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Erbil, Iraq, Oct 17, 2016 / 11:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a ground offensive to retake Mosul from the clutches of Islamic State, a priest working in the thick of the country’s refugee crisis said people are happy with the advances, but unsure what the future will hold.“We are so happy because yesterday the war began between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga with ISIS,” Father Roni Momika told CNA Oct. 17.He relayed how shortly before, they had received the “good news” that the ancient Monastery of the Martyrs Saint Behnam and his Sister Sarah, also known as the Mar Behnam monastery, near Nimrud “is free,” though it has suffered significant damage from Islamic State forces.There are still many Christians living in the villages surrounding Mosul, he noted, but said soldiers from the Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga are with them.“We hope that (soon) we will hear good news about Q...
Vatican City, Oct 17, 2016 / 01:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Alberto Ortega, the Pope's Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq and Jordan, has said that in the midst of a drawn-out humanitarian crisis and ongoing feelings of mistrust and betrayal, Christians can be a sign of reconciliation where political efforts continue to fall short.In order for current conflicts destroying much of the Middle East to come to an end, “there is first of all the political will,” Archbishop Ortega told CNA in an interview.“If the international community, if they really want to make peace, to promote peace, they can engage more intensively and to reach the agreements necessary to reach peace,” he said, stressing that dialogue is also important.However, in order for dialogue to be effective, one must “put aside personal interests or the interests of a group or of a country, (and) put in the center the attention to the people, to every single person, because behind all these nu...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ako Rasheed, ReutersBy Dale GavlakAMMAN, Jordan (CNS) -- IraqiChristians are cautiously welcoming the start of the battle for Mosul and theNinevah Plain, their ancestral homeland of the past 14 centuries from whichthey were brutally driven out by the Islamic State group more than two yearsago. "They've been waiting forthis day after being forced out in the summer of 2014, and many Christians havebeen living in very miserable conditions since. A number are eager to go back,"Father Emanuel Youkhana told the Catholic News Service. The archimandrite, amember of the Assyrian Church of the East, heads the Christian Aid ProgramNorthern Iraq, CAPNI."Of course the militaryoperation is just the first of several phases paving the way for their return. Theywill need security and other guarantees before they go back," FatherYoukhana said. "Also much reconstruction and rehabilitation of the regionoccupied the Islamic State militants will need to take place." This summer,the U.N. ...
IMAGE: CNS/Nancy WiechecBy Nancy Wiechec and Chaz MuthWASHINGTON(CNS) -- From the dramatic vistas of the Grand Canyon in Arizona to theglistening waters of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, national parks have stood asplaces of wonder, history and culture.JohnMuir, considered the father of our national parks, petitioned U.S. lawmakers toset aside such places for preservation, play and prayer."Everybodyneeds beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature mayheal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike," wrote the19th-century naturalist and philosopher in his book "Yosemite."Duringthe 100th year of the National Park Service, Catholic News Service traveled toa few of the nation's most popular parks and discovered sites of spiritualrefuge beside some of America's most beautiful landscapes.Thoughthe U.S. governmental agencies operate within the guidelines of separation ofchurch and state, there are sacred symbols in many of the national parks,mainly because the ...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's high school graduation rate has reached a record 83.2 percent, continuing a steady increase that shows improvement across all racial and ethnic groups, according to federal data released Monday....
BEIRUT (AP) -- Russian and Syrian forces will halt hostilities for eight hours in the eastern districts of Aleppo, Russia's military announced on Monday, a day on which opposition activists said their airstrikes killed at least 36 people, including several children, in and around the divided city....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A staple of Palm Beach's high-end philanthropy circuit, the Mar-a-Lago Club boasts rich history, an 800-seat ballroom and ocean views. But some major charities and fundraisers are now concerned with a different feature: the property's owner, Donald Trump....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior State Department official asked the FBI to help last year in reducing the classification of an email from Hillary Clinton's private server, according to FBI investigative files made public Monday. It was to be part of a bargain that would have allowed the FBI to deploy more agents in foreign countries, according to the files....
WHITE PLAINS, New York (AP) -- Hillary Clinton is expanding her campaign into states Democrats haven't won in decades, a sign of confidence in her presidential prospects and mounting efforts to win control of the Senate....
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi forces have launched their most complex anti-Islamic State operation to date: retaking the country's second-largest city of Mosul....
