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A Finnish court has acquitted an MP who was on trial for his Christian faith
The verdict in the closely watched trial of a Finnish Christian MP was announced on Wednesday.
A court in Helsinki dismissed all charges against Päivi Räsänen, a physician and mother of five, and Juhana Pohjola, a bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, after a free speech trial that drew international attention.
The court said in a unanimous 28-page ruling on March 30 that “it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts.”
It said that Räsänen had sought to “defend the concept of family and marriage between a man and a woman.” If some people found the statements offensive, it said, “there must be an overriding social reason for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression.”
It ordered the state pay legal costs to the defense of more than 60,000 euros (over $66,000).
Räsänen said: “I am so grateful the court recognized the threat to free speech and ruled in our favor. I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after being acquitted.”
“Although I am grateful for having had this chance to stand up for freedom of speech, I hope that this ruling will help prevent others from having to go through the same ordeal.”
The charges against the 62-year-old Räsänen related to her comments in a 2004 pamphlet, her appearance in a 2018 radio debate, and a Twitter post in 2019.
The Prosecutor General charged Räsänen, who served as Finland’s interior minister from 2011 to 2015, with incitement against a minority group, arguing that her statements were “likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals.”
The charge against Pohjola concerned his decision to publish Räsänen’s pamphlet, “Male and Female He Created Them.”
Finland is a country with a population of 5.5 million people, bordering Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Around two-thirds of the population belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, one of the country’s two national churches, alongside the Finnish Orthodox Church.
Räsänen, who was chairwoman of the Christian Democrats party from 2004 to 2015, is an active member of the Finnish Lutheran Church. But she questioned her church’s sponsorship of an LGBT pride event in 2019.
On June 17, 2019, she asked in a Twitter post how the sponsorship was compatible with the Bible, linking to a photograph of a biblical passage, Romans 1:24-27, on Instagram. She also posted the text and image on Facebook.
“The purpose [of] my tweet was in no way to insult sexual minorities. My criticism was aimed at the leadership of the church,” she told the journal First Things.
Discussing the tweet in court, she underlined that it was directed at Church leaders and concerned an important topic facing the Church.
Police began investigating Räsänen in 2019. She faced several police interviews and had to wait more than a year for the Prosecutor General’s decision.
The International Lutheran Council described the decision to prosecute Räsänen and Pohjola as “egregious.”
It said: “The vast majority of Christians in all nations, including Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, share these convictions. Would the Finnish Prosecutor General condemn us all? Moreover, shall the Finnish state risk governmental sanctions from other states based on the abuse of foundational human rights?”
Addressing the pamphlet, which described homosexuality as “a disorder of psycho-sexual development,” Räsänen told the court that she was asked to write a text outlining Lutheran teaching on sexuality for members of her church, from her viewpoint as a politician, doctor, and Christian.
She said that the pamphlet was outdated given changes in research and legislation since 2004. But she said that it should still exist as a document testifying to the discussions taking place at that time.
Crowds of supporters gathered outside the court during the trial. The American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who spent two years in detention in Turkey, flew to Finland to give Räsänen a prayer pledge of support signed by Christians worldwide, organized by the Family Research Council.
A group of U.S. senators wrote on Jan. 24 to Rashad Hussain, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, expressing concern at the trial.
“We are greatly concerned that the use of Finnish hate speech law is tantamount to a secular blasphemy law,” they said.
“It could open the door for prosecution of other devout Christians, Muslims, Jews and adherents of other faiths for publicly stating their religious beliefs.”
The Christian legal group ADF International said that the prosecution argued in its closing statement that the word “sin” can be harmful.
“The Apostle Paul isn’t on trial here, but Räsänen is,” the prosecution reportedly said, calling for the defendants to be fined.
Räsänen’s defense argued that a guilty verdict would damage free speech in Finland. They suggested that that trial had become a theological debate on the question “what is sin?”, which they said was an inappropriate topic for a court.
The defense cited the 1976 Handyside v United Kingdom case by the European Court of Human Rights, which said that freedom of expression extended to ideas that “offend, shock or disturb the state or any sector of the population.”
Paul Coleman, ADF International’s executive director, who was present on the first day of the trial on Jan. 24, commented: “I would characterize the day as a modern-day Inquisition or heresy trial and the heresy was that Päivi and Bishop Juhana were on trial against the new sexual orthodoxy of the day.”
The state prosecutor has seven days to decide whether to lodge an appeal.
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മതസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യ അംബാസഡറായി സിസ്സി ഗ്രഹാം ലിഞ്ചിനെ ട്രംപ് നാമനിർദേശം ചെയ്തു
വാഷിങ്ടൺ: പ്രമുഖ സുവിശേഷകൻ ഫ്രാങ്ക്ലിൻ ഗ്രഹാമിന്റെ മകളും അന്തരിച്ച സുവിശേഷകൻ ബില്ലി ഗ്രഹാമിന്റെ കൊച്ചുമകളുമായ സിസ്സി ഗ്രഹാം ലിഞ്ചിനെ യുഎസ് അംബാസഡർ അറ്റ് ലാർജ് ഫോർ ഇന്റർനാഷണൽ റിലീജിയസ് ഫ്രീഡം സ്ഥാനത്തേക്ക് പ്രസിഡന്റ് ഡൊണാൾഡ് ട്രംപ് നാമനിർദേശം ചെയ്തു.
സെനറ്റിന്റെ അംഗീകാരം ലഭിച്ചാൽ ലോകമെമ്പാടുമുള്ള മതസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യ സംരക്ഷണവുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട യുഎസ് വിദേശനയ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളിൽ ലിഞ്ച് പ്രധാന ചുമതല വഹിക്കും. നാമനിർദേശം വലിയ ബഹുമതിയായി കാണുന്നതായും മതസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം സംരക്ഷിക്കുന്നതിനായി മികച്ച രീതിയിൽ സേവിക്കാൻ പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കണമെന്നും ലിഞ്ച് അഭ്യർഥിച്ചു.
2010 മുതൽ Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Samaritan’s Purse എന്നിവയുമായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന ലിഞ്ച് നിലവിൽ സീനിയർ അഡ്വൈസറും മിനിസ്ട്രി വക്താവുമാണ്. മകളുടെ നാമനിർദേശത്തെ സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്ത ഫ്രാങ്ക്ലിൻ ഗ്രഹാം, പുതിയ ഉത്തരവാദിത്വത്തിനായി അവൾക്ക് ജ്ഞാനവും ശക്തിയും ലഭിക്കാൻ പ്രാർത്ഥിക്കണമെന്നും അഭ്യർഥിച്ചു.
Sources:globalindiannews
Cissie Graham Lynch, the granddaughter of famed late Southern Baptist evangelist Billy Graham, said this week that President Donald Trump asked her to take up a key religious freedom position in his administration.
Lynch, whose father, Franklin Graham, leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, revealed the news on X on Sept. 15, saying Trump had asked her to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
The role helps lead the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Lynch on X said it would be “a great honor and privilege” to serve in the role.
“If confirmed by the Senate, please pray that I would serve with excellence and make the most of every opportunity to protect our most precious and fundamental right—and one that far too many people around the world still live without—freedom of religion,” she wrote.
Lynch has remained active in the religious advocacy and aid networks started by her grandfather and continue to be run by her family.
She has served as an adviser to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and at Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian aid organization also led by Franklin Graham.
On Sept. 15 Franklin Graham said his daughter is “uniquely” qualified for the role, the duties of which include promoting religious freedom abroad and advising the U.S. government when that right is violated internationally.
The government says the religious freedom ambassador serves as “a principal adviser to the president and the principal adviser to the secretary of state regarding matters affecting religious freedom abroad.” The ambassador‑at‑large also has served as a nonvoting member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has three vacancies yet to be appointed by the president.
Franklin Graham said his daughter has “traveled the world and been a student of this issue for many years” and has “a broad worldview and knowledge of the issues facing religious freedom today.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of her, and I ask you to pray that God would give her wisdom and strength,” Graham wrote.
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us news
മെസ്ക്വിറ്റ് ഷാരോണ് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചില് സെപ്റ്റംബര് 19, 20 തീയതികളില് പ്രത്യേക യോഗം
മെസ്ക്വിറ്റ്: ഷാരോണ് ഫെലോഷിപ്പ് ചര്ച്ചിന്റെ ആഭിമുഖ്യത്തില് സെപ്റ്റംബര് 19, 20 തീയതികളില് പ്രത്യേക യോഗം നടത്തപ്പെടുന്നു. പാസ്റ്റര് അനീഷ് ഏലപ്പാറ ദൈവവചന ശുശ്രൂഷ നിര്വഹിക്കും.സെപ്റ്റംബര് 19 ശനിയാഴ്ച വൈകിട്ട് 7 മണിക്കും, സെപ്റ്റംബര് 20 ഞായറാഴ്ച രാവിലെ 9:30-നും യോഗങ്ങള് നടക്കും.
വേദി: Sharon Fellowship Church, 940 Barnes Bridge Rd, Mesquite, Texas.
കൂടുതല് വിവരങ്ങള്ക്ക് പാസ്റ്റര് സാബു സാമുവല് – 201-960-0427, ബ്രദര് റോയ് എബ്രഹാം – 214-738-3976 എന്നീ നമ്പറുകളില് ബന്ധപ്പെടാം.
സംഘാടകര് ഏവരെയും ഈ പ്രത്യേക ആത്മീയ യോഗങ്ങളിലേക്ക് സ്നേഹപൂര്വ്വം സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
Sources:nerkazhcha
us news
ഈ നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ ലാറ്റിൻ അമേരിക്കയിൽ രക്തസാക്ഷിത്വം വരിച്ചത് 304 ക്രൈസ്തവര്
വത്തിക്കാൻ സിറ്റി: 21-ാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ ലാറ്റിൻ അമേരിക്കയിൽ മാത്രം ക്രൈസ്തവ വിശ്വാസത്തിനും സാമൂഹിക നീതിക്കും വേണ്ടി ജീവൻ ബലി കഴിച്ചത് 304 ക്രൈസ്തവരെന്ന് ഔദ്യോഗിക കണക്ക്. വത്തിക്കാൻ സമാഹരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന പുതിയ നൂറ്റാണ്ടിലെ രക്തസാക്ഷികളുടെ ആഗോള പട്ടികയിലാണ് കണക്കുകളുള്ളത്. വിശ്വാസം ഏറ്റുപറഞ്ഞതിന്റെ പേരിലും പാവപ്പെട്ടവർക്കായി നിലകൊണ്ടതിനും, സംഘടിത കുറ്റകൃത്യങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെ ശബ്ദമുയർത്തിയതിനും, പ്രകൃതി ചൂഷണങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെ പോരാടിയതിനുമാണ് ഇവര് കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടതെന്ന് റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടുന്നു.
മിഷ്ണറിമാർക്ക് പുറമെ സാധാരണക്കാരായ അല്മായരും ജീവൻ വെടിഞ്ഞവരുടെ പട്ടികയിലുണ്ട്. വിശുദ്ധരുടെ നാമകരണത്തിനായുള്ള വത്തിക്കാൻ ഡിക്കാസ്റ്ററിയുടെ പ്രീഫെക്റ്റ് കർദിനാൾ മാർസെല്ലോ സെമെരാരോയാണ് ഇതുസംബന്ധിച്ച വിശദാംശങ്ങൾ വ്യക്തമാക്കിയത്. ക്രിസ്തു വിശ്വാസം ഏറ്റുപറഞ്ഞതിന് പുറമെ, മയക്കുമരുന്ന് മാഫിയകൾ, വനനശീകരണം, പ്രകൃതിവിഭവങ്ങളുടെ നിയമവിരുദ്ധമായ ചൂഷണം എന്നിവയ്ക്കെതിരെ ശബ്ദമുയര്ത്തിയതിനും അനേകര് കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു.
ഗോത്രവർഗ്ഗ മേഖലകളിലെ വനനശീകരണത്തിനെതിരെയും അനധികൃത ഖനനങ്ങൾക്കെതിരെയും സുവിശേഷമൂല്യങ്ങൾ മുറുകെപ്പിടിച്ച് ഇവർ നിലകൊണ്ടപ്പോൾ, അത് ക്രിമിനൽ-സാമ്പത്തിക താല്പര്യങ്ങൾക്ക് തടസ്സമായി മാറുകയായിരിന്നുവെന്നും അങ്ങനെയാണ് നരഹത്യ നടന്നതെന്നും കർദ്ദിനാൾ മാർസെല്ലോ സെമെരാരോ പറഞ്ഞു. ഈ നൂറ്റാണ്ടിൽ ലോകമെമ്പാടുമായി രക്തസാക്ഷിത്വം വരിച്ച 1,700-ലധികം പേരുടെ വിവരങ്ങള് വത്തിക്കാന് ഔദ്യോഗികമായി രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം
The Catholic Church has documented 304 martyrs in Latin America so far this century. These are men and women killed not only for professing their faith but also for defending the poor, confronting organized crime, and protecting creation.
Their stories are part of a global catalog of martyrs promoted by the Vatican that already exceeds 1,700 documented cases.
“Many were murdered for reasons related to drug trafficking, deforestation, or for opposing the exploitation of natural resources,” explained Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The cardinal noted that while many were missionaries, the group also included lay faithful who gave their lives defending the Gospel and denouncing drug traffickers, protecting Indigenous territories from deforestation, or fighting the illegal exploitation of natural resources.
As he explained, the common thread in these cases is that these individuals became “inconvenient” to those controlling illicit activities. Their Gospel witness clashed directly with economic interests and criminal structures.
A conference to reflect on the new martyrs
Semeraro offered these reflections while presenting the international conference “The 21st Century: A New Era of Martyrs?” at the Vatican, a day of study and reflection dedicated to exploring the witness of Christians who have lost their lives for the sake of the Gospel in various parts of the world.
The gathering, organized by the Commission for New Martyrs — Witnesses to the Faith, was scheduled to take place Sept. 15 at the Pontifical Augustinianum Institute in Rome.
The international congress will bring together some of the most prominent voices from the Church, academia, and journalism in Rome to reflect on Christian witness in the contemporary world.
Participants include Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, archbishop of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; and Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio. Experts will also speak, such as Archbishop Fabio Fabene, president of the Commission for New Martyrs; journalist Lucia Capuzzi; historian Father Roberto Regoli; and South Sudanese religious sister Alice Jurugo Drajea, who will share about Christian life amid the war ravaging her country.
The initiative comes a year after the commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of the faith of the 21st century, presided over on Sept. 14, 2025, by Pope Leo XIV together with representatives of other Christian churches and communities at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Pope Leo XIV celebrate Mass for the commemoration of the martyrs and witnesses of the faith of the 21st century on Sept. 14, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. The commemoration was an ecumenical event that also brought together representatives from Eastern Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches, various Christian communities as well as ecumenical institutions and officials from Vatican dicasteries.
The commission continues to gather testimonies and information regarding Christians killed for their faith, aiming to preserve their memory and document the various forms of persecution and Christian witness in contemporary times.
According to data released by the organization last year, 1,624 martyrs worldwide had been documented between 2000 and 2025. Of these, 304 were from the Americas, a figure that reflects the specific nature of martyrdom in this region today.
The commission also noted that the record now exceeds 1,700 documented cases and that between 100 and 150 new testimonies were added in the last year alone, confirming that the phenomenon remains very much ongoing.
Holiness goes beyond canonization
In his remarks, Semeraro emphasized that holiness in the Church is not limited to those officially canonized.
“The grace of holiness in the Church is represented by canonization, but it is not exhausted by them. Obviously, this does not rule out the possibility that, provided the necessary conditions are met, the corresponding processes of beatification and canonization could be initiated for some of those listed in the catalogue,” he noted.
This is the case, for example, of Floribert Bwana Chui, a young Congolese man from the Community of Sant’Egidio who was murdered in 2007 for refusing to accept bribes and who was beatified in 2025.
However, he noted that the primary goal is to highlight the “high standard of ordinary Christian living” spoken of by St. John Paul II in Novo Millennio Ineunte, which Pope Francis later referred to as that of “the saints next door.”
The anthropological value of holiness
The cardinal also highlighted the deeply human dimension of Christian holiness.
“We need witnesses, martyrs, who have given themselves completely to demonstrate this to us day after day. We need them so that, even in the small choices of daily life, we may choose the good over comfort, knowing that this is precisely how we truly live life,” he explained, citing Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Spe Salvi.
Semeraro also highlighted the ecumenical value of this project, a characteristic that he noted St. John Paul II had sought to instill in the commission from its very inception.
Martyrdom continues to grow in the 21st century
During the presentation of the conference, historian Riccardi, vice chair of the commission, maintained that the Church is truly experiencing a “new era of martyrdom.”
He recalled that St. John Paul II promoted the gathering of testimonies from 20th-century martyrs for the jubilee of the year 2000, an initiative deeply shaped by his personal experience under the Nazi and communist regimes. In Riccardi’s view, that insight has proven even more relevant today.
For this reason, he explained, Pope Francis decided to reactivate and consolidate the Commission for New Martyrs, convinced that “the time of martyrdom continues.”
The Churchʼs response has been extensive. Dioceses, religious congregations, lay movements, episcopal conferences, and apostolic nunciatures have sent hundreds of testimonies to the Vatican.
http://theendtimeradio.com
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