Francis and Patriarch Ilia II embraced during the meeting at the Patriarchal Palace and the Pope said: May the saints of this country encourage us “to put the Gospel before all else and to evangelize as in the past, even more so, free from the restraints of prejudice and open to the perennial newness of God”
In his address to political authorities in Tbilisi the Pope invited all to dialogue, which is all the more necessary “in the present historical moment with no shortage of violent extremism that manipulates and distorts civic and religious principles, and subjugates them to the dark designs of domination and death”. Georgia’s president, Margvelashvili, thanked him for the support of the Holy See and addressed very tough words to Russia, in reference to the Abkhazia and South Ossetia questions
Remarkable stories of how refugees who lost everything are now rebuilding their lives from scratch have emerged from Iraq.
There are many Christians among the many thousands of Iraqis and Syrians living in displacement camps in Iraq after fleeing Islamic State, according to World Watch Monitor which reports on Christian persecution around the world.
It is estimated that 3.3 million Iraqis have been displaced within their own country. Nearly 100,000 have sought refuge in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, since June.
But despite being bombed, schools are rebuilt and remain open: “We are responsible for pupils, no matter what”.
The martyr city’s Maronite archbishop says “some are urging Christians in the Middle East to leave given that there are so few of them. It’s not worth it, leave. But there needs to be a Christian presence in the place where faithful have been present for millennia.
This is a joint initiative of the 36 bishops of IARCCUM - the mixed commission established by the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church – which aims to mark the 50th anniversary of the official start to dialogue between the Churches. A ceremony is to be held on 5 October attended by the Pope and Primate Justin Welby.
Francis received victims’ relatives on Saturday, September 24: it is not with hatred and violence that we should respond to the Devil’s attacks but with forgiveness, love and respect towards others, regardless of whether they are different from us.
A new regulation has been approved for the medical commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. It involves: a qualified majority, a limited number of re-examinations and payments via wire transfer.
The Holy See has approved a new regulation introducing stricter procedures for medical examinations carried out by the medical commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Changes include the introduction of a qualified majority, a limited number of re-examinations when results are contested and payments via wire transfer.
Iraqi Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities gathered in Washington two weeks ago and proposed for there to be a safe zone created for them in the Nineveh Plains, which are northeast of Mosul in northern Iraq, Christian Telegraph reports according to Mission Network News. The idea would be for the safe zone to potentially become a sovereign state in the future.
The proposal hasn’t gained much traction, but a lot more would need to be answered first, says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs, USA.
With his choice, Francis continues in the footsteps of his predecessors. The significance of his gesture in Assisi
