A Christian billionaire hopes to become the next president of Egypt.

Naguib Sawiris, 57, founder of Orascom Telegram, launched recently the political party Al Masryeen Al Ahrar (The Free Egyptians) which he hopes will help him land the presidency in the country’s autumn elections.

Sawiris, who founded the largest mobile phone business in the Middle East in 2001, has long held a reputation as a businessman, philanthropist and art collector. Now, he is throwing his hat in the political ring.

“I have decided to be more focused on social and political work, aiming to play a role in the transformation of post-revolution Egypt into civil democracy,” Sawiris said, when he stepped down as Chairman of the family –owned Orascom Telecom earlier this year, according to The Huffington Post.

Presently, the Egyptian military is serving as a de facto government and has stated that it will do so until elections take place in autumn. Former leader Hosni Mubark was deposed in February, and is being tried in Cairo on charges of corruption and conspiracy to kill protesters from the Egyptian spring.

Sawiris seeks to establish a secular government in Egypt. In a speech he gave to London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, where he promoted his new government party, he told students, “If I have to choose between my identity and allegiance to Egypt or Christianity, I choose Egypt,” according to the blog, The Romantic Revolutionary.

Sawiris stressed the importance of vigilance to ensure that Egypt’s politics and religion are not hijacked by extremists saying, “We hope to see Egypt as Turkey, and not Iran,” The Romantic Revolutionary blog reported.

Egypt has been racked with faith-related disturbance since before and after Mubarak. Last Jan. 1, a bomb exploded in Alexandria killing 21 Coptic Christians and injuring 100.

In March, up to 4,000 Muslims attacked Coptic homes and set fire to the Church of St. Mina and St. George in Soul village, some 19 miles from Cairo.

The latter incident was triggered by a relationship between a Christian, Ashraf Iskander, 40, and a Muslim woman. In a “reconciliation,” it was decided that Iskander must leave the village as Muslims set his house on fire.

The family of the Muslim woman became victims, themselves, as two men were killed. One is the father of the Muslim woman, who refused to do an “honor killing” of his daughter, prompting the man’s cousin to kill him.

The second man to die is the cousin, who was killed by the Muslim woman’s brother, as an act of vengeance. The Muslims in the village blamed the Christians for everything.

Incidents such as these give rise to the question of whether Egypt is prepared for democracy. Sawiris however is in a position to give it a try. He has the backing of the family’s tremendous telecom company, said to be “the largest private employer and largest Egyptian company by market capitalization,” Time magazine reported.

The family also owns Orascom Hotels and Development, Orascom Construction, and OTV network. Sawiris was ranked no. 310 on Forbes Billionaire List. In Egypt, he is ranked No. 2, while his father, Onsi Sawiris  is No. 1., and the third richest man in Egypt is Sawiris’ younger brother.

Sawiris is also known as an art patron who once stirred up controversy when he posted cartoons of Micky and Minnie Mouse wearing Muslim traditional clothes. He received death threats from Muslims worldwide, and later issued an apology for the tweet.

Outside of the corporate world he is a prominent art collector, with plans to establish a national museum where his personal collection of modern and contemporary art can be displayed.

Relations with North Korea

There is however the question of the close relationship the family has with North Korea. The Sawiris’ Orascom Group renovated North Korea’s Ryugyong hotel, and has been involved in that country’s mobile telephone infrastructure for the last three years.

But the family business relationship with North Korea goes back 40 years, with Orascom investing $400 million, widely believed to have been used to keep Kim Jong Il in power, and to smoothen the transition of power to his son, Kim Jong Un. Egypt is a U.S. ally, while North Korea is not. Sawiris can look forward to walking a tightrope between the two.

Whether Sawiris sees his jump into the political realm as an opportunity or a genuine act of altruism is not clear. It could be a little bit of both. What also remains to be seen is whether the Egyptian spring was calling for democracy, much less a secular government.

However, by throwing his hat into the ring, Sawiris is posing new options and possibilities to the country. His influence is strong enough to drive others to heed his call, and he does lend hope to faith minorities in this Muslim-majority nation.

A valuable Rembrandt drawing that was stolen from a resort hotel in California was recovered in an Encino church 20 miles away, three days after its theft. The robbers have not yet been caught.

The 17^th century Rembrandt pen and ink sketch, called The Judgment, was on display at the Ritz-Carlton hotel’s lobby in Marina del Rey. It was stolen on Saturday and found in the church on Monday night.

The 350-year-old painting by the Dutch artist is an 11-by-16-inch drawing of quill pen and ink. It is signed by Rembrandt von Rijn at the back, and is worth $250,000.

The sketch was made at around the year 1655 and portrays a scene in court where a man lies prostrate before a judge. A tipster told the police the painting was in an unguarded public area in an Encino church.

The tipster is cooperating with the police and is not considered to be a suspect. The police said the tipster recognized the painting due to extensive media coverage of the theft.

The painting was in the Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church, northwest of Los Angeles. The police still don’t know how it reached the office of Father Mike Cooper, parish priest. Clarence Williams, lead detective, told the AP, “Right now, it looks like it was dumped off.”

The sketch was positively identified by the Linearis Institute, as well as the owners of the painting. Los Angeles County Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore told Reuters, “The reason why that tip was called in to us was because they saw all the (media) coverage. They saw it, and then they remembered seeing this in a church in Encino.”

Experts will be consulted to authenticate the sketch as a Rembrandt piece. Presently, the sketch is being kept under lock and key. Investigators said that they will check the frame for fingerprints, and if the church has surveillance video, they will ask to view it. They also are reviewing hotel video and sketches of the suspects.

The Rembrandt was displayed on an easel in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton. Investigators say the theft was well executed. The curator was distracted by a seemingly interested buyer who wanted to know more about another piece on display. When the curator looked back at the Rembrandt, it was gone.

Dozens of artworks were on sale in the Ritz-Carlton lobby exhibit, including a Picasso. All the works were set up on easels.

Art experts say that Rembrandt artworks are among the most popular choices of art thieves, followed by works of Picasso, mainly because of these artists’ name recognition and the value of their works.

There are at least 81 documented thefts of Rembrandt artworks that occurred in the last 100 years. In one unsolved case, men dressed as police officers stole 13 art pieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, three of which were Rembrandts. The thieves, to date, have not been caught.

In most cases the Rembrandts were recovered, either because the thieves were apprehended, or they themselves returned the items when they could not sell them, hoping for a reward.

In the case of the Rembrandt sketch, the brown paper at the back of the frame had been torn open. Detective Williams told the AP, “It doesn’t appear to be damaged or touched.”

It is likely Steve Whitmore, LA sheriff spokesman, told the AP, that the publicity may have affected hopes of selling the piece. “How do you sell it? What do you do with it?”

The rector of a church in a village in Wales is being investigated because he burned pages of the Bible as part of a controversial piece of conceptual art that he unveiled on the 400 anniversary celebration of the King James Bible.

Reverend Geraint ap Iowerth, the rector of St. Peter ad Vincula Church in Pennal, cut up portions of the King James Bible and burned passages from it as part of an art piece entitled, The KJB-God’s Original Shock and Awe or ‘Wall of Shame,’” which he presented publicly last Thursday.

Although Iowerth told BBC he had “nothing but support” from parishioners, the Church of Wales is investigating the matter. “Destroying parts of the Bible we don’t like is disrespectful and will offend many people,” the Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, told BBC.

“Cruel and vile God”

Iowerth told Cambrian News that he spent months slicing off negative portions of the Bible which depicted a “cruel and vile God,” which he attached to his artwork. As part of an interactive presentation he burned the remainder of the passages.

Iowerth told BBC, “I find it highly offensive that people would think I have given my life to serving that type of God and that I would regard the words of the King James Bible as sacred truth. I cut out all the nasty bits of that Bible, the language of which is being celebrated all over the place this year, because I don’t think you can separate that language from the God it is representing.”

Iowerth’s nine-ft. by seven-ft. artwork includes cut outs from Christmas cards along with the Bible passages that he disagrees with.

“People have told me they turned away from the real message of Jesus because of this [cruel] God,” Iowerth told BBC. “My version of God is Jesus, who was pure compassion and unconditional love.”

Iowerth told BBC the King James Bible “should be praised for its language but not for the God it represents – the two need to be separated.”

In fact, Iowerth told BBC he plans to set up a “wall of shame” in his church, which would display the “cruel actions” of God.

The Bishop of Bangor expressed concern, telling BBC, “I have … written to the Reverend Geraint ap Iorwerth and will be investigating the matter further. There are parts of the Bible that we struggle to understand today because culturally our life is so far removed from that period in which the Bible was written. However, it is not given to us to pick and choose – sometimes the most challenging parts are those which we need to wrestle with most of all.”

A company that makes Christian Manga publications launched recently a fund raiser program so that they could get enough money to go digital.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes launched the fund raiser program Kickstarter to raise $10,000 so that they can continue to publish their bible series as Apps and digital comics that can be accessed through computers and Smartphone, Christian Newswire said.

So far, according to their website, they have raised $135 (as of this writing) from three donors. The fund raising campaign is ongoing until Monday, May 23. Depending on the amount donated, contributors will receive different tokens of thanks such as a prototype comic book, autographed hand drawn art sketch cards, or one’s likeness drawn in a crowd scene.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is created by Paul Castiglia and Thomas Hall. The publisher is John-Marc Gorb. It’s first issue was about the story of the shepherd boy David and the giant, Goliath, Christian Newswire said.

According to its website after the first issue the hits on the site “increased 10,000%”. They also got a great deal of publicity in print, online, through radio and on TV.

The first comic can currently be downloaded for free at itunes.apple.com/us/book/david-vs-goliath/id419801543?ls=1, according to Christian Newswire.

New twist

However a new twist to the Old Testament stories in forthcoming issues would be the inclusion of robots, advanced technology and aliens. Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is hoping with sufficient funding they can expand the story of David to a series on The Rise of King David, made in high quality digital comic format, according to its website.

Castiglia told Christian Newswire, “The journey to David’s kingship is packed with action, adventure and intrigue as David becomes a fugitive from the deadly King Saul, jealous over the adoration David has received since slaying the giant (robot) Goliath.”

Mecha Manga is hoping to make a complete epic series on David by offering digital downloads of three installments. It is hoped that all four issues will, in due time, be made available as a printed paperback special edition as well, with new art re-workings on the first issue, according to its website.

The website said the new digital comic installments will be available for iTouch and iPhones, and will also be downloadable on Apple iBooks store. It is anticipated that other systems and outlets will also be possible.

Hall told Christian Newswire, “Taking stock of limited financial backing and distribution of our printed comic book and the current economic situation it became apparent that digital distribution is the way to go.”

Dream team

Mecha Manga has a dream team behind it, with Castiglia’s background as a veteran writer and editor who worked with DC, Dark Horse and Archie comics. Hall was a co-creator and writer for R-13, the most downloaded independent and award winning comic. Grob created FriendFish and the highly popular Noah A-Z download, Christian Newswire said.

New people on board are Joey Endres as co-writer, and artist Jeff Slemons for covers and Eric Merced and Josh Alves for the interior pages, Christian Newswire reported.

Those interested in donating may do so at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/805513803/mecha-manga-bible-heroes-the-rise-of-king-david.

The Orthodox Christian Church of Cyprus thanked recently singer Boy George, formerly of the Culture Club band, for returning an ancient icon of Jesus Christ that had been missing for some 40 years.

George, 49, had bought the 18^th century icon from a London art dealer in 1985 and didn’t know that it had been stolen from St. Charalambous church in Neo Chorio, near Kithrea, during the Turkish invasion in 1974, The Daily Mail said.

George returned the 300-year-old icon, which for some 25 years was part of his art collection, after he was shown proof of its origin, according to the AP.

The ancient painting was spotted by a church bishop when the singer was featured on Dutch TV for a documentary television program about him. The artifact hung in the background, above the fireplace, in the singer’s Hampstead, north London gothic mansion, The Guardian said.

Brussels-based Bishop Porfyrios, who only caught a glimpse of the painting in the TV program, did some research and discovered its origin. After he verified his information with a St. Charalambous priest, he contacted George, The Daily Mail said.

Porfyrios told the AP, “Before this, I had no idea who Boy George was. He was positive about returning the icon.” According to The Daily Mail, George was glad to return the painting to where it belonged without seeking any payment for it.

George personally handed the artifact over to Porfyrios in St. Anagyre church, north London, The Guardian said. Porfyrios expressed “joy and gratitude” at receiving the relic, and said George “contributed to the efforts of the Church of Cyprus for the repatriation of its stolen spiritual treasures.”

In return, the bishop gave George a modern icon of the Jesus Christ Pantokrator artifact “with the wish that others soon follow his example,” according to The Daily Mail.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II, head of the Cyprus church, also expressed appreciation for George saying, “The moment he learned that the icon was stolen, I think that he did right to return it to the Church of Cyprus to which it belongs. We thank him and if he ever comes to Cyprus, we will certainly welcome him,” the AP reported.

According to the AP, icons, mosaics and scores of other church artifacts were stolen from Cypriot churches in Greece after Turkey invaded the northern part of the country. Many of the pieces later emerged on the international art market.

The Cypriot church has been trying to recover the relicss, with its biggest recovery being several valuable sixth century mosaics, the AP said.

According to the AP, The apostle Paul is believed to have preached the gospel in the Cypriot island in A.D. 45, and was responsible for the conversion of its Roman governor, Sergius Paulus.

A 20ft. cross made from thousands of coat hangers will be the centerpiece of a show of biblical scenes that will be on exhibit at the City Art Center in Edinburgh, U.K. to mark the 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible.

The cross and other biblical artwork are made by Scottish artist David Mach, in preparation for Precious Light, slated for July 30. The cross will also be exhibited in Gloucester Cathedral in Easter, according to The Telegraph.

The art show will also include a coat-hanger depiction of Calvary, and numerous collages, an art form that Mach has become famous for, The Telegraph reported.

The King James Bible was written from 1604 to 1611 when it was published under the reign of King James I of England, The New American said. It is considered the most influential English translation bible, and is a landmark in English language history.

King James was king of Scotland for 36 years before he succeeded Queen Elizabeth I to rule England. He set about not only uniting the two countries, but also uniting all the Protestants under this bible, The New American said.

A number of common-used English phrases today come from the King James Bible including “fire and brimstone,” “at his wit’s end,” “eye to eye,” and “powers that be,” according to The New American.

Phrases from Bob Dylan’s song Highway 61 Revisited, and Martin Luther King’s speech, I Have a Dream, were derived from the King James Bible, The Scotsman reported, adding, “Our culture is permeated by the King James Bible-both the phrases themselves and the morality and civilization they promote.”

Epic stories

Mach, who is not religious, told The Telegraph that the bible is rich in epic stories of struggle, mayhem, sex, pestilence, famine and violence, making it rich in artistic possibilities. He had wanted to do the show long before, but when he approached a number of contemporary galleries that featured his past work, they all turned it down.

Noting the secularism of England Mach told The Telegraph, “It’s like a weird subject they don’t want to touch.” Now, he has five floors of the City Art Centre to fill for Precious Light, thanks to the commission from The King James Bible.

Mach employs 30 people to help him prepare for the 10-week exhibit. The Telegraph said included among the pieces being worked on is a piece showing pairs of animals heading towards Noah’s Ark in front of Table Mountain, and another of hell, boiling up and positioned to burst under the Eiffel Tower.

A Christian artist based in Colorado designed and created the Mother Teresa postage stamp that the U.S. Postal Service will release on Aug. 26, the day that would have been Mother Teresa’s 100^th birthday.

Thomas Blackshear II, designer of the 44-cent stamp, has created artwork for 30 U.S. postal service stamps including  boxer Joe Louise and civil rights activist Rosa Parks, The Catholic Review said.

For him Christian art is a ministry. Blackshear  says, “There have been many times that I’ve heard that a painting that I’ve done has influenced or affected people in ways that are not the norm,” The Catholic Review said.

He started doing Christian themes in the 1980s for DaySpring greeting cards. His first job was called “Forgiven,” and is one of his best known paintings, The Catholic Review said.

Credit: U.S. Postal Service

It shows Jesus Christ embracing a modern man. The man is holding a spike in one hand and a hammer in the other, indicating that though one’s sins nailed Jesus to the cross, God’s mercy never ends, The Catholic Review said.

Other Christian paintings are “Watchers in the Night,” showing an angel guarding a sleeping boy, and “Coat of Many Colors, Lord of All,” showing Christ in a robe made of flags and cloths from around the world, The Catholic Review said.

Blackshear’s design of the Missionaries of Charity founder will be honored on Aug. 26 at an Ecumenical Prayer Service at Queen of Heaven church in Ohio. The U.S. stamp will be unveiled and displayed, The Suburbanite said.

Of Mother Teresa he says “Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world’s poorest populations,” The Catholic Review said.

In making the stamp Blackshear said, “Because it’s going to be reduced so much, you have to design it in such a way that it’s instantly recognizable. It has to have that graphic quality,” The Catholic Review said.

After a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago, and later, the Academy of Art, Blackshear’s first job was for Hallmark designing greeting cards, The Catholic Review said.

His commercial art includes the sculpture series “Ebony Visions,” of African American sculptures. Lenox Co. uses much of his work for plates and collections. Now he is working on a series of paintings called “Wings” which focuses on angels. The concept came to him after a 40-day fast, The Catholic Review said.

Protests have arisen from secularists and atheists because Mother Teresa is a religious figure who should not be on a stamp. Blackshear says, “There is nobody in the 20th century that comes close to the kind of life that woman led, and all the people that she helped,” The Catholic Review said.

Mother Teresa, born in Macedonia (formerly Yugoslavia), worked in India since 1948, wearing a sari and sandals and teaching children hygiene (she completed a nursing course), The Suburbanite said.

Her Missionaries of Charity gained international recognition and some awards she received were the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, the 1985 Presidential Medal of Freedom, honorary U.S. citizenship in 1996, and beatification by Pope John Paul II in 2003, The Suburbanite said.

For the first time, both the Sistine Chapel tapestries by Raphael and the artist’s cartoons (designs upon which the tapestries were based) will be on exhibition side by side at London’s Victorian and Albert Museum on September.

The tapestries, which were commissioned by Pope Leo X, are 500 years old. They depict scenes from the book of Acts in the lives of Peter and Paul, and are Vatican properties which are displayed at the Arazzi Gallery, the Catholic Herald said.

The cartoons by Raphael are the property of the Queen and have been displayed at the Victorian and Albert Museum since 1865. However for the first time in September, both will be displayed together, which is something the artist himself had never seen, the Catholic Herald said.

The exhibition, slated to run Sept 8 to Oct. 17, will coincide with Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to the UK. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, who initiated the plans for the exhibition, will perform its inauguration on September 6, the Catholic Herald said.

Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel. Credit: Vatican

The tapestries were woven in Brussels before they were sent to Rome. During the Sack of Rome they were sold for one year when the Vatican needed to raise money. They have been brought to different countries and because they contain gold and silver within them, some had tried to extract the metals through burning, the Catholic Herald said.

Six scenes in the life of Paul are illustrated in the tapestries, namely the stoning to death of Stephen (which Paul had ordered), Paul’s conversion, the blinding of Elymas the Sorcerer, sacrifices in Lystra, Paul’s time in prison and his preaching in Athens, the Catholic Herald said.

Four scenes from Peter’s life which are depicted are the handing of the keys to heaven, the draught of fish, healing of the lame man, and the death of Ananias, the Catholic Herald said.

An exhibition like this ordinarily takes two to three years to put together, however this one will be completed within six months. Its potential for bringing together people of varied backgrounds, whether Catholic or not, cannot be overlooked, the Catholic Herald said.

When the tapestries had a one day exhibition at the Sistine Chapel, (they were placed in the parts of the Chapel where they were believed to have been originally situated), one of the visitors was Professor Elizabeth Lev, who teaches Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University, the Catholic Herald said.

Of the exhibit Duquesne said, “Again, art shows itself to be a bridge between people. If we can’t dialogue nicely about Church and state and life issues, let’s start with something we can dialogue about properly: art and beauty – we all love this. For one night we can all have something in common – we can come together and it’s totally non-confrontational,” the Catholic Herald said.

The entrance to the September exhibition at the Victorian and Albert Museum is free, but interested parties are advised to book in advance, the Catholic Herald said.

King’s College London will collaborate with London’s National Gallery to offer a new MA degree in Christianity & the Arts—a first of its kind to be offered in London.

The course brings together the forces of a world-class art gallery with one of the U.K.’s foremost departments of Theology & Religious Studies. King’s College, a research led university, is among the top 25 universities in the world, and the fourth oldest in England, Media Newswire said.

At the same time students of the program will have access to one of the world’s greatest art treasuries in London’s National Gallery, whose collection will be the centerpiece of the program. A large part of classes will be conducted in the Gallery and there will be much input from the curatorial staff. Students will be able to investigate the National Gallery’s online collection and catalogue material at length, Media Newswire said.

The program was launched by Professor Rick Trainor, who is principal of King’s College London; and Dr. Nicholas Penny, director of the National Gallery, Media Newswire said. For the first time, a program like this brings together church-historical, art-historical, and theological elements of Christian art which in the past had always been studied in isolation, Media Newswire said.
According to King’s College London’s website, students will study how Christian scripture, practice and belief were expressed in some 2000 years of Christian art, allowing them to cross disciplines and specialism boundaries and lending access not just to the National Gallery but also to related institutions like the Courtauld Gallery, Victoria and the Albert Museum. It is hoped that by the end of the course students may take away with them a distinct and unique understanding of one of the greatest art repository of treasures in the world, the website says.

It is also hoped that exposure and understanding of Christian art will lend new theological dimensions. Other modules in the course will examine Christian literature, musical, dramatic and cinematic traditions, Media Newswire said.

The MA program came about when King’s College noted a rise in the interest of students in this area. It will be coordinated by Ben Quash who was King’s first professor of Christianity and the Arts. As chair of the degree program, Quash noted the rich Catholic and Orthodox store of Christian art. Quash also noted that traditional Protestant churches have also begun to lose a former distrust of images and are exploring the potentials of visual culture, Media Newswire said.

A stand-out of the program will be the National Gallery’s collection which spans five centuries of Western European work and a large number of masterpieces. Of note, a sizeable proportion of the collection specifically dwells on Christian themes and subjects. With this MA program, more theological reflection will be encouraged on these works, Media Newswire said.