Iraq’s top Catholic official said Thursday that a deadly suicide bombing in Baghdad hasn’t thwarted Pope Francis’ plans to visit.
Middle East
Posted inFeatures, Politics & Society
Our world is ripe for revolution. 10 years after Occupy and the Arab Spring, what have we learned?
After all the hope I and others felt as the story of 2011 swept across the world, the accounting of the decade since leans mightily toward disaster.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Pope Francis denounces bombings in Baghdad that left at least 31 dead
These were the first such suicide bombings since June 2019 and came on the eve of the pope’s planned visit to the country on March 5-8, a visit that now is under serious question.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
What I saw in Bethlehem this Christmas: Shuttered shops, an open church door—and hope.
This year, I barely recognized Bethlehem, the city I know so well.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Former Jerusalem archbishop: How long will Catholics keep ignoring the suffering of Palestinians?
In the 53rd year of Israel’s military occupation of Palestine, Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah asks Christians worldwide to join a nonviolent resistance movement shaped by the “logic of love.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Summit speakers discuss ongoing efforts to combat religious persecution
“Any religious adherent can be a victim,” he said, and the oppressor can be “whoever has the power of the state behind them.”
Posted inGoodNews, Politics & Society
Iraqi archbishop who saved ancient manuscripts nominated for E.U. prize
An Iraqi archbishop who helped save hundreds of ancient manuscripts from being destroyed by Islamic State militants was among the nominees for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Cardinal likens fading Christian presence in Middle East to a sinking ship
“We ask you, Lord, through the intercession of our Mother Virgin Mary, the star of the sea in the storm, to lead our homelands, our churches and our people to the port of safety,” Cardinal Rai pleaded.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Hope is dying in Syria, cardinal says
“Unfortunately, what is dying in the hearts of many people, is hope,” Cardinal Mario Zenari told the Vatican newspaper.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Knights of Holy Sepulchre give $3.5 million in emergency aid to Holy Land
About 30,000 Catholic men and women around the world are knights or dames of the Holy Sepulchre, pledging to support the church of Jerusalem with their prayers, regular pilgrimages and financial offerings.