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Catholic priest abducted in Nigeria found dead
Nigeria :The body of a Catholic priest was discovered in Nigeria on Saturday, a day after he was kidnapped by armed men.
Agenzia Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported on Jan. 18 that Fr. John Gbakaan “was allegedly executed with a machete in such a brutal manner that identification was hardly possible.”
The priest of the diocese of Minna, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, was attacked by unidentified men on the evening of Jan. 15. He was traveling with his younger brother along Lambata-Lapai Road in Niger State following a visit to their mother in Makurdi, Benue State.
Fides reported that the kidnappers at first demanded 30 million naira (around $70,000) for the two brothers’ release, later reducing the figure to five million naira (approximately $12,000).
Local media said that the priest’s body was found tied to a tree on Jan. 16. His vehicle, a Toyota Venza, was also recovered. His brother remains missing.
Following Gbakaan’s murder, Christian leaders called on Nigeria’s federal government to take action to stop attacks on clergy.
Local media quoted the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, vice chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in northern Nigeria, as saying: “We are simply pleading to the federal government and all security agencies to do whatever it will take to bring this evil to a stop.”
“All we are asking from the government is protection from evil men that are destroying our lives and properties.”
The incident is the latest in a series of abductions of clergy in Africa’s most populous country.
On Dec. 27, Bishop Moses Chikwe, an auxiliary of the archdiocese of Owerri, was abducted alongside his driver. He was released after five days of captivity.
On Dec. 15, Fr. Valentine Oluchukwu Ezeagu, a member of the Sons of Mary Mother of Mercy, was kidnapped in Imo State en route to his father’s funeral in neighboring Anambra State. He was released the following day.
In November, Fr. Matthew Dajo, a priest of the archdiocese of Abuja, was kidnapped and released after 10 days in captivity.
Hayab was quoted as saying that the spate of kidnappings was discouraging young men from pursuing priestly vocations.
“Today in northern Nigeria, many people are living in fear and many young people are afraid to become pastors because pastors’ lives are in great danger,” he said.
“When bandits or kidnappers realize that their victims are priests or pastors, it seems a violent spirit does take over their heart to demand more ransom and in some cases go to the extent of killing the victim.”
News reported that on Jan 10 Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja said that the abductions would give the country “a bad name” internationally.
“Left unchecked by the Nigerian authorities, this shameful and disgusting act will continue to give Nigeria a bad name and scare away visitors and investors to the country,” he said.
Releasing its annual World Watch List report last week, the advocacy group Open Doors said that security in Nigeria had deteriorated to the point that the country had entered the top 10 worst countries for the persecution of Christians.
In December, the U.S. State Department listed Nigeria among the worst countries for religious freedom, describing the West African nation as a “country of particular concern.”
This is a formal designation reserved for nations where the worst violations of religious freedom are taking place, the other countries being China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
The step was praised by the leadership of the Knights of Columbus.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said that “Nigeria’s Christians have suffered grievously at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.”
He suggested that the murders and kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria “verge on genocide.”
He said: “The Christians of Nigeria, both Catholic and Protestant, deserve attention, recognition, and relief now. Nigeria’s Christians should be able to live in peace and practice their faith without fear.”
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പാസ്റ്റർ വത്സൻ എബ്രഹാമിന്റെ ദേഹവിയോഗത്തിൽ അനുസ്മരണ യോഗം 8ന് ഞായറാഴ്ച
ഫ്ലോറിഡ: ഇന്ത്യൻ പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് ദൈവസഭ (IPC) ജനറൽ പ്രസിഡന്റ് പാസ്റ്റർ വത്സൻ എബ്രഹാമിന്റെ ദേഹവിയോഗത്തിൽ ആദരാഞ്ജലികൾ അർപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനായി അനുസ്മരണ യോഗം നടത്തപ്പെടും.
ഐ.പി.സി. നോർത്ത് അമേരിക്കൻ ഫാമിലി കോൺഫ്രൻസിന്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തിൽ 8 ന് ഞായറാഴ്ച വൈകിട്ട് 8 മണിക്ക് (ഈസ്റ്റേൺ ടൈം) സൂം പ്ലാറ്റ്ഫോമിലൂടെ നടത്തപ്പെടുന്ന യോഗത്തിൽ അമേരിക്കയിലും കാനഡയിലുമുള്ള ഐ.പി.സി. റീജിയൻ ഭാരവാഹികളും, കോൺഫ്രൻസ് മുൻ ദേശീയ ഭാരവാഹികളും, മുഖ്യധാര പ്രസ്ഥാനങ്ങളുടെ പ്രതിനിധികളും, ഐ.പി.സിയുടെ വിവിധ ചുമതലകൾ വഹിക്കുന്ന നേതാക്കളും, അഭ്യുദയകാംക്ഷികളും പങ്കെടുക്കും. നാഷണൽ ചെയർമാൻ പാസ്റ്റർ റോയി വാകത്താനം അധ്യക്ഷത വഹിക്കും.
സഭയുടെ സ്ഥാപകരിൽ പ്രമുഖനായ പാസ്റ്റർ കെ.ഇ. എബ്രഹാമിന്റെ ചെറുമകൻ എന്ന നിലയിലും, മുൻ ജനറൽ പ്രസിഡന്റായ പാസ്റ്റർ ടി.എസ്. എബ്രഹാമിന്റെ മകൻ എന്ന നിലയിലും, 3 തലമുറകളായി IPC എന്ന മഹാ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ അമരക്കാരനായി നിന്ന് വിശ്വാസ സമൂഹത്തിന് നേതൃത്വം വഹിച്ച ഏറെ സവിശേഷതകളുള്ള വ്യക്തിത്വമായിരുന്നു ഡോ. വത്സൻ എബ്രഹാം.
ആത്മീയ സമൂഹത്തിനും പൊതു സമൂഹത്തിനും ഒട്ടേറെ നന്മകൾ ചെയ്ത, പെന്തക്കോസ്ത് സമൂഹത്തിനാകെ ഒരുപാട് സംഭാവനകൾ നൽകിയ പാസ്റ്റർ വത്സൻ എബ്രഹാമിന്റെ വേർപാടിൽ കുടുംബാഗങ്ങളോട് ചേർന്ന് നിന്ന്, ആദരാഞ്ജലികൾ അർപ്പിക്കുവാൻ സാധ്യമാകുന്ന ഈ യോഗത്തിലേക്ക് ഏവരെയും സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്യുന്നതായി നോർത്ത് അമേരിക്കൻ കോൺഫ്രൻസിന്റെ ദേശീയ ഭാരവാഹികൾ അറിയിച്ചു.
സൂം ഐഡി: 4052094084 | പാസ്വേഡ്: IPC
Sources:globalindiannews
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Christian Pilot Who Prayed Lord’s Prayer Before Fatal Florida Plane Crash Remembered for Powerful Faith
The heartbreaking final moments of a Florida plane crash that claimed nine lives have taken on an even deeper significance as new details emerge about the Christian pilot who reportedly turned to prayer before the aircraft plunged to the ground.
Capt. Jeff Gregory, 55, was a devoted Christian and a member of Limerick Chapel in Pennsylvania, according to the New York Post. Gregory was piloting the Learjet 60 that crashed Sunday, Nov. 1, in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing everyone aboard.
As the aircraft descended rapidly, Gregory was reportedly heard reciting the Lord’s Prayer while his 20-year-old co-pilot, Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, desperately communicated the unfolding emergency.
Now, the church Gregory called home remembers him not only for his life but also for the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ.
According to the Post, Limerick Chapel notified congregants of Gregory’s death, saying he “went home to be with the Lord when the plane he was flying crashed.”
Gregory’s connection to the church ran deep; both his parents had worked there. He leaves behind his wife, Cheryl, and their three children.
Longtime friend and former neighbor David Peters told The Sun that Gregory had dreamed of becoming a pilot since childhood.
“I know he worked hard to become a pilot and it was something he truly loved and poured his life and heart into,” Peters said.
Peters also remembered Gregory as a diligent and dependable man who took pride in his aviation career.
The devastating crash claimed eight other lives, including Filgueiras and Texas technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife, Helen Sharp, and their two young children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2. Also killed were Rachael Reed, Charmi Fehr and caregiver Anita Maria Cetina.
According to Fox News, the aircraft was traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas when the crew encountered icing and moderate turbulence. Federal investigators are examining weather conditions and preliminary evidence that the aircraft began breaking apart before impact.
As the families and friends of these nine victims face unimaginable grief, Gregory’s church is remembering a man whose faith was reportedly present even in life’s most terrifying moments. During this time, lift up in prayer all those heartbroken by this tragedy.
Sources: Breaking Christian News
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‘This Is the Firewall Midterm’: Pastor Samuel Rodriguez Warns Against Christian Apathy
At the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s 25th Anniversary Summit, faith leaders delivered a pointed message about the upcoming midterm elections: Christians must not remain on the sidelines.
Centered on what organizers called the “Lamb’s Agenda,” the summit emphasized unity around faith, family, freedom, and biblical justice. Speakers urged believers, especially Hispanic Christians, to see civic engagement as a moral responsibility.
NHCLC President Pastor Samuel Rodriguez warned that cultural and political trends unfolding in Europe could eventually take hold in the United States if people of faith do not act.
“There is a legitimate concern of what’s taking place in Europe,” Rodriguez said. “That reality will become our reality unless we build a firewall. This is the firewall midterm.”
Rodriguez described the stakes in stark terms, arguing that America could face growing instability and a deeper rejection of its Judeo-Christian foundation if Christians become disengaged.
“What’s next for America? Chaos, anarchy, socialism, communism, uber-wokeism, cancel culture on steroids, antisemitism continues to grow; a complete repudiation of our Judeo-Christian system,” he said. “That’s what’s next.”
Throughout the summit, Rodriguez repeatedly challenged pastors to confront apathy from the pulpit and to teach biblical principles related to civic duty and public life.
“There’s no such thing as complacent Christianity,” he said. “Today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity. Comfortable Christianity, kumbaya Christianity; we are what we tolerate.”
He also argued that political and cultural disengagement carries real consequences, pointing to his home state of California as an example of what can happen when churches fail to speak into public issues.
“This idea we don’t want to get involved in the political reality, the cultural reality,” Rodriguez said. “I live in California… I can demonstrate and show you what happens when apathy takes place in the pulpit; legislative initiatives that jeopardize my children and my children’s children.”
Rodriguez said the church itself must serve as the nation’s moral “firewall.”
“What’s the firewall? Is it a political movement? It’s the Church of Jesus Christ,” he said. “The church is the firewall.”
The summit also touched on politics and the Hispanic vote. Rodriguez acknowledged that while former President Donald Trump made significant gains among Hispanic and Latino voters in 2024, support has since softened among some because of dissatisfaction with immigration enforcement and deportation policies.
“Many of them have fallen away because of what they perceived or what they saw as ICE tactics,” Rodriguez said. “So there has been a downsizing of that support… to roughly 27 to 30 percent.”
Even so, Rodriguez praised Trump’s record on religious liberty, saying he believes the president has done more than any other to protect pastors’ ability to preach freely.
“He is fully cognizant of the reality out there,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t know of any other president… that has done more good as it pertains to a Christian pastor’s ability to preach the gospel without any hesitation.”
Other pastors at the summit echoed the call for greater Christian influence in American public life.
“We need to influence the American culture to remain in the Bible,” said Pastor Samuel Ruiz, pastor of Winter Park Christian Church in Colorado.
“And number two, to collaborate as a church with the political environment and development of this nation so that we remain, in my opinion, conservative.”
His wife and Co-Pastor Dalia Ruiz added that voting should be guided by biblical conviction. “If we vote according to the Bible, then we’ll keep a good foundation in the country,” she said.
Despite concerns about the cultural and political direction of the country, Rodriguez ended on a note of hope, expressing confidence that spiritual renewal remains possible in America.
“It’s hope of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like America has never seen before,” he said. “A great harvest. People coming to Christ in record-breaking numbers… God’s not done with us yet.”
Sources:CBN News
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