The Pakistani government should engage seriously with international institutions to overcome obstacles in the way of improving human rights situation, this according to a conference sponsored by the National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Church. In conjunction with the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child today, the interfaith forum calls on Islamabad to protect the rights of minors and women against political and sexual violence.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury shared his ideas on the New Evangelization with the Pope and 262 Catholic bishops from all over the world gathered in Rome to participate in the synod. Pope Benedict XVI personally invited Anglican Primate Rowan Williams to participate in the meeting.

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Cardinal George Pell was not even in the country during the timeline a submission to the Victorian Inquiry into child abuse highlights.

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Egyptians from all walks of life took part last night in a rally that marked the first anniversary of the massacre of Copts in front of the Maspero building. Tens of thousands of Christians, Muslims, people from al-Azhar University, Islamists and even supporters of Cairo's football team marched from Dawaran Shurba Square, along the banks of the Nile, to the Egyptian State TV building, shouting slogans against the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Multiple sources have confirmed that about 25 to 30 Christian college students were massacred at a university in northeastern Nigeria late Monday night, causing Christians to pray for a "change of heart" among the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram to put a stop to the continued violence.

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Two Coptic children were arrested yesterday in Upper Egypt for having desecrated the Koran. Nabil Nagy Rzik, 10, and Mina Farag Nady, 9, both illiterate, were playing near a garbage can with some papers. They were stopped by the local imam and accused them of having urinated on the pages of the Koran. The two children are currently in the juvenile prison in Beni Suef. Visit this article to read more.

Despite his confession to Vatican police, papal butler Paolo Gabriele has said he is innocent of stealing Pope Benedict XVI’s private correspondence but he feels “guilty of having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father.”

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An Illinois appeals court’s ruling on the conscience rights of pharmacists is being hailed as a victory for religious freedom and could offer hope to current lawsuits challenging the federal contraception mandate.

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Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) has a website with a wide range of articles, links, videos on aspects of its activities against human trafficking.

The Islamabad District Court sent Rimsha Masih's case to Juvenile Court. The Christian teenager, who also has Down Syndrome, was jailed on false blasphemy charges and released on bail on 7 September thanks to the work of her lawyers, investigators, civil society groups and Pakistani government authorities.

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