Bishop Angaelos calls for churchman’s release

THE General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos, has called for the release of the deposed Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Abune Antonios (News, 5 June 2015). Bishop Angaelos said in a statement last week that the return of Patriarch Antonios, who was put under house arrest by the Eritrean government in 2005, would “undoubtedly restore peace and a sense of justice” to the Eritrean community. He also prayed for the healing of the Church and for the repose of Abune Dioskoros, who died on 21 December. On Wednesday, the Archbishop of Canterbury also expressed his sadness at the death.

Christian Aid welcomes Colombian reparations deal

CHRISTIAN AID has welcomed an agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group to offer reparations to victims of the country’s five-decade civil war. The conflict has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964. The charity called the agreement, made last week, a “breakthrough”. It will involve setting up a special unit to search for missing people, and tribunals for the most serious war and humanitarian crimes.

Islamabad slum clearance ‘will marginalise Christians’

THE British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) has condemned a Palestinian government agency for supporting plans to clear out a slum in Islamabad. The Chairman of the BPCA, Wilson Chowdhry, said that the report by the Capital Development Agency, submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, discriminated against Christian inhabitants of the capital’s slums by implying that they were “a stain to be removed”. Mr Chowdhry said on Wednesday that the move would marginalise “desperately poor Christians” who had already fled extreme persecution in their home towns.