Pope Leo XIV appealed for restraint and renewed the church’s calls for nuclear disarmament and peaceful dialogue.
Middle East
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As Israel continued its airstrikes on nuclear sites in Iran, and Iran launched drones to retaliate, Pope Leo XIV welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the Vatican.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican’s top diplomat met with papal representatives to various Middle Eastern countries to discuss possible avenues toward peace in the region and the state of …
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(OSV News) — With a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon barely holding, as both sides accuse each other of violations, hopes for even a fragile peace seem impossible for those …
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(OSV News) — A Christmas tree was reportedly set ablaze in a Christian-majority town in Syria, prompting protests in the war-torn nation just two weeks after the ouster of former President …
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Cardinal Pizzaballa tells Gaza Christians they are ‘the light’ of the church
by OSV Newsby OSV NewsJERUSALEM (OSV News) — “You have become the light of our Church in the entire world,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa told Gaza Christians Dec. 22 during a pre-Christmas visit aiming to …
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Christians in Aleppo feel an uneasy calm amid rebel takeover of Syrian city
by Dale Gavlakby Dale Gavlak(OSV News) — An uneasy calm hangs over Aleppo, Christian leaders report, following the recent lightning takeover of Syria’s second-largest city by Islamist rebels driving out forces of Syrian President …
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(OSV News) — The head of a Catholic humanitarian agency in Lebanon told OSV News the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire appears to be intact, as he and his team vow to assist …
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Since Oct. 7 attacks and start of war, pope calls Gaza every day, lifting up suffering community
by Dale Gavlakby Dale Gavlak(OSV News) — Since Hamas’ attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, and the immediate start of the Israel-Hamas war, Pope Francis has provided daily spiritual solace to Gaza Strip’s only …
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(OSV News) — Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil said tensions between himself and Cardinal Louis Sako, the Baghdad-based Chaldean Catholic patriarch, were the result of a misunderstanding and denied …