Monthly Archives: December 2014

Iranian aid convoys poised to deliver aid to Iraqi Christians

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REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah A displaced Iraqi boy, among those who fled from Islamic State in northern Iraq, at Baherka refugee camp in Erbil. Iran is sending a convoy of aid to the region. Iranian aid convoys are poised to deliver supplies to Christian communities in Iraq which have been affected by the ethnic cleansing policies of…

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Iraq: Chaldean Catholic Patriarch celebrates Christmas Mass in a tent

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By: Robert Ewan Iraq: Chaldean Catholic Patriarch celebrates Christmas Mass in a tent | haldean Patriarch Louis Sako, Ainkawa, northern Iraq , Chaldean, Robert Ewan In a spirit of solidarity with his displaced flocks, the Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako travelled to Ainkawa in northern Iraq where he celebrated Christmas Eve Mass with…

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Christmas in the ‘Caliphate:’ Iraqi, Syrian Christians mark season

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By Paul Crompton | Al Arabiya News Christian Iraqi refugee children take part in a Christmas ceremony in Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Erbil. (Photo courtesy of Aleteia) After a year of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria purging Christian minorities from its self-declared caliphate, Iraqi and Syrian Christians are facing muted celebrations this…

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Assyrian church leader arrested in Iran

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An Assyrian church leader and two colleagues were arrested in Tehran on December 26 by the Iranian regime’s State Security Forces, a Persian language Christian website has reported. A group of plain-clothes agents raided the home of Pastor Victor Beth, who had been…

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In Middle East, a year marked by upheaval leaves millions suffering

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Syrian refugees warm themselves around a fire Dec. 3 in Ankara, Turkey. (CNS/Reuters/Umit Bektas) Barb Fraze Catholic News Servic The story of the Middle East in 2014 is one of war and displacement, broken families and tireless aid workers, and the rise of a new group one scholar referred to as “al-…

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Middle Eastern Christians Flee Violence for Ancient Homeland

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Tara Isabella Burton National Geographic Photographs by Monique Jaques, National Geographic Refugees flee Syria and Iraq to Midyat, Turkey, which clings to its diminished role as the heartland of the ancient Orthodox faith. The fifth-century Mor Barsaumo church in Midyat, Turkey, draws Syriac Christians in…

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Catholic Refugee Relief Opens Hearts in Syria

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By , Christian Telegraph Catholic participation in refugee and humanitarian relief in the Syrian civil war is strengthening a foundation for future peace despite the great difficulties of the region, says an official of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, reports Catholic News Agency. Like Us on Facebook Subscribe to eNewsletter…

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They Fled ISIS, but They Can’t Flee Winter

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By Kathryn Jean Lopez They are cold and losing hope of returning. They miss family pictures and albums. And their village church. Winter is setting in for refugees who fled ISIS this summer in Iraq and Syria. Just last week, Chris Seiple was traveling in Lebanon, near the Syrian border, Erbil, and Dohuk,…

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In Christmas messages, patriarchs lament peoples’ suffering, offer hope

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By Doreen Abi Raad Iraqis re-enact the Nativity at Ainkawa refugee camp near Irbil, Iraq, Dec. 19. Christmas bells did not ring in Mosul and Christian villages this year for the first time since 1600 years. (CNS photo/Sahar Mansour) BEIRUT (CNS) — Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East lamented the suffering of their…

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As some Mideast countries empty of Christians, Lebanese numbers swell

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By Brooke Anderson, Catholic News Service An Iraqi Christian refugee girl holds a souvenir of the Holy Family Dec. 12 as a boy looks on at a church in Hazmiyeh, near Beirut. CNS photo/Jamal Saidi, Reuters SED EL BOUSHRIEH, Lebanon – Aramaic, Syriac and different Arabic dialects from Iraq and eastern Syria can be heard…

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Assyrian Christians flee Islamic State militants in northern Iraq

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Assyrian Christian children playing in a refugee camp tent near Irbil Picture: Allen Kakony, ADFA Living conditions for Assyrian Christian refugees forced from their homes in northern Iraq by Islamic State militants are so desperate that a town mortuary has been converted into a kitchen and bathroom.…

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How Pope Francis’ upbringing shaped his role as reformer

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From his simple lifestyle to his active engagement in diplomacy, Pope Francis has distinguished himself as the leader of the Catholic Church. Jeffrey Brown talks to Austen Ivereigh, author of a new biography, “The Great Reformer,” about the ways the pope’s upbringing in Argentina informed his papal priorities, and his efforts to clean up the…

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So many tears this Christmas – Pope

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By Associated Press (The Philippine Star) Pope Francis kisses a statue of Baby Jesus as he celebrates theChristmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. AP VATICAN CITY, Philippines – Pope Francis is focusing his attention on all those…

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