Prayers and praise for Polish leaders
In the spring sunshine, sirens and bells marked the two minute silence at midday across Poland. At the church of St Stanislaw Kostka in a suburb of Warsaw, the silence was particularly poignant. It was here that Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria used to come to Sunday service. Their pews were kept empty during the service, draped in a huge red-and-white Polish flag and a black ribbon. The smiling pictures of the president and his wife were placed in front of the altar, together with the names of the other 94 people who died on board the presidential jet in Smolensk. Young children gathered around, eagerly putting their hands up when the priest asked them why Poland was in mourning. Outside the packed church, a
group of elderly people wiped their tears. Danuta Kaniewska, a former Solidarity activist sobbed ‘We've lost our elite. We're all in pain.’ The signs of mourning are everywhere.
Pray: for the people of Poland that they might be comforted in their huge loss. (Ps.119:50)
Prayers and praise for Polish leaders
In the spring sunshine, sirens and bells marked the two minute silence at midday across Poland. At the church of St Stanislaw Kostka in a suburb of Warsaw, the silence was particularly poignant. It was here that Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria used to come to Sunday service. Their pews were kept empty during the service, draped in a huge red-and-white Polish flag and a black ribbon. The smiling pictures of the president and his wife were placed in front of the altar, together with the names of the other 94 people who died on board the presidential jet in Smolensk. Young children gathered around, eagerly putting their hands up when the priest asked them why Poland was in mourning. Outside the packed church, a
group of elderly people wiped their tears. Danuta Kaniewska, a former Solidarity activist sobbed ‘We've lost our elite. We're all in pain.’ The signs of mourning are everywhere.
Pray: for the people of Poland that they might be comforted in their huge loss. (Ps.119:50)
Christians feel persecuted by human rights law and councils
Christians in Britain are feeling persecuted because of ‘paradoxical’ human rights laws and the ignorance of local councils, according to a major BBC documentary to be broadcast on Easter Sunday. Nicky Campbell, the presenter of the corporation’s flagship programme for Holy Week, argues that Labour’s anti-discrimination legislation has led to clashes between religious conscience and equality for homosexuals. He blames local authorities for rebranding Christmas celebrations as winter festivals because of a misguided belief that they are standing up for minority faiths. He concludes that although Christians do not face violence and suppression in Britain as they do abroad, their treatment can seem unfair in a modern democracy. The programme, called Are Christians Being Persecuted?, looks into widespread claims that the faith is being driven out of public life in Britain while its followers are being treated less fairly than minority groups. Campbell believes council leaders have no understanding of what followers of any religion want.
Pray: that the message of this programme and the cross will be heard this Easter. (1Cor.1:18)
EU ties support for Kyrgyzstan to democracy
The European Union said on Tuesday it would offer Kyrgyzstan's interim government political and economic support if satisfied it was committed to a quick return to democracy. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was encouraged by early signs, including pledges of a new constitution and elections, but underlined the need for the involvement of all parties and ethnic groups. ‘If we are satisfied that the provisional government is committed to a quick return to legitimacy and genuinely wants to join the democratic family, the European Union will be ready to provide the necessary political, financial and technical support.’ Russia and the United States have pledged aid to Kyrgyzstan, where President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted on April 7, but Washington and the EU have not yet recognised the new government. (See Prayer Alert 1610 & 1510)
Pray: against any breakdown and disunity amongst the leaders. (Job.22:21)
