News

Byzcath.org News provides news focusing on the Christian East from varous sources and offers links to other sites dedicated to providing the news about the Church.

Churches and organizations that provide news about the Eastern Churches are invited to submit their news stories to us for publication here (use the contact page for submission)..

Materials from the Vatican Information Service, Zenit, CWNews.com and other sources are published here with permission of their owners but may not be republished further without the permission of their original publishers. Please visit these sites to obtain additional general news about the Church. In addition to these sources EWTN News also provides a good general news summary.

Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.

Details

CWN - Pope Francis received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in audience on May 16, one day before the canonization of two Palestinian nuns.

During the meeting, “great satisfaction was expressed” on the recent bilateral agreement “on various essential aspects of the life and the activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine,” according to the Holy See Press Office.

“Attention then turned to the peace process with Israel, and the hope was expressed that direct negotiations between the Parties be resumed in order to find a just and lasting solution to the conflict,” the press office continued. “To this end the wish was reiterated that, with the support of the international Community, Israelis and Palestinians may take with determination courageous decisions to promote peace. Finally, with reference to the conflicts that afflict the Middle East, and in reaffirming the importance of combating terrorism, the need for interreligious dialogue was underlined.”

The Pope presented President Abbas with a copy of his apostolic exhortation on proclaiming the Gospel, as well as a medallion of an angel of peace.

The Associated Press reported that the Pope told Abbas, “You are an angel of peace”; however, other news agencies reported that the Pope said, “May you be an angel of peace.”

Details
Vatican City, 15 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father Francis received in audience the president of Romania, Klaus Werner Iohannis, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.
 
During the cordial discussions, which took place on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Romania on 15 May 1990, the parties focused on bilateral relations characterised by fruitful collaboration, as well as the relations between the State authorities and the local Catholic communities, and the healthy co-existence of minorities.
 
Attention then turned to issues regarding various regions in the world.

Details
Vatican City, 15 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office Fr. Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media in Amman, Jordan, presented the figure of the Palestinian blesseds Sister Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, founder of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerusalem, and the descalzed Carmelite Maryam Baouardy (Mary of Jesus Crucified). Along with another two women religious, the French Jeanne-Emilie de Villeneuve and the Italian Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando, they will be canonised by Pope Francis this coming Sunday in St. Peter's Square.
 
The solemn celebration will be attended by cardinals and bishops resident in Rome and from various parts of the world, including a delegation of 2124 people from the Palestine territories and Jordan headed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal. The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will also be present, along with numerous prelates from Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Cyprus.
 
“Patriarch Fouad Twal affirmed that 'the declaration of the sainthood of the two nuns from Palestine is a spiritual event of prime importance for the citizens of the Holy Land, amid the difficulties we are experiencing, as the two saints enlighten our path'”, said Fr. Badir. “As the Holy Land, wrecked by violence and dissent, has for some time had a tarnished image, our two saints emerge to restore its sanctity, reminding us that sanctity is possible even in the most difficult circumstances. The canonisation of the two girls from the East during these dark times is an invitation from His Holiness Pope Francis to pray, knowing that only prayer can miraculously help save our faith in the midst of these times of trial. Now we have two new saints who represent a model of perfection for Christians, as well as for Muslims and Jews alike. They are both named Mary, and this name is widespread and commonly used among all three traditions. It is a sign of our modern time which suggests that we can talk about the three religions without any discrimination”.
 
“This grand event”, added Fr. Badir, “is a message of solidarity and encouragement to the Christians of the Holy Land, especially for those in all other Middle East countries, to those who have been forcibly displaced and deported from their home countries, and to all those who suffer persecution, and whose persecutors sometimes think that by killing they are offering a sacrifice to God, as Jesus Himself warned”.
 
The new saint Mary of Jesus Crucified was “subjected to acts of extremism and an attempt on her life, seeking to force her to change her religion. She now intercedes for those who are being killed because of their religion and their religious affiliation. Her life and intercession are a cry urging respect for religious and ethnic differences as well as acknowledging human beings as creatures who are made in the image and likeness of God”. St. Marie-Alphonsine “succeeded in gaining the support of the religious authorities to set up the first Arab religious congregation, and placing the Arab world on the map in the fields of education and religious teaching”.
 
“Furthermore, the rosary schools associated with this Arab religious congregation have a prominent and influential presence in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, the Gulf states and Rome. We realise that during the late 19th and early 20th century this religious congregation contributed to increasing the Arab role in culture, social awareness, spiritual guidance and education of generations of men and women. Illiteracy has been eliminated in many parts of the Middle East as a direct result of the active contribution of nuns and religious congregations to literacy education”.
 
He concluded, “The two saintly nuns, whose canonisation coincides with the Church celebrations of the year of consecrated life and the blessed Marian Month of May, pray that the Lord would bring peace and calmness to our hearts and minds, and that we will return to worshipping the Almighty. … We view the consecration of the founder of the Rosary Sisters as an invitation to intensify the daily Rosary prayers in Churches, houses, and parish groups to bring peace, love and mutual respect among all the peoples of the Middle East”.

Details

CWN - The Holy See has formally recognized a Palestinian state.

The Vatican announced on May 13 that talks had been successfully concluded to complete a treaty between the Holy See and the “State of Palestine.” Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, confirmed that the announcement was “a recognition that the state exists.”

The Vatican had reached a “basic agreement” with Palestinian authorities in 2000, and a Palestinian envoy was recognized in the Vatican diplomatic corps. But in previous statements the Vatican had referred to the “Palestinian Authority.” The May 13 announcement was the first formal reference to a Palestinian state.

In extending formal recognition for a Palestinian state, the Vatican is following the lead of the UN, which extended formal recognition in 2012. At that time, the Vatican applauded the move.

The conclusion of a diplomatic pact—which now must be ratified by both parties—comes just before a visit to the Vatican by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. A private meeting between the Palestinian leader and Pope Francis is scheduled for May 16, the same day on which the Pope will preside at the canonization of two Palestinian saints.

Details

CWN - Christians in Iraq are “on the edge of a terrible catastrophe,” an Iraqi nun said in May 13 testimony before the foreign-affairs committee of the US House of Representatives.

Sister Diana Momeka, a Dominican sister who was forced to flee from Mosul, testified in Washington pleaded for help for Iraqi Christians, saying that persecution by the Islamic State has been more brutal than any suffering endured by the country’s Christians in over 1300 years. She also testified that the help furnished by Iraqi government officials for Christian refugees has been “at best modest and slow.”

The Dominican sister told the House committee how she and her religious community had been forced to abandon their convent in Mosul after it was bombed. The city and the adjoining Nineveh region was soon overrun by Islamic radicals, and Christians were forced out, she said: “Nineveh was emptied of Christians, and sadly, for the first time since the 7th century AD, no church bells rang for Mass in the Plain of Nineveh.”

“This uprooting, this theft of everything that the Christians owned, displaced them body and soul, stripping away their humanity and dignity,” Sister Momeka testified. She made a plea for help in recovering the lands seized by the Islamic State, and support for rebuilding efforts. The Christians of Iraq, she stressed, do not want to abandon their homeland, but to return and rebuild the Christian presence.

Sister Momeka came to Washington after her supporters pressed the Obama administration to approve a one-week visa for her visit. Her application for a visa had originally been denied, with the State Department saying that she had not provided assurances that she would not remain in the US after her visa had expired. The State Department later said that the denial had been due to misunderstanding.

Details

CWN - Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham has said that Islamic militants are actively seeking to create tensions between Syria’s religious communities.

“It is the goal of the jihadists to sow hatred between Christians and Muslims,” the Patriarch said in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need. He said that Syrian Church leaders are working with their moderate Muslim counterparts to maintain friendly ties despite the jihadists’ campaign. “We are in danger of losing this relationship, the longer this war continues,” he said.

  1. Chaldean patriarch: Kurdish constitution should mention Christians
  2. Coptic patriarch: 3rd Sunday of April could be common day for Easter celebration
  3. Russian Orthodox patriarch praises Pope, criticizes Ukrainian Catholics
  4. Patriarchate: pan-Orthodox synod will not express solidarity with ‘sexual minorities’

Page 178 of 858