Posts Tagged ‘Islamic state’

Archbishop condemns terror attack in Moscow, expresses sorrow

Monday, March 25th, 2024
Moscow attack

Archbishop Pavel Pezzi of Moscow expressed profound sorrow and solidarity following the heinous terror attack in Moscow on Friday night. The attack, which targeted the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, resulted in the tragic loss of at least 137 lives. “Following the brutal terrorist attack in Moscow which left many people dead and injured, I Read more

Iraq’s president dismisses Chaldean Catholic Church patriarch

Thursday, July 20th, 2023
Chaldean Catholic Church

Cardinal Louis Sako is no longer recognised as the Chaldean Catholic Church patriarch, says Iraq’s President Abdul Rashid. Rashid has revoked a former president’s 2013 decree recognising Sako’s position as the Chaldean church’s leader. After Saturday’s shock announcement, Sako said he will move to a monastery in Kurdistan, an autonomous Iraqi region of Iraq. He Read more

ISIS kill 15 truffle hunters in central Syria

Monday, March 27th, 2023
ISIS kill 15 truffle hunters

Islamic State (ISIS) militants have killed 15 people who were foraging for desert truffles in central Syria, according to a war monitor. The victims, who included seven civilians and eight pro-regime fighters, were reportedly attacked on Thursday by ISIS fighters who slit their throats. Another 40 people are currently missing. The Syrian desert truffles are Read more

Man accused of possessing Isis material was ‘learning about religion’, jury hears

Thursday, May 27th, 2021

A man accused of possessing Isis propaganda material took the stand to defend his actions in front of a jury on Monday. He said he was only learning about his religion, and he was put in jail because he is a Muslim and his religion is not liked. The Auckland man, who has name suppression, Read more

Sri Lanka Catholics mark ‘Black Sunday’ for Easter victims

Thursday, March 11th, 2021

Sri Lankan Roman Catholics attended Mass dressed in black on Sunday, with prayers and protests calling for justice for those killed in coordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday two years ago. Church bells tolled and prayers were chanted at 8:45 a.m., the time when bombs were detonated almost simultaneously at two Roman Catholic churches Read more

Muslims help Catholics rebuild church in Mosul that Islamic State destroyed

Thursday, May 21st, 2020

Muslims are helping Catholics, despite the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic, to rebuild a church building in northern Iraq, once ruled by the Islamic State. Islamic State that ruled Mosul from 2014 to 2016, damaged or destroyed every church in the city including the 19th century built “Our Lady of the Hour” Church, popularly called Read more

Mass cancelled in Sri Lanka

Monday, April 29th, 2019
mass cancelled

Mass in Sri Lanka is cancelled indefinitely and churches closed. The closures follow a series of church and hotel bombings at Easter which killed over 250 people. The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said church officials had seen a leaked security document describing Catholic churches and other denominations as a major target for attackers. Read more

Trump signs new law to help religious minorities

Thursday, December 13th, 2018

US President Donald Trump has signed a new law to help ensure humanitarian relief reaches the members of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. The legislation aims particularly to help groups targeted for genocide by Islamic State militants. It enables financial and technical assistance for the humanitarian, stabilisation and recovery needs of former Read more

Vatican visitors threatened – ISIS wants “Christmas blood”

Thursday, November 16th, 2017

Vatican visitors may be Islamic State’s (ISIS) next terror targets. A pro-ISIS propaganda channel has made a poster depicting a car attack. The poster – reading “Christmas blood” – shows a masked jihadi driving a BMW at high speed towards St Peter’s Basilica. An assault rifle and a rucksack can be seen on the seat Read more

Nazi genocide research leads to priest’s award

Monday, October 30th, 2017

A French priest has received a human rights award for research uncovering millions of previously unaccounted-for Nazi genocide victims. Father Patrick Desbois was awarded the Lantos Foundation’s Human Rights Prize last week for being a “vital voice standing up for the values of decency, dignity, freedom, and justice.” The prize is named after a Holocaust Read more