US

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  Seeds of division and confusion in China as Vatican deal looms

  News of the impending deal has split communities of Catholics across China, according to some critics like Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong.

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  Boko Haram strike leaves 15 dead and dozens wounded

  A Boko Haram attack in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed at least 15 people and wounded 83, a military spokesman said on Monday, in the biggest strike since the government said it was in talks with the Islamist militant group.

• Pope Francis condemns Gaza violence in Easter message

  Pope Francis, in his Easter address on Sunday, called for peace in the Holy Land two days after 15 Palestinians were killed on the Israeli-Gaza border, saying the conflict there 'does not spare the defenceless'.

• Pope Francis baptises 'migrant hero' in Holy Saturday service

  Pope Francis on Saturday led an Easter vigil service, baptising eight adults, including a formerly undocumented Nigerian migrant beggar who became a hero when he disarmed an Italian thief wielding a cleaver.

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  Church of England to consider 'animal baptism'

  Synod members will be asked to consider the implications of introducing a liturgy for pets 'in the light of an emerging consensus about the value of the environment and an increasing consciousness of animal sentience and awareness'.

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  Dawn of the dead: Are there zombies in Matthew's resurrection story?

  Matthew's gospel gives one brief yet startling detail of events around Jesus' resurrection that can easily confuse: is this the biblical zombie story the church likes to forget?

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  Just a happy ending? Examining the evidence for the resurrection

  Its the heart of the Easter story – but is it mere myth? Here's some of the historical evidence for the resurrection of Christ.

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  Archbishop Justin Welby's Easter testimony: I prayed, 'Lord Jesus, come into my life'

  Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has released a film telling the story of how he came to understand the cross for the first time.

• Trump tells advisers he wants U.S. out of Syria

  President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops from Syria, a stance that may put him at odds with U.S. military officials who see the fight against Islamic State as nowhere near complete.

• 'I've never been so happy' - Nobel winner Malala in Pakistan

  Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she has pined for her home in Pakistan's picturesque Swat Valley, even as she recalled two years living in fear under the Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

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  For one Catholic parish in China, division and confusion as historic deal looms

  News of the impending deal between China and the Vatican has split communities of Catholics across China, according to some critics like Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong.

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  No more pain for Philippines devotee nailed to cross for 32nd time

  A Philippines man who has been nailed to a cross every Easter for the past 32 years in a Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus Christ's crucifixion says he no longer feels any pain from his wounds.

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  Division and confusion for Catholic parish in China, as historic deal looms

  Like many Chinese Catholics, Lin Jinqing was shocked when news trickled through to him of an impending deal between Beijing and the Vatican that would end a long dispute over control of the Church in China.

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  Who was Joseph of Arimathea?

  All four Gospels say a man named Joseph, from Arimathea, took charge of Jesus' body after his crucifixion.

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  Giving up: Lent, Easter and your true self-worth

  As hearts turn towards Easter, it is natural to look back at all we've 'given up' for Lent but it is more important that we look up and see what has been given up for us.