1+ day, 5+ hour ago (660+ words) Israeli rabbi Shlomo Raanan has in his possession a rare trace of Gaza City's historic Jewish community, a 19th-century religious text found before the Israel-Hamas war devastated the Palestinian territory. He now plans to gift the book to US President Donald Trump, he told AFP, offering it as a token of gratitude for his efforts to secure the release of the last 20 living hostages held for two years in the Gaza Strip. "I would like to give him this book, signed by the released hostages, with words of gratitude," Shlomo Raanan, an Orthodox rabbi and community activist, told AFP, saying he expected to meet Trump soon. Raanan said he acquired the book, a code of Jewish law, after the start of the war triggered on October 7, 2023 by the Palestinian movement Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel. Raanan, a collector of Jewish…...

5+ day, 21+ hour ago (694+ words) When it was discovered a decade ago, the 4th-century basilica of Nicaea was totally submerged, its importance to early Christian history hidden beneath a lake in northwestern Turkey. Now, the church in Iznik, a small town several hours from Istanbul, stands on dry land, its ruins exposed as the waters that engulfed it for more than 700 years have receded due to climate change. Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalised Christianity, ending years of persecution, torture and death. In AD 325, Constantine the Great convened the First Council of Nicaea, a gathering of 318 bishops who, after two months of intense debate, drafted the Nicaean Creed, a statement of faith still central to Christianity. Pope Leo XIV's…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (408+ words) Pope Leo XIV called Thursday on the Italian Church to develop a "culture of prevention" on clerical child sex abuse, after criticisms it has been slow to respond to the global crisis. But a survivor's group expressed disappointment that the pontiff did not go further in demanding action from the Italian Bishops Conference, which was holding its general assembly in the town of Assisi. "I would like to recommend particular attention to the youngest and most vulnerable, so that a culture of prevention of all forms of abuse can develop," the US pope told the meeting. He stressed the importance of welcoming and listening to victims, adding: "I thank you for what you have already done and I encourage you to continue your commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults." Leo did not directly refer to a recent report by…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (287+ words) Pope Leo XIV decried poverty on Sunday, urging world leaders and Catholics to reach out to marginalised people, as the Church celebrated a "Jubilee of the Poor. The US pope has made social justice a key theme of his papacy, now in its sixth month since being made head of the world's Catholics in May following the death of Pope Francis. The Church, Leo said during a mass at St Peter's Basilica, is "still wounded by old and new forms of poverty, but "hopes to be "mother of the poor, a place of welcome and justice'. Sunday marked a special Jubilee of the Poor, one of many such celebrations during the holy year, which has drawn pilgrims from around the world. It fell on the'World Day of the Poor, an annual observance begun by Francis in 2017. Following mass, Pope Leo…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (577+ words) Charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church delivers humanitarian aid directly to Gazan families in crisis by working with the Global Empowerment Mission JOPPA, Md., Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ "The Rapid Relief Team (RRT), the charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, announced today that its humanitarian aid initiative has successfully delivered more than one million meals to families and children in Gaza. The initiative, which began in September 2025, continues to provide food and hope to Gazan families. The RRT has worked with the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), an established international humanitarian aid organization officially licensed to deliver aid directly within Gaza, to ensure the humanitarian aid reaches those who need it safely. This strong relationship has resulted in a total of 14,040 food boxes, totaling 1.067 million meals, delivered to provide vital supplies to more than 68,500 people in Gaza. Following the success…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (348+ words) The Zion Christian Mission Center held its 116th graduation on November 2 in Cheongju, producing 59,192 graduates including 2,248 pastors. Over 20,000 attended, with worldwide participation online. Sydney, Australia, November 7, 2025 /MarketersMEDIA/ " The Zion Christian Mission Center hosted its 116th graduation ceremony on November 2 at the Shincheonji Cheongju Church in South Korea. Despite intense persecution and slander, the mission center produced a total of 59,192 graduates this year, including 2,248 pastors. Chairman Man Hee Lee is presenting a certificate to the representative graduate. Notably, the number of pastors graduating from the Zion Christian Mission Center continues to rise. Within the past four years, the total number of graduating pastors surpassed 13,500. As he spoke during the graduation ceremony, Shincheonji Church Chairman Lee Man-hee called on all believers to carry out genuine faith lives according to scripture. "There are far too many people who claim to believe in Jesus but do…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (386+ words) Jinyun County, Lishui, Zhejiang, China, November 4, 2025 " A grand ceremony honoring Huangdi, also known as the Yellow Emperor, was held on Wednesday at the Huangdi Temple in Jinyun county, part of Lishui city in Zhejiang province. Revered throughout Chinese history, Huangdi, who reigned over a united China around 5,000 years ago, is believed to be the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people and the founder of Chinese culture. Legend holds that the Yellow Emperor practiced alchemy at Dinghu Peak in Jinyun and rode a dragon to heaven. More than 400 people, including national role models, Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese, attended the ceremonial rituals. The sacrificial rites started at 9:50 am " representing jiuwu, or "nine five, numbers that, when combined, represent the Yellow Emperor's supreme majesty. Drums were then beaten 34 times and bells struck 15 times, representing the 34 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative…...