On Jan. 8, a bomb exploded in the bedroom of Archbishop Samir Nassar, who leads the Archeparchy of Damascus, Syria. He was in a nearby room and wasn't hurt. The incident illustrated the point Archbishop Samir emphasized during a Nov. 9-15 visit to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: "We are living in a very dangerous area because of the [Syrian Civil] war," he said.
Pope Francis signed a Common Statement on Friday with Mar Gewargis III, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. The two religious leaders signed the statement at the end of their meeting in the Vatican, following a moment of prayer for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
There is something about distance, numbers and repetition that I have always found peculiar in terms of evoking reaction. I find this is especially true when thinking about anti-religious persecution. When several people are killed in an incident close to home, attention is massive. Think of the awful event last month when a madman shot up the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh leaving 11 dead.
On November 6, 2018, as a milestone in the new history of our Syriac Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II inaugurated the Antioch Syrian University (ASU), in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Atef Al-Naddaf, Minister of Higher Education in Syria, in ASU in Maarat Saydnaya. The inauguration was also attended by Dr.
A two-day conference entitled "Syriac Christianity at the Crossroads of Cultures" gathered researchers from all over the world at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome last week. Both Mar Gewargis III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and Cardinal Louis Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, participated in the opening session of the conference commemorating the 700th...
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Iraq's new government plans to intensify efforts to uproot cells of the Islamic State extremist group and introduce "robust measures" to achieve sustainable security throughout the country, the country's U.N. envoy said Tuesday. Jan Kubis told the U.N.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Turkish forces has killed 19 militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) during air strikes in northern Iraq, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The air strikes targeted several regions in northern Iraq, including the Qandil mountains, a PKK stronghold, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Twitter.
As many as 80% of Syria's Christians have left their country since the start of the civil war in 2011, while 50% of Iraq's Christians have been uprooted since 2006, according to a report produced by Christian charities Open Doors International, Served and Middle East Concern last year, which said the arrival of IS was only the "tipping point" of a trend already gathering pace as Christians...
BASRA, Iraq -- Recent violent protests in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have brought to light years of suffering by Iraqis in what is known as the economic capital of Iraq due to its vast oil reserves and deep-sea port access connecting the country to the international market. Basra, a predominantly Shiite city, also has a significant minority population, including black Iraqis and Christians.
The Syriac-led Suturo forces sent a large number of reinforcements to the Deir Ezzor Governorate this week to aid their allies from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the key town of Hajin. According to the group, the Suturo sent the reinforcements to the Hajin front after the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) captured several areas from the Syrian Democratic Forces near the...
VATICAN CITY -- Appealing to the international community to help bring peace to Syria and Iraq, Pope Francis and Catholicos Gewargis III, patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, also paid homage to the lands' persecuted Christians, who demonstrate that faith in Christ is a bond that is stronger than any denominational difference.
Pope Francis spoke about the "great suffering" that many Christians are enduring in the Middle East, and prayed for peace in the region, especially in Iraq and Syria. The Pope was meeting Friday with Mar Gewargis III, the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Berlin (AINA) -- In a letter sent to the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) President Nechirvan Barzani on October 4th, 2018, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) and the Assyrian Federation in Germany and European Sections (ZAVD) urged Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq to respect Assyrian rights and political participation in the KRG region and to give pro-active support for Assyrians...
(AINA) -- Father Athanasis Toma, who lives in Los Angeles, returned recently from a trip to Iraq, his country of origin. Fr. Athanasis is an Assyrian, a chorbishop in the Ancient Church of the East, with a diocese in San Fernando, CA. Fr.
On January 2, 2018, Judge Goldsmith from the federal court in Michigan ordered the release of Assyrian (also known as Chaldean or Syriac) Christian detainees who had been held for deportation. In his decision, the judge cited that the country conditions in Iraq precluded the possibility of returning the refugees to their homes safely.
Berlin (AINA) -- By an overwhelming majority, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed a symbolic and long overdue resolution on Thursday, June 2, 2016, recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman government as a genocide.
(AINA) -- When speaking about the Ottoman Empire and Turkey today, it is not their contribution to civilization that comes to mind. Instead it is human rights violations, confiscation of land and property, genocide and genocide denials that are most frequently discussed in the public discourse. Today's Turkey is still far from being ruled by democratic principles.
(AINA) -- Much has been swirling around on social media about an EU Conference (AINA 2017-06-24) organized by Swedish MEP Lars Adaktusson alongside sponsors such as Demand For Action. No sooner had I heard about it did I also see that it had been boycotted by the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) and the Chaldean Church, together with various other Assyrian parties and organizations, including...
Historic documents unearthed during excavations in Anatolia's oldest international trade center, Assyrian Trade colony Kaniş-Karum, have revealed that women made commercial deals and impressed their seal 4,000 years ago.
It was by a stroke of fate and a seating algorithm that on an EasyJet flight I met Nino. Romi and I were on our return flight from London. While traveling in pairs is normally not an issue, on a plane with three-seat aisles, the third seat is left to chance.