Europe
Burgdorf, Switzerland — Emanuel Brünisholz, a 57-year-old wind instrument repairman from Burgdorf in the canton of Bern, will serve 10 days in prison starting December 2, 2025, after refusing to pay a fine for a Facebook comment stating there are only two biological sexes. Brünisholz's ordeal began in December
Orthodox News
Damascus, Syria — Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda and affiliate of ISIS, now serves as president of Syria after leading rebel forces to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024. Al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, was on the FBI's
Orthodox News
Afghanistan Earthquake Exposes Deadly Cost of Taliban Gender Laws: Women Left to Die in Rubble THE NEWS Kunar Province, Afghanistan — Women trapped under rubble after a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan were left to die because Taliban laws forbid male rescuers from touching them, according to multiple reports from the disaster
Asia
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — A pastor tortured in a Kyrgyzstan prison has suffered traumatic brain injuries resulting in cognitive impairment, according to United Nations special rapporteurs and human rights group Forum 18. Prison Chief Major Azat Kudaybergenov informed relatives of Reverend Pavel Shreider, a 65-year-old True and Free Reform Adventist pastor, in
USA
San Antonio, Texas — Multiple churches in San Antonio were vandalized with graffiti during nationwide "No Kings" protests against the Trump administration on October 18. Pastor Ed Newton of Community Bible Church in San Antonio shared pictures on Facebook of vandalism sustained by his church amid the No Kings
USA
Waukegan, Illinois — The Archdiocese of Chicago removed Father Xamie Reyes from Little Flower Parish on October 19 following allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct involving seminarians. Cardinal Blase Cupich shared the difficult news in an October 18 letter to parishioners, writing that the archdiocese has received allegations against Father Reyes
Middle East
Assiut, Egypt — An 18-year-old middle-class Coptic Christian woman disappeared on June 1 after going to school, caught in what Coptic Solidarity describes as a sophisticated Islamist trafficking network using social media to groom and abduct Christian girls. A network of Muslim girls at her school in Assiut Governate had targeted
Asia
Global — Christians, particularly converts from Islam, face disproportionate vulnerability to human trafficking in countries with high levels of religious persecution, according to International Christian Concern. In the 50 countries with the highest levels of Christian persecution, forced marriages of women have increased by 16 percent. At least 90 percent of
Europe
Vatican City / Albany, New York - Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with an organization of clergy sexual abuse survivors and advocates on Monday, October 20, 2025, agreeing to maintain permanent dialogue as they press for a universal zero-tolerance policy in the Catholic Church. The Pope met with six
Europe
Oslo, Norway - The Church of Norway formally apologized to the country's LGBTQ+ community on Thursday, October 16, 2025, for decades of discrimination and harassment. Presiding Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit delivered the apology at the London Pub in Oslo, a gay bar that was the site of a
UK
United Kingdom - Churches across the UK are increasingly being seen as places of "genuine hope and care" by struggling families amid a deepening debt crisis, according to Christians Against Poverty (CAP), a UK-based charity that released its latest client report highlighting the devastating impact of the ongoing
Orthodox News
Germany - The German Bishops' Conference has warned of a sharp increase in the frequency and severity of vandalism and desecration targeting churches across Germany, describing the trend as an "escalation" of hostility against Christian symbols. "All taboos have been broken when it comes to church