Reuters, by Andrew Osborn: A Russian court jailed a Jehovah’s Witness adherent for six years on Friday after finding him guilty of extremist activity, part of a crackdown on the group that human rights activists say violates religious freedom. A…

Faithwire, by Will Maule: Algerian government officials continued their brutal crackdown on a number of Christian communities, shuttering the doors to the largest protestant church in the country. The 700-member-strong Church of the Full Gospel in Tizi-Ouzou was told by…

Image: Ron Przysucha (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), flickr.com Transcript of this video Source References Pompeo, Pope Francis urge religious freedom in Mideast, elsewhere

Reuters, by Philip Pullella: Pope Francis and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed on Thursday on the need to protect the rights of Christian minorities in the Middle East during a meeting at the Vatican, the U.S. State Department…

Image: David Greenwell (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), flickr.com Transcript of this video Source References Putin visits Pope Francis on July 4th

The Trumpet: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on July 4. This is his third meeting with the pope—a high number for a dictator who is closely allied with the Orthodox Church, which split from…

The Atlantic, by Peter Wehner: Last week, Ralph Reed, the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s founder and chairman, told the group, “There has never been anyone who has defended us and who has fought for us, who we have loved more…

Irish Central: The Vatican has published a note rejecting potential new legislation that would mandate clergy members to report instances of child abuse heard during the sacrament of confession. The note comes after California passed Senate Bill 360 on May…

CNA, by Courtney Grogan: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Pope Francis at the Vatican July 4 for a 55-minute private discussion. Pope Francis and Putin discussed current affairs in Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, as well as environmental issues and…

CNA , by Hannah Brockhaus: The Catholic Church wants to continue to be an active and contributive member of Romanian society, Pope Francis told the president and authorities of the Eastern European country Friday. The Catholic Church “desires to contribute…