Connect with us

us news

Macron steps up financial support for Christian schools in the Middle East

Published

on

French President Emmanuel Macron announced this week that France would double financial support for Christian schools in the Middle East — a surprising decision for a country that prides itself on its secularism, which is baked into the country’s constitution. Experts, however, see Macron’s move as a wily attempt to court right-wing voters in a possible re-election bid.

“Supporting Christians in the Middle East is an age-old commitment in France, an historic mission,” declared the French president at an event at the Élysée Palace in Paris on February 1. Macron announced that financial aid for Christian schools in the Middle East would be doubled in 2022, going from €2 million to €4 million, co-funded by the French government and the religious organisation L’Oeuvre d’Orient.

French has been a secular state since a 1905 law definitively separated Church and State and guaranteed freedom of religion in the country. It means that religion is treated in France as a private matter, and public education in particular has to be secular – a policy that isn’t the case overseas, where the government works closely with L’Oeuvre d’Orient, a Christian non-profit which has historic ties with the Pope and is overseen by the archbishop of Paris. The charity works in areas such as healthcare and heritage protection, while also providing education with a religious slant.

The French government’s strategy of secular at home, sectarian abroad, can be attributed to France’s desire to keep its sphere of influence in the Middle East, says Bernard Heyberger, the director of studies at the École des Hautes études en sciences sociales and the École pratique des Hautes études in Paris.

“France supports Christian schools in the Middle East because it’s its only presence there,” he told FRANCE 24. “Until recently, archaeological digs were a sphere of influence for France, but there are fewer and fewer of them with the political situation in the region. Schools, therefore, are the best tool that France has to spread its influence: wherever France is sending funding, you can be sure there’s French-speaking education.”

French schools also ensure that the region has a French-speaking population, even if the number of French speakers has diminished.

“L’Oeuvre d’Orient has existed since the 19th century,” explained Heyberger. Massacres of Christians in the 1860s in Damascus and Lebanon horrified the French population and caused a surge in humanitarianism in the country.

“Napoleon III and the Third Republic instrumentalized this and invented the idea that France had been the historical protector of Christians in the region since the time of Saint Louis and Charlemagne. Ever since, France’s political right and far- right have latched on to this idea, which also comes up in left-wing talking points,” he said.

Christians: a political symbol of victims of terrorism?
Mihaela-Alexandra Tudor, a lecturer in communication and media sciences at University Paul-Valéry in Montpellier, says that Macron is deliberately targeting French Catholics before declaring his candidacy for this year’s presidential elections. It’s one of similar gestures he’s made towards the French Catholic community, including meeting the Pope twice during his mandate.

“Emmanuel Macron’s message was designed as a counter-attack against the right-wing and far-right presidential candidates,” Tudor continues. “He is trying to bolster his track record in the face of the far right’s arguments about secularism and the risk of Islamist terrorist attacks.”

Political instability in the Middle East in the last decade and the Syrian and Iraq wars have drawn the French public’s attention to the plight of Christians in the region. Religious minorities, including Christians, have been particularly targeted during the conflict. The Vatican estimates that there are approximately 15 million Christians in the Middle East, making up about 4 percent of the population.

“Christians in the Middle East have become the symbol of civilian victims of Islamist terrorist groups,” explains Tudor. “After the terrorist attacks committed in France by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda, the cause of Middle Eastern Christians has become intertwined with the French state’s domestic fight against terrorism and the defence of democratic values like religious freedom.”

Stepping into right-wing territory
“The issue of Christians in the Middle East is at the heart of my engagement,” declared Valérie Pecresse, the presidential candidate for right-wing party Les Républicains, while she was on a trip to Armenia. The National Rally’s interim president Jordan Bardella also said, “I don’t want us to suffer the same fate as the Middle East’s Christians,” and extreme right candidate Éric Zemmour, also on a political trip to Armenia, emphasised the necessity of defending Western civilisation, highlighting that the Christian world should “never refuse to wage war when it is attacked”.

Emmanuel Macron’s decision to double funding for Christian schools in the region is part of a long line of politicians courting right-wing Catholic voters. The president particularly wants to send a message to voters for the far-right candidate Éric Zemmour, “who can draw a lot on the Catholic fringes of the electorate”, explains Tudor. The majority of Christians in the Middle East who are supported by France are Catholics.

“France essentially funds Catholic education in the Middle East,” says Heyberger. “Lebanese Maronites and Catholic Greeks are France’s main intermediaries in the region – France has less contact with Egyptian Coptic Christians or Assyrian Christians, for example.”

French funding went to 174 schools in 2021, including 129 in Lebanon, 16 in Egypt, seven in Israel, 13 in the Palestinian Territories and three in Jordan.

But a major announcement like this could end up being a risky strategy for Macron. “It could be considered opportunistic,” says Tudor. “Catholics are used to presidential candidates asking discreetly for their support, but anyone can change their mind when they’re in the voting booth.”
http://theendtimeradio.com

us news

യു.കെയിൽ പിആർ മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങൾ കർശനമാക്കുന്നു; ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ ബാധിക്കുക ഇന്ത്യക്കാരെ

Published

on

സ്ഥിര താമസക്കാരായി കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരെ ആവശ്യമില്ലെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിച്ച് യുകെ. സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവരുടെ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് സമയം 5 വർഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് 10 വർഷമായി ഇരട്ടിയാക്കുന്നത് ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള കർശനമായ പുതിയ നയ നടപടികൾ ബ്രിട്ടീഷ് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി കെയർ സ്റ്റാർമർ തിങ്കളാഴ്ച പുറത്തിറക്കി. ഇപ്പോൾ, 10 വർഷമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് മാത്രമേ സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കാൻ കഴിയൂ. എല്ലാ വർഷവും യുകെയിൽ എത്തുന്ന ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പ്രൊഫഷണലുകളുടെയും വിദ്യാർത്ഥികളുടെയും കൂട്ടമായ ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്മാരിൽ ഈ നീക്കം കാര്യമായ സ്വാധീനം ചെലുത്തുമെന്ന് പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു .

ഓഫീസ് ഫോർ നാഷണൽ സ്റ്റാറ്റിസ്റ്റിക്സിന്റെ കണക്കനുസരിച്ച്, 2023-ൽ യുകെയിലേക്കുള്ള ഏറ്റവും വലിയ കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരായിരുന്നു ഇന്ത്യക്കാർ, ഏകദേശം 250,000 പേർ പ്രധാനമായും ജോലിക്കും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ അവസരങ്ങൾക്കുമായി എത്തി.

ബിബിസിയുടെ റിപ്പോർട്ട് പ്രകാരം, കുടിയേറ്റക്കാർ അനിശ്ചിതമായി യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കാനുള്ള അവകാശത്തിനോ സാങ്കേതികമായി ഇൻഡെഫിനിറ്റ് ലീവ് ടു റിമെയിൻ (ILR) എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്നതിനോ അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിന് മുമ്പ് 10 വർഷം യുകെയിൽ താമസിക്കേണ്ടിവരും.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

http://theendtimeradio.com

Migrants in the UK may soon face longer waiting periods before they can apply for permanent residency, as the Labour government plans to tighten regulations for foreign workers in Britain. If the rule extending the waiting period does come into force, Indians are likely to be hit as a large number of professionals and students from India reach the UK every year.

In 2023, Indians made up the largest group of immigrants to the UK, with around 250,000 arriving primarily for work and education, according to the Office for National Statistics. This was despite a 10% overall decline in net annual immigration to the UK.

The British government is planning to extend the waiting period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to as long as 10 years from the current 5 years for some migrants.

Bloomberg cited a person familiar with the matter as the source of the information, adding that the change would be included in a package of reforms soon to be published by the UK Home Office.

The ILR is a form of permanent residency. Holding ILR status in Britain means a person can stay in the country without any time limit.

It provides access to public services and freedom to work or study, mirroring many rights of British citizens. This status often serves as a precursor to applying for British citizenship. This is in a way similar to the American Green Card.

Around 85% of the people who migrated to the UK were from outside the European Union.

HOW POLITICS IN UK CHANGED WITH STANCE ON IMMIGRATION
The UK’s political landscape has been shaken by the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party. In recent local elections, Reform UK dealt significant blows to both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservative opposition in England.

Taking a tougher stance on immigration has become a priority for UK PM Keir Starmer as he tries to respond to the electoral threat.

In November last year, Keir Starmer stated that he wanted to see immigration “come down significantly”, criticising the previous Conservative government for having “failed” on the issue.

His remarks came after the UK recorded net migration of a record 906,000 people in the 12 months to June 2023, followed by 728,000 in the year to June 2024.

Some academics have argued that making it harder to achieve settlement rights would leave more people in insecure immigration status, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation without necessarily bringing down the net migration figures.

A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on proposed changes to the conditions for indefinite leave to remain but said the forthcoming immigration White Paper would “set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system”,reported.
http://theendtimeradio.com

Continue Reading

us news

‘God Still Heals’: Mike Signorelli on Fighting the Demonic, Seeing Miracles — and More

Published

on

A New York City pastor is on a mission to help people see that “God still heals.”

Mike Signorelli of V1 Church in New York City joined Billy Hallowell to explain how facets of the secular medical community are now “open to the spiritual realm.”

While some doctors and hospitals are looking for help in the wrong places, he said there is an opportunity for Christians to step into the fold and divert attention toward biblical truth.

“What we have to do is believe that God is going to do what only He can do and let me awaken people to the reality that He still heals,” Signorelli said.

In his own ministry, the popular preacher said he has to remind himself to “pray for even incurable things,” as he puts full trust in the Lord. He said he’s seen and experienced incredible miracles as a result of this trust. Signorelli even shared the example of a woman who was healed of Multiple sclerosis (MS).

“I received an email with all of these PDF attachments of a medical diagnosis of MS, and then as I begin to read the documents,” he said, noting he had prayed for the woman. “It was multiple confirmations that all the lesions were gone. It was completely undetectable and they cleared her and even said, ‘You’re done with medication and any medical intervention.’”

Signorelli continued, “And I wept knowing my own unbelief in that moment.”

These are the very issues CBN tackles in our new documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Miracles,” as we travel the nation diving into claims of miraculous healing.

“Your film is so important,” Signorelli said of the project. “And I hope many people listening watch it right now because it’s like, listen, I don’t want to serve a God that never heals. … But we also don’t want to distract people from the fact that salvation is the greatest healing and we’re all going to die of something. So it’s like living in that both and is healthy doctrine, healthy theology.”

Signorelli is also on a mission to launch a new effort to inspire faith — the Mission 11:59.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

Continue Reading

us news

Australian Defence Force releases new Bible edition for soldiers

Published

on

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released a new edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible, two decades after the previous edition was released in 2005.

The launch ceremony took place on March 13 at Russell Offices, the ADF’s administrative headquarters in Canberra, according to an ADF press release. Tina King of Bible Society Australia presented the new Bible to Maj. Gen. Sue Graham, who represented the chief of the Defence Force at the event.

“We acknowledge in the Defence Force how we are continually supported by the public, and the sacrifice from Bible Society volunteers brought forward today is another embodiment of that,” Graham said. “It’s particularly important to have a Bible that is available and relevant to all our soldiers, sailors and aviators.”

The new edition includes content tailored specifically to ADF personnel, such as contextually relevant prayers for those serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force.

“This is not a book for a bookshelf, it is a book to be near. We hope it will be dog-eared, underlined, searched and cherished,” said King.

Bible Society Australia also hosted a historical display at the event, showcasing military Bibles dating back to the Boer War. Among them was a Bible that saved the life of LCpl. Phillip Davies during World War I. Davies was digging for telephone cables at Messines Ridge, near Ypres in Belgium, when two bomb shells exploded nearby. Shrapnel struck his arms and legs, killing one colleague and injuring two others.

The location is known to have seen fierce fighting between British and German soldiers vying to control the ridge, considered important at the time for military advancement as it allowed a strategic viewpoint over the Ypres Salient.

The next morning, Davies discovered a piece of shrapnel stuck in the back cover of his Soldier’s Bible, which he had kept in his breast pocket. The shrapnel had been stopped just inches from his heart. The Bible was one of a million donated at the time by Bible Society Australia.

Director General Chaplaincy—Army, Principal Chaplain Kerry Larwill, spoke at the ceremony, noting the continued relevance of spiritual resources in military life.

“About 44 percent of Australians identified as Christian, and more are interested in spirituality of different varieties,” Larwill said. “For people who serve in Defence, which we know has demands on individuals and their families, it’s a source of light and hope to those who derive their meaning from a Christian perspective or value its wisdom.”

Representatives from the Military Christian Fellowship of Australia (MCF-A) and other chaplaincy networks, such as the Forum of Christian Military Ministries, also attended the launch. The new Bible includes a foreword written by former MCF-A patron and former Gov.-Gen. of Australia, General (retired) David Hurley.
Sources:Christianpost

http://theendtimeradio.com

Continue Reading
Advertisement The EndTime Radio

Featured

world news5 hours ago

Faces of the Persecuted | Pastor Ojih

Nigeria – The sharp blade of a machete cut the ropes that tied Pastor Ojih’s feet together. Rough hands jerked...

world news5 hours ago

Iranian Christian Refugee in Panama Faces Deadline to Find Asylum

Panama — After spending three months in Panama, a 27-year-old Iranian woman is still praying and searching for a safe...

National5 hours ago

എബനേസർ പ്രെയർ വാരിയേഴ്സ് 4-ാം മത് വാർഷിക സമ്മേളനവും, സുവിശേഷ യോഗവും 15 ന്

പാലക്കാട് കേന്ദ്രമാക്കി പ്രവർത്തിച്ചു വരുന്ന എബനേസർ പ്രെയർ വാരിയേഴ്സിൻ്റെ നാലാമത് വാർഷിക സമ്മേളനവും, സുവിശേഷ മഹായോഗവും ഈ മാസ° 15ാം തീയതി വ്യാഴാഴ്ച രാവിലെ 9-30 മണിയ്ക്ക്...

Tech6 hours ago

ഒരു ദശാബ്ദക്കാലത്തിനിപ്പുറം ലോഗോയിൽ മാറ്റവുമായി ഗൂഗിൾ; പുതുക്കിയ പതിപ്പ് പുറത്ത്

ലോഗോയിലാണ് ചെറിയ ചില മാറ്റങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ടുവന്നിട്ടുള്ളത്. സോളിഡ് ചുവപ്പ്, മഞ്ഞ, പച്ച, നീല ബിൽഡിങ് ബ്ലോക്കുകൾ ഒരേ നിറങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ ഫ്ലൂയിഡ് ഗ്രേഡിയന്റ് ഷിഫ്റ്റ് ഉപയോഗിച്ച് നിറങ്ങൾ മാറ്റിസ്ഥാപിച്ചു....

us news6 hours ago

യു.കെയിൽ പിആർ മാനദണ്ഡങ്ങൾ കർശനമാക്കുന്നു; ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ ബാധിക്കുക ഇന്ത്യക്കാരെ

സ്ഥിര താമസക്കാരായി കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരെ ആവശ്യമില്ലെന്ന് സൂചിപ്പിച്ച് യുകെ. സ്ഥിര താമസത്തിനായി അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവരുടെ കാത്തിരിപ്പ് സമയം 5 വർഷത്തിൽ നിന്ന് 10 വർഷമായി ഇരട്ടിയാക്കുന്നത് ഉൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള കർശനമായ പുതിയ...

Sports1 day ago

‘God Built This Miracle’: Hockey Player Died for 16 Minutes, Says He Spoke to God

Another remarkable story has emerged about a supernatural encounter during a near-death experience. In a powerful new episode of the...

Trending

Copyright © 2019 The End Time News