Syrian Fr Firas Lufti is a Franciscan working in the Holy Land. He is Minister of the Region of St. Paul, which includes Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. In this story, he describes nine years of violence, destruction and death during the war in Syria: how he stayed there with his people, and how tod
After a southern Philippines earthquake killed at least nine and displaced thousands of people on Monday, survivors emphasized their need for fresh water, and Catholic leaders called for prayer and aid for the victims as Christmas approaches.“Let us remember our
Nigeria’s National Assembly has proposed a Bill that seeks to apply Capital Punishment to those found guilty of hate speech.Hearing of this new Bill, Fr Patrick Alukumu says that the first thing the Church sees is that the “Nigerian government appears to n
As Lebanon’s economic crisis worsens, a Lebanese priest is asking for people to spiritually and charitably adopt a persecuted Christian refugee family this Christmas season.“Imagine that for the last 4-6 years there were more than 2 million Syrian refugees
Costa Rica's president on Dec. 12 issued a technical decree that defines the conditions under which a doctor may perform an abortion when doctors consider it necessary to preserve the life of the mother.President Carlos Alvarado on Thursday signed the decree that, whil
Church leaders in Jerusalem are appealing to Israeli authorities to reverse a decision that prohibits the Christmastime travel permits that usually allow a few hundred Christians from the Gaza Strip to visit Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem.Israeli officials, citing s
The Committee to Protect Journalists publishes its 2019 report on journalists detained in state prisons. China and Turkey head the list of countries that imprison journalists for criticizing their governments or denouncing corruption and human rights violations.The Com
Fifty years ago on Dec. 13, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was ordained a Jesuit priest in Argentina. As pope, he will celebrate his ordination anniversary Friday by honoring one of his early spiritual mentors, Fr. Miguel Angel Fiorito.Fiorito, 1916-2005, was a Jesuit Argentine
The government of the Czech Republic has confirmed that a gunman with an illegal weapon shot dead six people and wounded three more in a hospital waiting room in the Czech city of Ostrava. After the attack the gunman took his own life.Armed police rush to the Ostrava u
The election is being held more than two years ahead of schedule and 650 MPs will be chosen for seats in the British House of Commons.Prime minister Boris Johnson called early elections in the hopes of breaking an impasse in Parliament that held up approval of his Brex