The religion best known from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan who helped an injured traveller on the road to Jericho is on the brink of extinction. The Samaritans were once a community, with at least a million people in biblical times living across what we know today as the Middle East. Today, only Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Middle East’
Lebanese people don’t need any more interference, says Pope
Monday, July 5th, 2021
Lebanese people must be given the opportunity to create a better future for their own country without undue interference, says Pope Francis. The country must remain a “land of tolerance and pluralism” he said as he welcomed Lebanon’s Christian patriarchs to the Vatican last Thursday. Francis prayed the Lord’s Prayer in Arabic before he and Read more
The impossible future of Christians in the Middle East
Monday, June 17th, 2019
An ancient faith is disappearing from the lands in which it first took root; the Middle East. At stake is not just a religious community, but the fate of pluralism in the region. The call came in 2014, shortly after Easter. Four years earlier, Catrin Almako’s family had applied for special visas to the United Read more
Pope to join other Christian church leaders for Middle East
Thursday, July 5th, 2018Pope Francis will join other Christian church leaders tomorrow in Bari, southern Italy. They are gathering for ecumenical reflection and to offer prayers for Christians suffering in the Middle East. Read more
Jerusalem for all Abrahamic religions, not just one
Thursday, December 7th, 2017
Jerusalem was formally recognised by the United States (US) as the capital of Israel on Wednesday. At the same time, President Trump announced plans to eventually relocate the US Embassy to the holy city. Pope Francis responded to the change in US policy, saying he wants the “status quo” to remain. He says he is Read more
Refugees’ promised land – Australia
Monday, September 18th, 2017Australia is viewed as “the promised land” by persecuted Catholics in the Middle East. An Iraqi Catholic priest says Australia has led the way in welcoming thousands of Christians who have been forced to leave their homes because of violence from radical militant groups such as the Islamic State. Read more
Iraq & Syria: genocide of Christian communities
Tuesday, October 11th, 2016
A young boy, 10 years old or so, faces the camera. Like many young boys, he is happy to be interviewed. This is war-torn Iraq, however, so he tells of the day ISIS came to his village. He starts to recount, horror after horror, what took place. It is hard to accept that one so Read more
Sr. Monique Tarabeh, praying for family in Syria
Tuesday, April 12th, 2016
Good Shepherd Sr. Monique Tarabeh’s prayers have an urgency to them. Tarabeh grew up in Damascus, Syria, and her family still lives there despite the civil war made possible by the rise of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. The war has raged for five years, killing hundreds of thousands of people and Read more
Pope and Patriarch appeal for reconciliation and unity
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill have issued a deep and thorough call for reconciliation and unity amongst their two traditions. The two leaders met for 135 minutes in Cuba on February 12. It was the first meeting of this kind for nearly 1000 years. A joint statement was issued, in which Francis and Kirill Read more
Europe Parliament: ISIS killing of Christians is genocide
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016The European Parliament has recognised as genocide the Islamic State’s killing of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. This is the first time the European Parliament has acknowledged an ongoing conflict as genocide. Lars Adaktusson, the Swedish MEP who tabled the resolution, said the significance of the move is the obligations that Read more