Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, has died at the age of 88 following a period of worsening health, the Vatican confirmed Monday. The pontiff, who had been hospitalized in recent weeks for respiratory complications, leaves behind a complex and contested legacy that reshaped the modern papacy—while raising significant theological and political controversy.
The political positioning of new regimes is matching an ideology that has been forming for some time—Dark Enlightenment. We are watching a new world order emerge that will cause great suffering. As the performance of Bach's St Matthew's Passion unfolded, it resonated deeply with the times we find ourselves in.
Thomas Schirrmacher has worked with Pope Francis in a variety of official roles, both for the World Evangelical Alliance and the International Society for Human Rights. He accompanied the pope on three state visits and also visited him privately at Santa Marta on numerous occasions, often around the pontiff’s birthday. These are his reflections.
Among many other things, Easter is an opportunity to reflect on Jesus' relationship to political power. Modern readers of the Gospels and Epistles too easily miss the political significance of Jesus' death and resurrection. Far from leaning into and leveraging political and imperial power, Jesus and his followers are called to righteously and justly subvert it for God's glory alone.
Eastern Europe has a rich tradition of celebrating the Easter season and passing meaningful Christian customs on to successive generations. Christians in non-Christian contexts and those in newer Westernized nations can learn much from older expressions of Christian faith and hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
A Christian nurse in England who had been punished for saying “Mister” to a transgender prisoner has been suspended without explanation on a vague allegation of potential “gross misconduct,” according to a Christian rights group.
At least 17 evangelical churches in Barcelona face the threat of closure because of the urban development plans of the local government. Some have already been notified by the local authorities of the need to relocate in the face of imminent closure. Others were informed at a meeting recently held by the Consell Evangèlic de Catalunya (Evangelical Council of Catalonia, CEC), which has expressed its concern about a decision that “could leave thousands of believers without a place of worship”.
A court in England on Friday (April 4) convicted a retired Christian woman of breaching an abortion clinic “buffer zone” by offering consensual conversation.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, has confessed that the scale of abuse cases reported to him was "absolutely overwhelming", influencing his lack of action related to serial sex abuser, the late John Smyth.
After several nights of inspiring performances and heartfelt messages, the evangelistic event Life on Stage concluded on Sunday in the Bernese Oberland, drawing around 10,000 attendees. The campaign featured true stories presented through musical theater and a clear gospel message shared by evangelist Gabriel Häsler.
Mel Gibson is set to return to the director’s chair for The Resurrection of the Christ, the long-awaited sequel to The Passion of the Christ. The film will begin shooting this August at Rome’s renowned Cinecittà Studios, according to Manuela Cacciamani, CEO of the studio.
Speaking at the Ibero-American Missionary Congress COMIBAM 2025 this week, Rafael Canadá, director of mobilization for COMIBAM International, challenged evangelical churches to realign their focus with the mission of Jesus and avoid segmenting ministry into disconnected parts that stray from the Great Commission.
