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, thereby distinguishing it from other findings. “Nothing else does that,” Johnston said. “And so I find the shroud to be the most compelling.” Listen to the latest episode of "Quick Start" In his new book, “The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-to-Face with Jesus,” the scholar explores the Shroud of Turin and nine other discoveries that point to the historicity of Jesus. Johnston believes knowing more about these discoveries will help people better navigate faith discussions. “I’m just simply serving it up to them, guiding them by the hand to say, ‘Hey, here’s 10 discoveries that are unimpeachable that you can use to evangelize others and start with your own children,'” he said. Johnston hopes to help people see some powerful truths about Jesus: that the Lord never shames people when they doubt. Instead, Johnston said, Jesus “sharpens us.” Johnston hopes to inspire readers to see the archaeological evidence for Jesus as a compelling tool. “We all have moments of doubt, and so one thing I wanted to do in my book, ‘The Jesus Discoveries,’ was really affirm the body of Christ, that our faith in Jesus is well placed,” he said. “It’s historically accurate, it’s scientifically provable, and it is absolutely spiritually transformational.”

(LifeSiteNews) — The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, a traditionalist Catholic congregation based on Papa Stronsay in Scotland, have issued a declaration denouncing Paul VI through to Leo XIV as “papal pretenders”, and condemning the reforms of the Second Vatican Council as having “brought about a major schism from the Mystical Body.” The community – often called the “Transalpine Redemptorists” – was founded by Father Michael Mary Sim in 1987 under the auspices of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X, at the encouragement of Cardinal Édouard Gagnon. It was reconciled with the Vatican in 2012 and has operations in the U.S. and New Zealand. The letter attached to the declaration explains the community’s position regarding the state of the Church following Vatican II, detailing the prior teaching of the Church and arguing that there has been a significant departure from it. “If the See of Peter were to teach error,” the letter states, “then beyond any possible doubt, the person teaching that error is not a Catholic Pope. And if he is not a Catholic Pope, he is no Pope at all.” The text calls for an “Imperfect General Council” to make an authoritative declaration and resolve the crisis in the Church. The community’s letter also restates their regret for their previous reconciliation with the Vatican in 2012, stating that “there has been a great mistake on our part to think that the hierarchy of the Novus Ordo was sufficiently Catholic for us to operate under its command.” In July 2024, the Redemptorists were ordered to leave the Diocese of Christchurch within 24 hours by Bishop Michael Gielen. The community denied accusations made by Gielen and took canonical action against the eviction notice. In October 2025, the community issued an open letter “to the Catholic Bishops, Priests, Religious and Faithful” following their General Chapter. This open letter accused the modern hierarchy of betraying the faith and pledged to offer the Traditional Mass and spiritual help if “there is but one soul that asks.” Within a week, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, OSB of Aberdeen, Scotland, announced that he had been in touch with the Vatican to determine the group’s canonical standing. “The Diocese deeply regrets the tone, direction and key elements of this Letter,” he said on October 24. “The competent Dicasteries of the Holy See are also studying the situation and will provide canonical and doctrinal guidance.” Following the letter, the community issued another statement on November 7 denouncing Mater Populi Fidelis, a controversial doctrinal note that says it is “inappropriate” to apply the term “Co-Redemptrix” to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The document was issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) earlier this week and bears the signature of Leo XIV. In December 2025, Fr Michael Mary spoke to LifeSiteNews’ John Henry Westen on the controversy: In April 2026, a 24-year-old monk went missing from the monastery in the Orkneys. Br Ignatius is presumed to have drowned, although police are treating his case as one of a missing person. Scottish Police are not treating the disappearance as suspicious. LifeSiteNews has reached out to Fr Michael Mary for comment. This story is developing.

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, May 02, 2026Visitors look through a wire fence covered with prayer ribbons wishing for reunification of the two Koreas. Photo taken at Imjingak, near the demilitarized zone in Paju, South Korea, on June 20, 2019. | Chung Sung-Jun/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON — At the age of 29, Hyun-Seung Lee began to understand that the world he knew in North Korea was not the whole truth.After his 23-year-old friend was sent to a prison camp and reports emerged of executions targeting colleagues and acquaintances, Lee and his family were willing to “give up everything” to no longer have to serve the regime.  “Before we came to China, we really didn’t know about the differences between North Korea and the rest of the world,” Lee told The Christian Post. The North Korean escapee was one of several people who spoke at the Cannon House Office Building on Wednesday as several North Korea Freedom Week events took place in the nation’s capital.  The event —  titled “U.S. Policy for a Free & Unified Korea" and hosted by the Global Peace Foundation, Action for Korea United, Defense Forum Foundation and Alliance for Korea United, USA and One Korea Foundation — combined policy discussion with firsthand testimony from people like Lee who have fled the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.These discussions coincided with the findings of a report released this week by the Seoul-based NGO Transitional Justice Working Group.The report, compiled by witness testimony from North Korean defectors and sources within the country, found that executions and death sentences in the DPRK have increased by 117% since the country closed its borders at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the report, which mapped 13 years of executions under Kim Jong-un, executions for religious and "superstitious folk" activities increased since the Anti-Reactionary and Thought Crime Law was enacted in 2020. The law criminalizes the viewing and dissemination of Western and South Korean content.While death penalty cases for murder declined by 44.4% following the border closure, the report found that offenses related to foreign culture, religion, and “superstition” experienced the largest growth, increasing by 250% (from 4 to 14), while the number of condemned persons increased by 442.9% (from 7 to 38).North Korean defector Hyun-Seung Lee (middle) participates in a panel discussion during the "Free and Unified Korea Policy Endgame" on April, 2026, at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. Rev. Kenneth Bae (L) and Nam-Sik Yoo (R), the director of Youth Programs at Alliance for Korea United USA, also participated in the discussion. | Samantha Kamman/The Christian PostPrior to his family’s defection in 2014, Lee was a sergeant in the DPRK Army Special Force and was also involved in the North Korean shipping and mining sectors, facilitating trade between North Korea and China.Growing up in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the Lee family had certain privileges that other citizens didn’t have. Lee’s father was committed to the regime as a senior economic official, allowing the family to travel to China. When the family made the decision to defect from North Korea, Lee’s father was in China on business, and as a representative of the regime, while Lee was there to study abroad, the escapee told CP.While in China, Lee was exposed to information, including reports that North Korea’s supreme leader and dictator, Kim Jong Un, executed his uncle Jang Song Thaek. One of Lee’s college friends was even sent back to a North Korean prison camp.  As reports of purges and executions continued to spread, the Lee family realized that it could not continue to serve North Korea and its leader. The escapee told CP that the family came to the conclusion that the regime is “not for people,” and that they needed to defect from North Korea. Lee, his parents and his sister first fled to South Korea in 2014, then arrived in the United States in 2016. He now serves as the lead program strategist at the Global Peace Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes a values-based approach to peacebuilding guided by the vision of "One Family under God.”The former sergeant’s story was not the only testimony that highlighted how information can drive change in North Korea.Ji-Young Kim, president of Free North Korea Radio, speaks during the "Free and Unified Korea Policy Endgame" on April, 2026, at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. | Samantha Kamman/The Christian PostSpeaking with the aid of a translator, Ji-Young Kim, another North Korean escapee, recalled listening to an outside radio broadcast for the first time at the age of 13. In North Korea, listening to outside broadcasts is a “dangerous choice,” the escapee said. “If you’re caught, the punishment does not end with one person; it can extend to whole families,” Kim explained. Despite the risk, Kim kept listening, and she learned about “a world where human beings could live in dignity, a society where people could speak freely, and the possibility that a person could change their future through their own efforts.” Kim said that exposure to outside information changed her life, prompting questions about the narratives promoted by the North Korean government and eventually leading her to seek freedom. After her escape, she joined Free North Korea Radio in 2016, a group that broadcasts news and information into North Korea, and currently serves as its president. “One of the most powerful forces for changing North Korea is not military force but information,” the advocate said. “Information changes people, and changed people eventually change society. I am living proof of that.” She noted that, for this reason, one of North Korea’s major fears is outside information, which it tries to block from its people through laws and severe punishments. North Korean authorities also try to block outside broadcasts through noise interference and repeated propaganda transmissions.“For that reason, I view the South Korean government's recent suspension of radio broadcasts into North Korea as a very serious matter,” the Free North Korea Radio president stated. “It means closing, by our own decision, one of the few remaining channels through which North Koreans can access the truth.” Last year, South Korea suspended its "Voice of Freedom" radio broadcasts to North Korea as part of a bid to ease tensions with Pyongyang, according to Seoul’s defense ministry. Kim asserted that the North Korean regime is “not a system that changes easily through dialogue,” and it has only continued to strengthen control over its people and block information.“The idea that peace can be maintained simply by avoiding provocation does not reflect reality,” she argued. “In the end, it is the North Korean people who pay the price for silence and concessions.” “North Koreans live their entire lives surrounded by distorted information. They are continually taught that the United States is an aggressor and that the outside world is their enemy,” the advocate continued. “The most powerful tool to break through these lies is outside information. One radio, one small story device, or even one short story about the outside world can change a person's life.”During a panel discussion titled “US-ROK Alliance for a Free & Unified Korea,” Lee criticized international policy approaches toward North Korea, including those of the United States. He argued that decades of what he described as “management” strategies that focus on negotiation have failed to curb the regime’s nuclear ambitions or address human rights concerns affecting roughly 26 million people.“These policies have operated under the hopeful assumption that negotiating with North Korea will lead to reform or freeze its nuclear program,” Lee said. “But in reality, the threat has continued to grow.”“We must stop treating the branches and start addressing the source of the problem,” he told attendees, emphasizing the importance of increasing information flow into the country so that North Koreans can “realize the truth and become agents of their change.”Lee also advocated for sanctions targeting the financial resources of leader Kim Jong Un, not the general population. Ultimately, he argued, a “free and independent Korea” would be the only lasting solution to both the nuclear threat and human rights conditions in North Korea. Several speakers referenced a broader vision often described as the “Korean Dream,” which envisions the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea into a single democratic nation. The Korean Peninsula has remained divided since 1945, when it was split along the 38th parallel following the end of World War II — a boundary initially intended as a temporary measure. Korea is now separated by the Demilitarized Zone. 

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, May 02, 2026Interior of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as Abu Serga, one of the oldest Coptic churches, in Old Cairo. | mihir_joshi/iStockAn Egyptian court has rejected a petition seeking to establish Easter as an official national holiday, leaving in place conditions that force the country’s Christians to choose between observing their faith’s holiest day and facing civil, professional and academic penalties.The court declined to rule on the petition on procedural grounds, saying the question falls under the jurisdiction of the prime minister rather than the judiciary, and did not address the merits of the petition, according to ADF International, a religious freedom advocacy organization that supported it. Religious freedom advocates from multiple Christian denominations plan to appeal the ruling and seek recognition of Easter as a public holiday.Because Sunday is a regular working day in Egypt, Christians who take time off to observe Easter risk losing pay and face discrimination in the workplace. Students and university attendees who miss class for the holiday can suffer academic consequences for their absence.Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International’s director of advocacy for global religious freedom, said the ruling denies Christians the right to worship freely on the holiest day of their faith and called on Egypt to take meaningful steps to recognize and protect Christians' rights.“This is about far more than the recognition of a holiday. It is about the denial of a legal right to worship for Christians who already face ongoing and severe religious persecution,” Zorzi said.The petition is part of a movement to advance religious freedom and remove barriers to worship in a country with a long Christian heritage. Egypt has long been called the cradle of Christianity since the first century, with the Coptic Church tracing its origins to the Apostle Mark in Alexandria.Egypt has taken some steps toward expanding accommodations for Christian worship, though those measures remain limited in scope and uneven in application.A December decision by the Ministry of Manpower granted leave to Christian private-sector workers to observe Easter but did not extend the same protection to public-sector workers. The decision also created a disparity among Christian denominations, granting more paid leave days to Coptic Christians than to Evangelicals or Catholics.ADF International criticized the move, referring to Egypt’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom under Articles 53 and 64, as well as international treaties that prohibit religious discrimination in employment.Egypt recognizes Coptic Christmas, observed on Jan. 7, as a national public holiday. Advocates have long argued that Easter deserves the same status, and that its absence from the official calendar forces a choice between religious observance and civil or academic penalty that falls on no other faith community in the country.Christians in Egypt make up about 10% of the country’s population alongside the Muslim majority.The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF, recently recommended that Egypt be placed on the State Department’s Special Watch List. The designation suggests that the government has perpetrated or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.Egypt’s blasphemy laws have been used to prosecute individuals who express or defend their faith, with penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences. In one case, Augustinos Samaan, a Coptic Christian YouTuber and researcher, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and hard labor for content he posted online defending his Christian faith. Dozens of similar cases are pending before criminal courts in the country.The government also formally refuses to recognize Christianity on the official identity documents of those who convert from Islam, a separate restriction that compounds the existing limits on religious practice.An earlier Open Doors report said Christians in Egypt continue to face difficulties establishing churches and places of worship, even as the government has legalized a growing number of churches through official registration. The report said Christians, Shia Muslims, Ahmadis and other minority faith groups face legal and administrative restrictions that constrain how they express and practice their beliefs.

JC2033 is one of a number of global movements seeking to rally Christians and their churches to evangelism and other outreach initiatives, culminating in a celebration in 2033 of the 2,000th anniversary of Christ's resurrection. jc2033.world The contemporary evangelical campaign to reach “every person with the gospel by 2033” has emerged as a global rallying point for many evangelical alliances, especially since the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) decided to align and promote the campaign to its partner networks. The symbolic weight of the year 2033 (marking two thousand years since the resurrection, which most biblical historians date back to AD33) provides a powerful horizon for collective mobilization and a renewed sense of evangelistic urgency. Proponents argue that evangelistic witness remains a universal mandate and that the Church must resist complacency amid accelerating secularization and global instability. This initiative seems to recycle earlier evangelical projects that simply reappear under new timelines. However, this initiative seems to recycle earlier evangelical projects that simply reappear under new timelines. During the 2025 WEA General Assembly in Seoul, for example, where the 2033 focus was featured, there was little serious plenary engagement with the lived realities of Christian witness in places such as Gaza, Sudan, and other regions enduring catastrophic violence.  Equally absent was any reckoning with the troubling silence of many churches in the face of these crises silence that has led communities worldwide to question the Church’s relevance and credibility. More importantly, the 2033 project raises significant theological concerns when examined from the perspective of the apostle Paul—especially his themes of suffering, reconciliation, and the nature of the Church's outreach in world dominated by imperialism.  What follows reflects insights drawn from my study of reconciliation theology in Paul's letters, as well as my experience laboring for reconciliation in the context of Palestine/Israel through the organization Musalaha, and, in recent years, serving as the WEA coordinator for Peace and Reconciliation in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region. At the heart of Paul's understanding of what we commonly call missions (human participation in the purposes of God) stands the concept of ambassadorship (2 Corinthians 5:20). For Paul, the apostle’s authority is not marked by strategic power, institutional coherence, or numerical outcomes, but by participation in the suffering and cruciform character of Christ. The cross, not global reach, is the backbone of God's mission. Paul’s apostolic identity is shaped “in weakness and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), as he embodies reconciliation through his own vulnerability within imperial systems. The cross, not global reach, is the backbone of God's mission. A missionary theology that aims to reach the whole world by a set date risks centering completion logic and quantifiable success over the inherently costly nature of reconciliation in a world fractured by oppression, nationalisms, and unjust power. Calendar-based urgency and shallow evangelism One of the principal critiques of the 2033 initiative is that its deadline-driven vision risks prioritizing mere exposure to the gospel over the long process of discipleship and transformation. A vision that measures success primarily by universal proclamation can unintentionally detach evangelism from the life-long work of forming communities capable of resisting the pressures of empire and nationalism.  The New Testament’s vision of “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) is not reducible to the moment of hearing but is enacted through Spirit-empowered participation in the ministry of reconciliation—a process that is frequently slow, contested, and painful. The gospel spreads not through efficiency or rapidity but through embodied presence. Paul’s own ministry demonstrates that the gospel spreads not through efficiency or rapidity but through embodied presence, the building of trust, and an insistence that followers of Christ enter into the suffering of others. His repeated imprisonment, poverty, and relational burdens are not barriers to God's purposes but are themselves signs of it. If the Church adopts a model that prioritizes breadth rather than costly depth, it risks replicating the triumphalism that Paul renounces (see 2 Corinthians 4:7–12). Ministry under empire: power, metrics, and control Paul understood God's purposes as unfolding within imperial power structures, and he resisted alignment with the logic of empire. By contrast, global initiatives such as the 2033 movement may inadvertently mirror imperial forms by centralizing decision-making, importing industrialized growth models, and deploying language of “finishing the task” that can resemble conquest rather than cruciform witness. Universal timelines often reflect assumptions shaped by those with the most institutional resource (wealth). Specialists who study Christian outreach around the world from a theological perspective warn that universal timelines often reflect assumptions shaped by those with the most institutional resource (wealth), which traditionally flowed from the Global North but now also from Asia influenced heavily by Western Evangelical assumptions. Meanwhile, the rest of the Majority World (also known as the Global South) is expected to implement strategies formulated from these centers of influence. Paul’s identity as an ambassador “in chains” (Ephesians 6:20) stands as a stark alternative to an approach that aligns success with scale, visibility, and control. His apostleship is marked by living in and ministering from the margins, not central managerial optimization. All ministry external to the congregation must interrogate power. Thus, a critique arises when we read Paul's letters, asking: Who defines the outreach agenda? Who determines the markers of success? Who bears the cost? All ministry external to the congregation must interrogate power if it is to avoid reproducing oppressive structures under the banner of gospel urgency. Reconciliation beyond proclamation The broad-spreading 2033 initiative emphasizes proclamation to everyone, which resonates with Paul’s desire that all nations hear the gospel. However, Paul never separates proclamation from reconciliation. Christ’s ambassadors are entrusted with the ministry of healing relationships—between God and humanity and between divided human communities (2 Corinthians 5:18). The Church is called not merely to evangelize but to mend histories of enmity and challenge systems of domination. In violently contested contexts, such as Palestine, Nigeria, and parts of Latin America, the Church is called not merely to evangelize but to mend histories of enmity and challenge systems of domination. Such reconciliation requires a willingness to enter the suffering of others, to lay down privilege, and to advocate for justice—imperatives rarely captured by global evangelistic metrics. The tragedy of outreach movements that emphasize rapid global coverage is that they may overlook the wounds of history. Reconciliation entails lament, repentance, and the dismantling of structural sin. In Paul's terms, the suffering Church bears the wounds of Christ for the life of the world (Colossians 1:24). Without this dimension, our engagement with the world risks becoming abstract speech rather than flesh-and-blood reconciliatory ministry. Institutional credibility and the ethics of outreach Further complicating the 2033 vision are global outreach structures with obscured governance practices and questionable theology. Add hierarchical control and this contradicts the mutual accountability Paul envisions for the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:14–26). The promotion of Evangelical vision must be ethically coherent. The promotion of Evangelical vision must be ethically coherent if it wishes to call the world to conversion, otherwise it risks amplifying tension between different expressions of church in different contexts, which will only serve to undermine the gospel proclamation of reconciliation because of institutional mistrust. The Church's authority to engage the world needs to be rooted in Jesus' example on the cross. Not derived from institutional reach or professional coordination but from transparency, humility, and shared discernment—qualities that prioritize local agency and the wisdom of communities who have suffered. Paul would insist on a correction: outreach shaped by suffering Paul's theology of Christian witness insists that evangelism is inseparable from: Suffering with and for others (Philippians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 1:3–7) Resisting imperial narratives and practices (Philippians 3:20) Embodying reconciliation in hostile contexts (2 Corinthians 5:18–20) Nurturing local communities into maturity (Ephesians 4:11–16) The goal is not simply the addition of converts but the formation of a people who share in Christ’s suffering while anticipating the new creation. Rather than asking how quickly we can reach everyone, Paul's perspective asks how deeply the reconciling gospel penetrates communities scarred by injustice. The goal is not simply the addition of converts but the formation of a people who share in Christ’s suffering while anticipating the new creation already breaking into the present age. While the 2033 initiative’s broad-spectrum global ambition can energize unity and outreach focus, its theological grounding must be strengthened. Evangelism cannot be abstracted from the cross-shaped path of Christ or divorced from the Spirit’s empowerment to challenge the systems of power and accompanying structures that deny life and dignity to God’s image-bearers. World-facing Christian activity that races ahead without listening to the wounded may turn the Great Commission into a Great Omission—failing to witness to reconciliation where it is most desperately needed. The ministry of reconciliation only becomes credible when it is embodied. A critical analysis from the perspective of Paul does not reject the aspiration to share the gospel universally. Instead, it calls the Church to remember that the means must match the message. The ministry of reconciliation only becomes credible when it is embodied in lives willing to bear the cost of healing and justice. If the 2033 movements are to honor Paul’s apostolic vision they must ensure that their strategies do not mimic the logic of imperial expansion but rather follow the logic of the crucified Messiah—engaging in ministry that walks slowly, listens deeply, reconciles courageously, and suffers faithfully, inviting others into our mutually supportive fellowships of hope, until God makes all things new. Professor Dr. Salim J. Munayer is the founder of Musalaha, an organization dedicated to fostering reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis and other divided communities in the Middle East. He served for several years as Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College and has authored several theological books focusing on theology, reconciliation, and justice. Professor Munayer currently serves as the Coordinator for the MENA region for the Peace and Reconciliation Network (PRN) of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).

Members of Nazarene churches from across Ireland pray together during an all-island gathering at Greystones Church of the Nazarene in County Wicklow, where church leaders shared plans for ministry expansion, community outreach and church planting across the island. Greystones Church of the Nazarene Facebook The Church of the Nazarene has launched a new church planting and theological education strategy for the island of Ireland, aiming to strengthen ministry efforts across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Nazarene News reported that the initiative, called The Ireland Partnership, launched around St. Patrick’s Day as a way to connect Nazarene churches in Ireland with supporters across the wider global denomination and Irish diaspora. “Launching on St. Patrick’s Day, The Ireland Partnership is seeking to create an avenue for the wider Church of the Nazarene to support Ireland in ministry, directing people to approved Nazarene projects on the island,” the publication wrote. According to the report, the partnership will focus on church planting, theological education, building projects and leadership development initiatives, while also facilitating short-term mission opportunities. The Church of the Nazarene has maintained a presence in Northern Ireland since the 1930s and in the Republic of Ireland since the 1950s. The denomination currently has 12 churches across the island — 11 in Northern Ireland and one in the Republic of Ireland, Greystones Church of the Nazarene in County Wicklow, south of Dublin. The Greystones church is expected to serve as a resource hub for the wider district while expanding its ministry to the local community and growing congregation. Tim Bowen-Evans, coordinator of The Ireland Partnership and pastor at Greystones Church of the Nazarene, told Nazarene News that the vision grew out of conversations about how to connect Nazarene churches in Ireland with Irish communities abroad. “We were thinking of all these different ways that we can engage people who are interested in Ireland,” Bowen-Evans said. “It is at its best when it’s all of Ireland. So, The Ireland Partnership is a joint effort with our churches in Northern Ireland.” An all-island worship night recently held at the Greystones church reflected support for the initiative, according to the report. About 130 people from churches in Northern Ireland rented two buses and traveled three-and-a-half hours to attend the gathering. “The appetite in the congregation to be together was beautiful,” Ruth Turner, superintendent of the British Isles North District, told Nazarene News. “Out of that has come this desire to really journey through things together.” Turner said the collaboration had generated enthusiasm among church leaders and members involved in the effort. “We’re excited about the potential,” Turner said. “But to be able to partner in that and be joint partners is really hopeful for me.” Bowen-Evans also pointed to the scale of the Irish diaspora, estimated in the report at 70 million people worldwide, as an opportunity for greater connection and support. “One of the special things about the Church of the Nazarene, globally, is how interconnected we are,” Bowen-Evans said. “We’re part of a global church family, and people love to make connections, to support ministry in different places. “Their Irishness matters to them. But we’ve never really had a way before for people who actually have that inclination to support ministry here to say, ‘Here’s a way you can do that.’”

Police officers outside the New Testament Church of God in Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, following the fatal shooting of church member Cora Thompson on church grounds during a midweek prayer service. Video screenshot The Jamaica Evangelical Alliance has condemned the fatal shooting of a woman at a church in western Jamaica, while the pastor of the congregation where the attack occurred said the church would continue holding services and would not employ private security guards in response. Cora Thompson, 38, was shot last Wednesday at the compound of the New Testament Church of God on Water Lane in St. James, according to reporting by the Jamaica Gleaner. Thompson, a member of the church, was reportedly selling books in the churchyard during a fasting and prayer service when a masked gunman opened fire before fleeing in a black Toyota Voxy. She was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. In a statement cited by the Jamaica Gleaner, the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance urged the suspect to surrender to authorities. “We strongly urge him to turn himself in to the nearest police station and submit to the rule of law,” the organization said. “Beyond earthly justice, there is a higher accountability that no individual can escape.” Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, commanding officer for the St. James Police Division, told the Jamaica Gleaner that investigators are actively pursuing leads in the case. The shooting has prompted discussion among church leaders in Jamaica about security at places of worship. According to IRIE FM, Bishop Ruel Robinson, pastor of the Montego Bay congregation where the shooting occurred, said during Sunday’s service that the church would not hire security personnel following the attack. His remarks came after Rev. Newton Dixon, general secretary of the Jamaica Council of Churches, suggested that churches able to afford it should consider using security guards. Robinson said the congregation would continue to rely on prayer and maintain its regular activities, including weekly fasting services. “The doors of the church will never close,” Robinson said during his sermon. “Fasting full speed ahead Wednesday.” He told congregants that the church would continue preaching, praying and ministering despite the shooting. “This will not shut us up, but give us an opportunity to declare God’s power some more,” he said. Robinson also described the attack as an assault on the wider church community and said the perpetrators had shown disrespect toward God, according to IRIE FM. During the sermon, he urged members to respond peacefully rather than retaliate. “We will not fight with our mouth. We will not fight with our hands,” Robinson said. “All we have to do, just pray.” The Jamaica Evangelical Alliance said the killing reflected what it described as a broader erosion of respect for life and for places traditionally viewed as sanctuaries. “This tragic incident reflects the desperate and deteriorating state of our society and highlights the urgent need for national reflection and spiritual renewal,” the alliance said in the statement published by the Jamaica Gleaner. The organization also expressed condolences to Thompson’s family. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Thompson’s killing was the second fatal shooting of a woman at a church in western Jamaica in recent years. In 2021, Andrea Lowe Garwood was shot and killed by gunmen at a church in Falmouth, Trelawny.

The Anglican Alliance says there are now more people on the move than at any point in recorded history. The organization estimates about 300 million people are migrants globally, including roughly 42.5 million refugees. Anglican Alliance The Anglican Alliance has launched a global resource to help churches respond to rising displacement, as refugee numbers climb across Africa and humanitarian systems face growing strain. The guide, titled “People on the Move,” was released March 31 and is designed to equip churches with practical tools to support migrants, refugees and internally displaced people. The launch comes at a time when displacement is increasing worldwide. The Anglican Alliance says there are now more people on the move than at any point in recorded history. The organization estimates about 300 million people are migrants globally, including roughly 42.5 million refugees. Much of that displacement is concentrated in Africa, where conflict, economic instability and climate shocks continue to force people from their homes. In Chad, more than 1.3 million Sudanese refugees are facing severe shortages of food and water, according to the United Nations World Food Programme and the UNHCR. Aid groups report that only a fraction of those in need are receiving full assistance as funding shortfalls force humanitarian agencies to scale back operations. Across eastern and southern Africa, the United Nations refugee agency estimates that more than 25 million people are forcibly displaced. Against this backdrop, churches are taking on an increasingly visible role in supporting displaced communities, often stepping in where formal systems are overstretched or slow to respond. In many areas, local churches are among the first points of contact for people arriving in need of assistance. They provide food, temporary shelter and pastoral care, while also helping migrants navigate unfamiliar communities. Amy Bishop, Programme Officer at the Anglican Alliance, said churches are uniquely positioned to respond because of their presence within local communities. “Churches are often well placed to offer pastoral and spiritual care, practical assistance, and access to local community networks,” she told Christian Daily International in an interview. She said this role complements the work of governments and humanitarian agencies rather than replacing it. Support resources The new resource reflects that approach. It includes guidance on mental health support, legal considerations, safeguarding and child protection, as well as tools to help churches prepare for arrivals and build partnerships with other organizations. Rob Dawes, executive director of the Anglican Alliance, said migration is being driven by a combination of factors. “In today’s global context, migration is increasing at an unprecedented rate, driven by a complex mix of factors including climate change, conflict, rising poverty and reductions in international aid,” he said. He added that churches are already responding “with compassion and courage,” offering practical help and spiritual support to people forced to flee their homes. Examples highlighted by the Anglican Alliance include churches in Tanzania, Hong Kong and parts of Europe that are providing shelter, distributing food and supporting integration efforts, while also advocating for policy responses at national and international levels. But even as churches expand their role, the organization says there are clear limits to what they can provide. Bishop said one of the most significant challenges is access to qualified legal support. “Immigration and asylum systems are complex and continually changing,” she said. “Churches frequently lack the specialist legal expertise required and are not well positioned to provide this support directly.” Access to mental health care is another major gap. Many migrants and refugees have experienced trauma, but churches often do not have the resources to provide specialized support. “While churches can offer pastoral care and accompaniment, they often lack access to professional, culturally appropriate mental health services for people who have experienced significant trauma,” Bishop said. Funding also remains a persistent challenge. “While emergency needs may be met in the short term, longer-term support, such as housing stability, integration, and wellbeing often exceeds available resources,” she said. The Anglican Alliance said it is working with partners to address some of these gaps. Bishop pointed to collaboration with the UNHCR, which has offered some legal support for churches receiving refugees, as well as work with the Mothers’ Union and the Bible Society on trauma support in some regions. The resource encourages churches to recognize the assets they already have, including skills within congregations, church buildings and existing community relationships, while also building partnerships to address areas where they lack expertise. The guidance also highlights legal and ethical risks that can arise when churches support migrants. Bishop said churches most often encounter problems when the boundaries between pastoral care and legal advice are not clearly defined. “Churches most commonly encounter legal risk when boundaries between pastoral support and legal advice become unclear,” she said. To reduce those risks, the Anglican Alliance recommends that churches operate within local legal frameworks and only provide legal advice where they are authorized to do so. It also calls for clear referral pathways to qualified professionals, strong safeguarding policies and regular training for staff and volunteers. Prioritizing needs of migrants and refugees The guidance also emphasizes that churches must not use humanitarian work as a means of seeking converts, and must meet accountability standards expected by international donors. “These safeguards are essential not only to protect churches and volunteers, but also to prevent unintended harm to migrants and refugees themselves,” Bishop said. The resource also addresses the tensions churches may face when their work brings them into conflict with local communities or government policies. In some countries, tightening immigration rules and pressure on public services have made it more difficult to support new arrivals. Bishop said churches need to carefully consider the legal and social context in which they operate, particularly the safety of migrants, staff and volunteers. “It is vital that support offered does not expose those being helped to additional risk,” she said. At the same time, she said many churches see supporting vulnerable people as central to their mission, even when that work is unpopular. “Many churches understand their calling as walking alongside the vulnerable, even when this is unpopular, by offering pastoral presence and advocating for humane treatment within legal frameworks,” she said. She added that decisions about how far to go require careful judgment. “Discernment is essential, balancing faith convictions with responsibility and care,” Bishop added. As displacement continues to rise and humanitarian funding remains constrained, the Anglican Alliance says local institutions such as churches will continue to play a critical role. But the organization stresses that they cannot meet the growing need alone. Instead, the resource calls for coordinated efforts between churches, governments and humanitarian agencies to ensure that migrants and refugees receive the support they need while minimizing risks. Bishop said that balance is key to ensuring that those already facing vulnerability are not placed under further strain. “Churches should consistently seek to ensure that migrants and refugees, who already face significant vulnerability, do not bear the greatest burden,” she said.

Pastor Motu Sodi was attacked with wooden sticks in Sukma District, Chhattisgarh state, India, on April 13, 2026. Morning Star News Two men of traditional tribal religion in central India on April 13 assaulted a pastor and his family for their Christian faith in an attempt to chase them from their land and home, sources said. In a village in Chhattisgarh state’s Sukma District, the two men came with a mob to his home, where his church meets, accusing Pastor Motu Sodi of luring villagers from their tribal religion and fraudulently converting them to Christianity. The two men assaulted the pastor, his wife, his non-Christian sister and a niece, he said. “Even though they came with a huge mob, none of them stepped forward to hit us, except for the two men,” Pastor Sodi told Morning Star News. The area falls under the Gadiras police station in Korra Gram Panchayat. Pastor Sodi said he and his family were beaten with thick wooden sticks. “One of them caught hold of me while the other beat me,” said the pastor, who sustained internal injuries. The attackers warned, “We won’t let you stay in the village or on your own property. We want to chase you away,” he said. Pastor Sodi’s wife sustained a head injury and has not received immediate medical attention. “I cannot put into words, how much blood was oozing out of her head,” he said. “She was drenched in blood.” After the assault on April 13, the two adherents of tribal religion filed a complaint against Pastor Sodi at the Gadiras police station. Early the next morning the two men returned, assaulted the family again and disclosed that they had filed a police complaint against them for fraudulent conversion. Pastor Sodi then went to the police station and filed a counter complaint against them for assaulting them. Police registered the complaint as a “scuffle” between Pastor Sodi and the two men “related to a land dispute,” he said, denying that he fought back. “We told the police that we did not indulge in the assault but that they came and assaulted us brutally and injured us,” said Pastor Sodi. He said he clearly told the officer that the two men targeted the family because of their faith in Christ, and that they had no argument or dispute over land. Police refused to listen, Pastor Sodi said. “The officer said, ‘I don’t care; we are going to register a case of assault from both parties, and until we investigate the matter, we will assume the motive behind the scuffle is a land dispute,'” he told Morning Star News. On April 16 Pastor Sodi questioned police about their failure to carry out simple procedures of providing victims with immediate medical attention, and officers sent a woman constable with his wife to a hospital. “Because of excessive loss of blood, she is feeling very week,” he said. The two men also hit the pastor’s sister, resulting in a severe ear injury. “My sister’s hearing is impacted,” Pastor Sodi said. “She was my guest and was visiting us, but these people did not spare her either.” The assailants screamed at his sister while assaulting her, “Don’t support your brother,” he said. After the tribal men had assaulted Pastor Sodi, his wife and sister, the thick wooden stick broke under the blows. They then turned to his 18-year-old niece, Mangali Madavi. “The attackers hit Mangali with the broken edge of the wooden stick, and the sharp edge lacerated her cheek just below her eye, inflicting deep cut,” Pastor Sodi said. The atmosphere in the village remains tense, he said. “I heard the voices of two to three men around midnight of April 15, trying to break into my house,” he said, adding that he also reported this to police. Officers have instructed the residents not to gather in the village. “I want justice in accordance with the law. I will neither leave my home and flee, nor will I recant my faith,” Pastor Sodi said, requesting prayers. Sodi became a follower of Christ more than 15 years ago and started to attend a tribal ministry church in Sukma. As it was 19 miles from his village, he started a church in his own home 10 years ago. “Seven families – about 25 people, from this village attend my church,” he said. “And some miscreants from the village have been targeting each Christian family one after another.” Some attacks leave the Christians stronger in their faith, but others scare them into recanting, he said. “They barged into the homes of two Christian families in 2025 and assaulted their members, just like they did with mine,” he said. “One family ended up reaching a compromise with their attackers. Another Christian family was targeted in 2023.” His family has lived in the same house in the village for four generations, said the pastor, who has four children, the youngest 3 years old. India ranked 12th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, up from 31st in 2013, before Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. The hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians since Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.

Management training helps pastors create governance mechanisms that strengthen the institutional structures, policies, financial oversight, accountability checks, that makes misconduct harder to commit and easier to detect. YuriArcursPeopleimages/Envato Pastors are under increasing pressure to lead congregations that have grown into full-scale institutions, with budgets, payrolls, properties, and social programs, yet many were never trained to manage them. They preach, counsel, and intercede, but behind the scenes they battle burnout, administrative confusion, and financial strain. The reality is simple but uncomfortable: modern ministries need more than anointing—they need management. We have spiritualized... organizational crises. For decades, we have spiritualized what are, in truth, organizational crises. When mismanagement happens, it is too easy to label it "spiritual warfare." Good stewardship requires not only prayer but also planning, not only calling but competence. That is where management education makes a profound difference. This is not a call for pastors to trade pulpits for profits. It is a call for all churches to equip their leaders for the real-world complexities of ministry in a post-apartheid, economically fractured society. Two types of churches, one urgent need South Africa has two very different ecclesial landscapes. On one side, self-appointed independent pastors, often in Pentecostal or prosperity-gospel-oriented churches, and function without denominational oversight or formal governance. The pastor is prophet, CEO, and board chairman all at once. On the other side stand the mainline churches: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, among others. These denominations operate with boards of stewards who manage church business, finances, and operations, whether the pastor is present or not. The church is protected by doctrine, discipline, and policies crafted by professionals. Churches need pastors equipped for the complexities of modern ministry. These structural differences matter deeply; mainline churches are far less vulnerable to the autocratic excesses that plague some independent ministries. Yet both types of churches need pastors equipped for the complexities of modern ministry. Self-appointed pastors desperately need training In 2024, Daily Maverick reported on Pastor Mboro’s court case involving kidnapping and property damage. In 2025, IOL detailed the NPA’s appeal of Pastor Timothy Omotoso’s acquittal on rape and human trafficking charges. Eyewitness News continues to cover efforts to extradite Shepherd Bushiri on fraud allegations. Structural rot... emerges when spiritual authority operates without ethical accountability. These stories are not anomalies; they represent the structural rot that emerges when spiritual authority operates without ethical accountability. They are systemic failures that show what happens when leaders are exalted without being equipped. Without governance, charisma becomes chaos. Management training makes a difference not by making pastors morally superior, but by building the institutional structures, boards, policies, financial oversight, accountability mechanisms, that make abuse harder to commit and easier to detect. For pastors of growing churches, an MBA or executive management course is not optional; it is urgent. They are running businesses without business skills, managing millions without financial literacy, and making strategic decisions without strategic frameworks. Training can help them build boards, establish policies, and create systems that protect both them and their congregations from scandal and collapse. Mainline pastors also need to sharpen their calling But what of the mainline churches, with their boards and policies? Not even structured denominations are immune. Pastors still lead governance structures; they set vision, guide mission, and shape every decision. A pastor who understands strategic planning, change management, and team leadership will be far more effective than one who relies solely on theological training. Moreover, mainline churches face real pressures: urbanization, economic inequality, youth disengagement, digital ministry, mental health crises. Theological education from decades past did not prepare pastors. Theological education from decades past did not prepare pastors for these realities. Continuing education in leadership, financial sustainability, and organizational ethics equips them to meet these challenges head-on. Calling and competence are not mutually exclusive; they are inseparable. This is, in fact, deeply biblical. Jesus did not select only rabbis and theologians. He called Matthew, a tax collector skilled in finance. He called Peter and John, businessmen who understood commerce. In Acts, the apostles appointed deacons because they recognized that spiritual leadership alone could not manage the daily operational demands of a growing community. Accountability and administration were always part of the calling. And training sharpens pastoral identity rather than diluting it: when pastors understand finance, they become better stewards; when they understand governance, they become better servants of the church’s mission. A call for comprehensive investment South African theologian Sibusisiwe Nomfundo Biyela captured this tension in her 2025 study on pastoral theology and the prosperity gospel. She argued that the Church must engage in a rehumanizing, liberative, and structurally transformative theology, confronting systemic realities of poverty and inequality not only through preaching but through doing. Faith... must be paired with systems that protect dignity and promote justice. Faith, she insisted, must be paired with systems that protect dignity and promote justice. This aligns with a deeper tradition: another South African theologian, Julian Müller reminds us that socio-cultural and political systems are central to theology, not peripheral. His vision calls pastors to nurture not only souls but systems. Seen through that lens, investing in pastors’ business or leadership education is not secularization; it is stewardship. An MBA or professional management training provides practical tools that strengthen ethical leadership: strategic planning, financial literacy, governance, and organizational ethics. These are not distractions from ministry; they are extensions of it. A two-pronged strategy The path forward requires a two-pronged strategy. For self-appointed and independent pastors: churches, denominational networks, and interfaith coalitions must create accessible pathways to formal business and leadership training. Sponsoring these pastors for MBAs, executive courses, or faith-based management programs should be seen as a missional imperative. Without it, scandals will continue and the witness of the Church will continue to be compromised.  For mainline pastors: seminaries and denominational bodies must integrate management education into theological curricula, offer sabbaticals for executive training, and create mentorship programs where seasoned leaders coach younger pastors in leading complex organizations. Empowering boards of stewards with training while ensuring pastors are not left behind is equally essential. Conclusion: structure and skill are both sacred Imagine what the Church could become if pastors combined theological depth with managerial excellence; if they could run community development projects, manage finances with integrity, and lead with transparency. Accountability is as biblical as prayer. Structure is as sacred as spirit. Some may say, "the Church is not a business." True, but every ministry still handles money, people, and property. Even the apostles in Acts appointed deacons because spiritual power alone could not manage daily operations. Accountability is as biblical as prayer. Structure is as sacred as spirit. The South African Church stands at a crossroads. It can continue to spiritualize dysfunction, or it can professionalize leadership without losing its soul. Church boards, seminaries, and denominational leaders must now act, not to turn pastors into CEOs, but to help them lead with competence, humility, and credibility. As Biyela reminds us, pastoral work must be both liberative and practical, anchored in theology yet responsive to lived reality. To train pastors in management and leadership is to take that call seriously: to rehumanize the Church, restore dignity to its mission, and make justice and stewardship visible in everyday ministry. The anointing will always matter, but in today's South Africa, so does order. Sbusiso Gwala is an Assistant Lecturer affiliated with the University of Johannesburg, where he contributes to teaching, curriculum engagement, and student development. He completed his Master's degree with distinction-level performance (Cum Laude average) and has mentored over 100 students over the past four years. Beyond academia, he serves as a Youth President in his church and as a Director on a Board of Christian Education. His writing engages issues of education, faith, leadership, and social transformation.

Jesus was always serving others. Throughout Scripture, we see stories of Him washing feet, healing the sick, teaching the disciples, and always putting others first. His heart was to serve, and we can learn a lot from that as followers of Christ. I’ll never forget the time I was in high school and served at my local church for our “Take the Plunge” baptism event. I led worship for this event as people were baptized in the water. It was a special moment singing about the transforming power of Jesus washing away our sins and shame and seeing others experience His amazing grace at the same time. As they went in and came out of the water, we sang about amazing grace and being washed clean. There were plenty of church volunteers who signed up to serve that day, but one volunteer in particular made an impression on me as a young girl I’ll never forget. Hours before the event started, our Pastor’s wife was in gym clothes and a baseball cap, setting up for the event. She spent that hot summer morning running around with a pushcart, dropping off water, towels, t-shirts, and pretty much everything else you could imagine, making sure this event was perfect. She wasn’t even scheduled to help for this event but came, served, and cleaned everything up afterward so that even the volunteers could go be with their families. The way she led by example was something I had never seen before. Her example of servant leadership is something that, even years later, I still think about and am challenged by. Jesus served this same way, and He taught us that there is a great blessing in being a servant. He taught us that true leaders are those who serve. “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:26-27 NIV) Sometimes, it’s easy to think that if we are “leading” and have maturity or status in a specific role, we don’t need to do the dirty work. Real talk, I’ve been there before. I am guilty of this mindset. There was a time I thought in some way I had “arrived,” and because of my role, it meant that I was above doing a certain job. Thank God, He opened my eyes to see with a heavenly perspective. Servanthood is the best position we could ever take as we become like Christ. Just as the psalmist declares in Psalm 84:10: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Jesus showed us how to truly lead when He took on the form of a servant. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8) My goal in becoming more like Christ is to become more like Him as a servant. One of the greatest examples He gave us is how He served others. Even unto death, He took our place. Praise God for His amazing grace! May we daily become more like Christ, washing others’ feet and looking for opportunities to serve! ~ Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

(LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian provincial pro-life group is warning that babies continue being left to die after late-term abortions in the province of Alberta and has urged people to demand that politicians and health officials end the practice.  The group Prolife Alberta, in a message sent to LifeSiteNews, brought to attention the fact that data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indeed “confirms that in Alberta, infants are still being born alive following labour-induced late-term abortions and left to die.” “Last year it was 17, Seventeen babies. Seventeen times. Seventeen moments where the line between born and unborn was crossed, but care did not follow,” said Prolife Alberta. “A child can be born alive in Alberta and the system can decide, even in advance, that no care will be given! If even being born alive does not guarantee care – what, exactly, does?” Canada-wide, the CIHI data from 2024–25 shows that late-term, “stillbirth” abortions are up to 1,219. In 2024, there were 1,192. When it comes to late-term, born-alive abortions, they are down to 129. The year before, there were 150. Prolife Alberta said that the reality in Alberta is that the “line between born and unborn means anything, it must mean something here.” “Right now, that line is blurred. We intend to make it unmistakably clear,” said the group. As it stands now, Canada’s Criminal Code, in Section 223, states, as noted by Prolife Alberta, a “child born alive – under any circumstance – is a legal person.” “At that moment everything changes. The child born alive must be treated as a patient in their own right – with care determined by their condition, not the circumstances of their birth,” said the group. Despite this, Prolife Alberta says that Alberta Health Services (AHS) policies still allow babies born alive after botched or late-term abortions to die. In place is still a do-not-resuscitate order, which Prolife Alberta says is “written before a child is even born.” “An increasingly arbitrary ‘non-interventional approach’ applied broadly-even when a child shows signs of life,” says the group. Despite this policy, Prolife Alberta says that the problem can be “fixed quickly,” as no new legislation is needed nor is any “drawn-out public policy battle.” “No political theatre. Just an administrative update to existing AHS policies,” says the group. Prolife Alberta has in the past called to attention the fact that babies are being left to die in Alberta.  The governing United Conservative Party (UCP) under Premier Danielle Smith, while far from being pro-abortion, has still not actively made good on a promise to rally to bring forth a referendum for a vote to ban late-term abortions. As reported by LifeSiteNews, last year, UCP MLA Jason Stephan spoke in the Alberta legislature on November 19 about late-term abortions, calling for a citizen-led referendum to ban the practice. Late-term abortions often result in live births, as the baby is not completely killed during the abortion procedure. As reported by LifeSiteNews recently, 150 babies were born after botched abortions in 2023–2024 in Canada, but it’s not known how many survived. Similarly, reports from 2018 indicated that 766 babies were born alive after late-term abortions in Canada between 2013 and 2018 and presumably left to die. There were 368,928 babies born in Canada from 2024 to 2025, a number that would be much greater if not for abortion. For context, in 2022, 97,211 Canadian babies were killed by abortion. Pro-life group calls on people to take action to end late-term and born-alive abortions  Prolife Alberta has shared below what Albertans can do in the meantime to take action in defense of life. People can email Matt Jones, the Minister of Hospitals and Surgical Health Services ([email protected]). “Keep it simple. Keep it focused. Tell Minister Jones this is about neonatal care, not politics. Ask him to support immediate updates to AHS policies (PS-92 and HCS-183-01 – these are the specific policies that currently allow babies that are born premature to be left to die without care,” says Prolife Alberta. Albertans can also phone 780-644-8417 and leave a message. “Say this: Please ensure that any child born alive in Alberta receives appropriate medical care. Amend AHS policies (PS-92 and HCS-183-01). This is a matter of law and basic human dignity,” says Prolife Alberta.

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, May 01, 2026This 17th-century reliquary urn is believed to be one of 17 ecclesiastical artifacts stolen from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano in Italy between August 1, 2012, and August 31, 2022. | FBIA 17th-century reliquary urn, carved and gilded in wood and believed to be one of 17 ecclesiastical artifacts stolen from the Church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano in Italy between Aug. 1, 2012, and Aug. 31, 2022, has been recovered by the FBI’s Boston Division.Antique urns from the 17th century are generally priced from approximately $500 to over $35,000, but when they are part of a church’s cultural heritage, they can be considered priceless. Reliquary items in Italian churches are commonly registered in the inventory of Historical Artistic Heritage managed by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) and local dioceses to prevent theft. The FBI’s Boston Division said it recovered the urn on Feb. 11 from an antiques dealer in the Northeast who purchased it from another antiques dealer in Italy. The item was relinquished voluntarily.“It’s incredibly exciting when the FBI can recover a piece of history that carries such deep emotional and cultural significance. After all, this reliquary urn is a tangible link to intense religious devotion and a connection to the generations who lived and prayed with it," Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said in a statement. "It represents the intersection of faith, history and art — elements that are invaluable to the people of Italy and to humanity as a whole. This case highlights the power of international cooperation and our collective commitment to safeguard the world’s cultural treasures, no matter where they may be.”The investigation into the stolen urn began in fall 2025 through cooperation between the FBI’s Art Crime Team, the FBI’s law enforcement attaché in Rome, and counterparts from the Italian Carabinieri, the FBI’s Boston Division said.The urn will be repatriated at a later date during a ceremony in Rome. Since the FBI’s Art Crime Team's inception, the FBI has recovered 20,000 items of stolen art valued at more than $1 billion.