Catholic prelates in Syria, accompanied by Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, president of Caritas Internationalis, visited the eastern Ghouta region outside of Damascus and saw "unspeakable suffering". "In every face, mostly the children" was a "very confused" expression, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan said.
Will the Middle East's shattered Christian villages, towns and cities somehow retain their religious and cultural heritage -- which dates back to the first century? No one knows for sure, but due to Iranian aspirations, the answer is far from encouraging. In November 2014, I visited the devastated survivors of Islamic State's genocide who were sheltering in Erbil, Kurdistan (Iraq).
Damascus (AFP) -- Syrian government forces will reclaim control of northeastern areas controlled by the US-backed Kurds, whether by force or through reconciliation, the defence minister warned Monday. Marginalised for decades, Syria's minority Kurds have carved out a de-facto autonomous region across some 30 percent of the nation's territory since the devastating war broke out in 2011.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- The St. Addai Chaldean Catholic community in suburban Auckland felt the impact of the Christchurch mosque killings with a special poignancy, because many members have experienced the sufferings inflicted by terrorism. "There is a lady in my community -- they beheaded her son in front of her," Chaldean Father Douglas Al-Bazi told NZ Catholic.
ALEPPO -- The National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, commonly known as the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), on March 10 accepted the resignation of Jawad Abu Hatab as prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government at its 44th general assembly meeting in Istanbul. Abu Hatab, who had held the office since May 2016, had resigned Feb. 28 without publicly stating a reason.
The federal government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the United Nations on Friday marked the beginning of national efforts to unearth the first mass grave filled with Yezidis (Ezidis) killed by the Islamic State.