Tag: violence
Papal envoy: Francis donated $1 million to Iraqi refugees
Vatican City, Aug 22, 2014 / 01:19 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has given $1 million as a personal contribution to help Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq who have been forced from their homes, according to his personal envoy to the country.Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples,… Read More ›
“Absolutely abhorrent” the suffering of Christians in Iraq
The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference which comprises Bishops of South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland have denounced the violence in Gaza and described as absolutely abhorrent that the Christian community of Iraq is suffering martyrdom and expulsion from their country. The Bishops’ statement issued by the Archbishop of Pretoria, Most Rev. William Slattery OFM, says… Read More ›
Franciscans determined to keep Christianity in Holy Land
Jerusalem, Israel, Aug 13, 2014 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite the stresses of alternating violence and ceasefires between Hamas and Israel, Franciscans in the Holy Land are committed to helping the region’s Christians remain in their homeland.“We pray and we work,” said Father Peter Vasko, O.F.M., president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy… Read More ›
US Knights of Columbus will match donations to aid persecuted Iraqis
New Haven, Conn., Aug 12, 2014 / 02:54 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus have established a matching fund to assist Christians and other religious minorities facing severe persecution or displacement in Iraq and nearby countries.“The unprovoked and systematic persecution and violent elimination of Middle East Christians, as well as other minority groups, especially in Iraq,… Read More ›
The dream of the Caliphate spreads to Indonesia and Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Anti-terrorism experts from Malaysia and Indonesia have reported that several Malaysians and Indonesians have recently joined the Islamic State terror group (formerly known as ISIS), which is active in Iraq and Syria, and are apparently planning attacks and violence in their countries of origin. The fascination exerted by former al Qaeda… Read More ›
Priest from Nineveh: ‘Christianity is finished in Iraq’
Rome, Italy, Aug 8, 2014 / 04:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A priest hailing from what used to be Iraq’s largest Christian city has lamented the exodus of over 100,000 Christians from the city, many of whom are fleeing on foot with no food, money or water.“Today the story of Christianity is finished in Iraq,” said… Read More ›
Pope Francis: Angelus appeal for peace in Iraq, Gaza
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis renewed his call for prayer and concrete assistance for the suffering populations of Iraq this Sunday. Addressing the crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square for the traditional Angelusprayer, the Holy Father also offered prayerful appeals for an end to the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza, and for the… Read More ›
Iraqi Christians facing risk of genocide, patriarch warns
Baghdad, Iraq, Aug 7, 2014 / 10:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The seizure of Iraq’s largest Christian town has prompted a mass exodus of refugees, which a leading Catholic bishop described as a Way of the Cross that could become a genocide unless the global community intervenes. “They are facing a human catastrophe and risk a… Read More ›
Pope issues urgent appeal for global help of Iraqi Christians
Vatican City, Aug 7, 2014 / 08:34 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Iraq’s largest Christian city fell into the hands of the Islamic State, Pope Francis issued an urgent appeal asking for peace, and called for worldwide efforts to assist those affected by increasing violence.“In light of the very distressing events, the Holy Father renews his… Read More ›
Catholic groups unite to help Iraqis ousted by extremists
Mosul, Iraq, Aug 6, 2014 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Catholic Relief Services and Caritas have agreed to a common plan to help those who have fled from their homes in the portions of northern Iraq now controlled by the Islamic State.The militant Sunni Islamist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was among the… Read More ›