UNESCO adds Japan's "hidden Christian" sites to World Heritage list

UNESCO decided Saturday to add southwestern Japan sites linked to the history of the country's persecuted Christians to the World Heritage list.The 12 sites include Oura Cathedral in Nagasaki, the oldest surviving church in the country that has already been designated as a national treasure, and the remains of Hara Castle, a site of the Shimabara-Amakusa Rebellion that led to establishment of a national seclusion policy and the beginning of the hidden Christians' unique system to transmit their faith and beliefs by themselves.The Japanese sites were among 28 World Heritage candidates review…READ FULL ARTICLE