Christianity has a long and intricate history in Iran, predating many other regions of the world. Iranian Christian communities have preserved their faith and cultural identity for centuries. Today, Iran hosts one of the oldest continuous Christian presences in West Asia, with Armenian, Assyrian, and other Christian minorities contributing significantly to Iran's diverse religious landscape.
As conflicts continue to scar large parts of the Middle East and beyond, leading Christian patriarchs from the region used their Christmas messages this year to emphasize faith as a source of light, urging peace, reconciliation and renewed commitment to human dignity in a time of global upheaval.
North Iraq -- More than a decade after the Islamic State's assault on northern Iraq fractured the region's demographic landscape, the Christian communities of the Nineveh Plains remain largely displaced, unable to return to their ancestral homes due to the lingering dominance of irregular armed groups and a pervasive lack of security assurance.
Authorities and church bodies in parts of Iraq and Syria have announced the suspension or cancellation of several public events associated with Christmas and New Year celebrations, citing deteriorating humanitarian and security conditions. The decisions reflect a careful balancing act between preserving religious traditions and ensuring public safety in fragile environments.
Few sites have a more diverse archaeological repertoire than Ekron. Located on the Judean frontier, this Philistine city was subject to many cultural influences that shaped its history and people. Ekron was one of the five major Philistine capital cities often referred to as the Pentapolis. Ekron's story is fascinating.
In 2024, St George Christian School in south-west Sydney took a gamble. Caroline Lee, the head of its senior school, noticed her students were overly stressed and were submitting an increasing number of requests for disability provisions due to anxiety. The school took a "pretty scary leap", she admits, and overhauled its assessment structure.