Middle East

Catholics during Holy Week should continue to “pray ardently” for a de-escalation of violence in the Middle East, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, …

Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Franciscan Custos Father Francesco Ielpo gave an annual pre-Easter press conference on March 31. 

Pope Leo answered questions in Italian, English and Spanish as he was leaving Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town 13 miles southeast of Rome, after his customary Tuesday day off. 

The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued an Easter message calling the Iran war an “expanding wreckage” and its timing a “deep darkness.”

At his first Palm Sunday, Pope Leo XIV declared that Jesus, the King of Peace, embraces all suffering in human history and cries out from the cross against war.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Ielpo, the custos of the Holy Land, were prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher by Israeli …

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher remains a place of continuous prayer despite restricted access to the faithful, according to a statement released by the Custody of the Holy Land.

“We lift up our humble prayer to the Lord, so that the thunderous sound of bombs may cease, weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open up.”

The Church leaders expressed “deep concern” over the “escalation of armed conflicts in Lebanon and the Middle East” and over the “grave consequences” that would arise for the region’s people …

“Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,” Pope Leo said.