by Luke Coppen catholicherald.co.uk - More Catholics, more saints, more popular piety – but more persecution of Christians What will happen to the Church in the coming decade? Only God knows, but it’s still worth considering what may lie ahead in the 2020s. Here are 10 things that might happen in the next 10 years – some more likely than others.

Demographic change

If current trends continue, the Church will grow by roughly 15 million souls a year, taking the total number of Catholics beyond the 1.4 billion mark by the end of the 2020s (the highest figure in history). Most of the growth will be in Africa and Latin America, with some two million more Catholics each year in Asia. The table of the top 10 countries with the most Catholics is likely to change. The Democratic Republic of Congo, currently 10th, is likely to rise up the rankings, while Italy, France and Spain slip down. Meanwhile, the Church in the Amazon region will begin implementing the recommendations of last October’s synod of bishops. The synod proposed radical measures such as ordaining married deacons to the priesthood in order to provide the sacraments to far-flung communities. The wider Church will be watching closely to see whether Catholicism can stage a comeback in a territory where it has lost much ground.

Rising anti-Christian persecution

According to the charity Open Doors, each year around 4,000 Christians are murdered for their faith, 2,600 are detained without trial and 1,200 church buildings are attacked. There is, sadly, no reason to think this will change. Indeed, these figures may rise if (as seems likely) global instability increases. Given their lack of powerful defenders, Christian minorities from Egypt to Indonesia will continue to suffer persecution, ranging from petty discrimination to lethal violence. Expect religious freedom to shrink further in China and India, the world’s most populous

Baghdad (AP) QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA — Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport Friday, Iraqi television and three Iraqi officials said. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, the officials said. Their deaths are a potential turning point in the Middle East and are expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it backs in the Middle East against Israel and American interests. The PMF blamed the United States for an attack at Baghdad International Airport Friday. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. or Iran.

A senior Iraqi politician and a high-level security official confirmed to the Associated Press that Soleimani and al-Muhandis were among those killed in the attack. Two militia leaders loyal to Iran also confirmed the deaths, including an official with the Kataeb Hezbollah, which was involved in the attack on the U.S. Embassy this week. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Muhandis had arrived to the airport in a convoy to receive Soleimani whose plane had arrived from either Lebanon or Syria. The airstrike occurred as soon as he descended from the plane to be greeted by al-Muhandis and his companions, killing them all. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject and because they were not authorized to give official statements. The senior politician said Soleimani’s body was identified by the ring he wore.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter --Najwa Kassem, a star television presenter on Arabic news channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, passed away on Thursday morning at her home in Dubai. Major General Khalil Al Mansoori, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police for Criminal Investigation Affairs has ruled out any criminal suspicion in the death of Najwa Kassem, as all indications and initial medical examination have confirmed that the death of the Lebanese media, anchor at Al Arabiya, was normal. She died as a result of a heart attack, he added, noting that Dubai Police have taken the usual procedures that include examination by forensic experts at forensic evidence. Mansouri confirmed that the Dubai Police’s inspection and investigations found nothing suspicious in the circumstances that preceded the death of the Lebanese media, ruling out any criminal suspicion.

This article does NOT represent the opinion of khazen.org. We are in contrary supportive of the work of Carlos Ghosn and his amazing turnaround of the companies he has led. 

by Michael Wayland -- cnbc.com -- Former General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz believes ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn’s ego contributed to the executive’s fall from grace and current status as an international fugitive. Lutz, who said he’s known Ghosn for a number of years, said the embattled executive suffers from a “god complex” as well as “CEO disease,” where a person believes they are omnipotent and “above the law” because of their power. “That type of personality does tend to pretty easily slip over the line and do things that the rest of us would not do because they think they’re so important and so well connected and of such vast importance to the economy that no one would ever call them on it,” Lutz, a well-known outspoken automotive icon, said Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” Ghosn, who simultaneously led three automakers as part of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance, on Monday secretly fled Japan, where he was under strict house arrest, to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system. Ghosn on Thursday said he alone arranged for his departure out of Japan, refuting media reports that members of his family assisted in the plan.

Authorities search Ghosn’s Toyko residence to determine how he escaped Ghosn, who is reportedly a citizen of Brazil, France and Lebanon, was awaiting trial after being accused in Japan of financial misconduct and misuse of corporate resources for personal gain. He has denied any wrongdoing. Lutz said he wasn’t saying Ghosn is “guilty as charged,” however he would be “extremely surprised if this was the result of a carefully planned conspiracy and he was, in fact, totally innocent.” “He was a control freak; needed to amass enormous power,” Lutz said. “I mean, being an effective CEO of three or four car companies at the same time, since we all, no matter how great we are, we only have 24 hours a day, some of which is devoted to sleep, it’s impossible to really exercise those duties in a good way without really delegating most of it.”