VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by Islamic State militants died as martyrs, invoking the name of Jesus, said an Egyptian Catholic bishop. In line with Pope Francis’ assertion at morning Mass Feb. 17, Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza told the Fides news agency that the “diabolical” video of […]
ISIS
Pope Mourns Copts Beheaded for Their Faith
Pope Francis called for prayers for the Egyptian Christians beheaded by Islamic State militants in Libya and asked that God recognize these men killed for their faith.
The Lessons of 2014
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In the last issue of The Tablet for 2014, the questions are always posed to me to look back on the year which has just passed and emphasize the lessons which, perhaps, we have learned. Like all years, this past year has contained challenges and surprises, joys […]
‘Annus Horribilis’
Our city, and indeed the nation, is reeling from the assassinations of two New York City police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. These two officers of the law, both married, with the 40-year-old Ramos having two sons and Liu being recently married, were gunned down for no reason other than the fact that they […]
Pope Says He Hopes to Travel to Middle East
By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis deplored the “abuses and inhuman acts” of Islamic State militants, and called on all religious leaders to condemn them “unanimously and unambiguously.” He also said he hoped to travel to the Middle East to comfort persecuted Christians there. The pope’s words appeared in a Christmas […]
Borough Hall Demo: Mideast Persecution Is An Outrage
Snow flurries and chilly temperatures didn’t stop concerned citizens from assembling in Downtown Brooklyn’s Borough Hall Plaza to raise awareness about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East last week. In observance of International Human Rights Day, nearly 50 people of various faiths and cultural backgrounds held signs, prayed and sang, “Let There Be […]
Muslims Condemn Atrocities of Islamic State Terrorists
Muslims worldwide have been speaking out to protest atrocities in the Middle East as well as the ideology of the Islamic State, according to a leading Catholic interreligious leader.
Did Pope Call for War Vs. ISIS?
In the days that followed Pope Francis’ Aug. 18 remarks on U.S. airstrikes earlier in the month against Islamic State, the buzz was about whether the pope had actually given his consent to them.
Lebanese Bishops React to Islamist Militants’ Incursion
Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic bishops underscored their “full confidence” in the country’s military and security forces as the Lebanese army battled Islamist militants’ incursion into Lebanon near the border with Syria.
No War in the Name of God
Pope Francis condemned the actions of Islamic State militants in Iraq, saying that persecuting Christians and other minorities “seriously offends God and seriously offends humanity.”
