Although security issues in the Middle East have declined in recent years, the challenges that remain are "getting more complex, as we have entered a tunnel whose darkness has not yet subsided," Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan told the world's
While the world must pay attention to Russia's war on Ukraine, it cannot forget Syria and its people, which have been under the threat of bombs and violence for a dozen years, Pope Francis said.
"You are rightly concerned about the survival of
The war in Syria is mostly over, and not a house was unaffected, said a nun based there. But now, the economy is so bad that people look back on the war and say, "at least then we had some food to
The Syriac Catholic patriarch said the situation in Syria "continues to be humanly unbearable and devastating" and risks emptying the war-torn country of its Christian community for good.
Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan called on Western countries to lift "all economic sanctions against
In Easter messages, two Catholic patriarchs criticized the situation in Lebanon and urged the faithful to cling to the hope of the Resurrection despite the prevailing darkness.
One of the patriarchs also visited Syria, where he called for the international community to lift
All sides need to come together to end the war in Syria and bring some sign of hope to an exhausted and tormented people, Pope Francis said.
The international community also needs to commit itself to helping rebuild the nation, so that once
Reflecting on crises still unfolding in Syria and Iraq, Pope Francis encouraged every effort -- big or small -- to help foster peace there and help Christians remain.
Highlighting the desire of refugees to return to their homes, the pope appealed to the
The worsening coronavirus pandemic and economic conditions in Syria are further deepening poverty and hardship for Christians, who find themselves trapped in a political stalemate, religious freedom advocates say.
"The situation is becoming worse, people are calling me every day and asking for
As the world's attention is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and its dire economic consequences, the Vatican urged nations not to forget the people of Syria, who are still living in a situation of violence and extreme need.
In an extraordinary move, the
AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — Church bells have been ringing in Qamishli and elsewhere in northeastern Syria, signaling the alarm to Christians and others of the ongoing Turkish military operation that is having a devastating humanitarian impact on civilians. “Hundreds of thousands of