Religious freedom is the heartbeat of America's 249-year history, a principle etched into its founding and vital to its identity. Under the current administration, countering religious persecution abroad must also be a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.
A community of Christians in northern Iraq might be forgiven if they feel forgotten by the world. Their numbers, already small, are dwindling. Their religious rituals might feel foreign to most Catholics in the West. "Sometimes we think that we have nothing to offer, that we are few in numbers, and dwindling," said Syriac Catholic Archbishop Nathanael Nizar Wadih Semaan of Adiabene, northern Iraq.
Pope Leo XIV appears to have taken to heart a plea from one of his closest neighbors during the conclave--Cardinal Louis Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq. Seated beside him in the Sistine Chapel, Sako reportedly urged: "Be the pope of the whole church." In other words: not just the pope of Latin-rite Catholics.
Among the processions of pilgrims from all over the world that today once again passed through the splendor of the Vatican Basilica, one stood out at 1 PM, making its way toward the Altar of the Chair: dozens of ministers who would take part in the Holy Qurbana, presided over by the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Louis Raphaël I Sako.
In a groundbreaking comparative analysis, historian Murat Kilic from Erzurum Technical University explores striking similarities between the Assyrian victory at the Battle of Waush and the Carthaginian triumph at the Battle of Ticinus.
A team from Heidelberg University excavating in Iraq made a spectacular find: In the throne room of the North Palace of King Ashurbanipal in the ancient city of Nineveh, the archaeologists discovered large portions of a monumental relief that depicts the ruler of the Assyrian empire from the seventh century BC along with two important deities and other figures.
When studying history, some of the most interesting things to learn are about ancient natural disasters that have changed the world. From the pyroclastic flow at Pompeii to the terrifying volcanic winter of 536 CE to the flooding of Doggerland, crazy natural events in prehistoric and ancient times make for great reading, albeit terrible times to live in.
(AINA) -- A new French-language book titled Pour L'amour d'une Mére - Itinéraires d'un Assyro-Chaldéen (For the Love of a Mother -- Travel Paths of an Assyro-Chaldean) is published by Editions du Cerf (Paris) and authored by Joseph Jacoub and Pascal Maguesyan. It is an autobiographical book with interviews, conducted by Pascal Maguesyan. This book tells the story of a life.
AMMAN -- HRH Prince El Hassan, President of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), on Wednesday inaugurated the "Christians in the Arab Levant and the Aspirations of Unity and Enlightenment" conference, organised by the institute.
The Chaldean Community Foundation/Chamber of Commerce has opened a $15 million "CCF West" at 2075 Walnut Lake Rd., west of Inkster Road, in West Bloomfield Township. The new facility expands the chamber's operations in Oakland County.
Ashurbanipal is having a moment. Some 2,600 years after his death, the King of Assyria has been the subject of a major exhibition in London, featured in Elif Shafak's best-selling novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, and now has the shelves of his library opened up for inspection in Selena Wisnom's new study.
The Acropolis Museum in Athens is launching a thought-provoking exhibition this spring that bridges ancient Mesopotamian heritage with contemporary art, shedding light on the destruction and displacement of cultural treasures.
(AINA) -- A new French-language book titled Pour L'amour d'une Mére - Itinéraires d'un Assyro-Chaldéen (For the Love of a Mother -- Travel Paths of an Assyro-Chaldean) is published by Editions du Cerf (Paris) and authored by Joseph Jacoub and Pascal Maguesyan. It is an autobiographical book with interviews, conducted by Pascal Maguesyan. This book tells the story of a life.
(AINA) -- "We have made a clean sweep of the Armenians and Assyrians of Azerbaijan" -- Those were the words of Djevdet Bey, the governor of Van Province in Ottoman Turkey, who on April 24, 1915 lead 20,000 Turkish soldiers and 10,000 Kurdish irregulars in the opening act of the genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks.
(AINA) -- The Assyrian Arts Institute (AAI) is an organization founded by Nora Betyousef Lacey in 2017 and claims to support Assyrian arts. AAI has sponsored a few events since its founding, including an Assyrian women's choir.
(AINA) -- On July 12 Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid repealed the decree recognizing the appointment of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and which appointed him to the office of the waqf (وقف), the endowment which oversees all church property. The details of the events leading up to this action are exhaustively covered in this report by MEMRI.
(AINA) -- 'Syria is free'; thus screamed the Syrians as they celebrated the tumbling down of the criminal regime during a whole week. Thousands, even millions, of Syrians strolled the streets of the entire major cities of Syria. They were from all societal segments, strata, trends, genders, religious beliefs and non-religious ones, convictions, sects, confessions, parties, and orientations.
(AINA) -- The collapse of the Syrian regime has added yet another chapter to the cycle of deep crises that perpetually plague the Middle East. Yet, these devastations increasingly render ancient peoples, burdened by the weight of historical memory, invisible.
When studying history, some of the most interesting things to learn are about ancient natural disasters that have changed the world. From the pyroclastic flow at Pompeii to the terrifying volcanic winter of 536 CE to the flooding of Doggerland, crazy natural events in prehistoric and ancient times make for great reading, albeit terrible times to live in.
Like a sparring prizefighter, the name "Boxer" may have come from how this medium-sized, short-haired breed uses its powerful front legs when playing or defending itself. Loyal, courageous, and always up for a good game, Boxers never shy away from showing off their silly side.