Holy Land church leaders welcome ceasefire with relief, urge delivering critical aid January 16, 2025By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Feature, News, World News As news spread of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, reactions from religious leaders in the region expressed hopes for peace in the Holy Land, concern for the safety of hostages as well as the people of the Gaza Strip for the past 15 months.
Vatican diplomats discuss paths toward peace in Middle East January 14, 2025By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Vatican, World News The Vatican’s top diplomat met with papal representatives to various Middle Eastern countries to discuss possible avenues toward peace in the region and the state of the Catholic Church there.
Consecration of new church on banks of Jordan River called a sign of hope for region January 12, 2025By Dale Gavlak OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told thousands of faithful that Pope Francis sent him to preside over the inauguration and consecration of a new Catholic church at the banks of the Jordan River as a sign of the universal church’s closeness to all Christians in the Middle East.
‘Do not forget Syria,’ says Damascus Franciscan, who sees mixed signs for nation’s future January 12, 2025By Leo Morawiecki OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News The Franciscan friars in Syria are accustomed to overcoming obstacles and living in uncertain times, and now they are bracing for the new Islamic rule in the country with both “encouraging” and “worrying” signs on the horizon.
As last major hospital lies in ruins, people of Gaza dying ‘slow death,’ Caritas rep says January 9, 2025By Junno Arocho Esteves OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News With northern Gaza Strip’s last major hospital lying in ruins following a raid by Israeli forces, the director of Caritas Jerusalem said that with limited medical resources and basic supplies, Palestinians in the ravaged territory are running out of time.
Custos: Wish of Holy Land Christians is to start again and live in peace in land of ancestors January 5, 2025By Father Patrick Briscoe OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, World News Amid the turmoil of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Father Francesco Patton, the custos of the Holy Land, has a unique perspective on the plight of Christians in the region.
Christians in Syria ask whether their rights will be preserved under new Islamic rule January 3, 2025By Dale Gavlak OSV News Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, News, Religious Freedom, World News Although Christian leaders in Syria are trying to stay positive about the new Islamist interim government in Damascus, others are pointing to worrying concerns about what lies ahead for the country’s diverse population.
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.
