UN Secretary-General: repatriation of Christians who fled from Iraq and Syria should be encouraged
Moscow - Christianity is "an integral part" of the Middle Eastern culture, and it is necessary to "ensure the return of Christians and members of other religious minorities" who have fled from their countries of origin due to situations of violence and persecution, guaranteeing in particular the stabilization of the political situation in Iraq and Syria. This was stated by
Pope sends message to Caritas “Share the Journey” lunch
In a message to participants at a lunch organized by Caritas Rome in the city’s main soup kitchen that caters for tens of thousands of poor people, many of them migrants and refugees,Pope Francis on Tuesday highlighted the importance and the value of “sharing” spaces, events and simple things like a meal, in order to overcome barriers and nurture feelings of brotherhood. The
Holy See Affirms Middle East Concerns
The Holy See on June 13, 2018, affirmed its concerns about escalating violence in the Middle East, especially the need to protect civilians. The concerns came in a statement by Archbishop Bernardito Auza Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Thirty-Eighth Plenary Meeting of the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in
Christian leaders to Netanyahu: the government still aims to confiscate Church property
Jerusalem - The Israeli draft bill that aims at confiscating church property in Israel has not been blocked or filed: this bill, which continues its process towards approval, is configured as "a systematic and unprecedented attack against the Christians of the Holy Land", capable of violating "the most basic rights" and undermine "the delicate fabric of relationships" built decades ago
Emmaus Al-Qubeibeh: the new fraternity is born on the feast of Sts. Simeon and Cleophas
A double feast took place in Emmaus Al-Qubeibeh: On the day when Sts. Simeon and Cleophas are remembered, a new interobediential fraternity was officially born. Comprised of Friars Minor and Conventual Franciscans, the fraternity was introduced during mass on Sunday, September 24, in the presence of the Vicar General of the Friars Minor and of the Conventual Friars, Fr. Julio
In post-ISIS Christian town, heroism and paradox both abound
QARAQOSH, Iraq - Over the centuries, the Middle East has always been a land where expectations tend to experience especially tough collisions with reality, so it probably should be no surprise that a massive effort to rebuild the Christian village which was the epicenter of a brutal ISIS onslaught in 2014 has, at its heart, three grand paradoxes. Qaraqosh -
Fire in a church, the imam launches the SOS and calls for help from the mosque’s loudspeakers
Shubra al Khaymah - The flames of an accidental fire burst in a church in the middle of the night which led to the imam of the nearby mosque to use the speakers of the Muslim place of worship to sound the alarm and call everyone to intervene to extinguish the flames. This is what happened in Shubra al Khaymah,
On Nineveh Plains, Christians trapped between hope and experience
ANKAWA, Iraq/Kurdistan - In the famous Bible story, the ancient city of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s preaching and repented. Today, however, Christians on the Nineveh Plains, a fabled swath of land that overlaps the dividing line between northern Iraq and Kurdistan, have found it’s not quite so easy to change peoples’ hearts and minds. Ironically, in 2008 the Nineveh Plains
The month of Ramadan: an opportunity for dialogue and meetings in the Holy Land
JORDAN, PALESTINE – On the grounds of the Diocese of Jerusalem, great initiatives are springing up and many Christian and Muslim encounters are taking place, favored by the context of the month of Ramadan. Iftar dinners organized by the Church were held in Jordan and Palestine, following a long tradition that finds its roots in the spirit of the meeting
His Holiness, Pope Francis: A glimmer of hope
A dark cloud that keeps darkening with time seems to have descended on the Arab world since the landing of Napoleon Bonaparte in Egypt in July, 1798. Even darker and more ominous than it was during the nearly two and a half centuries of the Crusader era, eight centuries previously. At least during those times, the two sides, though bitter enemies,