Despite widespread speculation that Pope Francis and top Shi’a cleric Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani will sign a document on human fraternity during their meeting in Iraq next month, an Iraqi state official has said the rumors are false.
International News
CRS’s Lenten Rice Bowl Helps Feed 150 Million Worldwide
Catholic Relief Services’ annual Lenten Rice Bowl program helps fund efforts to teach “best practices” for growing abundant, nutritious food for 159 million people in more than 100 countries. Last year’s donations were about 47 percent below normal because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but CRS leaders hope this year will be much better.
Iraq: Full of Historic Sites Important to Understanding Christianity
Pope Francis hopes to embark on the first-ever papal visit to the biblical land of Iraq in early March in a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts to the place known in Arabic as the “land of the two rivers” — the mighty Tigris and Euphrates — and once renowned as Mesopotamia, the “cradle of civilization.”
Focolare’s New President ‘A Daughter of the Church’ In ‘Service of All’
Focolare, the international ecumenical organization, has a new president — Margaret Karram, an Arab Catholic from Israel, and an expert at promoting dialogue among religions. In a Feb. 5 audience with Pope Francis, Karram told him, “I don’t like the word ‘president.’ I’m a daughter of the Church, and I want to be at your service and the service of all.”
For Lent, Ask If One’s Life is Centered on God or Oneself, Pope Says
Lent is a time to reconsider the path one is taking in life and to finally answer God’s invitation to return to him with one’s whole heart, Pope Francis said.
A Brief History: The Practice of Sprinkling Ashes
Though American Catholics are used to receiving their ashes from thumb to forehead on Ash Wednesday, this year, ashes will be sprinkled on their heads. The gesture and practice of sprinkling ashes, however, has a longstanding history within Jewish and Catholic traditions.
Franciscans Mark 600th Year of Pope Francis Establishing Commissaries of Holy Land
Before he became guardian and commissary of the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington in 2013, Franciscan Father Larry Dunham made his first trip to the Holy Land, where his order has cared for the most sacred shrines of Christendom for centuries.
Catholics in Qaraqosh, Iraq, Call It ‘Miracle’ That Pope Francis Will Visit
The largest Syriac Catholic congregation in the world is preparing physically and spiritually for Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Qaraqosh, Iraq.
Ahead of Papal Visit, Iraq Closes Houses of Worship Due to COVID
Less than three weeks from Pope Francis’ highly anticipated trip to Iraq, the local government on Feb.14 announced new restrictions to try to curb the spread of COVID-19, which includes the closure of all houses of worship until the last day of his March 5-8 visit.
Responding to Coup, Biden Freezes Myanmar’s Military Assets in U.S.
U.S. President Joe Biden ordered new sanctions against the military regime in Myanmar to prevent six generals from accessing $1 billion in Myanmar government funds in the United States.