Ben Farmer is Africa Correspondent for The Telegraph and its Global Health Security team and is based in South Africa. He has worked at The Telegraph for nearly 20 years, including five years in Kabul ...

A new book about Pope John Paul II alleges that the pope engaged in self-flagellation in order to feel closer to God. Does Catholicism teach a proper way to whip yourself? No. The Catholic Church does ...

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday reminded the faithful all over the country not to engage in crucifixion and self-flagellation in honoring the ...

Shia Muslims across the world took part in processions, on Sunday, prior to observing Ashura. As part of the procession, they took part in self-flagellations and walked on burning coals. Ashura, a ...

The commemoration of Mohurram and mourning practices observed by Shia Muslims were recently at the centre of discussion in the media. This came after the Bombay high court responded to a public ...

More than a hundred men in the Philippines may have contracted rabies after taking part in a self-flagellation ritual to mark Good Friday, doctors and local authorities said on Thursday. A health ...