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Last Updated: 01 May 2015

CWN - The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, has denounced an Egyptian court decision permitting Coptic Christians greater latitude to remarry following divorce.

The Coptic Orthodox Church currently permits remarriage for adultery and the conversion of a spouse, the Cairo Post reported. Traditionally, the regulations of different religious bodies on divorce are binding upon their members in Egyptian law.

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Last Updated: 01 May 2015

CWN - The Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, one of the two most prominent sees in the Armenian Apostolic Church, has filed a lawsuit in Turkish court in order to gain the return of its historic headquarters, which include a cathedral and monastery.

The see, now located in Lebanon, was based in Kozan, Turkey, from 1295 until 1921, when its headquarters were confiscated by the Turkish government following the Armenian genocide.

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Last Updated: 01 May 2015

CWN - Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, lamented the indifference of the international community to the fate of the Middle East’s Christians.

Stating that the area’s Christians “deserve our solidarity, our gratitude, and every possible support,” Cardinal Sandri noted that the Islamic State is “supported with arms and other resources from various interested factions.”

The prelate also compared the international community’s “indifference and inaction” to Pontius Pilate’s washing of his hands during Christ’s Passion.

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Last Updated: 29 April 2015

CWN - The government of Turkey has issued an invitation to the Vatican to visit the country’s pavilion at an international exposition that opens in Milan this coming weekend. The invitation represents a conciliatory gesture, after Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan angrily criticized Pope Francis for recognizing the Armenian genocide.

"We would be pleased to welcome the Holy Father if he wanted to visit Turkey's Expo pavilion," Turkish economy minister Adnan Yildrim said, adding that if the Pope himself did not attend, his representative would be welcome.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, quickly responded that Turkish representatives would be welcomed to the Vatican’s pavilion at the same exposition.

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Last Updated: 29 April 2015

CWN - Christians in the Middle East are being caught up in a power struggle between Islamic sects, says Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako.

The Iraqi prelate said that Christians are being used as “scapegoats” in the conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims. Christians are not involved in that struggle, he said, and the Christians have no intention of setting up their own sectarian regime. But both Islamic sects portray Christians as their enemies, he said. In fact, he argued, the struggle within Islam is a battle for political power, not a religious crusade.

The Chaldean Patriarch renewed his criticism of Western nations for their failure to take action in defense of Christians in the Middle East.

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Last Updated: 28 April 2015

CWN - A Syrian Catholic archbishop has described the country’s President Bashar Al Assad as “a good man,” although he quickly added that he did not intend a political endorsement.

In an interview for the Crux web site, Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo denied that Christians in Syria have supported the government in the country’s bloody civil war. “We are not pro-Assad,” he said. “We’re in favor of a government that’s open to all denominations.” “Personally, I would say that Bashar al-Assad is a good man,” the Melkite Catholic archbishop said. Tacitly acknowledging the reports of war crimes by the Assad regime, he added, “That doesn’t mean he’s an angel.”

Archbishop Jeanbart said that the rise of the Islamic State could be stopped if mercenaries were blocked from entering the country through Turkey and Jordan; he called for the US to put pressure on Turkey, in particular, to stop the flow of new recruits for the jihadist regime. Syrian forces could defeat the Islamic State, he contended, if the terrorist forces did not have access to outside sources of equipment and manpower.

The Syrian archbishop said that international leaders could bring a halt to the fighting in his country, without any direct military intervention. “They just need to stop feeding the insurrection and terrorism,” he said.