*Roman Catholic and Pentecostal officials met for a weeklong session in July in Bressanone, Italy, to discuss tensions over conversion methods, particularly in Latin America. Participants from eight countries, representing denominations that included the Assemblies of God and International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, issued a joint statement with the Vatican that said, “Preliminary findings suggest that Catholics and Pentecostals have much in common on which they can build, provided they can develop further patience and trust with each other. Signs of cooperation have already emerged.”
* More than 1,000 Christian workers gathered in Managua, Nicaragua, on July 27 to hear Brazilian-born evangelist Haje Andraus present plans to saturate the country with the gospel. Representatives from the National Council of Evangelical pastors, the Evangelical Alliance of Nicaragua, the Bible Society of Nicaragua, and the Council of Churches for Denominational Alliances heard Andraus, now of Houston.
* Government officials in Iran released Shahram Sepehri-Fard, 22, on August 14, after the Christian convert had spent more than a month in Evin Prison, having been accused of apostasy from Islam. A military court in Tehran acquitted him.
* Kwara State Education Commissioner Alhaja Halimart Ajoke has ordered three Christian schools in Nigeria to close because educators refuse to teach Islam as part of the curriculum. The schools are Union Baptist Chapel School, Baptist Model School, and Ogele Community Secondary School.
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Last Updated: October 4, 1996
