Monthly Archives: February 2019

In a message to the faithful, the prelate urges his flock to “overcome with courage” the tendency to see themselves as a “minority”. This is a time to help one’s needy fellow human beings, enhancing the spirituality of a Church that is mystical and oriented towards martyrdom. The Patriarchate is providing 50,000 dollars for the…

John Newton and Marta Petrosillo Money from the sale of a Lamborghini donated by the Pope will help Iraqi Christians forced from their homes by jihadist group Daesh (ISIS). Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need received €200,000 (more than £170,000) to…

By John Newton and Marta Petrosillo MONEY from the sale of a Lamborghini donated by the Pope will help Iraqi Christians forced from their homes by jihadist group Daesh (ISIS). Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need received €200,000 (more than £170,000) to…

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Aphrem II, holds mass at the heavily damaged Syriac Orthodox church of St. Mary in Syria’s eastern city of Deir Ezzor on February 3, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Ayham al-Mohammad (Photo credit should read A former sergeant in the Swiss army has been convicted by a military court…

Emily Jones JERUSALEM, Israel – President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria has sparked a movement of urgent prayer and fasting. The fast was initiated by Succat Hallel, a 24/7 house of prayer overlooking the Temple Mount.…

© Sputnik / Demond Cureton UK oil and gas giant BP’s ‘I am Ashurbanipal: King of the World, King of Assyria’ exhibition drew to a close on 24th February at the British Museum, which celebrated the life of seventh-century BC’s most powerful person on earth in the first ever major exhibition of its kind in…

Chris Boulous Donation: Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies presents a cheque to members of the Assyrian Australian Association which will help them emply a youth worker. Assyrian Australian Association president Nabel Karim knows what it is like. He knows what it is like to arrive in a new country and need some assistance.…

Emily Jones Credit: David Eubank/ Free Burma Rangers Syrian families are fleeing in a mass exodus from the last strip of land under ISIS control. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria committed atrocities for more than four years.…

Emily Jones The United States will leave some 200 peacekeeping troops in Syria after US forces pull out of the country, the White House said Thursday. “A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said.…

A member of the Syriac Military Council militia, which Johan Cosar helped to set up. File photo: AFP A former Swiss sergeant was given a slap on the wrist Friday for joining a militia in Syria that was fighting to protect Christians from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) group.…

By Wesley J. Smith Iraqi Christians pray during a Christmas mass in Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, December 25, 2016. (Khalid al Mousily/Reuters) And has been doing so for years. The Catholic organization has been coming to the aid of persecuted religious minorities since its founding.…

Sydney – 22 February 2019 Upon request from the Hon Ray Williams MP, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services and The Hon Tanya Davies MP, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Women, and Minister for Ageing, to meet with leaders of the Assyrian community. The Assyrian Universal Alliance-Australian Chapter (AUA) and the Assyrian…

Chris Mitchell If anything positive comes out of Syria’s civil war, it could be the new government formed in the northeast part of the country. It’s based on equal rights and religious freedom.…

Wladimir van Wilgenburg Former Swiss army officer Johan Cosar faces a military court for joining a foreign military force. (Photo: Social Media) Syria Syriac Christian ISIS Switzerland…

The five church group (see names at end of story) Source: ACN An action plan to enable thousands of Christians to return to their homes in the Syrian city of Homs was agreed in a house-repair scheme involving Church leaders and a leading Catholic charity.…

defendant arriving at court Swiss former army officer Johan Cosar, center, arrives at the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland together with his lawyer Yasar Ravi, right, and the assistant of the defence lawyer, left, In Bellinzona. (Keystone)…

By Eno Adeogun The Government’s decision to revoke Islamic State (IS) bride Shamima Begum’s British citizenship has triggered a mixed response. The Home Secretary revealed on Wednesday that the 19-year-old won’t be allowed back to the UK after joining IS four years ago.…

By Tyler Newman Men sit around a table. Lebanese President Michel Aoun heads the first meeting of the new Saad al-Hariri’s cabinet at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Feb. 2, 2019. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters…

by Nabil Antaki* Western nations block the offensive against jihadist groups in Idlib, for fear of an exodus of militiamen. The reconstruction is at a standstill and the difficulties increase, with queues for fuel. It is still a regime of emergency aid instead of employment projects and reconstruction plans. Fears for the future of the…

By John Newton and Maria Lozano THE murder of a 72-year-old priest in Burkina Faso has caused panic among a Christian community already besieged by Islamist militia groups. Father Jacob Lompo, bursar of Fada N’Gourma Diocese, told Catholic charity Aid to the…