Pope Leo is returning home. He is returning to the continent where he spent more than twenty years of his life, first as a missionary and later as a bishop.

The attack on Saint George Orthodox Church in Hmoud on 23 October 2026 filled our hearts with sorrow. Nine lives were lost, many others were injured, and families across Jordan shared in the grief of those who mourn.

The attack on Saint George Orthodox Church in Hmoud on 23 October 2026 filled our hearts with sorrow. Nine lives were lost, many others were injured, and families across Jordan shared in the grief of those who mourn.

The terrible attack on St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Karak has left the Christian community and the whole country heartbroken. Nine innocent people lost their lives while attending a funeral, and many others were injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time.

In the peaceful village of Hmoud, southern Jordan, a horrific massacre took place last Friday at the St.

In the serene village of Hmoud, nestled within the southern governorate of Karak among generous and hospitable Jordanians, last Friday unfolded as an unprecedented day. News broke of an armed terrorist attack on the local Greek Orthodox Church during a funeral procession, claiming the lives of nine innocent citizens and leaving twenty-seven injured.

Church bells rang out at noon across Jordan October 24 in remembrance of the victims of a massacre in the Kingdom’s south that killed nine people and wounded 40 others during a funeral service the day before. 

There are moments in a nation’s life when tragedy exposes not only the cruelty of those who seek to destroy it, but also the values that enable it to endure. The terrorist attack in Karak was one such moment.

Friday's terrorist attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, in Karak Governorate, was not merely an assault on a place of worship. It was an affront to the conscience of an entire nation, to the life and dignity of every Jordanian, and to the sacred bonds that unite us all.

On 27 October 1986, Saint Pope John Paul II brought together religious leaders in the Italian city of Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis, to pray for peace. The gathering was not an attempt to unify religious doctrines, but rather a declaration stating that differences among religions do not prevent their followers from coming together in defence of human dignity and the sanctity of life.