Monthly Archives: July 2015

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — When the Islamic State overran the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh last August, one of the priests there jumped into his car and joined the exodus of Christians on the road east in the hope of reaching the safety of Kurdish-controlled territory.…

Tom Lowrey Detective Inspector Darren Jameson with the drugs allegedly seized last night Photo: Detective Inspector Darren Jameson with the drugs allegedly seized last night (Tom Lowrey) Map: Coffs Harbour 2450…

Catholic World News The head of the Syriac Orthodox Church recently praised Christian youth who have taken up arms to defend their homes against the forces of the Islamic State. Speaking in Al-Qamishli, a city of 185,000 in northeastern Syria, Patriarch Ignatius…

[US General John Allen, coordinator of the International Coalition against ISIS] Christians in Syria have welcomed the statement by US General John Allen, the special coordinator of the International Coalition against ISIS, in which he recognised the need for all peoples in Syria to have some degree of autonomy when they are freed from…

Dear Sir/Madam, Enclosed you will find our statement as Syriacs of Syria welcoming the new US policy that recognises the need for peoples in Syria to establish self-rule in the areas that resist ISIS or were recently liberated. This policy has last week been announced by US General John Allen as special coordinator for the…

Southfield, Michigan Today, through the participation in the 2nd International Symposium on Christianity in the Middle East held under the auspice of the St. Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Diocese –USA in Southfield, Michigan, Joseph T. Kassab, President of and Founder of the non-profit humanitarian Iraqi Christians Advocacy and Empowerment…

By Miriam Raftery El Cajondistrict electionsChaldeanLatinoEl Cajon redistrictingBill WellsGary Kendrick July 16, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon currently holds at-large elections where everyone in the city votes for all five Council races. But on Tuesday, the City Council voted 5-0 to have staff move forward with implementing a shift to individual districts each electing…

by BENEDICT KIELY At the very moment that Pope Francis is warning the world that “doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain,” doomsday is an imminent reality for the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East, most urgently in Syria and Iraq. “What kind of world do we want to leave…

Tom Coghlan The Times US ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones and Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Adel Fahad Shershab, at a ceremony celebrating the return of the stolen treasures. Source: AFP Hundreds of antiquities looted from Baghdad museum after the 2003 US invasion have…

ARA News Erbil, Kurdistan Region – The Assyrian Network for Human Rights (ANHR) reported the disappearance of Father Antoine Peters, 50, parish priest of St. Phillips church in Shahba town of as-Suwayda province, southern Syria. The priest, along with his car driver Saud al-Abdoun, have disappeared since Sunday.…

Reuters by Adelle Nazarian1 Iraq’s Assyrian Christian population is seeking to reclaim territory they have lost to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) since they overtook the region last summer and to create an autonomous region for themselves–in a free Kurdistan.…

carey-lodge Carey Lodge Christian Today Journalist Reuters Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled Iraq since the uprising of Islamic State. The recent kidnap and murder of Christians in Baghdad has prompted the Chaldean Church to issue a demand for greater protection.…

by Robert Ewan Four Iraqi Chaldean Catholics have been kidnapped in Baghdad in the past three weeks, and two of them killed even after payment of a ransom. A third, Saad Galyana Shaba, was freed by kidnappers after a ransom payment, while the fourth, Dr Bashar Ghanem Al Akrawi, was rescued by police.…

In the last two weeks four community members were kidnapped in the capital; for two of them their kidnapping ended with the death, despite the payment of ransom. In a statement the Patriarchate denounces deteriorating security and appeals to the government for the protection of persons and their property.…

Catholic World News The Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Baghdad has issued a new appeal for protection of Iraqi Christians. The plea comes after four Christians were kidnapped in Baghdad in the past two weeks, and two of them killed. “It is unfortunate that the security situation continues to deteriorate,” the Chaldean…

The Chaldean Church of St Joseph in Mosul has been turned into a mosque by IS/ Daish. The Chaldean church dedicated to St Ephrem has also been converted. The jihadists have been established in the city since last June. turning it into the capital of their self-declared Islamic Caliphate.…

YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS: His Holiness Aram I received Ignatius Aphrem II Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church. On Saturday evening, Patriarch Aphrem II accompanied by clergy from Syria and Lebanon visited His Holiness Aram I at the St. Mary’s Monastery in Bikfaya. Armenpress was informed about it from the official website of the Great…

carey-lodge Carey Lodge Christian Today Journalist Reuters Syriac Christians in Mardin want to restore the building to a church. An ancient church in Turkey could be turned into a mosque, despite the pleas of local Syriac Christians who want to restore it to its former glory.…

By Ray Nothstine , Christian Post Contributor Members of the minority Yazidi sect who were newly released hug each other on the outskirts of Kirkuk, April 8, 2015. More than 200 elderly and infirm Yazidis were freed on Wednesday by Islamic State militants who had been holding them captive since overrunning their villages in northwestern…

Imagen activaDamascus, Jul 9 (Prensa Latina) Religious and social organizations today continue denouncing the missing of Franciscan priest of Iraqi origin Dhiya Aziz, priest of Yacubieh, in Idleb province, alledgally abducted by terrorist groups in Syria. Holly Land Custody organization, which is part of the Minor Brothers Order (Franciscan)…