The Voice of the suffering and persecuted​

“Beira is no longer a city. It has been destroyed almost entirely. From an airplane, the city presents itself as a large lake, from which emerge buildings without ceilings. You don't see streets, houses, fields. A lot of people have lost their lives."

The Syrian civil war has caused the greatest humanitarian catastrophe since World War II, with some 12 million refugees and Internally Displaced People. Today, Christians in Syria form only 3 percent of the population, whereas before the war they accounted for 10 percent.

“Through their work, religious sisters convey the loving proximity of God to millions of people each day,” said Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, adding that “supporting women religious often involves helping an entire community or even an entire ethnic group.”

“When I was young, my relationship with God was good, but since then, I’ve struggled at times. I always ask, ‘Why, Lord, why all this pain?’”

“This prayer intention of the Holy Father is quite significant for the Christian community. Praying for our persecuted and discriminated brothers and sisters is one of the pillars of ACN. We support this prayer intention of the Holy Father with great joy and gratitude."

The village was badly damaged during the fighting of recent years but the Christian community has returned—in large numbers. By now, 405 of the 580 homes that were destroyed in Bashiqa have already been rebuilt and about half of the Christians, or 1,585 people, have returned.

"What happened in Homs was very hard. Still, we did not think about emigrating because we have strong commitments here and ties with our local community—the idea of emigration was totally unacceptable to my father. He feels rooted in the land and leaving Syria is not for him."

The inclusion of the statement that “the Cuban state is a secular state” (Article 15) suggests an acknowledgment of the “right of the individual to believe in those values that reflect his or her faith, to live them and to proclaim them.”

“We do not know if every family will return to the Nineveh Plains, but we do believe that all Christians have a duty to shape the identity of the region. We want to live on our land, and we ask that our people stand with us. We must preserve our ...

“As long as we have faith, there is no need to worry or fear. Whenever we encounter disaster, we grow closer to God, so we should never despair. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and to share what is inside of me.”