Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan Archives

Patriarchs urge Lebanese, Syrians to find hope in the Resurrection

Apr 5, 2021

In Easter messages, two Catholic patriarchs criticized the situation in Lebanon and urged the faithful to cling to the hope of the Resurrection despite the prevailing darkness.

By Doreen Abi Raad

Patriarch: Iraqi Christians hope goodwill from papal trip carries over

Mar 20, 2021

Political leaders had “very nice words” during Pope Francis’s early March trip to Iraq, but now Christians pray “that those words, those declarations, will be applied on the daily level, on the ground,” said Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan.

By Doreen Abi Raad

Middle East Catholic patriarchs urge Christmas hope amid despair

Dec 28, 2020

Amid suffering and despair, further darkened by the coronavirus pandemic, Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East urged their faithful at Christmastime to hold on to hope.

By Doreen Abi Raad

Pre-Christmas celebration gives hope to Iraqi refugees still in Lebanon

Dec 15, 2020

More than 100,000 Christians driven out from Iraq’s Ninevah Plain by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014 are living as refugees in Lebanon.

By Doreen Abi Raad

Syriac patriarch: ‘Our martyrs are the torches of faith’

Nov 2, 2020

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the massacre by Islamic militants at Our Lady of Deliverance Church in Baghdad, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan reminded the faithful that “our martyrs are the torches of faith that illuminate our paths of life and ignite in us the fire of love toward everyone.”

By Doreen Abi Raad

Mediterranean summit to highlight threats to Christian survival in Middle East

Feb 12, 2020

When some 50 bishops and patriarchs from different rites throughout the Mediterranean gather in Bari this month to discuss the dire situation many countries in the region face, the survival of Christians in the Middle East will likely emerge as a central topic.

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

Mideast Catholic patriarchs pray for those suffering, appeal for dialogue

Dec 26, 2019

Against a backdrop of anti-government protests in Iraq and Lebanon, at Christmas, Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East spoke of continued suffering.

By Doreen Abi Raad