US bishop deplores fall in refugee-admission numbers
THE decision by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to limit refugee admissions to the United States next year to 30,000 was disappointing, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Revd Michael Curry, said last week. It was the lowest ceiling in the history of the country. “As followers of Jesus Christ, we are saddened by this decision,” Bishop Curry said. “Our hearts and our prayers are with those thousands of refugees who, due to this decision, will not be able to find new life in the United States. This decision by the government does not reflect the care and compassion of Americans who welcome refugees in their communities every day. Our faith calls us to love God and love our neighbour; so we stand ready to help all those we can in any way we can.”
Anglican leaders challenge governments over IDPs
THE Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, and Anglican Primates are among 57 signatories to a letter, co-ordinated by Christian Aid, calling on heads of state to support the world’s 40.5 million internally displaced people, ACNS reports. “While global leaders are signing up to supporting refugees, the vast majority of people displaced within their own countries’ borders are often woefully ignored and abandoned by their countries’ leaders,” Christian Aid said.
Missionary priest who opposed FGM missing in Niger
A ROMAN CATHOLIC Italian missionary, Fr Pierluigi Maccalli, has been kidnapped in Niger, allegedly by a group of jihadist militants, Vatican News reported last week. A member of the Society of African Missions, he had worked for years as a missionary in Ivory Coast before transferring to the parish of Bomoanga, in Niamey diocese. A witness said that a nun had also been kidnapped. Local sources suggested that his opposition to infibulation and female circumcision could be a motive in the kidnapping.
Asian churches seek action on child exploitation
A COMMUNIQUÉ warning that sexual exploitation, including child pornography, is rife in countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia was published this month after an ecumenical consultation on the dignity and rights of children in Asia, ACNS reports. It warns that these countries have become “a safe haven for paedophiles to avoid easy detection of their activities”. Those who attended the consultation, organised by the Christian Council of Asia, including social workers and church leaders, are calling for an ecumenical regional network to uphold and protect the dignity and rights of children.