 |
Father Johnson Prakash Moyalan |
Pray that those who mourn Father Moyalan will find strength, comfort and peace in Christ. Pray that God will continue to raise up cross-bearing disciples in Nepal willing to remain faithful to Him at all cost (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Nepal, go to the Nepal Country Report.
Through training on awareness, advocacy, and the theology of persecution, VOMC is helping to equip church leaders in Nepal to better respond to and withstand persecution.
Project Fund: Equipping the Saints
Population
30,899,443 (2023 est.)
Ethnicity (%)
Chhettri (16.5), Brahman-Hill (11.3), Magar (6.9), Tharu (6.2), Tamang (5.6), Bishwokarma (5), Musalman (4.9), Newar (4.6), Yadav (4.2), Rai (2.2), Pariyar (1.9), Gurung (1.9), Thakuri (1.7), Mijar (1.6), Teli (1.5), Yakthung/Lumbu (1.4), Chamar/Harijan/Ram (1.4), Koiri/Kushwaha (1.2), other (20)
Religion (%)
Hindu (81.2), Buddhist (8.2), Muslim (5.1), Kirat (3.2), Christian (1.8), Other (0.5), Unspecifed (0.2)
Leader
President Ram Chandra Poudel (2023)
Government type
Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system
English common law and Hindu legal concepts
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray that Christians will practice their faith with courage.
Pray that despite the lack of freedom to share the hope of faith in Christ, the Lord will give Christians opportunities to evangelize.
In November 2021, Keshav Raj Acharya, the pastor of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, was convicted of proselytising and, as a result, sentenced to two years in prison. Even though his sentence was reduced to one year upon appeal, Pastor Keshav subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court of Nepal. For more details, read these reports.
Two churches in the same town of Nepal's Lumbini Province were attacked during the first four days of September. Reports describing the incident indicate that damage was done to the facilities of both churches, as well as to a motorbike. In one photograph, two men identified as pastors are shown being assaulted on the street. A sticky black substance was smeared on their faces in an act considered a cultural sign of disrespect and hatred.
Since March 2020, Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, has faced numerous allegations and charges. Initially charged with spreading false information about COVID-19, the pastor was eventually cleared of all accusations. However, he was later arrested for two cases of "outraging religious feelings." In July 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison. (For more information, click here.)
Pastor Keshav Raj Acharya of the Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal, has faced ongoing pressure from Nepalese authorities over the past two years. Initially detained in March 2020, he was accused of spreading false information about COVID-19 after uttering a recorded statement that "God is able to heal." Eventually those charges were dropped, but the pastor was arrested twice more for allegedly trying to convert Hindus to Christianity and "outraging religious feelings." In November 2021, he was convicted but granted bail a month later while appealing the ruling (see this page).
