Middle East Archives

New report warns of ‘bleak’ outlook for Iraqi Christians

Jul 8, 2020

A new report from Catholic charity organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) says that unless immediate action is taken, Christians in Iraq could dwindle to a staggeringly low number due to fears over security and corruption.

By Elise Ann Allen

Where’s the Catholic voice on the Holy Land both sides could hear?

Jun 24, 2020

If ever there were a moment in which the world needs to hear from the Church’s best minds on the Holy Land, especially figures who stand a reasonable chance of being heard by both Israel’s leadership and its public opinion, this, arguably, is it.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Heightened U.S.-Iran tensions a threat to Middle Eastern Christianity, aid group says

Feb 23, 2020

One man with up close and personal experience of the risks threatening Christianity in the Middle East has said those in Iraq and Syria, at least in part, blame fundamentalist terrorism and heightened tensions between the United States and Iran for the region’s dwindling number of Christians.

By Elise Ann Allen

Activist charges poor are being ‘instrumentalized’ amid Syria’s endless war

Feb 15, 2020

Speaking to Crux, Giampaolo Silvestri, secretary general of the AVSI foundation, which sponsors development projects in needy areas throughout the world, said, “There is absolutely an instrumentalization of the poor people who live in Syria.”

By Elise Ann Allen

Mideast patriarchs tell pope they’re concerned about Christian survival

Feb 10, 2020

In a private meeting with Pope Francis, Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East had an opportunity to sound the alarm regarding the survival of Christians in the region as a result of persecution, extremism, economic insecurity and immigration to the West.

By Doreen Abi Raad

Filipino Catholics pray for Mideast peace in Nazarene event

Jan 9, 2020

A mammoth crowd of mostly barefoot Filipino Catholics prayed for peace in the Middle East on Thursday at the start of an annual procession of a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ in one of Asia’s biggest religious events.

By Jim Gomez