(Vatican Radio) Iraqi special forces have moved more than 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and surrounding areas, where the U.N. says militants have committed a number of atrocities in recent days.During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his closeness and solidarity with those affected by the fighting and called for prayers.Meanwhile, humanitarian aid agencies in Iraq, including CAFOD and Catholic Relief Services have been working to assist those affected by the fighting. Hani El-Mahdi, CRS Director for Iraq, spoke with Vatican Radio’s Christopher Wells about relief efforts in the country:Listen: Catholic Relief Services started their work in Northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, as a response to ISIS invading Mosul. Since then, they have worked with sister agencies such as CAFOD and Caritas Iraq and have been able to serve more than 150,000 internationally displac...
(Vatican Radio) Iraqi special forces have moved more than 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and surrounding areas, where the U.N. says militants have committed a number of atrocities in recent days.
During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis expressed his closeness and solidarity with those affected by the fighting and called for prayers.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid agencies in Iraq, including CAFOD and Catholic Relief Services have been working to assist those affected by the fighting. Hani El-Mahdi, CRS Director for Iraq, spoke with Vatican Radio’s Christopher Wells about relief efforts in the country:
Listen:
Catholic Relief Services started their work in Northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, as a response to ISIS invading Mosul. Since then, they have worked with sister agencies such as CAFOD and Caritas Iraq and have been able to serve more than 150,000 internationally displaced people as a result of the current conflicts going on in Iraq.
In recent days, the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces have launched an offensive against ISIS militants in the country, and it has had an effect on the work being done by CRS:
“We have been preparing for it for some time by basically testing volunteers and staff in order to be ready to receive a huge number of internally displaced people, from Mosul in particular,” El-Mahdi continues, “On the top of all the assistance we have been doing so far we have to keep up in order to respond to this anticipated new wave of displacement.”
The displaced people of Iraq often lack necessities and CRS does their best to provide aid and winterization items:
“Usually people will need immediate assistance in the beginning and that’s what we have been providing so far, including shelter, water, and sanitation. Also, household items, kitchen materials, blankets,” said Eh-Mahdi.
El-Mahdi warns that, “The coming winter in Iraq can be brutal for those IDPs so winterization items and cash assistance are needed.” He also stresses that children are in need of education.
While there are many people being displaced from Mosul, there are other areas in need of humanitarian aid and he mentions the cities of Kirkuk, Amarah, and Fallujah:
“There are thousands of IDPs stranded in those areas, wanting immediate assistance. On top of that, more than 3 million IDPs in the country still need assistance, particularly during the coming weather.”
So, he concludes, we continue to deal with multiple challenges across the nation which are rendered even more urgent and critical by the upcoming winter months.
Father Leo Riley, age 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice in Florida. / Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff's OfficeCNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 19:18 pm (CNA).A Florida priest who was recently arrested on sex abuse charges was permitted to continue in active ministry for nearly three years after a civil sex abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the diocese in which he serves.Father Leo Riley, age 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice in Florida. The matter came to the forefront this week after Riley was arrested on several sex abuse charges dating back to his time serving as a priest in Iowa decades ago. The Charlotte County, Florida Sheriff's Office said in a press release that deputies arrested Riley in Port Charlotte on April 24 "on multiple counts of capital sexual battery stemmin...
Facade of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons / EEJCCACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).One year after the Spanish newspaper El País published the report "Diary of a Pedophile Priest," which recounted the sexual abuse of minors committed in Bolivia by the deceased Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas, journalists from ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, went to the South American country to look into the political implications of the case, how the scandal has affected the Church's image in Bolivia, and the response of the civil justice system.Pedrajas, better known as "Padre Pica," arrived in South America in the early 1960s as part of his formation process with the Jesuits. For 10 years he lived in Peru and Ecuador, where he allegedly committed his first abuses while still a seminarian, and in 1971 he settled permanently in Bolivia.There the Society of Jesus appointed him assistant principal of the John XXIII Insti...
The members of the general board of directors of the Regnum Christi Federation, before its first general convention from April 29 to May 4, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: Regnum ChristiACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).The Regnum Christi Federation will hold its first general convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, the first such assembly since its statutes were approved in 2019 after a long process of listening, purification, and a hopeful look toward its future.The ecclesial movement was shaken to the core by the revelation of numerous cases of sexual abuse and abuses of power primarily involving Father Marcial Maciel, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement.The Regnum Christi Federation is comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ (priests), Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.Regnum Christi is now defined as an apostolic body and spiritual family led by ...