Resources
Christian communities in Iraq and Syria are still very fragile
Author: Alix Champlon
Publication Date: 15/5/2023
Source: La Croix
Dominican Friar Olivier Poquillon posts on social media every couple of days or so to share news of his life and ministry in the Iraqi city of Mosul where he returned in 2019. He recounts the challenge of the small Christian communities in the region and their efforts to rebuild the churches and other religious structures that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (commonly known as ISIS) destroyed between 2014 and 2017.
Is the US a Threat to Christians in the Middle East?
Author: Doug Bandow
Publication Date: 1/5/2023
Source: Cato Institute
Religious persecution is a global constant, and no one is exempt. The most conspicuous threats to religious liberty arise in authoritarian and Muslim‐majority states; however, Middle Eastern Christians point to an even greater threat: the United States.
Syria Has Six Months to Receive Your Earthquake Aid
Author: Jayson Casper
Publication Date: 4/4/2023
Source: Christianity Today
Syria has been suffering for 12 years, plagued by civil war, jihadist violence, foreign occupation, and autocratic governance. Yet widening US economic sanctions have made it increasingly harder to help—until now.
Turkey: The Abandoned Iraqi and Syrian Christian Asylum Seekers
Author: Uzay Bulut
Publication Date: 21/4/2023
Source: Gatestone Institute
Iraqi and Syrian Christian asylum seekers, stuck in Turkey for years, suffer from countless problems such as their children's lack of education, severe poverty, lack of religious liberty, lack of work permits, restricted freedom of movement, the hostility of some Muslims against their faith, and rejections of their asylum applications by Western governments.
'The worst situation ever': Syrian Christian reacts to Lebanese Patriarch’s demand refugees are deported
Publication Date: 13/1/2023
Source: Premier Christian News
The leader of Lebanon’s biggest church in his Easter message has called for the country’s huge refugee population to be deported from the country.
Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai heads the Maronite Church and said Syrian refugees, thought to number as many as 1.5 million people, are "draining the state's resources".
Middle East patriarchs urge Christian hope at Easter
Author: Doreen Abi Raad
Publication Date: 11/4/2023
Source: National Catholic Reporter
In their Easter messages, Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East encouraged the hope of the Resurrection to triumph over suffering in the region.
Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch of the Maronite Catholic church, lamented the economic, social and political crisis crippling Lebanon. The national currency has depreciated by more than 98% since 2019, plunging more than 80% of the population into poverty in the once middle-income country.
King Charles is perfectly positioned to come to the defence of Christians in Jerusalem
Author: Melanie McDonagh
Publication Date: 9/5/2023
Source: Catholic Herald
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos III, and the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, The Most Reverend Dr Hosam Elias Naoum were centre stage at the Coronation – and it was the holy oil they blessed in Jerusalem that was used for the anointing of King Charles. Today the two of them, the Patriarch beaming and bearded, and the Archbishop a relatively young Arab Christian, wanted to draw attention in London to the bleak situation of Christians in Jerusalem – over a quarter of the population a century ago and less than two per cent now. Cue, wouldn’t you think, for the Defender of the Faith himself, King Charles, to make their case?
Turkish president wishes Christians happy Easter
Author: Diyar Guldogan
Publication Date: 10/4/2023
Source: Anadolu Agency
Türkiye's president on Monday wished a happy Easter to all Christians celebrating the religious holiday.
"We continue to keep our characteristics of unity, solidarity, and fraternity alive in the Anatolian land, where different beliefs, cultures, and traditions have lived freely in peace and tranquility from past to present.
