The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

By Maria Lozano Briefing for our Donors THE RE-CONSECRATION of the altar in the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace (Dec. 1, 2017) was a new milestone on the journey back to normalcy in Homs, Syria. For three long years, 2011-2014—the city split between rebels and the Syrian regime—it was the setting for some of the fiercest fighting of the civil war. By the time the government took full control of Homs again, the city was left in ruins. In his emotional homily for the occasion, Melkite Patriarch Youssef Absi said, addressing an audience of more than a ...

“You are the hope of Syria, you are the light in the midst of so much darkness.” The words strike a chord—deep emotion shines in the eyes of these young men and women.

"Is it not significant that God chose children in Fatima to be the recipients of the most momentous peace plan for the new age? The children understood the language of Our Lady and, most importantly, believed her words."

"Qaraqosh, which is the largest Christian city in Iraq, is no longer as it was in the past. It has been truly devastated and has become almost frightening because of all the destruction."

“It is a clear fact that this situation has created in Christians a state of fear and concern about the possibility that the struggle may develop into a crisis that will have far reaching repercussions for all.”

Beyond the urgency of the physical reconstruction of the Nineveh Plains, the the cardinal said, “there is the more important obligation of reconstructing Iraqi society and consolidating a harmonious and peaceful coexistence. Here, Christians have the specific position to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and development.”