Monthly Archives: December 2018

KRG condemns Iraqi cleric’s anti-Christmas message

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By Rudaw Children pose for photos in front of a Christmas display in Sulaimani. Photo: Sartip Othman/AFP ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s ministry of religious affairs lashed out at a fatwa made by Iraq’s top Muslim cleric banning Islamic…

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Syria’s Christians are begging Trump not to withdraw US troops

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Donald Trump is being warned that the withdrawal of US troops from Syria will put Christians and other minorities at risk of an ISIS resurgence. The US president’s unexpected move shook allies and was quickly followed by the resignations of General James Mattis as Defense Secretary and Brett McGurk, the…

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Iraqi Archbishop Praises Trump for Aid to Persecuted Christians

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Iraqi Christians pray in a church, as all Christian denominations in Iraq prayed to prevent war on Iraq November 22, 2002 in Baghdad, Iraq. NATO members have declared themselves united in backing U.N. efforts to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, but the 19-nation defense alliance stopped short of ……

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Parolin: True message of Christmas is peace, goodness for all

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Continuing his visit to Iraq during the Christmas season, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates Mass in the Chaldean Cathedral of St Joseph in Ankawa By Christopher Wells Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Erbil, Iraq,…

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Vatican Secretary of State Celebrates Christmas in Baghdad

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By CINDY WOODEN Christians and Muslims in Iraq are called by the same God to rebuild a nation where peace, harmony and justice reign, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, during a Christmas visit to Baghdad. Cardinal Parolin was scheduled to be in Iraq Dec. 24-28; he celebrated Christmas…

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Christmas becomes a statutory holiday in Iraq for Christians and Muslims

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The cabinet has amended the national holiday law following an appeal by Patriarch Sako for whom the birth of Jesus is “for all”. The Vatican Secretary of State is in Iraq where he has called on people to be “seeds of peace”. The government is clamping down on fake property sales that have especially affected…

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Christmas Day Declared a National Holiday in Iraq

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Nathan Glover Christmas Day Declared a National Holiday in Iraq Pope Francis sent his trusted aide to Baghdad. The Iraqi administration has declared Christmas day, December 25, to be a national holiday in the country. The Cabinet has given the event nationwide recognition among all religions and not simply the Christians which were earlier the…

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In pictures: Christmas celebrations from around the world

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  Priests led congregations across India as worshippers thronged churches for morning mass. People gather around a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve in China’s eastern Zhejiang province | AFP From Christmas cakes to presents for children travelling to the United States as part of…

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In pictures: Millions across world celebrate Christmas

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  Services held around the world to mark the birth of Jesus. A Syriac Orthodox priest is assisted by deacons as he reads from the holy liturgy as he leads Christmas morning mass at the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on December 25, 2018.…

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Pope urges ‘fraternity’ in Christmas message

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By Afp Pope Francis appealled for peace in conflict zones such as Syria and Yemen Pope Francis called for peace and “fraternity” and Queen Elizabeth II warned against “tribalism”, as millions across the world celebrated Christmas on Tuesday — after US President Donald Trump caused a festive furore by raising doubts about Santa Claus’s…

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Christmas without Christians in IS-liberated Mosul

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Saad Salloum Father John Botros Moshi — the Syriac Catholic archbishop of Mosul, Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region — stands among the rubble of the Tahra Church in Mosul, Iraq, April 29, 2018. MOSUL, Iraq — Christmas remains a sad affair in Mosul, a city that once hosted a lively…

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Midnight Mass in Beirut

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CNA’s Hannah Brockhaus at Midnight Mass in the Cathedral of St. George in Beirut. Credit: CNA By Hannah Brockhaus Beirut, Lebanon, Dec 25, 2018 / 08:00 am (CNA).- On the evening before Christmas, the city of Beirut was decked with lights and trees and nativity scenes. A festive glow covered everything as people made their…

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Iraqi Christians Celebrate Christmas One Year After Islamic State Defeat

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Reuters A priest plays with a child after a mass on Christmas at St George Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad, Iraq December 25, 2018. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani Iraqi Christians quietly celebrated Christmas on Tuesday amid improved security, more than a year after the country declared victory over Islamic State militants who…

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Iraqi Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas in areas liberated from ISIS

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Iraqi Christians are able to celebrate openly once again, as many poured in to pray at St. Joseph’s Chaldean Catholic Church. (File photo: AP) Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Iraqi Christians are preparing to celebrate their first Christmas together in areas liberated from ISIS, amid high security after calm has been restored following years of…

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