The violent response to a ruling on the non-Muslim use of the word 'Allah' in Malaysia continued this week with another arson attack on a church.

The attack was launched against the Sidang Injil Borneo temple in the Negeri Sembilan state, and followed four other attacks over the weekend. The temple attack resulted in the main doors of the temple suffering fire damage, but the blaze did not spread.

Muslim anger has been sparked by a December 31 Supreme court ruling on the use of the name 'Allah' by a Christian newspaper in its editions. It had been contended that such usage was a threat to Muslim faithful, and risked attracting them towards Christianity.

Since January 8 nine Christian buildings have been attacked. They have included at least one religious-run school. In addition, cars owned by Christians have been damaged. Towards restoring peace, the government has given a pledge to challenge the court ruling, and the newspaper at the centre of the 'Allah' case, the Catholic-weekly Herald, has given an undertaking not to use the name until all legal processes are completed.

United States

Poker priest knocked out

A Catholic priest who entered a poker competition to win funds for a church rebuild has been knocked out of the final.

Fr Andrew Trapp had originally won $100,000 in an earlier round, moving forward to the Los Angeles final for a top prize of $1 million.

However, Fr Trapp lost out to a New York-based police detective who had been seriously injured assisting people in the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Centre attacks. The officer had started playing poker to distract himself from the pain of his recovery.

''The guy who won is a hero,'' said Fr Trapp. ''His family's been going through a rough financial time, so I think he was meant to win it. I think it was all in God's plan.''

Vatican

Cardinal is on the mend

The cardinal injured in the Christmas Eve attack on Pope Benedict has been released from hospital.

French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray suffered a broken leg when a Swiss woman, Susanna Maiolo, breached security around the Pontiff at St Peter's. Having undergone surgery at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome to his right hip, Cardinal Etchegaray was released to complete his recuperation at home.

Egypt

10 dead after church attacked

The death toll from a shooting at a Coptic Christian church now stands at seven.

The drive-by shooting was launched as worshippers at the church in Naj Hammadi, near the city of Luxor, left after services to mark the Coptic Christmas Day on January 7. Tensions in the area had been heightened following allegations that a Christian had raped a Muslim girl. A Muslim police officer was among the dead from the attack which also left 10 injured.

Vietnam

Army blow up Hanoi crucifix

A crucifix at the centre of a cemetery in Hanoi has been destroyed by an army explosion. The cross, located in the graveyard of the Dong Chiem Parish Church in Hanoi, was demolished by engineers protected by a large force of police officers who drove back parishioners arriving to investigate the source of the explosion in the early hours of the morning on January 6. Police are reported to have used tear gas in their action.

The Archdiocese of Hanoi described the destruction of the cross as ''a sacrilege that offends the Catholic faith''.

Israel

Spitting denounced

The growing incidence of spitting at Christian religious in Jerusalem has been condemned.

Responding to the ongoing problem of ultra-Orthodox Jews targeting Christians for such behaviour, Israel's Foreign Ministry convened a special meeting with representatives of the Jewish Haredi community.

Following the meeting, a press release on the matter was issued. That release contained a letter from the Beth Din Tzedek, the highest authority within the Orthodox Jewish community condemning those spitting at religious.

''We hereby call upon anyone who has the power to end these shameful incidents through persuasion, to take action as soon as possible to remove these hazards, so that our community may live in peace,'' the letter stated.

France

'Collapse' of French Church

A survey of Catholicism in France for a daily newspaper has revealed a virtual collapse in faithful numbers. The La Croix study found that, while in 1965, 27 percent of people attended weekly Mass, in 2009 that figure had plummeted to 4.5 per cent.

In the same period, a figure of 81 per cent of people declaring themselves Catholic declined to 69 per cent in 2009. Additionally, three quarters of respondents called for an easing on the ruling against contraception, and 68 per cent were favourable to abortion. La Croix pointed to the figures as a clear indicator for a new strategy for the re-evangelisation of France.

Portugal

Gay 'marriage' approved

The country's parliament has legislated to place gay 'marriage' on an equal footing with traditional marriage. The move came despite vocal objections by the country's Bishops' Conference.

Reacting to news of the new law, Cardinal Jose da Cruz Policarpo of Lisbon said the ''nature of marriage'' was now at stake.

''The unique, distinct and incomparable identity of the family, founded upon the marriage between one man and one woman, deserves to be recognised, without mixing it up or confusing it with other forms of living together,'' he said.

China

55 Christians arrested

Some 55 Christians linked to underground churches were arrested over the Christmas period, it has emerged. In a sign of a harsher crackdown on Christians by the government, police moved to detain worshippers gathering for worship or Bible study over the season, holding 55 up to the feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Some of the actions involved police raiding homes on Christmas Day to break up gatherings.

'''They were meeting illegally,'' one police chief in Xinjiang stated. Explaining that many had already been released following questioning, the chief said: ''We advised them to go to a registered church instead.''