There is very little concern in the Muslim-controlled world about giving offense to other faiths. Governments dominated by Islam tend to explicitly demote other religions to second-class status–if they’re lucky. Advocating other religions is a swift route to imprisonment or execution, as Pastor Saeed Abedini can attest
“I believe that religious freedom and freedom of speech are both fundamental human rights,” Pope Francis said on his flight to the Philippines Thursday morning. But “freedom of expression has limits,” he added.
The movement in Ireland to challenge Irish anti-blasphemy laws via referendum is gaining momentum after last week’s Paris attacks on Charlie Hebdo, but had already been underway for some time.
All Christians ask is for the freedom to carry out their mission, Pope Francis said in his homily at a Mass attended by a half million people.
In a significant gesture, the Turkish government has authorized the construction of a Syriac Christian church in Istanbul, the first to be built since the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The decision came during a meeting on Friday
