• 9 Chinese Megachurch Leaders Kidnapped, Says Rights Group

  Nine church leaders from the destroyed Fushan Chinese megachurch were kidnapped by local public security officials, according to a rights group on Tuesday.

• Chinese Officials Secretly Offer to Pay Destroyed Megachurch

  Under pressure from the central government, local Chinese officials from Fushan city secretly offered to pay $219,000 (1.5 million yen) in damages to the megachurch it leveled last week.

• Chinese Megachurch Demolished; Congregants Badly Beaten

  A megachurch in eastern China was recently demolished by reportedly 400 people in police suits, a human rights group reported Tuesday.

• Egypt Muslim Council: Building of Churches is 'Sin' Against God

  Egyptian Muslim leaders are caught in a storm of controversy after a human rights group confronted them about a fatwa (Islamic edict) that stated the building of a church is “a sin against God.”

• WCC Calls on Israel to Dismantle Settlements

  The World Council of Churches on Wednesday called on Israel to cease and dismantle its settlements in the occupied territories.