Today, the Latin Patriarch, in cooperation with the University of Notre Dame, inaugurated Within Your Gates, a forum that brings together scholars, religious, and civic leaders to study and publicise the “universal vocation of Jerusalem”. The prelate asks “with honesty and humility” what purpose this city serves and what it asks of us.
According to the Occupational and Health Safety Board, 97 people died in the last nine years in Izmir, including women and refugees. Meanwhile, the environmental risks associated with the dismantling of a Brazilian aircraft carrier become a topic of discussion.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman laid out plans for the new megacity rising on the Red Sea, with buildings lined up on a 200-metre strip along 170 kilometres of coastline with no cars or emissions. Meanwhile, the crown prince is back in Europe for the first time since the Khashoggi murder.
The Maronite Church is determined to defend her rights after the archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land was arrested for bringing money and medicines donated by families separated by war. The accusations of ties with Israel over an exclusively humanitarian action are bogus. The solidarity of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is necessary to maintain “the presence of Christians in the Holy Land” and “their solidarity with the Christians of the Middle East”, writes Archbishop Pizzaballa.
The prelate recounts a city struggling to be reborn, where extremist ideology still permeates part of society. The memory of Christian homes branded with the letter "N", today a source of pride and belonging. The pope's visit planted a seed of hope for rebuilding of society. Through education "we can fight ignorance".
The attack marred the opening ceremony of Hagia Sophia Church in Suqaylabiyah, a replica of Istanbul’s ancient Byzantine Basilica recently repurposed as a mosque. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an anti-Assad terror group still in control of a large area of northern Syria, was blamed. The incident comes a few days after Erdoğan, Putin, and Raisi meet to de-escalate the Syrian conflict.
After the Zakho massacre that cost the lives of 9 tourists the testimony of a parish priest who lives in the mountains of the region where the raids take place. "Every week there are people dying from these bombings, I too have been in danger of being hit. Ankara must be stopped."
Action by Russia’s Justice Ministry is a new blow for Russia’s Jewish community after its chief rabbi was forced to flee for not supporting the invasion of Ukraine. Reopened in the 1990s, the agency helped Jews emigrate to Israel. Since February, 10,000 have left the country. In Israel the Lapid government is sending a delegation warning that “Russian Jews will not be held hostage”.
Archbishop Moussa el-Hage was released thanks to the intervention of Lebanon’s highest authorities. The archbishop of Haifa and the Holy Land did not appear before the military court. The Maronite Church is demanding that Judge Fadi Akiki, who is close to Hezbollah, be brought before the Disciplinary Board of the Judiciary and dismissed from office.
Outrage throughout Iraq at the massacre caused by artillery strikes on a park. Blame laid at Turkey's door over raids on Iraqi territory against the Kurds of the PKK. Baghdad recalls the chargé d'affaires in Ankara and will take the matter to the UN Security Council.
The final communiqué after the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran contains a vague commitment to "fight[ing] terrorism in all its forms". During his meeting with the Turkish leader, Iran’s Khamenei warns against creating a “buffer zone” against the Kurds. Meanwhile, the war of attrition continues along the Turkish-Syrian border.
The prelate of Haifa and Jerusalem, Moussa el-Hage, was stopped at the crossing point on his way back into the country. His passport and mobile phone were confiscated, along with the money entrusted to him by the families of the Lebanese who fled in 2000. The measure was ordered by a magistrate close to the pro-Iranian movement unhappy with the Maronite Patriarch's calls for a non-partisan head of state. The nuncio: A worrying precedent.
On Monday 25 July Tunisians will vote in a referendum on the new charter, which would centralise all powers in the hands of President Saïed. Islam is not defined as the national religion, but it is said that the country 'belongs to the Islamic nation (Ummah)' and that the State must work to achieve 'the five goals of pure Islam'. Opposition and civil society protest but the electorate, weakened by the economic crisis, may support the head of state.
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