News

Year of the Sword: The Assyrian Christian Genocide, a History

by Joseph Yacoub
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Reviewed by Raymond Ibrahim

This important contribution to genocide studies documents how the world’s oldest Christian communities—variously referred to as Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Arameans, but best known as Assyrians—were, along with the Armenians, “victims of the [Ottoman] plan for exterminating Christianity, root and branch,” to quote Lord Bryce in 1920. In fact, as half of the Assyrian population was massacred—going from 600,000 to 300,000 in 1915-18—relative to their numbers, no other Christian group, including the Armenians, suffered as much under the Ottomans.

Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II & Oriental Orthodox Primates Visit His Excellency German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II met His Excellency President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, at Bellevue Palace Residence in Berlin.

Oriental Orthodox Primates Gather in Germany

Primates of Oriental Orthodox Churches,  Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria – Primate of Coptic Church, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the East (Primate of the Syriac Orthodox Church), Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II of Armenia (Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church) and Catholicos Baselios Paulose II of the East (Primate of the Indian Orthodox Malankara Church) gathered in Germany.

Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas

The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior.

According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.”

Catholicos of All Armenians Received Actor John Malkovich

On October 12, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received famous Hollywood actor, director, screenwriter and producer Mr. John Malkovich and his partner Ms. Nicoletta Peyran; who arrived in Armenia to participate the opening ceremony of the 5th Aram Khachaturian International Music Festival. They were accompanied by Mr. Armen Smbatyan, Adviser of the President of the Republic of Armenia on International Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation and Mr. Sergey Smbatyan, Conductor and artistic director of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia.

Filipinos can now read sayings of Holy Fathers in Cebuano language app

The Russian Orthodox Mission in the Philippines has developed a special app “300 Sayings of the Saints of the Orthodox Church” in the Cebuano language, spoken by about 20 million Filipinos, reports the mission’s Facebook page.