Middle East

A married layman with three children, he had great influence on the mission of the Melkite Church and the Middle East. He was involved in charity work with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and with youth groups. Christians and Muslims, Egyptians and foreigners confirm his charitable and ecumenical spirit.

The pontiff chooses the same day Orthodox mark a similar event. The goal is to have Christians remember their “personal vocation to be stewards of creation”. The celebration will also “be a valuable opportunity to bear witness to our growing communion with our Orthodox brothers and sisters.”

After the Angelus prayer, Francis remembers the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Japan: "One voice should rise from every land: no to war, no to violence and yes to dialogue and peace." Before the Marian prayer, he reflects on the dynamics of faith, which is a relationship between man and Christ.

The man, 32, died of the second-degree burns sustained during the attack. His wife and eldest son of four remain in critical condition.

The attack was claimed by the "Province of al-Hijaz" group, linked to the Islamic State. The terrorists had infiltrated the security forces. During the year there were two other attacks in Saudi mosques, claimed by the Islamic State. The kingdom's contradictions caught between internal and regional problems.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about 12 thousand children have died in the conflict that broke out in March 2011. A third of the victims are regular army troops loyal to Assad. About 34 thousand jihadists have been killed .

On the first anniversary of the great exodus from the Nineveh Plain, the Chaldean Patriarch addresses a letter to Iraq’s government and parliament. In it, he denounces the difficult conditions in which Christians and Yezidis still live, as well as the thousands of deaths among Muslims. Peace is the only response to the violence of extremist groups who "exploit religion".

Following the inking of the agreement, oil prices drop below US$ 50 a barrel. Tehran is poised to boost output by 500,000 barrels after international sanctions. The US is not too concerned. Rome and Paris plan renew ties with Tehran. Energy demands are slowing as summer ends and China’s economy slows down.

The Movement was born in 1915 to encourage devotion to the Eucharist among young people and pray for peace. Questions from six young people: from Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Taiwan, France, Argentina. Pope Francis responds in an unscripted discourse. The biggest challenge: Finding Peace in the Lord, not the devil, who is a criminal. Searching for an encounter with Jesus. "Remember Jesus", who gave his life for each of us. Mass is not only a ritual, its a memorial. A reminder of the plight of the Rohingyas and the persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

After they seized the city, Jihadis detained hundreds of people, accusing them of collaborating with the Assad regime. People are not allowed to leave the city. IS militiamen detain entire families. Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate says contacts with locals are "very difficult". IS wants to use civilians as "human shields".

Alireza Seyyedian has left the notorious Evin prison, where he was held since 2012. He received 90 lashes for "propaganda against the government". Tehran offers the international community a plan to resolve the situation in Syria.

Lebanon’s Maronite prelates call on political leaders to act before the institutional vacuum leads to the “fall of the Republic”. Speaking about the country waste management crisis, they call on officials to “differentiate between petty interests and the greater national good”. Similarly, they said that the Iran nuclear deal shows that dialogue is crucial, as Pope Francis said.