Pope Francis visits Egypt: “Important for all Egyptians not only Christians”
April 2017SAT-7, 27 April 2017 Egyptian Christians look forward to welcoming Pope Francis to their country this Friday 28 April with eager anticipation, says SAT-7 Arabic Channels Programme Director, George Makeen. “With the current developments in Egypt and several attacks on Christian churches and properties, this visit is very important to Christians and to others too,” Makeen said. The recent incidents […]
Egypt: The cry of a Church under pressure
Population: 94.7 million; 90% Muslim; 10% Christian Literacy: 82.2% men; 65.4% women A two-day visit to Egypt by Pope Francis (28-29 April 2017) was arranged to bring a message of unity and give hope to the country’s Christians, still grieving after several church bombings. SAT-7 will cover the visit, including a communion involving an expected 21,000 people, and a visit […]
Turkey: The cry of isolated believers
Minority report Population: 77 million; 99.5% Muslim; 0.5% Christian These are difficult times for Christians in Turkey. The country has suffered an increase in terrorist attacks in major cities and been in an extended state of emergency following the attempted coup in July 2016. The far-reaching repercussions included mass sackings, arrests and the closure of hundreds of media outlets. The […]
Iran: The cry for meaning from young men
April 2017Tackling drug addiction Population: 82.8 million; 99.4% Muslim; 0.3% Zoroastrian, Christian, Jewish; 0.3% other Literacy: 91.2% men; 82.5% women Iran has the highest rate of drug addiction in the world, with at least 2 million Iranians in a population of 75 million addicted to illegal substances. Young men are at the centre of this phenomenon – with high unemployment, gender […]
Algeria: The cry from a first-generation Church
April 2017Church growth – past and present Population: 40.3 million; 99% Muslim; <1% Christian Literacy: 87% men; 73% women What is now Algeria was once home to Saint Augustine (AD 354-430), one of the Church’s foremost theologians. Christianity flourished here between the fifth and seventh centuries but gradually disappeared after the Arab invasions. Although new churches were started under French rule, […]
The Briefing – April 2017
April 2017This Easter, as we remembered the death and resurrection of our Saviour, world events continued to present us with the sharp contrasts of suffering and hope – the darkness of the present moment and the promise that all things will be made new in Christ. It’s a message that is more important than ever for the people of the Middle […]
The invisible front line
April 2017There is more than one way of being on the front line of ministry in SAT-7. While scores of the TV network’s presenters have become trusted and familiar friends through their regular appearance on screen, there is a front line that is less visible but equally important. It involves sitting beside a phone and a computer monitor. Members of SAT-7 […]
Sharing the hope of the Resurrection with the suffering Church
April 2017“The message of Easter is one of hope, victory, and love for all humankind. This is the message that the SAT-7 PARS channel wants to share and impart to its viewers through our Easter programming,” says Senior Manager Panayiotis Keenan. Many Christians in the Farsi-speaking world face persecution for their faith; attending church or celebrating Easter is prohibited for Iranians […]