Iraq

“There is no hope, no future here.”

Zahra Hankir has compiled a collection of gripping and illuminating essays by Arab women reporters who have worked in the Middle East and North Africa. Hankir’s goal was to bring attention to “underreported tales and the women who tell them.”

Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako is concerned by rising tensions between the United States and Iran, fearful that his country, Iraq, could be caught in the middle of any potential conflict. It has also made a proposed visit by Pope Francis to Iraq next year uncertain, he said.

After enduring persecution, violence and uprooting, a group of Iraqi religious and laypeople are on the path to healing.

Iraq's sacrifices fighting the Islamic State group have earned the country greater support in its reconstruction efforts from the international community, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said Saturday.

The prelates noted that Christians "are an authentic component and founder" in Syria and Iraq. They called for solidarity among all citizens to build peace, hope and unity.