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Shafaq News / Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani emphasized the historical significance of the Christian component in the construction and fortification of the Iraqi state.

At the conclusion of Sunday's Regina Coeli, Pope Francis makes a heartfelt appeal to halt the spiral of violence in the Middle East and for all nations to favour negotation and peace efforts, while assisting those suffering in Gaza.

Mosul, Iraq, Apr 14, 2024 / 06:00 am
The plight of Mosul’s Christian community has largely gone unnoticed for two decades. Since the city fell under the control of ISIS (also referred to as ISIL) in 2014, it has been a staging ground for bombings of churches. Armed groups have killed, blackmailed, and abducted numerous Christians there — both clergy and laypeople — since 2003.

The thirteen Patriarchs and Heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem issue their annual Easter Message in which they reiterate their call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all captives, and recall the Easter message of hope in the resurrection.

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, shares the rituals and traditions of the small Catholic community of Mongolia, saying they gather during the Triduum to share their Christian joy in a modest manner.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin sends a video message to the third edition of "Cinema for Creation," taking place in the Italian city of Padua on the theme: "Nourished by beauty and love: Forces that save the world."

Speaking to an Italian television station, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, says that “everyone must do everything possible to put an end to this situation."

In a statement posted on Friday 1 March, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem condemn the "wanton attack against innocent civilians" by the Israeli army the previous day in Gaza during a distribution of emergency food aid. They call for a "immediate and lengthy ceasefire.".

Pope Francis sends a message to all the children of the world ahead of the first “World Children’s Day” to encourage them to be united and listen to advice from grown-ups because, he says, their “pleases" and “thank yous" are the first step towards a better world.

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako
Currently, the situation of the Middle East is terrible due to the political and componential divisions, which has brought nothing but evil.

The UK Parliament has passed a Labour Party motion calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Welcomed by humanitarian agencies, it aims to address catastrophic situations faced by Gaza residents and create the conditions for diplomacy and the release of hostages. 

A letter co-signed by a group of international peacebuilding and human rights organizations, with decades of experience in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, pressures the UK Prime Minister to demand a stop to the Israeli offensive and call for a ceasefire.

CNA Staff, Jan 23, 2024 / 11:17 am
An international group of bishops is calling for “universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament” on the third anniversary of a key global nuclear disarmament treaty.

Iraq’s Patriarch Sako calls on Christians to dedicate their annual 'Nineveh Fast' to praying for peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.

Amman, Jordan, Jan 21, 2024 / 07:00 am
A year ago, on Jan. 21, 2023, Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso became the first resident nuncio to Jordan. Before that, the Apostolic Nunciature of Jordan was joined with that of Iraq.

Addressing participants at the Philippine Conference for the New Evangelization, Cardinal Mario Grech looks at key outcomes from last October's Synod Assembly, "A Synodal Church in Mission," and his hopes for the next session later this year.

To mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis meets with a groups of Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox from Finland, encouraging them to journey together as a “pilgrim Church”.

As the Church celebrates the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, reflects on the relationship between Catholics and Orthodox 60 years after the historic encounter between Pope St. Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin expresses the Holy See’s concerns for an escalation of war that could engulf the entire Middle East, speaking on the sidelines of an event at the Italian Senate.

Rome Newsroom, Jan 18, 2024 / 06:00 am
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be celebrated by Catholics and other Christians worldwide from Jan. 18–25.

Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, thanks Pope Francis for his appeals for peace, and invites Christians to point the way to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

The Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia says recent developments in the Red Sea have not yet affected ordinary life in Yemen, though they could affect the peace process in the war-torn country.

Amman, Jordan, Jan 13, 2024 / 15:00 pm
For 2,000 years, since Jesus descended into the waters of the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, the river has been a pilgrimage site for Christians from around the world. And on the banks of that river, for the past 24 years, on the second Friday of January, the Catholic community in the region has undertaken a pilgrimage, gathering around its patriarch, to celebrate the baptism of Jesus.

The Holy See Press Office releases a statement saying Pope Francis is close to the family of Indi Gregory, an 8-month-old British girl affected by an incurable disease, after courts in the UK ruled that her life support should be withdrawn.

Pope Francis makes a heartfelt appeal to leaders in Sudan to facilitate access to humanitarian aid for the suffering people, and to work toward a peaceful resolution to the civil war with the help of the international community.

The Seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium, themed “Karuṇā and Agape in Dialogue for Healing a Wounded Humanity and the Earth”, is scheduled for 13-16 November 2023, at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University in Bangkok, Thailand. The event is a fruit of cooperation between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, and the Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Buddhist University.

Speaking after Sunday's Angelus, Pope Francis recalls the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and the serious humanitarian conditions affecting the displaced. He also appeals for the protection of the monasteries and places of worship, expressions of faith and signs of fraternity.

ROME – Wars, especially in the 21st century, are fought on multiple levels. Beyond what happens on the battlefield, there’s also the “soft power” contest to claim the high moral ground, and in that sense, one of the emerging fronts in the bloody conflict in Gaza now pits Israel against the Christian leadership of the Holy Land.

Pope Francis issues an urgent appeal for a halt to violence in Israel and Palestine reiterating his belief that wars are always a defeat, and he invites all believers to join the Church in the Holy Land next Tuesday for a Day of Prayer and Fasting.

The leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church was greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc Airport. Archbishop of Veszprem Gyorgy Udvardy, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Austria Anba Gabriel, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Central Europe Ava Giovanni and Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelkhalek Elshinawy, Egyptian ambassador to Hungary, were also present to welcome Pope Tawadros II.