The Vatican issued new rules for the process to determine if healings qualify as miracles for sainthood.
CHR Comment: Of all things to attract corruption, you wouldn’t think that the lives of honorable Christian people and miracles would be among them. But apparently there is always someone somewhere ready to make a buck no matter how disgraceful the enterprise. It’s good to see that the Vatican is responding to these reports of corruption and improving their process.
Roman Catholic Church officials pleaded on Thursday for the life of a priest who was kidnapped from his parish residence one day after two other priests were abducted and killed in another part of Mexico.
CHR Comment: Twenty-eight priests have been killed in Mexico since 2006. Father Jose Alfredo Lopez Guillen remains missing.
Source: Priest kidnapped in Mexico adds to worries after 2 killed – The Washington Post
To the Afro-Creole Spiritualists of New Orleans, spirits were important, raced bodies were not.
CHR Comments: The article describes the liberal views and practices that prevailed in southern, French Catholicism, which is the religion in which these Spiritualists grew up.
Source: New History Finally Recognizes Afro-Creole Spiritualists | Religion Dispatches
Lawyers acting for the family of Terence Crutcher, the black pastor fatally shot by a white police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have said he posed no imminent threat despite claims by police that he was reaching into his vehicle.
CHR Comment: The article describes Crutcher as a “pastor” but I am not finding information about whether he was ordained or what congregation he served. I am linking to a second article that describes his involvement with a Baptist church.
How prayer meetings on Capitol Hill inspire fellowship and foster bipartisan lawmaking, though some argue it is too much religion under the rotunda.
CHR Comment: About one fourth of the Senate gathers for this weekly prayer breakfast with their chaplain each week. The article also gives some history of chaplaincy in the Senate.
At least six people have been killed in fighting between rival rebel groups in the Central African Republic, the UN mission in the country says.
CHR Comment: The violence began when Muslims ousted the president in 2013. Christian militias responded and there has been continued conflict ever since. The latest violence was Muslims against Christians. I have added a second link below that reports the number of deaths as 26.
Source: Central African Republic rival rebels clash in Kaga Bandoro – BBC News
Hungary says it is setting up a special department to coordinate the assistance and rescue of persecuted Christians around the world.
CHR Comments: The comments from Janos Lazar followed a meeting with Eastern Christians at Rome. Additionally, the Hungarian Prime Minster expressed concern about assimilating Muslims refugees.
Source: Hungary seeks to aid persecuted Christians around the world – The Washington Post
The Communist Party in China, which is leading a crackdown on Christians, detained two Christian summer camp leaders in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and accused them of trying to brainwash children.
CHR Comment: According to the report, Chinese officials viewed Christian beliefs as superstitions.
Source: China’s Communist Party Detained Christian Camp Leaders, Accused Them of Brainwashing Children
CHR Comment: This is part of Trump’s effort to reach out to African Americans as potential voters. This is the second news report I’ve seen about him visiting African American churches.
Source: Pastor cuts Trump short during anti-Clinton speech in Flint | Reuters
The European Union will hold a summit without the United Kingdom on Friday.
CHR Comment: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban comments in the article about European Union attitudes toward Christianity, judging that it is not modern. Orban’s comments suggest that the Union promotes a different worldview that is finally hostile to Christianity.
Source: EU’s first summit since Brexit could show cracks in group’s unity
church history review 