“If we hate ISIS, then they have won” – Oliver Maksan
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“If we hate ISIS, then they have won” – Oliver Maksan

“If we hate ISIS, then they have won”   Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Franciscan brothers of the Custody of the Holy Land , in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need stated that Europe must help Middle Eastern Christians remain in the region. He believes that the war in Syria will continue...

Pope and Russian Orthodox Head issue global appeal for protection of Middle East Christians – ACN Malta
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Pope and Russian Orthodox Head issue global appeal for protection of Middle East Christians – ACN Malta

Pope and Russian Orthodox Head issue global appeal for protection of Middle East Christians   Nearly 1,000 years after the split between Eastern and Western branches of Christianity in 1054, Pope Francis met Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill last Friday at an airport terminal in Cuba. This historic meeting was the first ever between a Roman...

IRAQ – Retreat days for 1200 young Church volunteers – ACN Malta
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IRAQ – Retreat days for 1200 young Church volunteers – ACN Malta

  IRAQ Retreat days for 1200 young Church volunteers   Every year the Archdiocese of Erbil organises a series of retreat days for young people. They are aimed in particular at those young adults who for the whole year are profoundly engaged in the life of the parishes, for example in catechetical work, in the...

Another 18 church crosses removed in Zhejiang province – ACN Malta
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Another 18 church crosses removed in Zhejiang province – ACN Malta

Another 18 church crosses removed in Zhejiang province by state authorities last month   Towards the end of 2013 Chinese authorities started a campaign to remove or demolish crosses from churches, ostensibly because they violated regulations against illegal structures. However, human rights groups declared that removal of crosses from churches is in effect a restriction...

“Mercy” is the theme of Pope Francis’ message for Lent this year
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“Mercy” is the theme of Pope Francis’ message for Lent this year

The Vatican has released Pope Francis’s Lent message on the theme of Mercy for 2016   “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Mt 9:13) The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee 1.Mary, the image of a Church which evangelises because she is evangelised In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee...

Teenagers can be radicalised by ISIS within a month – ACN Malta
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Teenagers can be radicalised by ISIS within a month – ACN Malta

‘Teenagers can be radicalised by ISIS within a month,’ Cardinal Nichols warns teachers’ conference   The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, warned delegates at the Secondary Leaders’ Conference of the Catholic Association of Teachers, Schools and Colleges about the dangers ISIS recruiters pose to vulnerable secondary school students. He stated that “one month is...

CUBA – Historic meeting Russia Orthodox head to join Pope in asking for end to Christian persecution – ACN Malta
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CUBA – Historic meeting Russia Orthodox head to join Pope in asking for end to Christian persecution – ACN Malta

CUBA – Historic meetingRussia Orthodox head to join Pope in asking for end to Christian persecution   The Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate have both announced that Pope Francis will stop in Cuba on 12 Feb on his way to Mexico to meet with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox church. This historic meeting,...

International community urged to protect historic Christian sites from ISIS – priests speak out – ACN Malta
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International community urged to protect historic Christian sites from ISIS – priests speak out – ACN Malta

International community urged to protect historic Christian sites from ISIS – priests speak out   Last week The Associated Press confirmed that exclusive satellite images published early on January 20 showed that the ancient monastery of St Elijah on the outskirts of Mosul had been totally destroyed.  ISIS militants had turned Iraq’s oldest Christian monastery...