The relationship between Coptic Christians and the rest of Egyptian society is taking a turn for the worse. After violence perpetrated by Muslims, some Christians accuse authorities of treating them as second-class citizens.
On June 7, Lebanese citizens went to the polls to elect their parliamentary representatives in a high stakes election with far-reaching domestic and international geopolitical implications.
In Lebanon’s tight electoral race, all eyes are on the Christian community. For many observers, they will be the swing voters in the June 7 poll. In Christian electoral districts, a battle is raging among opposition candidates.
In this edition: we look at the challenges awaiting Malawi's new president; elections are fixed for November in the Ivory Coast but the population remains sceptical; and we visit Ethiopia's holiest city.
On a visit to the site of Christ's baptism, Pope Benedict XVI called on the Middle East's Christian community to work for peace in the region. Earlier in the day the pope held mass before some 30,000 people at an open-air stadium in Amman.
On his last day in Jordan, Pope Benedict XVI held a public mass before tens of thousands at an open-air football stadium in Amman. The ceremony will be followed by a visit to the site believed to be where Jesus was baptised.
On his last day in Jordan, Pope Benedict XVI visits the site believed to be where Jesus was baptized. The pope is not scheduled to visit a rival site on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. He also says his first and only Mass in Jordan.
Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim and Christian leaders gathered in Amman's Al-Hussein mosque that all human beings, regardless of their faith, were God's creatures. He had earlier warned against "religion corrupted by violence".
Pope Benedict XVI called for the reconciliation of Jews and Christians and warned against "religion when it is corrupted by ignorance and prejudice, violence and abuse" during his visit to holy sites in Jordan.
The Pope kicks off an eight-day tour of the Middle East. He will meet with Muslim leaders to promote interfaith dialogue. His tour is not without controversy, however, as we discuss in Top Story.
