Francis meets the Syriac Antiochian community which gathered in Rome for their latest Synod. The Patriarch denounced jihadists, “the fratricidal war” in Syria and last century’s genocide

Many Christians in the Middle East “have fled to seek shelter from an inhumanity that throws entire populations out into the streets, leaving them without any means of survival,” Pope Francis told faithful of the Syriac-Antiochian community led by Patriarch Ignace Youssif III Younan. The community held their Synod - which ran from 8 to 10 December - in Rome this year.

The Orthodox Metropolitan theologian has talked about how theology has divided the Church. Now it must help overcome the obstacles that are standing in the way of full communion between catholic and Orthodox faithful.

In a packed Piazza di Spagna, brimming with 20,000 faithful, the Pope prayed to Mary to protect against “contagion of evil”.

“As we approach Christmas, he prayed, “teach us to go against the tide,” the Pope prayed, asking Mary to protect the world from the “contagion of evil”

Catholic, Anglican, Sunni and Shiite leaders vowed to do all they can to combat "ugly and hideous" distortions of religion, and to involve more women -- often the first victims of violence -- in official inter-religious dialogues.

Holding the third Christian-Muslim Summit in Rome Dec. 2-4, the leaders said that while more and more women are involved in high-level dialogues, there is still much to be done, including recognizing that "women play a key role in peace-building."

John Shea once wrote a haunting poem about John the Baptist. The poem begins with the Baptist in prison, hearing the dancing above his head and knowing that this is soon to culminate in his being beheaded. Strangely, he’s not too upset. Herod is about to give Herodias’ daughter half his Kingdom and John feels that he might as well die in the bargain, given that he’s only half a man. Why does he feel only half a man? Because, as the poem puts it, he’s only a half-prophet who can only do a half-job. Thus thinks the Baptist:

*. I can denounce a king, but I cannot enthrone one.

At least 100,000 Christians fled the Plain of Nineveh last summer.

The Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group has since invaded northern Iraq and occupies both the churches and homes of Christians. Only the Kurdish autonomous region is still a safe area for Christians and other minorities.

Catholics in Germany have presented an appeal to the German government and Pakistani Christians in Italy are pushing for a motion on religious freedom. A Muslim lawyer is now defending Asia Bibi.

In words and gestures, Pope Francis and the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch moved the dialogue between the Eastern and Western Church a few steps closer to full communion this past weekend, say theological experts in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches.

“Some churches in Mosul have been transformed into places of detention by jihadists of the Islamic State (IS), who have laid down laws in the northern city of Iraq since June 9,” Fides news agency reports.

“In particular, according to sources reported by the local news website www.ankawa.com, in recent days some detainees, who were blindfolded and handcuffed, were transferred to the ancient Chaldean church of the Immaculate Conception, in the eastern part of the city.”

Religious leaders came together in the Vatican to sign a joint declaration on slavery. Exploiters make $150 billion a year out of their victims.