A two-day conference titled, "Humanity at Times of War and at Times of Peace' has convened in its capacity as a partnership between the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS) and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. This is not the first conference that has taken place between them, as there is permanent and notable cooperation between the two important centers that are concerned with dialogue among followers of religions.
With the spiraling rate of wars and violence in various parts of the world an alarming phenomenon has emerged, namely hunger. It continues to lash people everywhere while coating the world with thick layer of despair, hopelessness, malnutrition, and disease. Hunger is the outcome of wars, for whenever a war breaks out hunger looms in the horizon which negatively reflects on every walk of life. With the spread of hunger, other waves of violence erupt in various societies with people seeking a way of survival.
First: It is painful to celebrate Easter in two stages, especially this year, as the difference in timing between the two Western calendars, namely the Julian and the Gregorian calendars, has been five weeks. The matter is not in the hands of the current heads of churches. They actually inherited this or that calendar at a time when the quest for comprehensive unity remains elusive. May God forgive "the full moon" that made its quick guest appearance after marking spring, which elicited an early celebration in the Western calendar.
Whenever one turns on radio or television stations, one hears news of wars raging in various parts of the world that devastate large swathes of territories, kill and wound innumerable people, wreak havoc on all sources of life, and strip new generations of any hope for a bright future. Alongside these pieces of news, news reports also carry statements by officials calling for the attainment of peace, but to no avail as no practical steps are taken in this direction.
The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan has lauded the visit undertaken by His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein to the Holy See on Thursday, May 2, and his meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis.
Lara Jiryis Al-Sayegh, an 18-year-old girl who belongs to a pious family that relies on the grace of the Lord, has lived since the start of the war on Gaza at the Latin Church of the Holy Family. Her father, Jiryis, passed away with the start of the aggression due to a lack of medication and medical treatment, while Lara was injured by a shrapnel, which was not fatal at the time. As for her brother Fadi Jiryis, he went through a different situation.
I am Micheal Nasrawy. I am 30 years old. I got married on the 28th of April 2023 to my lovely wife Dareen, 25 years old. When we got married everyone told us that the first year of marriage would be the best year of our lives, and that we should enjoy every moment of it. And we did.
April 28 marks Palm Sunday by Christians in the world who follow the Julian calendar, including Middle Eastern countries as well as Jordan. It is a day reflecting the love for Lord Jesus Christ and the time that helps believers reveal the Almighty Lord's presence in their lives and His incredible love for humanity.
Over the years, the Catholic Church has played a vital and key role in healing and dressing the wounds of humanity. Recalling the bloody events and the conflagrations that are currently taking place in various parts of the world, one would ponder at the world affairs and question the fate of humanity that is currently shoved into a stage confusion and perplexity, as well as being drifted into an unpredictable bleak abyss.
We did not fall asleep on Saturday night, April 13, and this is normal since the love for our country, Jordan, made us sleepless, at a time when we were praying all night-long pleading with the Almighty God to save our country from any harm. We, in Jordan, are not familiar with the sounds of planes and the dropping of materials flying in the sky.
