Pope Prays for Peace in Middle East With Head of Assyrian Church.
Pope Francis spoke about the "great suffering" that many Christians are enduring in the Middle East, and prayed for peace in the region, especially in Iraq and Syria. The Pope was meeting Friday with Mar Gewargis III, the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. He said many Middle Eastern Christians are following in the footsteps of Christ,
‘Next Time We Will Not Survive’ — Middle East Christian Refugee.
As many as 80% of Syria's Christians have left their country since the start of the civil war in 2011, while 50% of Iraq's Christians have been uprooted since 2006, according to a report produced by Christian charities Open Doors International, Served and Middle East Concern last year, which said the arrival of IS was only the "tipping point" of
The exhibition “Bible on the move: traditions and translations of the Holy Scriptures”
With the beginning of November the academic year of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF) officially begun. The SBF is the scientific institution for research and academic teaching of the Holy Scriptures and archeologyof the biblical Places of the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land. For several years now, precisely since 2013, thanks to a fruitful collaboration between the General Library of the Custody and its director, Friar Lionel Goh,
Why the Holy Land is the ‘fifth gospel’ of Christianity.
Jerusalem - Pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a powerful journey that can ignite Christian faith through seeing the places Jesus walked, worked miracles, died and rose from the dead. The Franciscans who have served in the region say people should go. “When you come here, you are very moved by the experience. It puts the gospel in perspective,” Father Athanasius
Melkite Catholic bishops criticize deteriorating Palestinian situation.
BEIRUT - Melkite Catholic bishops from around the world, meeting for their synod, criticized the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and rejected Israel’s Nation State Law. In a final statement following their Nov. 5-10 synod in Rabweh, Lebanon, the bishops underscored “the seriousness of the oppression and the violation of the rights of innocent citizens” in the Palestinian territories
The General Secretariat of Christian Schools honors members of the Ecumenical Committee for Catechesis.
The General Secretariat of Christian Schools honors members of the Ecumenical Committee for Catechesis at the meeting of Christian schools’ principals on Friday, November 9, 2018, at the Oasis Hotel – Jericho. The recognition program included an opening speech by Father Iyad Al-Twal, Secretary-General, in which he commended the efforts and achievements of the Committee in the field of Catechesis.
Iraqi church leaders say their unity key to saving Christianity.
ROME - Faced with the ever-present fear that Christianity could disappear from the Middle East, leaders from both Catholic and Orthodox churches in Iraq have said their unity is key to ensuring their churches are there to stay. In comments to Crux, Mar Gewargis III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq, said every church leader in the
King in US to receive Templeton Prize for interfaith harmony efforts.
Amman — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday departed on a working visit to Washington, DC, during which His Majesty will be receiving the Templeton Prize in appreciation for his efforts to promote interfaith harmony, safeguard Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites and protect religious freedom, a Royal Court statement said. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein was sworn in
US Churches write to Pompey: no to Israeli law on the confiscation of ecclesiastical properties.
Washington - Dozens of heads of churches in the United States sent a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing concern over the 'Properties Bill,' which has recently been advanced in the Knesset. "Jerusalem Patriarchs and Heads of Churches" reads the letter "consider this legislation to be an existential threat", and this concern "cannot be overstated". The letter
Equestrian order supports Holy Land Catholics, encourages dialogue.
ROME - The 30,000 members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem fund about 80 percent of the annual budget of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, ensuring that Catholic parishes and seminaries, schools and hospitals in Israel, Palestine and Jordan continue to function, said U.S. Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien. The cardinal, grand master of the Vatican-based order,