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.
I have taken part in Cairo in the regional conference organized by the Middle East Council of Churches, the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services, and the King Abdullah Ibn Abdulazi
The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan has lauded the content of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein’s speech before the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, which highlighted the steadfast and responsible Jordanian position in defending human dignity, the rule of international law, as well as the right of peoples to securi
In Magnifica humanitas, his first encyclical, a text that continues to be discussed and commented on internationally, Pope Leo said that we have an “pressing duty” to remain human.
Sixty years ago, the Second Vatican Council’s document Nostra Aetate marked a historic turning point in the Catholic Church’s relationship with followers of other religions, as It clearly declared that the Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy” in these religions as well as called for respect, appreciation, and dialogue.
Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) Fr. Dr.
