Middle East Archives

Pope: Clergy in Middle East must be the ‘last among the least’

Pope Francis called clergy in the Middle East to “learn to be the last among the least,” and lamented the continued plight of Christians suffering due to persecution. “Let us not forget,” the pope said, that “Christians — it doesn’t matter whether they are Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant — shed their blood as a seal of their witness.”

People around the globe stop for a minute of prayer for peace

The Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias and popstar Miley Cyrus were just some of the people who stopped for a minute of prayer for peace on Thursday. The initiative – promoted by Pope Francis – marked the anniversary of the meeting of Pope Francis, the late Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican Gardens.

New Hamas program softens language, but some goals remain

Hamas, the Islamic militant group active in the Gaza strip, has toned-down it’s program by claiming independence from the Muslim Brotherhood and by changing the rhetoric surrounding Israel. The group has been forced into international isolation by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

Vatican decries “genocidal scourge” of terrorism in the Middle East
- Pope Francis in Egypt, Vatican
- April 21, 2017
The chief Vatican diplomat to the United Nations said “there is no greater antidote to violence and hatred than dialogue and encounter” during a debate on the situation in the Middle East taking place at the UN Security Council. Archbishop Bernardito Auza also called on religious leaders to speak out against terrorism, especially when it’s done in the name of God.
READ MORE
At Easter, Mideast church leaders affirm Christian presence
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- April 18, 2017
Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East spoke up against the violence and terror that has taken over the Middle East in their Easter messages. While calling the international community to aid and intervene in the region, the patriarchs reminded their faithful not to lose hope.
READ MORE
Pew Study: Worldwide religious freedom restrictions on the rise
- Global Church, Religion News Service
- April 12, 2017
Restrictions on religious freedom show no sign of slowing down. A Pew Research Center’s annual study found that though religious freedom restrictions were in a downward trend globally, 2015 showed an increase in religiously motivated violence especially in the Middle East and Europe.
READ MORE