Catholic News 2
BEIRUT (AP) -- A series of rare explosions including suicide bombings rocked coastal government strongholds in Syria Monday, killing more than 80 people and wounding 200 others, state media and opposition activists said. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks....
(Vatican Radio) As the saying goes “never judge a book by its cover”. On the face of it Pete Shilaimon is a successful Hollywood producer working on big budget movie productions that are seen by cinema goers all over the world.But that’s only what hard work, self-belief and a strong faith has brought him. The cover of that book maybe glossy, but turn the pages and it reveals a person who feels a deep empathy with those who suffer due to his own experiences as a young migrant.Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with producer Pete Shilaimon Pete’s own story began in Iraq in the 1970’s. For him religious persecution was not just a phrase but a reality. He recounts how he and the rest of his family fled the country and how they arrived with nothing in the United States. It’s a situation that many Iraqi’s have faced, especially in the last number of years which has seen thousands flee cities such as Mosul which were over-run by Islam...
(Vatican Radio) As the saying goes “never judge a book by its cover”. On the face of it Pete Shilaimon is a successful Hollywood producer working on big budget movie productions that are seen by cinema goers all over the world.
But that’s only what hard work, self-belief and a strong faith has brought him. The cover of that book maybe glossy, but turn the pages and it reveals a person who feels a deep empathy with those who suffer due to his own experiences as a young migrant.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with producer Pete Shilaimon
Pete’s own story began in Iraq in the 1970’s. For him religious persecution was not just a phrase but a reality. He recounts how he and the rest of his family fled the country and how they arrived with nothing in the United States. It’s a situation that many Iraqi’s have faced, especially in the last number of years which has seen thousands flee cities such as Mosul which were over-run by Islamic militants.
“It brings back every horrendous memory I’ve had of Iraq”, says Pete. “I was 5 years old when I fled but watching what’s going on in Mosul and Iraq and the persecution of Catholics and Christians, it’s horrendous.”
He says that all his family members have now fled Iraq, adding that he has an uncle living in Dusseldorf in Germany and another uncle who is a refugee in Turkey.
As he watches the continuous steady stream of migrants fleeing conflict and misery in search of a better life in Europe, Pete says, his heart goes out to them.
“I’m completely gutted to see migrants and the refugees fleeing and just knocking at the door of a country to be allowed to come in and practice their faith and be a part of society…”
He goes on to say that his own family experienced at first-hand what it was like to knock on those doors in order to build a life for themselves and be accepted.
“My Dad was that person, my Dad was knocking on the door of the middle class for I can tell you 10 years, you know I was a welfare child, we finally got to that middle class and it took us a long time. I can’t imagine what these people are going through right now because it’s so much harder for these people now than it was for us.”
Asked why it’s so important for him to make movies that make a difference, Pete says, we want to make movies that speak to people, we want to make movies that change people’s lives, get them to think about their lives.
As a producer on the recently released motion picture “Risen” which looks at the days immediately following the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, Pete believes that movie studios are becoming more receptive to backing faith based stories. “I think if they’re done right, I think they are very well received… I do think studios are going to make more of these (films) I hope they make more of these and I hope they make them in way that doesn’t offend people”,...but educates them.
As Pete reflects on where he has come from on his life journey and the goals he still wants to achieve, he hopes that his story will spur on children who have faced similar difficulties in their lives to believe that dreams are possible whether it be in the film industry or any walk of life.
The “Risen” DVD is released this month.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After three military combat tours in warn-torn Iraq, Chase Millsap returned home to get on with a civilian life, but there was one thing he couldn't do: leave a comrade behind, certainly not one who had saved his life....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is breaking with the Obama administration and House lawmakers over a plan to restructure Puerto Rico's $70 billion in debt, saying the legislation would make "a terrible situation even worse."...
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A judge is expected Monday to hand down his verdict in the case of a Baltimore police officer charged in the arrest and subsequent death of Freddie Gray....
BEIRUT (AP) -- As one of the few pediatricians remaining in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Dr. Mohammed Wassim Maaz offered hope to tens of thousands of children and their parents trapped in the horror and misery of the five-year civil war. But last month, an airstrike widely believed to have been carried out by the Syrian government destroyed the al Quds hospital where he worked, killing Maaz and dozens of colleagues, patients and other civilians....
SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Yemeni security officials say that a pair of suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in the southern city of Aden....
TOKYO (AP) -- Two very different visions of the hell that is war are seared into the minds of World War II survivors on opposite sides of the Pacific....
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Monday that the violent death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour by a U.S. airstrike should send a "clear signal" to anti-American extremists that "we're going to protect our people."...
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- The Latest on U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to Vietnam (all times local):...
