“Let us pray for the victims, for their families; and let us pray for Lebanon so that it might face this extremely tragic and painful moment and, with the help of the international community, overcome the grave crisis they are experiencing.”

At least 50 people were killed and 2,700 injured. Catholic and other humanitarian agencies warn it could push the country into an even bigger catastrophe.

“My appeal is not to forget about Syria,” said Immacolata Dall’Oglio, sister of the Rev. Paolo Dall’Oglio, who went missing in Syria on July 29, 2013.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined hundreds of worshipers Friday for the first Muslim prayers in 86 years inside Hagia Sophia.

The Unesco World Heritage site in Istanbul, founded as a Christian church in the 6th century, transformed into a mosque in the 15th century and then into a museum in 1934, will reopen as a mosque on July 24 with Friday prayers.

Msgr. John E. Kozar, having completed nine years of service as head of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, is retiring from his post and reflects on his time as CNEWA head and on what he plans to do next.