Category Archives: news

Political leaders had “very nice words” during Pope Francis’ 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 Xavier Bisits Photo 1 – Pope visit to QaraqoshPope Francis blesses a child amid a crowd of local Syriacs March 7 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, the largest Catholic Church in Iraq. (Xavier Bisits)At a glance, Qaraqosh and Bartella are similar: ancient, Aramaic-speaking towns first…

Doreen Abi Raad catholic news service Pope Francis signs a book with a message for Syriac Catholics at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad March 5, 2021. Also pictured, from left: Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, Syriac Catholic Archbishop Ephrem Yousif…

Turkey’s human rights agency has rejected the request by Fr Remzi Diril for an investigation. Nothing is known about his father who went missing over a year ago while his mother’s body was found, naked with signs of torture. Human rights groups call on the members of the human rights agency to resign.…

Christians need to be recognized not only by words but on the ground as equal citizens, says patriarchDoreen Abi Raad, Catholic News Service An Iraqi flag flutters across from a banner depicting Pope Francis at St. Joseph Church in central Baghdad on March 10 during a…

By Catholic News Service BEIRUT (CNS) — Political leaders had “very nice words” during Pope Francis’ 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.…

Pope Francis waves as he boards a plane to depart to Iraq on March 5, 2021 at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. (AFP)The Vatican has planned a packed program for the 84-year-old popeROME: Pope Francis left Rome on Friday for a historic trip to Iraq, his first abroad since…

By Emilie Ng Hope: Hanar Keka is an Iraqi woman sent by the Archbishop of Erbil to study in Australia as part of a plan to rebuild Iraq. She watched the historic visit of Pope Francis from her home in Brisbane.HANAR Keka can’t remember a time when the word Iraq didn’t conjure up images of…

WEAM NAMOU :A group of Chaldean women, sitting around a kitchen table in Michigan on Sunday, watched on Arabic satellite TV as Pope Francis set foot in their ancestral land on the last full day of his historic papal visit to Iraq.…

An Iraqi Christian woman walks by a banner depicting Pope Francis on a wall of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad days after the pontiff’s historic visit AHMAD AL-RUBAYE Baghdad (AFP) Iraqi Christians say they will “never forget the joy” of Pope Francis’ historic visit to the country but they don’t expect it to stem the…

When Vida Hanna was told by the Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil that Pope Francis was coming to Iraq, she thought to herself it was just another rumor. By Alejandro BermudezWhen Vida Hanna was told by the Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean…

Some said the pope should have called for Christian Iraqis to be provided with compensation for their suffering and loss of property.Pope Francis, surrounded by shells of destroyed churches, leads a prayer for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital…

By Inés San Martín, Pope Francis is greeted by an Iraqi woman upon his arrival at Erbil airport during his Apostolic Journey to Iraq. Image: Vatican News  Although the impact of papal trips is often hard to assess in the immediate aftermath, such cautions mean little to the leader…

During the Sunday Angelus on March 7, the Pope prayed with Christians at a church in Bakhdida, also known as Qaraqosh, a town 20 miles southeast of Mosul which was occupied by ISIS from 2014 to 2016.…

By: Kathryn Lopez – As Pope Francis landed in Baghdad after the short flight from Rome, I was reviewing his words from an evening prayer service he held last March. That night, you could hear Italian ambulance sirens go by – this was no escape from the pandemic reality we were all facing.…

  Pope Francis delivers his speech during a March 7 meeting with the Qaraqosh community at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq. The story of Doha Sabah Abdallah, who’s son’s death alerted an entire Christian village in Iraq’s north of the impending militant onslaught, resonated deeply with Pope Francis during a…

While they are joyful and grateful for the visit, they also stress the importance of building on the pilgrimage’s momentum in order to secure lasting improvement.Pope Francis blesses a young boy during his visit to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Bakhdida (Qaraqosh), Iraq, March 7. (photo: Vatican Media/National…

Pope Francis became the first pope to visit Iraq in the 2,000-year history of the papacy and electrified the country with a message of unity and peace.Pope Francis met with the President of the Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan and with the Prime Minister at the Erbil Airport on March 7th, 2021. (photo: Vatican Media)…

The file photo shows the facade of Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran.Followers of religious minorities in Iran co-exist peacefully, enjoy all constitutional rights and play a substantial role along with their Muslim brothers in defending the nation, says the secretary of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights.…

Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFPJohn Burger – Archbishop Bashar Warda finds value in trip beyond the words of the pontiff.Perhaps more meaningful than any words spoken by Pope Francis during his three-day visit to Iraq was an an action he took.…