The ripples from this Congress will be felt for years. Whether it is a renewed emphasis on cross-cultural missions, a rethinking of justice and evangelism, or a new coalition to address migration.

Religion has shaped our past, for better and for worse, and remains an integral part of the social, political and cultural fabric of life in Northern Ireland.

A new survey shows that younger Christians are more committed to their faith. Experts are “surprised at high rates of religious practice” as 65% say faith has a role in general society.

Open Doors publishes a new edition of the World Watch List identifying as many as 78 countries with high levels of hostility against Christianity in the world. North Korea and Nigeria stand out among those with “extreme persecution”.

Several groups in neighbouring Spain have set up channels to give. Christians in Morocco join the efforts to support survivors.

Christians in Morocco have formed a group to coordinate their response. In the area around Marrakesh, they focus on assisting looking for survivors under the rubble and help “families who have suffered losses”.

“There are still at least 130 million people, speakers of 1,680 languages, with a clear need for translation of the Bible into their languages”, say the members of a Bible translation initiative in Spain.

There is “extreme persecution” in 10 countries in Africa and the Middle East, says Open Doors. Elsewhere, worrying trends are observed in key geopolitical actors such as India, Saudi Arabia and China.

Even when governments hinder access to certain technologies, TWR is able to reach beyond the barriers.

Both Spain and the Netherlands have reached agreements with the Northern African country. “Moroccan Christians are excluded from many areas”, says a believer.

Albania is expected to start accession talks concerning full EU membershis immediately, while North Macedonia will first need to make changes in the constitution.

Archaeologists of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found 1,600-year-old mosaics with the images of Deborah and Jael in an ancient synagogue in Israel.

Operation Transit returns this summer to deliver thousands of Bibles and Christian materials to people crossing the borders to North Africa.

The entity representing 600 million evangelicals calls on Algeria “to end their persecution of evangelicals, rescind the unjust court sentences, and allow the churches forcibly closed to reopen”.

Prostitutes are moved from the streets to private houses, making it difficult to detect and help them. The evangelical NGO Fiet Gratia works to offer them a way out.

A 2022 report by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity shows that Pentecostals are the fastest growing Christian denomination worldwide.

In Qatar, host of the football World Cup, converts from Islam face physical, psychological and (for women) sexual violence. Globally, over 5,000 attacks on Christian churches have been recorded.

Afghanistan is new at the top of the Open Doors WWL 2022. Discover the full list.

The Islamic country replaces North Korea at the top of the World Watch List after 20 years. One in seven Christians worldwide suffers persecution, says Open Doors.

Christians demonstrate in the streets of Tizi-Ouzou with singing and signs: “Stop the abuse of power”.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom annual report denounces that “the pandemic fostered misinformation targeting religious minorities”.

“We support the ending of abusive practices, while ensuring people are free to seek prayer and pastoral support to live out their beliefs”, Northern Ireland evangelicals say.

Peter Lynas of the Evangelical Alliance UK asks to “pray for youth workers, church leaders and others working behind the scenes to ease tensions and work for peace”.

Evangelical leaders from the Middle East and North Africa analyse the impact of the uprisings that began in 2010, and the current situation.

An interview with Salah Chalah, President of the Eglise Protestante d’Algérie. “2020 was a very difficult year for us Protestants, who have been deprived of our places of worship - until today”.