Jump to content
The World News Media

Eritrean government arrests 100 Christians in massive crackdown against unregistered churches


Guest Kurt

Recommended Posts

  • Guest
Guest Kurt

image.png

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Asmara, Eritrea.

The Eritrean government has arrested nearly 100 Christians this month as part of the massive crackdown against unregistered churches.

According to World Watch Monitor, the arrests took place in the days leading up to Eritrea's Independence Day on May 24.

On May 9, a total of 10 Christians were arrested from a home in Ginda, north-east of Asmara, for holding secret meetings there. Church members have resorted to holding secret meetings in people's houses since a law was passed in 2002, banning churches other than the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and also Sunni Islam.

On May 17, more than 35 Christians were arrested from their homes in Adi Quala, a market town some 16 miles (25 kilometers) from the Ethiopian border in the country's Southern Region.

The arrests reportedly took place after the officials went door-to-door on May 15 and asked household members to indicate whether they were Muslim, Jehovah's Witnesses, or members of the Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church, Catholic Church or Pentecostal Church. The next day, security officers came to arrest all those who indicated they were Pentecostals.

On May 24, the authorities reportedly arrested 49 Evangelicals outside the capital Asmara, during a post-wedding celebration. The newly-weds, who were in their late 20s, were among those who were arrested.

The crackdown on Christians is not limited to members of unauthorized churches. In 2007, the authorities removed the legitimate patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Abune Antonios, from office and installed Bishop Dioskoros of Mendefera in his place. The move has been seen as a violation of the Church's constitution since the patriarch is traditionally appointed by Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Pope, for life.

Antonios had come under fire from the government beginning 2006 when he refused to excommunicate 3,000 members of the Medhane Alem Orthodox Sunday School revival movement and called for the release of imprisoned Christians accused of treason. The government stripped him of his title in 2007, but he is still recognized as canonical patriarch by the Eritrean Churches in Diaspora and by Oriental Orthodox Churches.

The 89-year-old patriarch has been held under house arrest since 2007, but the location of his incarceration remains unknown. His family and friends are concerned that he is not receiving adequate medical treatment as he is suffering from diabetes.

"He remains incommunicado under house arrest despite reports emanating from Eritrea during August 2016 that indicated his release was imminent," said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement.

CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas called for the patriarch's immediate and unconditional release as well as his reinstatement.

"We also to urge the international community not only to express concern at the patriarch's plight, but to also remind the Eritrean authorities that his removal constituted an unlawful interference in church affairs, and to request his immediate release and return to office," he added.

source

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Views 1k
  • Replies 0
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Popular Days

Popular Days

Posted Images

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...




  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Popular Contributors

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • It appears to me that this is a key aspect of the 2030 initiative ideology. While the Rothschilds were indeed influential individuals who were able to sway governments, much like present-day billionaires, the true impetus for change stems from the omnipotent forces (Satan) shaping our world. In this case, there is a false God of this world. However, what drives action within a political framework? Power! What is unfolding before our eyes in today's world? The relentless struggle for power. The overwhelming tide of people rising. We cannot underestimate the direct and sinister influence of Satan in all of this. However, it is up to individuals to decide how they choose to worship God. Satanism, as a form of religion, cannot be regarded as a true religion. Consequently, just as ancient practices of child sacrifice had a place in God's world, such sacrifices would never be accepted by the True God of our universe. Despite the promising 2030 initiative for those involved, it is unfortunately disintegrating due to the actions of certain individuals in positions of authority. A recent incident serves as a glaring example, involving a conflict between peaceful Muslims and a Jewish representative that unfolded just this week. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/us-delegation-saudi-arabia-kippah?ref=upstract.com Saudi Arabia was among the countries that agreed to the initiative signed by approximately 179 nations in or around 1994. However, this initiative is now being undermined by the devil himself, who is sowing discord among the delegates due to the ongoing Jewish-Hamas (Palestine) conflict. Fostering antisemitism. What kind of sacrifice does Satan accept with the death of babies and children in places like Gaza, Ukraine, and other conflicts around the world, whether in the past or present, that God wouldn't? Whatever personal experiences we may have had with well-known individuals, true Christians understand that current events were foretold long ago, and nothing can prevent them from unfolding. What we are witnessing is the result of Satan's wrath upon humanity, as was predicted. A true religion will not involve itself in the politics of this world, as it is aware of the many detrimental factors associated with such engagement. It understands the true intentions of Satan for this world and wisely chooses to stay unaffected by them.
    • This idea that Satan can put Jews in power implies that God doesn't want Jews in power. But that would also imply that God only wants "Christians" including Hitler, Biden, Pol Pot, Chiang Kai-Shek, etc. 
    • @Mic Drop, I don't buy it. I watched the movie. It has all the hallmarks of the anti-semitic tropes that began to rise precipitously on social media during the last few years - pre-current-Gaza-war. And it has similarities to the same anti-semitic tropes that began to rise in Europe in the 900's to 1100's. It was back in the 500s AD/CE that many Khazars failed to take or keep land they fought for around what's now Ukraine and southern Russia. Khazars with a view to regaining power were still being driven out into the 900's. And therefore they migrated to what's now called Eastern Europe. It's also true that many of their groups converted to Judaism after settling in Eastern Europe. It's possibly also true that they could be hired as mercenaries even after their own designs on empire had dwindled.  But I think the film takes advantage of the fact that so few historical records have ever been considered reliable by the West when it comes to these regions. So it's easy to fill the vacuum with some very old antisemitic claims, fables, rumors, etc..  The mention of Eisenhower in the movie was kind of a giveaway, too. It's like, Oh NO! The United States had a Jew in power once. How on earth could THAT have happened? Could it be . . . SATAN??" Trying to tie a connection back to Babylonian Child Sacrifice Black Magick, Secret Satanism, and Baal worship has long been a trope for those who need to think that no Jews like the Rothschilds and Eisenhowers (????) etc would not have been able to get into power in otherwise "Christian" nations without help from Satan.    Does child sacrifice actually work to gain power?? Does drinking blood? Does pedophilia??? (also mentioned in the movie) Yes, it's an evil world and many people have evil ideologies based on greed and lust and ego. But how exactly does child sacrifice or pedophilia or drinking blood produce a more powerful nation or cabal of some kind? To me that's a giveaway that the authors know that the appeal will be to people who don't really care about actual historical evidence. Also, the author(s) of the video proved that they have not done much homework, but are just trying to fill that supposed knowledge gap by grasping at old paranoid and prejudicial premises. (BTW, my mother and grandmother, in 1941 and 1942, sat next to Dwight Eisenhower's mother at an assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower family had been involved in a couple of "Christian" religions and a couple of them associated with IBSA and JWs for many years.)
  • Members

  • Recent Status Updates

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      65.4k
    • Total Posts
      158.9k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      17,670
    • Most Online
      1,592

    Newest Member
    Apolos2000
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Service Confirmation Terms of Use Privacy Policy Guidelines We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.