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President Bush expressed optimism over sectarian reconciliation in Iraq during his surprise visit to the Middle East country on Monday.

Criticism of ''rash'' evangelism conducted by South Korean missionaries broke out this week after the release of 19 Christian volunteers put an end to a six-week hostage crisis.

Letters revealing Mother Teresa’s half-century-long “crisis of faith” have many pondering what to make of the secret life of one of the most revered figures in modern history.

The 19 Korean Christian hostages who had been separated and moved around by their Taliban captors in Afghanistan after their abduction six weeks ago were finally reunited Friday following their release this week and began making their trip back to South Korea.

The final three South Korean hostages have been released, bringing the total to seven the number of those freed on Thursday and what looks to be an end to the six-week hostage drama that made headlines around the world.

As the Korean hostage drama nears an end, debate over evangelism and questions about terrorism have re-emerged from the sidelines, promising to occupy attention long after the Korean hostage story fades out of the headlines.

The Taliban released four more South Korean hostages Wednesday following the release of eight earlier in the day, bringing the militant group only seven away from fulfilling its promise to release all its captives.

American evangelist Franklin Graham made history this past weekend by attracting a crowd of 185,674 people to the Festival of Hope – the largest evangelical event in Ecuador’s history.

China has witnessed an increase in the number of “illegal” Christian groups who have been arrested across the country after a crackdown ordered by the Chinese government last month, reported a Chinese persecution watch group on Friday.

The remaining 19 Korean aid volunteers held hostage in Afghanistan are reportedly in good health, reporters were told Friday by an Afghan doctor who is in regular contact with a senior Taliban commander.

Two former hostages pleaded for the release of the remaining 19 Koreans still held by the Taliban during an interview with the Arab news network Al Jazeera.

One of America’s pre-eminent evangelicals is challenging the advice of a retiring Roman Catholic Bishop in the Netherlands who has raised eyebrows worldwide by suggesting Dutch Christians pray to “Allah.”

The Taliban renewed threats Wednesday to kill its remaining 19 Korean hostages if their demands were not met but did not immediately set a deadline.

The Taliban said it was losing patience with South Korea officials who have been negotiating for the release of 19 remaining Korean hostages.

Damaged highways, towns in rubbles and thousands of hungry survivors was the scene Friday morning when aid finally reached the disaster zone in Peru.

A Taliban spokesman said Saturday that face-to-face negotiations with the South Korean delegation over the fate of 19 kidnapped aid volunteers have failed and future talks are unlikely.

The first two Korean hostages freed by Taliban militants gave a brief statement of apology and thanks to the public Friday upon their return to South Korea.

No word of a breakthrough was heard after Thursday’s face-to-face talks between Taliban militants and South Korean officials over the fate of 19 church volunteers who are still being held hostage.

The head of the World Council of Churches met briefly with the families of the Korean hostages at their home church outside of Seoul Tuesday to offer comfort and prayers for the hostages’ safe return.

A Taliban militant said Wednesday that one of the hostages had foregone her chance of freedom to allow another captive who was more ill to be released.

The World Evangelical Alliance is in the process of setting up an evangelical network in Iraq in an effort to offer spiritual and physical support to Iraqi Christians by uniting them with the global body of evangelicals.

The two South Korean women freed by their Taliban captors are in good condition and will fly home "very soon," a Korean embassy spokesman said after their release Monday.

The Taliban handed over two South Korean hostages to officials from the international Red Cross on Monday.

The Taliban said Friday that it will not kill any of the remaining 21 South Korean hostages before its face-to-face meetings with the delegation from the East Asian country.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai is attempting to shame Taliban militants into releasing the South Korean women they kidnapped by stating that the rebels’ action is unprecedented in Afghan history and would bring shame upon the country.