Middle East

At Christmas Mass, Iraq’s Muslim president calls for Christians to be protected
- Dec 26, 2020
Iraqi President Barham Salih attended Christmas Eve Mass Thursday, telling faithful that not only would he make every effort to defend Christians and help them return to their land, but he also pledged to clamp down on extremist violence and root out government corruption.

By Elise Ann Allen
Vatican, Catholic aid agencies work to help Christians return to Iraq
- Dec 11, 2020
With months to go still until his March 5-8 trip to Iraq, Pope Francis on Thursday began shaping his message, urging a network of Catholic charities to help Christians who have fled the region to return home of they want to do so.

By Inés San Martín
Vatican applauds ‘Abraham Accords’ but fears ‘isolation’ of Palestinians
- Oct 8, 2020
Archbishop Paul Gallagher also suggested the Vatican would be willing to reconsider its long-standing insistence on a two-state solution for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict should all parties converge on some other outcome that’s both just and fair.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Explaining the Vatican’s silence on the ‘Abraham Accords’
- Sep 22, 2020
The Vatican typically abhors being dragged into partisan domestic debates, doing everything in its power to avoid them, and it’s a special idée fixe of Pope Francis.

By John L. Allen Jr.
Abraham a sign of unity, source of understanding among peoples
- Sep 20, 2020
In a region marked by conflict, disunity, and tension – where people could be killed for their religious beliefs – the Abraham Accords are a sign of hope.

By Father Jeffrey F. Kirby
Abraham Accords called ‘truly historic milestone’ in Middle East peace
- Sep 17, 2020
A Catholic congressman who is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called the Middle East peace accord signed Sept. 15 at the White House a “momentous pact” he hopes “is the beginning of several future peace accords to strengthen peace within the region.”

By Catholic News Service