Each summer the French Dominican friar and official at the Dicastery for Christian Unity completes a new stage of an uninterrupted pilgrimage on foot that has now taken him from Rome all the way to Antioch. He reflects on the pilgrimage as a synthesis of life, the hospitality received in monasteries and mosques, and the encounters along the way. “Patriarch Bartholomew told me: ‘Go all the way to Jerusalem’.”
Local sources say 400,000 people are in the square. The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis are ejected from the rally. Police use tear gas against protesters. Hundreds are injured in clashes as protests touch Alexandria, Suez and Damietta.
Despite the bloody battles of the weekend in Tahrir Square Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided that the vote will take place as planned on November 28. Arrested the only female candidate for president, Bothaina Kamel.
A five-day meeting was held in Taiwan with the participation of more than 30 bishops, priests, religious and laity dedicated to new media. It was attended by representatives of Church communications from India, Myanmar, Mongolia, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines.
After a short pause the protests in Tahrir Square resumed this morning. Over 4 thousand participants. Some of them have thrown Molotov cocktails sparking the violent reaction of the military. The army accused of having fired on the crowd with live ammunition. Also the first victims in Alexandria, Egypt. Minister of Culture resigns in protest.
The biennial meeting of the prelates of the Eastern Churches concluded yesterday in Bkerke, Lebanon. It started last November 14. The bishops' commitment to pursue the path of ecumenism between Catholics and Orthodox reuniting the dates of Easter. The invitation to all Catholics to engage in politics and participate in society bringing their Christian values, the only way to bring peace to the Middle East.
Libyan Transitional Council sources confirm the captured in Sabha. Saif al-Islam is now being held in Zintan. Nasser's son was on the run since last August and drove the forces still loyal to the old regime.
Religious police issues order following fight between one of its officers and the husband of a woman after the former told her to cover her eyes. If confirmed, the step would mark a step backward compared to King Abdallah’s cautious overtures.
Led by the Muslim Brotherhood, thousands protested today in Tahrir Square, hurling slogans against the military, which they accuse of claiming too much power. Pro-democracy parties boycott the event because of its confrontational nature. For the spokesman of the Egyptian Catholic Church, Islamists are using demonstrations as “a show of force”. Salafis disrupt memorial procession for massacred Copts, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. Thirty-two people are injured.
The foreign ministers who met in Rabat give three days to Assad to end the armed repression and allow the entry of observers into the country, and demand a "solution to the crisis without any foreign intervention." France and Morocco recall the ambassadors after the attacks on embassies.
Nached Rafah, 66, was stopped by security at the airport in Damascus and accused of activities against the country. Paris had protested, and even Carla Bruni asked for her release. She was released home last night and is in good health.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church invites political leaders to listen to the needs of the population. The concern for Christians in Egypt, Libya and Iraq. The three day visit to Syria and Lebanon ended yesterday.
Ankara threatens to cut off power supplies, predicting a tragic end for Assad. Arab League summit in Rabat is set to suspend formally Syria. Some 500 League observers arrive in Damascus to monitor the situation of civilians. Rebels attack military base in Harasta.
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