Only 40 Christians Returned to Mosul.
07/10/2019 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – Mosul’s only priest, Father Imanuel Adel Kloo, has reported that only 40 of the 15,000 Iraqi Christians who used to live in the city have returned home. Mosul was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) and used as their base of operations throughout Iraq. Although defeated, ISIS maintains a strong presence in Mosul. Although
Heads of Jerusalem Churches hold prayer rally in protest of Jaffa Gate properties case.
JERUSALEM – On Thursday, July 11, 2019, the Heads of Jerusalem Churches held a prayer rally near Jaffa Gate’s Imperial and Petra Hotels, in protest of Israel’s Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the appeal made by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate against the sale of three of its properties to settlers’ group. The rally was attended by Patriarchs, Bishops and priests
UNESCO: Basilica of Nativity No Longer Considered Endangered Patrimony.
Jesus’ birthplace, i.e. the Basilica of the Nativity, and the Bethlehem pilgrimage route in Palestine have been removed from the “List of Endangered World Patrimony,” by the Committee of the World Patrimony, gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, from June 30 to July 10, 2019, stated a press release of UNESCO — the international organization to which the Committee belongs –, published
Bishop Shomali: “The AUM aims to have generations qualified educationally”.
MADABA – The American University of Madaba (AUM) celebrated the graduation of the fifth class of its students on Saturday, July 6, 2019, under the patronage of H. E Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with the presence of Bishop William Shomali, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and members of the board of
Iraqis welcome Pope Francis’ plan to visit in 2020.
BAGHDAD — Iraqis have been looking at the announcement of Pope Francis’ plan to visit to Iraq next year with various but positive outlooks. The announcement gained more momentum after Iraqi President Barham Salih's visit to the Vatican in November in which he encouraged the pope to visit Iraq. A year ago, the patriarch of Babylon for the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Raphael I Sako,
PALESTINE – The project to find new jobs for young Christians in the Gaza Strip is starting to bear fruit.
Gaza - The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in cooperation of the Holy Family Parish, launched the job creation and capacity building program in the Gaza Strip. Nine months later, the 20 Christian youth benefiting from the program are reaping the fruits of their work and seeing the new career prospects of this project. Started in October 2018, the program has
Reflections from the Holy Land Visit to Jordan.
During a recent visit to Jordan which was primarily to advance the administrative and financial restructuring of the Latin Patriarchate schools there, a number of field visits and side meetings took place. I also happened to be there a few days before the U.S. sponsored meetings in Bahrain took place which were intended to kick start some peace process between
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Patriarch Twal: We Christians in the Holy Land May Exist, But Have Lost Our Influence.
Christians in the Holy Land may exist, but they have lost the influence they used to have in international politics, says Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem. In an exclusive interview with ZENIT in Amman, Jordan, the Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem, residing in Jordan, affirmed this. Pope Francis visited Jordan, home to the Baptism site of Jesus, in 2014, during the
Bethlehem University Holds 43rd Graduation Ceremony.
Bethlehem University conferred degrees upon 764 graduates during its 43rdcommencement on Monday and Tuesday, 24 and 25 June 2019. The event took place at Auditorium in the Social Cultural Center in the presence of the Chancellor, H. E. Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli; Vice Chancellor, Br. Peter Bray; the Deans of the faculties; Faculty and Staff members; families of the graduates; Clerics;
Byzantine baptism font was discovered at the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.
BETHLEHEM — On Saturday, June 22, 2019, officials at the site of renovation at the Nativity Church in Bethlehem announced the discovery of a Byzantine baptism font. Mr. Ziad al-Bandak, head of a Palestinian presidential committee who is leading the church renovation said that international experts are examining the receptacle and studying its origin. This renovation comes after the declaration