A brief opening to shore up progress toward stability in Syria unfortunately coincides with Trump administration decisions to sharply curtail humanitarian and development assistance and to terminate the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Middle East
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo XIV: Western Christians must reject ‘fake news’ and help the suffering Eastern churches
Pope Leo XIV denounced the “violent conflict [that] seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown” and said the Christians of the West must do more to help the Christians of the East, especially those suffering in Ukraine, Gaza and other places in the Middle East.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo calls for Middle East peace after ‘heinous terrorist attack’ on church in Syria
Aware of the deep concern this new act of violence has caused among Christians in this part of the world, Pope Leo offered these words of assurance: “I say to the Christians of the Middle East: I am close to you! The whole church is close to you!”
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: An Iranian film that humanizes ‘the enemy’
In ‘Where is the Friend’s House?,’ we see the faces of the Iranian people captured with sensitivity and detail.
Posted inOf Many Things, Politics & Society
‘Because Trump said so’ is no reason to bomb Iran
As I write, Mr. Trump is declaring that “nobody knows” what he is going to do about Iran. I fear that “nobody” includes him.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Leo calls for ‘responsibility and reason’ as Israel–Iran conflict escalates
Pope Leo called for a “commitment to build a world that is safer and free from the nuclear threat.”
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Remembering Pope Francis, a pilgrim leader in the Holy Land and Middle East
The pope’s visit to Egypt was a turning point, not only for many Egyptian Christians in strengthening their faith, but also in the way they were perceived by their Muslim peers.
Posted inPolitics & Society, The Weekly Dispatch
Worst violence in years in Syria revives fears among minority Alawite and Christian communities
The question asked by many Syrians from Alawite, Shiite, Druse, Christian and other minority communities has become: “Can [I] live in an Islamist country and not be [Sunni] Muslim?”
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
Why we need more Middle Eastern stories on our stages
Middle Eastern representation is notably scarce in New York. ”English” and ”A Knock on the Roof” seeks to change that.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
What does the future hold for Christians in Syria after Assad?
The rapid victory of the Sunni opposition fighters over regular army units loyal to Mr. al-Assad has left many wondering how Syria’s minority faith groups—Alawites, Christians, Shiites and others—will fare as H.T.S. consolidates its control.