Change of heart key to Holy Year indulgence, Latin patriarch says in Nazareth December 30, 2024By Judith Sudilovsky OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Jubilee 2025, News, World News An indulgence granted during the Jubilee Year is not just an occasion to “get something” but rather is a sign of the Holy Year, of the moment where the faithful must put themselves in front of God to discover the reality of oneself and see the need for forgiveness, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said Dec. 29.
Gaza: For humanitarian workers, civilians, 2024 proves to be year of suffering, loss December 26, 2024By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News With a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon barely holding, as both sides accuse each other of violations, hopes for even a fragile peace seem impossible for those living and aiding people in Gaza.
Pope condemns ‘hypocrisy’ of exalting peace while waging war December 23, 2024By Justin McLellan OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News Pope Francis sharply criticized the global “hypocrisy” of nations advocating for peace while profiting from war, calling for renewed efforts toward dialogue and reconciliation.
Cardinal Pizzaballa tells Gaza Christians they are ‘the light’ of church December 23, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News “You have become the light of our Church in the entire world,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa told Gaza Christians Dec. 22 during a pre-Christmas visit aiming to bring the joy of the season to the suffering Christian community in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli minister asks pope to clarify remarks about genocide claims in Gaza December 20, 2024By Carol Glatz Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Vatican, World News Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism asked Pope Francis to clarify his remarks about the need to investigate whether the current war in Gaza constitutes a genocide.
Why I’m spending Christmas in Bethlehem this year December 20, 2024By Father Patrick Briscoe OSV News Filed Under: Christmas, Commentary, Conflict in the Middle East The small, struggling city where Jesus Christ was born holds a deeper urgency — and a quiet, heartbreaking beauty.
King Charles III attends Advent service of London branch of pontifical charity December 17, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, World News King Charles III attended a special Advent service Dec. 17 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair, London. The event, co-hosted by Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, celebrated the resilience of Christian communities and marked the 10th anniversary of the Islamic State group invasion of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq.
Pope, Palestinian president meet at Vatican December 12, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Vatican, World News As the fighting in Gaza drags on, Pope Francis welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican.
With Assad’s fall, Syria’s papal nuncio prays for nation’s reconciliation, new prosperity December 8, 2024By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News The apostolic nuncio to Syria says he hopes the war-torn nation will “move toward reconciliation” and at least “some prosperity” under democratic rule, following former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ouster in a lightning offensive by rebel groups.
Christians in Aleppo feel an uneasy calm amid rebel takeover of Syrian city December 5, 2024By Dale Gavlak OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News An uneasy calm hangs over Aleppo, Christian leaders report, following the recent lightning takeover of Syria’s second-largest city by Islamist rebels driving out forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Concerns also mount over government airstrikes.
Christmas celebratory again in Holy Land amid ongoing war; patriarch urges pilgrims to return December 5, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Advent, Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News Christmas this season in the Holy Land will be celebratory, despite ongoing bloodshed and war, the patriarchs of the Holy Land said, as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa encouraged pilgrims to come back to the birthplace of Jesus.
Catholic agency ‘will follow’ Lebanon’s displaced ‘wherever they settle’ after ceasefire December 3, 2024By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Disaster Relief, Feature, News, World News The head of a Catholic humanitarian agency in Lebanon told OSV News the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire appears to be intact, as he and his team vow to assist those displaced by the conflict “wherever they settle.”
