In the past few days, the Lord allowed me to visit Iraq, carrying out a project of Saint John Paul II. Never before has a Pope been in the land of Abraham. Providence willed that this should happen now, as a sign of hope, after years of war and terrorism, and during a severe pandemic. Read more
When did the church commit itself to better relations between Muslims and Catholics? I suppose the church really committed to dialogue and positive engagement at the Second Vatican Council, with the famous declaration on the relationship of the church to non-Christian religions, “Nostra Aetate.” There’s a paragraph in there dedicated to Islam and opening up Read more
Within an hour of Pope Francis arriving in Iraq, U.S. President Joe Biden was calling the visit a “symbol of hope for the entire world.” “Pope Francis’s visit was a historic and welcome first for the country,” Biden said. “It sent an important message, as Pope Francis said himself, that ‘fraternity is more durable than Read more
Pope Francis says his four-day visit to Iraq was a “pilgrimage of peace.” The first Catholic pope to visit Iraq, Francis’s history-making four-day trip began in Baghdad last Friday. His key message stressed peace in Iraq where wars, terrorism and sectarian conflicts have plagued it over several decades. “May there be an end to acts Read more
The Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq has announced it will not hold public Christmas celebrations this year. Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church is one of the largest in Iraq and the diaspora. Cardinal Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, head of the church, said the decision was made “out of respect” for victims; those killed and wounded in Read more
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
Prince Charles says Christians from the Middle East have shown “inspiring faith and courage” in the face of oppression and persecution. Making a plea for peace and saying “extremism and division” are not inevitable, Charles said he had been privileged to have met many people “with such inspiring faith and courage” who were battling oppression Read more
Iraqi and Syrian Christians have fled their homelands in huge numbers since 2011. About half of them have have left so far, says a report released by Christian advocacy groups Open Doors, Served, and Middle East Concern. Read more Related Posts:Reopening much loved war-damaged cathedral a silver liningPope Francis’ pilgrimage to Iraq improves relations…A chalice Read more
Dozens of Chaldean Christians were arrested by federal immigration officials over the weekend in the Detroit metropolitan area. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who carried out the arrests, said in negotiations with the U.S. Iraq had “agreed to accept” the individuals. ICE said those arrested had criminal convictions, including for murder, rape, assault, Read more
A young Iraqi seminarian who risked his life to save the Blessed Sacrament from being desecrated by ISIS during an invasion has returned to the same church as a priest. Martin Baani was 24 when these events unfolded. Rather than leave Iraq with his family, Baani chose to stay and complete his training in Erbil, Read more