Christian world

Pope Sends Message to Asian Youth Day in Indonesia

Calls them to respond to God’s call with faith and courage 

Pope Francis sent a message of encouragement to those attending the seventh Asia Youth Day, August 2-6, 2017, in Yogyakarta (Indonesia).  The message was sent August 6 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, on behalf of the Holy Father.

Turkey taking stones from ancient Armenian church to make mosque

Turks are gradually dismantling an ancient Armenian church of the Varagavank monastic complex on the slopes of Mt. Varag, in Yukarı Bakraçlı in Eastern Turkey, using its stones to construct a mosque, reports the newspaper Yeni Özgür Politika.

The church was initially constructed in the 7th-8th centuries. During the period of the Armenian Kingdom, it was the place of residence of the Archbishop of Van. The monastery was abandoned after the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Kingdom in 1915. The head of the Union for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural and Historical Monuments of Van Ali Kalçık noted that the ancient church is on the verge of complete destruction.

Mass Shooting in Nigerian Church: At Least 8 Killed, 18 Injured

At least eight people were killed and 18 more were injured in a shooting in a church in the southern Nigerian city of Ozubulu located in the Anambra state, police of Anambra said in a Sunday statement. According to the statement, the law enforcers would brief the public after the end of the investigation into the deadly incident.

Archbishop Atallah Hanna Visits Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II received His Excellency Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sebastia, who is visiting Damascus accompanied by a delegation from Palestine, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma, Damascus.

Caritas: Pope to Launch ‘Share the Journey’ Campaign

On September 27, Pope Francis will launch Caritas Internationalis’ campaign “Share the Journey,” geared to promoting encounter with migrants and refugees, announced L’Osservatore Romano in its edition of Wednesday, July 26, 2017. In a letter sent in past days by the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila and President of Caritas Internationalis, Luis Antonio Tagle, to Catholic charitable organizations to present the campaign, he affirms that “we will find the path of peace through the culture of encounter.”

In Aleppo, the Dead Await Final Resting Place

This month, Pope Francis opened up a new path to sainthood for “those Christians who, following in the footsteps and teaching of Jesus, have offered their life voluntarily and freely for others and have persevered in this to death.” As reported by Aid to the Church in Need, in Aleppo, Syria, more than 2,400 Christians who died in the country’s civil war are awaiting proper burial—there may be saints among them. One day, some of their stories will be told.