Among the earliest remarks by Pope Leo XIV were expressions and concern for the Christians of the East. Less than a week after his election as Supreme Pontiff, he spoke at the Jubilee of the Oriental Churches of the "abyss of violence" that threatens Christian existence in those ancient regions of the faith, "from the Holy Land to Ukraine, from Lebanon to Syria, from the Middle East to Tigray and...
On Sunday, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Baghdad to discuss the region's unfolding crises. The Chaldean Patriarchate announced that Sako called for empowering the Church's role in assisting impoverished families by developing housing complexes that uphold human dignity and provide a decent life, affirming the vital role that...
Budapest -- Catholicos-Patriarch Awa III of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East recently visited Budapest with a stark warning: Christianity in the Middle East is vanishing. Entire communities are being erased, while the Western world looks away.
The latest report submitted by the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) highlights the urgent and ongoing challenges facing the Assyrian people across Iraq, Syria and Turkey, where systemic discrimination, political exclusion, and cultural erosion threaten their very survival. As one of the region's oldest indigenous communities, Assyrians continue to endure grave human rights violations.
Nearly eight years after the official fall of the Islamic State in Iraq, the situation for Christians remains alarming, marked by insecurity and discrimination. Iraq ranks 17th among the countries where Christian communities are most persecuted,[1] despite their ancestral presence. The ECLJ is working to draw the attention of the United Nations to these persecutions.
(CNA) -- To mark the World Day of Eastern Christians, held every year on the sixth Sunday of Easter and organized by the association L'Œuvre d'Orient, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presided over the Divine Liturgy in the Chaldean rite at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, May 25.
A top Christian religious figure in Damascus on Tuesday said that the minority community, which he called a "key component" of Syria, is entitled to participate in writing the country's new constitution despite an Islamist-led government in charge. "We will not compromise on our rights. It is within our rights to participate in writing the constitution.
Earlier this week, the Greek-American organisation, the Eastern Mediterranean Business and Cultural Alliance (EMBCA), held its third Forum on the Greek Genocide--a subject long confined to the margins of history.
Rome -- The Churches of the Middle East "are facing a very complicated situation," stemming primarily from a "lack of stability", even if "security has improved." The overall context, however, "remains difficult and full of challenges. That is why the support" of Pope Leo XIV is crucial--vital, in fact, "to prevent the disappearance of Christians from the region.
Chicago (AINA) -- In a lecture sponsored by the Assyrian Cultural Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Valk discussed the modern Assyrian language, also called neo-Aramaic, and the brilliance of the Assyrians in astronomy, mathematics, and recordkeeping. Related: Akkadian Words in Modern Assyrian...
Former Niles resident and Maine South High School student Atra Asdou, a Lookingglass Theatre Company ensemble member, examines the relationship between Assyrian women and their mothers from the Ottoman Empire to current-day U.S. in the semiautobiographical, adults-only play "Iraq, But Funny.
Pope Leo XIV must "find good people" to guide his engagement with Eastern Churches, according to the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The Pope addressed Catholics from the 23 sui iuris Eastern Churches in communion with Rome gathered at the Vatican for their Jubilee celebration on Wednesday, affirming the need for the universal Church to "cherish" their traditions.
Chicago (AINA) -- In a lecture sponsored by the Assyrian Cultural Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Valk discussed the modern Assyrian language, also called neo-Aramaic, and the brilliance of the Assyrians in astronomy, mathematics, and recordkeeping. Related: Akkadian Words in Modern Assyrian...
(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) -- 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.