Three years ago, the Islamic State (Isis) did not exist; now it controls vast swathes of Syria and Iraq. Showing off its handiwork daily via Twitter and YouTube, Isis has repeatedly demonstrated that it is much more than a transnational terrorist organisation – rather, it is an entity with sophisticated command, control, propaganda and logistical Read more
How can so much pain and suffering be inflicted upon a people and no notice taken by those that are inflicting it? Tell me the ideology or political view that outweighs the right to life? Around 9.3 million of Syria’s 23 million inhabitants need aid. The number of people who have lost their homes or Read more
When Catholics marry someone of a different religion they will face extra challenges — and Church leaders must learn how to help them meet the challenges of these mixed marriages, a Vatican official says. The secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Bishop Jean Laffitte, was commenting on a research project conducted by the Read more
Pope Benedict XVI sent a clear signal about the universality of the Catholic Church when he created six new cardinals on November 24. For the first time in decades, all of the new cardinals came from countries outside Europe. “I want to highlight in particular the fact that the Church is the Church of all Read more
As violence in Syria continues to escalate, the Vatican has called off sending a papal delegation there on a mission of peace. Instead, Pope Benedict XVI has sent Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, to neighbouring Lebanon, to meet pastors and members of the various churches present in Syria. He Read more
On the eve of his visit to Lebanaon, many Shiite and Sunni clerics are putting out the welcome mat to Pope Benedict. The clerics are hoping Benedict’s visit will strengthen coexistence and help allay Christian fears over their fate in a region in tumult. Noting that Muslims and Christians alike have concerns about the rapid Read more
The message of Melkite Patriarch Gregory III Laham, the spiritual head of Lebanon’s second largest Catholic community, has mysteriously disappeared from a Catholic website, just hours after if first appeared, reports Vatican Insider. Patriarch Gregory III Laham will be the first to address the pope during a welcome ceremony and according to his disappeared statement will ask Read more
Despite the conflict raging across the border in Syria, which has also raised tensions within Lebanon, excitement is building as Beirut prepares to welcome Pope Benedict in September. The Pope will visit the Lebanese capital from September 14 to 16 to set out his vision for the future of the Eastern Catholic churches of the Read more
Pope Benedict XVI will visit Lebanon from the 14th to the 16th September. The announcement was made in two separate statements by the Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon and the Lebanese Bishop’s Office for Communications on the very day the Pope appealed for peace in the Middle East and the Holy Land. The Holy Read more
There are around 20,000 refugees from Syria in Lebanon, which according to Caritas Lebanon is making Lebanon a “human emergency”. The refugees are exhausted and desperate. More expected to follow. Fr Simon Faddoul, President of Caritas Lebanon tells Fides: “The official figures of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees speak of 8-9000 displaced Syrians, officially Read more