martyrdom

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Pope Proclaims Polish Couple Who Hid Jews Martyrs

Francis honors Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma

(Newser) - Pope Francis has declared a Polish couple executed by German police during World War II for hiding Jews in their farmhouse martyrs. A farmer and beekeeper, Jozef Ulma, and his wife, Wiktoria, in the Polish town of Markowa hid several members of the Jewish community, who were being hunted down...

Pope OKs Martyrdom for Archbishop Killed in 1980

Decreed Oscar Romero was killed out of hatred for the faith

(Newser) - Pope Francis decreed today that slain Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero was killed out of hatred for the faith, approving a martyrdom declaration that sets the stage for his beatification. Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was gunned down by right-wing death squads in 1980 while celebrating Mass. He had spoken...

Terrorists Con American al-Qaeda Supporters

Money sent for military training kept by al-Qaeda leaders

(Newser) - Three Americans who sent thousands of dollars abroad to feed al-Qaeda terrorist plots have found their money wasn't quite going where they intended. Rather than being used for military training, the $300 sent each month—plus watches, cold-weather gear, GPS units, and a remote-control car—was divided between Yemen...

A Look at Pope Francis' 1st Round of Saints

They include hundreds who refused to convert to Islam

(Newser) - Pope Francis has made hundreds of new saints at his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Here is a look at the people receiving the Church's highest honor:
  • Antonio Pezzulla and 812 fellow martyrs: In 1480, some 20,000 Turkish troops overran Italy's citadel of Otranto,
...

'Christian Martyrdom' Never Happened



 'Christian Martyrdom' 
 Never Happened 
new book

'Christian Martyrdom' Never Happened

New book by Candida Moss assails an old story

(Newser) - Were early Christians martyred en masse? That notion is key to Christian history, but in The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, Candida Moss assails the idea that Christians spent centuries hiding from godless Romans who wanted them thrown to the lions, Salon reports. The...

Where Is Moammar Gadhafi?
 Where in the World Is Gadhafi? 

Where in the World Is Gadhafi?

Plus, expert outlines his most likely options as endgame plays out

(Newser) - For a guy who loved being the center of a spectacle, Moammar Gadhafi is noticeably missing in action as his regime crumbles. The Libyan strongman hasn't been in the public arena since June, notes Reuters, which outlines the two most likely options: One, that he's fled Tripoli, either...

Death of 'Neda' May Echo for Weeks in Iran
Death of 'Neda' May Echo for Weeks in Iran
ANALYSIS

Death of 'Neda' May Echo for Weeks in Iran

Lengthy Shia cycle of mourning martyrs often includes protests

(Newser) - It's not clear who killed the Iranian protester known as Neda, but footage of her gruesome shooting in the streets of Tehran may transform the demonstrations gripping Iran, Time reports. Shia Muslims mourn their dead three, seven, and 40 days after death, and Iranians often use those commemorations for protests....

London Teen: How I Was Recruited for Jihad

Group meeting in mosque invited boy to outside gatherings

(Newser) - The Islamists approached him in the mosque, and before he knew it a 15-year-old Londoner was watching jihadist videos and being encouraged to train in Pakistan, the boy tells the Times of London in the “first inside account” of the recruitment process. “A lot of people think that...

Jury Sees 'Martyr Videos' in UK Terror Plot Trial

Discussed bringing families on suicide missions

(Newser) - In London yesterday, prosecutors introduced “martyrdom videos” as evidence against eight British Muslims accused of plotting to destroy US-bound airliners in 2006, the Times  reports. One video, found in a man’s garage, envisioned “your people’s body parts responsible for these wars and oppression decorating the streets....

US Seeks Death for 6 in 9/11 Case
US Seeks Death for 6
in 9/11 Case

US Seeks Death for 6 in 9/11 Case

Capital punishment could put new burden on untested military tribunal system

(Newser) - US authorities are preparing to ask for the death penalty for six suspects in the 9/11 attacks who are detainees at Guantanamo. “If any case warrants it, it would be for individuals who were parties to a crime of that scale,” a Defense Department official told the New ...

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