The Voice of the suffering and persecuted​

“Our life is not without risk, but life won’t stop, risk or no risk. We have to keep going.”

"It was there that they handcuffed me to a tree. It was a very uncomfortable moment. I wept, and I cried out to God ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"

"Some of the families here in Jounieh, a town not generally regarded as being poor, actually go out early in the morning, in order not to be seen, scavenging food from the dustbins!”

"As a priest with a family, I am affected by the crisis too. We have stopped eating meat except for once a week when have chicken. We have cut down our electricity use and only buy fruit once a week. It’s not just to be in solidarity with the people. ...

"They called me a churi (low caste), an abusive term reserved for sanitation workers, and said they refused to work under a Christian."

This second massive wave of infections has caught the dioceses with empty coffers.

“We can help the families to start over, we give them a reason to stay, and a chance to rebuild their country."

News reports are showing people dying in their homes and in ambulances without proper treatment. The pandemic is out of control, spreading fear and anxiety among the population.

Since 2012, jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have carried out kidnappings to obtain money or exert political pressure.

The population of Istanbul has increased tenfold over the last 50 years and the city has one of the largest populations of young people from all European cities.