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US Ambassador to Israel Compares President Trump and President Morales of Guatemala to “Joshua and Caleb”
A group of more than 200 evangelical faith leaders, organized by the Latin Coalition for Israel, gathered at the Aish Hatorah World Center in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 15 to celebrate the one-year anniversaries of the American and Guatemalan embassies’ moves to Jerusalem.
The meeting, which overlooked the Western Wall plaza and the Temple Mount, was attended by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman; First Lady of Guatemala Patricia Marroquín, the wife of President Jimmy Morales; and Guatemalan Ambassador to Israel Mario Bucaro Flores.
Speaking of the positive developments for Israel that have come about thanks to US President Donald Trump, Latin Coalition for Israel President Mario Bramnick likened him to Cyrus, the Persian king who permitted the Jewish people to return to Israel to build the Second Temple.
“As a Cuban American, I have never felt more proud to be an American than now having President Trump as our President. President Trump has done more to support the nation of Israel than any other President in the history of the United States,” Bramnick said.
Friedman likened him to the Biblical prophet Daniel, and extolled the group to do its utmost to support Israel and to spread that support to others.
He praised the group’s support for Israel, saying “to see how the Jewish people have so many friends is deeply moving, and I am deeply appreciative.”
“Not everyone thinks like us,” he added. “Not everybody appreciates the miracles we are living. I think people take much for granted.”
Bramnick pointed out that along with all the positive developments, Israel’s enemies are intensifying their efforts to harm the Jewish state. “We see these two forces moving simultaneously,” he said.
“We are seeing an unprecedented rise of anti-Semitism in the United States,” he said. “We’ve never seen synagogue shootings. We’ve never seen anti-Semitic cartoons in The New York Times. We’ve never seen an anti-Semitic congressman on the Foreign Affairs Committee. We’ve never seen the Democratic Party stand silent.”
He suggested that “communities as large as the evangelical community in the United States get up and make these complaints as much as possible. There is strength in numbers. Don’t be afraid to use that strength.”
At the same time, he voiced his faith in Israel’s ability to meet the challenges facing it. “Israel today, like it was thousands of years ago in history, is still facing formidable enemies in all directions. The risk is growing, but Israel’s strength is growing faster,” he said.
Friedman then spoke of the new forms of anti-Semitism taking hold around the world.
“We used to think of anti-Semitism in terms of Nazis and neo-Nazis,” he said. “Those are ugly and despicable people, but they’re easy to spot. The more difficult form of anti-Semitism that has emerged, not more lethal but more difficult, is anti-Zionism.”
It is anti-Zionism, he said, that “accounts to some extent for rocket fire that Israelis experience.”
To fight this new anti-Semitism, the ambassador said he recently “led a delegation of ambassadors from various European countries on the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau, trying to send the signal as powerfully as we could that the disease of anti-Semitism—and it is a disease—has to be eradicated.”
Commenting on growing anti-Semitism in America, Friedman said “there are people who hate Israel that are given platforms all over the United States. They apply double standards to Israel that they wouldn’t think of applying to other countries in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.”
“We hate the violence, we hate the rejectionism”
In preparation for the Mideast peace proposal set to be released by the Trump administration, Friedman said the discussion on Israel and its relationship with the Palestinians “is too often presented as a zero-sum game—that someone has to win and someone has to lose. The issue is always put in political terms and almost never in human terms.”
“The politics of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas we are totally against,” he said. “We hate the violence, we hate the rejectionism. But we don’t hate the Palestinian people. And that message doesn’t get out enough. We can be strong Zionists, but we can be sure that every person of any religion that lives on this soil can have the human dignity that everyone should have under God.”
Guatemalan First Lady Marroquín told the audience in Spanish that she had just prayed at the adjacent Western Wall and “thanked God for the great privilege that He has given us to live in these times. Because He has chosen President Morales to serve his country, to do what is right” in moving the Guatemalan embassy to Jerusalem.
Friedman related his personal journey from son of a Long Island rabbi, to New York City lawyer, to ambassador to Israel. He took special note of the location of the gathering, calling it “a beautiful venue 100 yards from … the site where Abraham brought [his son] Isaac to the altar, and the place that David purchased for the nation of Israel—the place where David wrote so many Psalms.”
Speaking about a nearby archeological excavation at the City of David that has uncovered a pathway leading from a large pool to the Temple Mount, Friedman told the Christian leaders, “if you asked what is the probability that Jesus walked that pathway, archeologists would tell you: 100 percent.”
Friedman said he will attend an opening ceremony for this path in June together with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Citing the Biblical episode of the 12 spies, in which only two out of 12 spies sent into Canaan by Moses encouraged the Jewish people to enter the land, Bramnick said that “President Donald Trump and President Jimmy Morales are like Joshua and Caleb,” the righteous spies that urged the Jews to enter Israel.
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പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് മിഷന് ദോഹ-ഖത്തര് കണ്വന്ഷന് ജനുവരി 21 മുതല്
ദോഹ:മധ്യപൂര്വ്വ ദേശത്തെ രണ്ടാമത്തെ ആത്മീയ സംഗമമായി ദി പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് മിഷന് സഭയുടെ ദോഹ-ഖത്തര് കണ്വന്ഷന് 2025 ജനുവരി 21 മുതല് 24 വരെ ദോഹ ഐ ഡി സി സി ടെന്റില് വെച്ച് നടക്കും. ദിവസവും വൈകിട്ട് 6ന് സുവിശേഷ യോദവും ഗാനശുശ്രൂഷയും നടക്കും.സഊയുടെ പ്രധാന ശുശ്രൂഷകര് പ്രസംഗിക്കും. മിഷന് പ്രവര്ത്തകര് വിവിധ പ്രാദേശിക ഭാഷകളില് ഗാനങ്ങള് ആലപിക്കും.
ബുധന്,വ്യാവം രാവിലെ 7ന് ബൈബിള് ക്ലാസ്,10 ന് പൊതുയോഗം, ബുധന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് 3 മുതല് 5 വരെ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് യോഗം,വ്യാഴാഴ്ച ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് 3 മുതല് 5 വരെ യുവജന സമ്മേളനം,സമാപന ദിവസമായ വെള്ളി രാവിലെ 9ന് പൊതുയോഗം എന്നിവ നടക്കും.
ദീര്ഘ വര്ഷങ്ങള്ക്ക് ശേഷം തുടര്ച്ചയായി രണ്ടാം പ്രാവിശ്യമാണ് മധ്യപൂര്വ്വ ദേശമായ ദോഹയില് സഭയുടെ സുവിശ്ഷയോഗം നടത്തുന്നത്.
കേരളമുള്പ്പെടെ ഇന്ത്യയുടെ വിവിധയിടങ്ങളില് നിന്നും കണ്വന്ഷനുകളില് സംബന്ധിക്കുവാന് ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവര് മുന്കൂട്ടി രജിസ്റ്റര് ചെയ്യേണ്ടതാണ്.
world news
2 House Church Pastors Shot in Vietnam’s Central Highlands
Vietnam — Reports have surfaced of two independent house pastors being shot in different parts of Vietnam’s Central Highlands in recent months.
Pastor Y Hung Ayun, 62, and Pastor Y Pho Eban, 57, are part of the Ede people group and lead house churches that are not registered with the Vietnamese communist government.
Leaders and members of unregistered house groups are often harassed and oppressed by local and central government officials, particularly because they are not part of the government-sanctioned Evangelical Church of Vietnam. Both pastors have stated they believe the attacks on them are because of their ongoing unregistered church activities.
Two masked men on a motorbike shot Pastor Ayun with rubber bullets. The bullets have caused severe swelling and damage to his legs. Ayun has previously spent nine years in prison for his religious activities. Since the shooting, police have monitored him closer, and he must now notify authorities if he leaves the area.
Pastor Eban was shot in the leg as he worked on his coffee plantation. The bullets caused serious wounds, leaving Eban unable to walk.
Pastor Eban’s case is even more tenuous because his unregistered church has about 200 members and because he is the father of Christian activist Y Quynh Bdap, who is currently facing extradition from Thailand. Several ministries and NGOs, including International Christian Concern, have reported on Bdap’s situation, especially as he is likely to face an unfair trial, torture, or even death if he is extradited to Vietnam.
Sources:persecution
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അവശേഷിക്കുന്ന കത്തോലിക്ക സന്യാസിനികള് ഡിസംബറിനകം രാജ്യം വിടണം: നിക്കരാഗ്വേ ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ അന്ത്യശാസന
മനാഗ്വേ: സ്വേച്ഛാധിപത്യത്തെ തുടര്ന്നു കുപ്രസിദ്ധിയാര്ജ്ജിച്ച നിക്കരാഗ്വേയില് അവശേഷിക്കുന്ന കത്തോലിക്ക സന്യാസിനികള് രാജ്യം വിടണമെന്ന് മുന്നറിയിപ്പ്. നിക്കരാഗ്വേ പ്രസിഡൻ്റ് ഡാനിയേൽ ഒർട്ടേഗയുടെയും ഭാര്യയും വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റുമായ റൊസാരിയോ മുറില്ലോയുടെയും സ്വേച്ഛാധിപത്യ ഭരണകൂടം മദര് തെരേസ സ്ഥാപിച്ച മിഷ്ണറീസ് ഓഫ് ചാരിറ്റി സന്യാസ സമൂഹം ഉള്പ്പെടെ വിവിധ സന്യാസ സമൂഹങ്ങളെ നേരത്തെ പുറത്താക്കിയിരിന്നു. രാജ്യത്ത് അവശേഷിക്കുന്ന സന്യാസിനികള് ഡിസംബറോടെ രാജ്യത്തിന് പുറത്തുപോകണമെന്നാണ് അന്ത്യശാസനം നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. മെത്രാന്മാരെയും വൈദികരെയും സന്യാസ സ്ഥാപനങ്ങളെയും ലക്ഷ്യമിട്ടുള്ള ഭരണകൂടത്തിന്റെ കത്തോലിക്ക സഭ വേട്ടയാടലിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും പുതിയ അധ്യായമായാണ് പ്രഖ്യാപനത്തെ ഏവരും വിലയിരുത്തുന്നത്.
1988 മുതൽ നിക്കരാഗ്വേയിലെ പാവപ്പെട്ടവര്ക്ക് ഇടയില് സേവനം ചെയ്തുക്കൊണ്ടിരിന്ന മിഷ്ണറീസ് ഓഫ് ചാരിറ്റിയെ 2022-ല് രാജ്യത്തു നിന്നു പുറത്താക്കിയത് ആഗോള ശ്രദ്ധ നേടിയിരിന്നു. രാഷ്ട്രീയ പ്രേരിതമായ കള്ളക്കഥകള് സന്യാസ സമൂഹത്തിന് നേരെ ആരോപിച്ചായിരിന്നു ഡാനിയേൽ ഒർട്ടേഗയുടെ ഏകാധിപത്യ ഭരണകൂടം പുറത്താക്കല് നടപടിയെടുത്തത്. ഇതിന് സമാനമായി മറ്റ് സന്യാസ സമൂഹങ്ങളെയും പുറത്താക്കി. 2022-ൽ അപ്പസ്തോലിക് ന്യൂൺഷ്യോയെ പുറത്താക്കിയതും നൂറുകണക്കിന് വൈദികരും ബിഷപ്പുമാരും രാജ്യം വിടാന് നിർബന്ധിതരായതും മെത്രാന്മാര്ക്ക് തടവുശിക്ഷ ലഭിച്ചതും ആശുപത്രികളിൽ വൈദികര് സന്ദര്ശിച്ച് പ്രാര്ത്ഥിക്കുന്നതിന് വിലക്ക് ഏര്പ്പെടുത്തിയതും ഉള്പ്പെടെ സഭയ്ക്കു നേരെ വലിയ വേട്ടയാടലാണ് ഭരണകൂടം നടത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നത്.
രാജ്യത്തെ ഏകാധിപത്യ ഭരണത്തിനെതിരെ രൂക്ഷ വിമര്ശനവുമായി കത്തോലിക്ക സഭ നേരത്തെ മുതല് രംഗത്തുണ്ടായിരിന്നു.
ജനാധിപത്യത്തെ പിന്തുണയ്ക്കുന്ന സഭാനിലപാടാണ് കത്തോലിക്ക സഭയെ ഒര്ട്ടേഗയുടെ ശത്രുവാക്കി മാറ്റിയത്. മതസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യവിരുദ്ധ നടപടികൾ കൊണ്ട് കുപ്രസദ്ധിയാര്ജ്ജിച്ച നിക്കരാഗ്വേയുടെ ഭരണകൂടം മനുഷ്യത്വരഹിതമായ ഇടപെടല് ഉടനടി അവസാനിപ്പിക്കണമെന്ന് ഐക്യരാഷ്ട്ര സഭയുടെ മനുഷ്യാവകാശ ഉന്നതസമിതിയുടെ കാര്യാലയം നേരത്തെ ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നുവെങ്കിലും ഫലം കണ്ടില്ല. ലാറ്റിന് അമേരിക്കന് രാജ്യമായ നിക്കരാഗ്വേയിലെ ജനസംഖ്യയുടെ ബഹു ഭൂരിപക്ഷവും കത്തോലിക്ക വിശ്വാസികളാണ്.
Officials from the Ortega regime had a meeting two months ago with the superiors of religious congregations in the country, in which they were told that residency permits would not be renewed for foreign priests and sisters once they expired, local sources told The Pillar.
“They also said that those who insisted on renewing their permits would be charged more than usual for the process and still be denied, so that they should not even bother,” a source close to the bishops’ conference told The Pillar.
Persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua began during the 2018-2019 protests against the Ortega regime.
However, the dictatorship intensified the persecution two years ago, with a systematic campaign against religious congregations, starting with the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity from the country.
A March 2022 law gives Nicaragua’s government new latitude to close civilly registered non-profits in the country and to limit the activity of foreign NGOs. The Ortega regime has used the law to expel various congregations from the country and see the country’s Catholic Charities operation dissolved.
Under this law, four Catholic universities, dozens of Catholic non-profits, and the legal entities under which many religious congregations operated were closed.
Under the law’s provisions, the assets of organizations that are voluntarily dissolved can be distributed to other organizations. But if the government dissolves an organization for any reason, its property can be seized, which has been the case for many institutions.
Many congregations have been expelled from the country under the 2022 law, including the Franciscans, Jesuits, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and a female Trappist community.
In some instances, some members of these institutions remain in the country, but without any legal structure to support them. For example, a small number of Jesuits remain in Nicaragua.
Other congregations have silently left the country amid pressure and persecution.
Human rights activist Martha Patricia Molina told The Pillar that she is in touch with religious sisters in the country, who told her that they have received an ultimatum from the government – they must leave the country by December.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re foreign or nationals, they must leave,” she told The Pillar.
“Many congregations started slowly leaving recently, there are not many anymore in Nicaragua; in many cases, the government is not allowing them to take their religious belongings, such as pious images, they’re being forced to do an inventory of everything they’re leaving behind,” she added.
“These religious had their non-profits canceled, and most already fled the country. Their properties will be seized,” Molina warned in a post on twitter.com
News of the renewed persecution comes days after Pope Francis published a pastoral letter to the Nicaraguan people. In it, the pope encouraged trust amid difficulty, saying “precisely in the most difficult moments, when it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called not to doubt His care and mercy.”
Since the start of the persecution against the Catholic Church, the Nicaraguan regime has forced the closure of dozens of Catholic TV and radio stations, the dissolution of the legal structures of religious congregations, Catholic universities, and Catholic foundations, and the seizure of their properties.
More than 250 clergy and religious have been forced into exile, including four bishops and almost 20% of the country’s priests.
On November 12, the president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference, Bishop Carlos Herrera, OFM, was forced into exile after criticizing a pro-regime mayor during Sunday Mass in the Jinotega cathedral.
In recent weeks, the regime has faced criticism for forbidding priests from accessing public hospitals, not allowing them to visit people who have requested pastoral visits or the reception of the sacraments of anointing of the sick or penance.
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