Latest news with #MiddleEasternChristians
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Gaza war 'barbarity' must stop now: Pope
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the "indiscriminate use of force", just days after a deadly strike by Israel's military on a Catholic church. "I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome. The pope, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after Thursday's strike, spoke of his "deep sorrow" for the attack on the Holy Family Church. The church was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and including dozens of people with special needs. Israel expressed "deep sorrow" over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating the strike. "This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza," Leo said on Sunday. "I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations," he added. The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas fighters. Most of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22nd month. The pope also expressed his "sympathy" for the plight of "beloved Middle Eastern Christians" and their "sense of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation."--AFP
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Pope urges immediate end to 'barbarity' of Gaza war
Pope Leo XIV slammed the "barbarity" of the war in Gaza on Sunday and urged against the "indiscriminate use of force," just days after a deadly strike by Israel's military on a Catholic church. "I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome. The pope, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after Thursday's strike, spoke of his "deep sorrow" for the attack on the Holy Family Church. The church was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and including dozens of people with special needs. Israel expressed "deep sorrow" over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating the strike. "This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza," Leo said on Sunday. "I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations," he added. The Israeli military on Sunday issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas militants. Most of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22 nd month. The pope also expressed his "sympathy" for the plight of "beloved Middle Eastern Christians" and their "sense of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation."
Shafaq News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Cardinal Sako: Don't forget suffering churches in the East
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako urged the next Pope to stand firmly with Middle Eastern churches, calling for greater attention to their struggles. In a statement, Sako noted that churches in the East feel marginalized despite being the historical roots of Christianity, adding that while Eastern patriarchates have become minorities today, they once played a pioneering role in spreading Christianity. 'Pope Francis was close to the suffering of Middle Eastern Christians, having visited six countries in the region, including Iraq, where he met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in what he described as a historic event,' he pointed out, hoping that the next Pope would 'continue this path,' working to strengthen dialogue and unity, and to resolve outstanding issues without delay. The conclave to elect the 267 th head of the Catholic Church began Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, with 133 cardinals from around the world participating in the vote to choose a successor to Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88. On Wednesday afternoon, under the gaze of Michelangelo's frescoes, the 133 cardinals taking part in the 2025 conclave entered the Sistine Chapel. The ancient ritual to elect the Pope has officially around 3:45pm the cardinal-electors gathered in the Pauline Chapel and,… — Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2025 This conclave is considered the largest and most geographically diverse in the Church's history, with cardinals from more than 70 countries. The election is expected to take several days, with a two-thirds majority required for any candidate to be elected.
