BREAKING: Two Bombs Kill Many at Church in Philippines

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Local officials report that 20 people have been killed and dozens more were injured in two bombings that took place in at a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Philippines. The BBC reports the first blast took place during a church service on Jolo island, where Islamic militants are active. The second device was detonated in a parking lot as soldiers responded to the first blast.

The attack comes days after the people voted for and passed a referendum for autonomy, which aims to bring an end to the decades of violence between separatists and the national army. However, this was not passed in Sulu province where Jolo is located.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Please pray for comfort for the bereaved families.

Pray that no further violence occurs and that the Lord will disable the evil plans of those who are responsible for this incident.

Pray for alertness, wisdom and strength for the Philippine government forces responding to this tragedy.

*Representative names and photos are sometimes used to protect identity.

Turkey Rejects Attempt to Investigate Dink Murder

01/24/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – According to the Turkish Minute, a parliamentary motion to investigate the 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist, has been rejected. Dink was assassinated by an ultranationalist youth and the authorities have not revealed the murderer’s identity.

Prior to his death, Dink reported receiving a number of threats from ultranationalists for describing the killing of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. Dink himself was an Armenian. Human rights groups have repeatedly noted worrying irregularities in the subsequent murder investigation, including deleted or missing evidence and police officials misinforming the court.

While the Armenian Genocide predates the modern Republic of Turkey, it remains a highly sensitive topic within the country. Turkey is divided into several ethnic-religious identities. Culturally, to be considered truly Turkish then one must be Muslim. Armenians, in addition to having a different ethnicity, are Christian. Many Armenians continue to report regular harassment and discrimination in Turkish society.

Read it here.