While the negotiations are shrouded in secrecy, Pope Francis recently confirmed that contacts and discussions between the People’s Republic of China and the Holy See continue—and Beijing didn’t deny it, reports Eglise d’Asie news service (Sept. 29). The statement by the pope took place on the flight bringing him back from Philadelphia to Rome. He […]
Hindu nationalist projects target conversions to Christianity
While a recent article claims that nearly 4 million Indians converted to Christianity over the past 20 years, Hindu nationalist activists have made pronouncements that they want a purely Hindu country by 2020. Currently, more than 80 percent of 1.27 billion Indians are Hindu. Hardline Hindu groups feel encouraged by the accession to power of […]
‘Shiite Crescent’: Arab Spring and Iranian interests
The Arab Spring has added an entirely new dimension to the discussion of Shia geopolitics, writes Cenap Çakmak (Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey) in The Review of Faith and International Affairs (summer). Due to lack of national identity and sentiments in the Middle East, when a more democratic order is established, Shiites will be prone to […]
Israel-Palestine conflicts challenge ecumenical relations
Facing unending cycles of violence, Christians in Israel and Palestine find themselves on both sides, which raises questions about their possible role in the conflict and its resolution as well as about relations between them, writes Israeli Jesuit David Neuhaus in the journal Proche-Orient Chrétien (1/2/2015). Being a minority and facing potential decline through emigration, […]
Featured Story: Religious organizations face losses and lessons from fraud
Some U.S. $50 billion will likely be stolen from money given by Christians to churches, parachurch organizations and secular organizations around the world in 2015. Fraud is exploiting the trust that exists within a religious community, and with the constant development of new groups, networks and movements, financial accountability will continue to represent a constant […]
Prospects for future successor to the Dalai Lama uncertain given Chinese-Tibetan relations
As the Dalai Lama reached the age of 80 on July 6, the question of his succession seems to be more than ever clouded with uncertainties related to the situation of Chinese-Tibetan relations. It’s unclear due to tensions between the Tibetan exile government seeking a diplomatic solution with the Chinese and Tibetans (especially the Tibetan […]
Homosexuality raises controversy for the New Apostolic Church
Jean-Luc Schneider, the Chief Apostle of the 10 million-strong New Apostolic Church (NAC), has recently spoken in favor of a more liberal ethical approach toward homosexuality during a March trip to Canada. However, it remains to be seen how African faithful — who now make 80 percent of the worldwide membership of the German-born movement […]
‘Back to Judaism’ in Indonesia
Beside a handful of native-born Jews residing in Indonesia, seventy-seven Indonesians have officially converted, while 200 more are on their way to conversion, reports photographer Anna Clare Spelman, who documents Jewish migration to Asia, in Jerusalem Report (July 13). Scattered around islands of Indonesia, there are reported to be people of Jewish-Dutch heritage — since […]
Estonia not religious, but still spiritual?
Along with the Czech Republic, surveys show Estonia as being the least religious country of Europe. However, this does not prevent many Estonians from combining a low level of religion with a high level of beliefs in supernatural phenomena, as made clear in several papers presented by scholars from the University of Tartu at the […]
Among European countries, Soka Gakkai most successful in Italy
Registered as an organization in 94 countries of the world, the Buddhist group Soka Gakkai is present in most European countries, where it claimed 105,000 members in 2012 (352,000 in the USA), and probably 120,000 members today. But the movement is especially successful in Italy, where its first meetings started in the early 1960s, growing […]
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