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September 2013

September 25, 2013

“How many of you pray for Christians who are persecuted?”

This was very much on the pope's mind this morning—along with some other challenging thoughts...

September 18, 2013

Archeologists reportedly discover town Jesus visited after feeding the multitudes

Details: Dalmanutha, a Biblical town described in the Gospel of Mark as the place where Jesus...

September 17, 2013

This looks thrilling: a glimpse at the new IMAX movie “Jerusalem”

See the Holy Land as never before, thanks to the wizards at National Geographic. From...

September 09, 2013

Did you miss the pope’s prayer vigil Saturday? No problem. Here it is.

I was otherwise engaged this weekend—attending a family baptism in Virginia. If you missed it,...

September 06, 2013

“Almighty eternal God, hear the cries of the people of Syria…”

A Prayer for the People of Syria Almighty eternal God, source of all compassion, the...

September 05, 2013

Dolan to Obama on Syria: “Our focus is on saving lives by ending this conflict, not fueling it”

The USCCB president has written a letter to the U.S. president: September 4, 2013 President...

September 05, 2013

USCCB sets up special web page devoted to Syria

Check it out: "Praying for Peace in Syria." This has very good videos and news...

August 2013

August 29, 2013

Pope on Syria: “Dialogue and negotiation is the only option”

From CNS: Dialogue and negotiations are "the only option for putting an end to the...

July 2013

July 06, 2013

Behold the Face of a Martyr

Details: A Coptic Christian priest in Egypt's Northern Sinai has been shot dead, in what...

July 05, 2013

Meet the Muslims Keeping the Peace at Christianity’s Holiest Site

Who knew? Details: If you follow the boisterous groups of cross bearers and prayer-humming nuns...

July 02, 2013

Report: Fr. Murad Shot, Not Beheaded

From the Daily Telegraph: A Catholic priest has been shot and killed in northern Syria,...

July 01, 2013

In the E-mail: “You may trust that Père François Mourad indeed has died…”

A reader writes: A friend brought your blog post of 1 July 2013 to my attention (UPDATE:...

July 01, 2013

UPDATE: Franciscans Deny Priests Killed in Syria: “The Monks Are Still Alive”

Note: I've removed an earlier report from this blog indicating that the Vatican had confirmed...

June 2013

June 17, 2013

In Plea for Peace, Patriarch Consecrates Middle East to Mary

Details: The Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites Boutros Bechara Rai consecrated Lebanon and the...

April 2013

April 02, 2013

Praying for Syria in Brooklyn

Further proof that God never ceases to surprise us. Tonight, I found myself continually surprised—and...

March 2013

March 26, 2013

Vatican releases text for Pope Francis’ Way of the Cross

The text, to be prayed at the Col0sseum on Good Friday, was supervised by a...

March 22, 2013

Pope Francis accepts invitation to visit Iraq

Details: As Saint Francis travelled to the East where he met Sultan Malik al-Kamil, so...

February 2013

February 10, 2013

Historic: Cardinal visits Syria and expresses solidarity with suffering people

Details: Maronite Cardinal Beshara Rai voiced during a historic visit to Syria Saturday solidarity with Syrians and expressed hope...

January 2013

January 07, 2013

Love among the ruins: life in Aleppo

A glimpse at life in one corner of war-ravaged Aleppo, Syria, from AFP: The aging...

December 2012

December 24, 2012

In Middle East, Christianity “close to extinction”

Sobering news for Christmas: Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the...

October 2012

October 23, 2012

Vatican ambassador attends first Mass held at Iraqi monastery in 1,500 years

Amazing. Read on: The Vatican's ambassador to Iraq and a number of monks held the...