Qaraqosh’s wary residents who fled ISIS have returned to a city in near ruin, but there are signs of renewed life, including a kindergarten sponsored by the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Middle East
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Discovering Mother Mary in northern Iraq after ISIS
Christians in northern Iraq try to rebuild their lives after the defeat of ISIS, but the terror of being driven from their homes is not easily forgotten.
Posted inFaith, Jesuitical
Stephanie Saldaña on love, loss and memory in the Middle East
He was a French novice monk in Syria. She was a journalist who wanted to become a nun. Then, they fell in love.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The U.S. needs to remain engaged in Iraq to help religious minorities
U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry argues that as beleaguered religious minorities in Iraq hang on for their very survival, the survival of religious pluralism itself is also at stake.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Rights groups warn against U.S. flouting international court
Afghan rights workers warned Tuesday that the U.S. national security adviser’s blistering attack on the International Criminal Court investigating war crimes allegations will strengthen a climate of impunity in Afghanistan, prolong the war and embolden those carrying out acts of violence.
Posted inEditorials, Politics & Society
The consequences of selling arms to Saudi Arabia
The United States has no immediate security interests in the military campaign, led by the Saudis and backed by the Yemeni government, against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Egypt’s revolution, undone
What happened to Egypt’s popular uprising?
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis denounces ‘murderous indifference’ to Middle East woes
Pope Francis prays for peace with Christian leaders.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
‘Donor fatigue’ among the threats to Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan
Few of the refugees are interested in returning to Iraq. “Return to what?” asks one Chaldean-Assyrian refugee. He says that “Iraq is a Frankenstein, not a state” because of the persistent ethnic and sectarian divisions.
Posted inFaith, Vantage Point
A brief history of the Jesuits of Baghdad
July 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the coup d’etat in Iraq that brought the Baathist party to power.