Lebanon holds a message of hope for the future of Christians in the Middle East.
NOW RETIRED, ARCHBISHOP SYRIL SALIM BUSTROS is the former Melkite archbishop of Beirut and Byblos in Lebanon. He also served as archbishop of Baalbeck and as eparch of the Melkite Church in the US. He recently spoke with Aid to the Church in Need about the mission of Lebanon’s Christians, and the ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon, conditions
Sister Clara’s dream for the future of children in Iraq comes true.
IN AUGUST 2014, THE CITY OF QARAQOSH FELL INTO THE HANDS OF ISIS. The city, located on the Nineveh Plains, about 15 miles from Mosul, was once the largest Christian city in the country. Christians living in this region of Iraq were forced to flee from their homes. ISIS killed many, destroyed property, and displaced thousands of people. Qaraqosh was
‘This is your heritage’: Jerusalem museum works to engage diverse groups.
JERUSALEM — When 15-year-old Ahmad Mutaseb visited the Terra Sancta Museum in the Old City, was the first time he had ever seen any archaeological relics from the area. “I’ve seen archaeological ruins in Turkey, but this gave me a good feeling. These things are originally from here. I feel connected to them,” said Mutaseb, who is Muslim. He visited
LEBANON – Mikati announces the formation of the government. Father Zgheib: perhaps the Pope’s visit becomes more possible.
Beirut - After more than a year of stalemate, Lebanon has a new government. The Sunni Najib Mikati, who since last July 26, had been tasked with forming a new government from President Michel Aoun, after today's prayer went to the presidential palace to present to the Head of State the list of ministers who will be put to the
Jordan: In prayer on Mount Nebo, the site of the memorial of Moses.
The solemnity of St Moses, lawmaker and prophet, who guided the people of the alliance, taking them from slavery in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land, fell on 4 September. Moses was never to enter the Promised Land, but he saw it from Mount Nebo, the summit of the Pisga, facing Jericho (Deut. 34, 1-12). On this very
IRAQ – Mar Awa Royel is the 122nd Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Erbil - Mar Awa Royel, currently Bishop of the Assyrian diocese of California (USA) and Secretary of the Holy Synod is the 122nd Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. He was elected on Wednesday, September 8th by the 15 Bishops of the Assyrian Church of the East, who gathered on Monday, September 6th in the elective Synod convened
Fr. Bernard Poggi: “my priority is to open the seminary to its surroundings…”
INTERVIEW - After his priestly ordination in 2014, Fr. Bernard Poggi served as Chaplain to the Arab-American Catholic Community in Northern California in the United States of America for 4 years before returning to the Holy Land. Since then, he has assumed many duties at the Latin Patriarchal Seminary of Beit Jala, the last being his appointment as Rector of the
Patriarch Pizzaballa concludes pastoral visit to Cyprus.
CYPRUS - From September 3- 8, 2021, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa made his first pastoral visit as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to the Latin Community in the four parishes of Cyprus, namely Larnaca, Nicosia, Paphos and Limassol. A visit to Kyrenia was also on the program. In Larnaca, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem paid visits to the parish of St.
LEBANON – President Aoun announces an “emergency meeting” to address the crisis in non-state schools.
Beirut - The systemic crisis in which Lebanon seems to be sinking is having devastating effects on non-state schools, mostly of ecclesial origin, on which the entire national education system is based. In the Land of the Cedars, the combination of the crisis due to the pandemic, economic emergency and political-institutional paralysis threatens to destroy the network of schools and
“Syria’s Christian population is rapidly collapsing!”.
The rapidly diminishing number of Middle East Christians is worrying and preposterous as it draws perplexing conclusions. What draws amazement and frustration is that Christians who constituted about 8-10 per cent of the Syrian population a decade ago have dropped to about 3 per cent. This huge drop is incomprehensible. The real danger lies in the possibility of a