Syria Archives

Aleppo’s Melkite archbishop looks to rebuild city from the ashes

Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo spoke at a convention in early August to let people know that he has every intention of restoring Christianity to his city devastated by the war in Syria. He has been publicizing the motto, “Aleppo is waiting for you,” for Christians who have left and are weighing return.

Faith-filled ‘transfiguration’ underway in Syria, one child at a time

Aleppo has been one of the cities in Syria hardest hit by the country’s vicious civil war, with children experiencing the horrors of war before they even go to school or swim in a neighborhood pool. An innovative ‘Summer Oratory’ run by the city’s Latin rite parish, however, is said to be achieving a ‘transfiguration’ in those children, sowing the seeds of hope.

Where’s the blockbuster for the ‘Dunkirk in reverse’ in Iraq and Syria?
- Analysis
- July 30, 2017
Right now, a gripping Hollywood blockbuster recalls the heroism of Dunkirk, when trapped Allied troops were rescued during WWII. However, there’s an equally stirring “Dunkirk in reverse” going on before our eyes in Iraq and Syria, and American Catholics are playing a starring role — not only in saving embattled Christians, but giving them hope of better things to come.
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Four years later, family reports ‘silence’ on kidnapped priest in Syria
- Global Church
- July 30, 2017
Italian Jesuit Father Paolo Dall’Oglio disappeared in Syria in 2013 while entering ISIS-held territory in an attempt to negotiate the release of kidnap victims. Despite four years of what his family describes as near-total “silence,” they’re continuing to press for the truth of what happened, and insisting that their bother stands as a sign of the sort of dialogue and understanding needed to rescue Syria from chaos.
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Vatican: Jerusalem needs “internationally guaranteed” special status
- Vatican
- July 26, 2017
A Vatican diplomat has told the UN Security Council the historical status quo of the holy sites in the Holy Land is “a matter of profound sensitivities,” and reminded them that Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Israel sparked a crisis by unilaterally installing metal detectors at the Temple Mount, leading to Muslims accusing the Jewish state of trying to expand control at the site under the guise of security.
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