Catholic News

A proposed federal bill would allow child abuse victims to continue seeking evidence in civil suits even amid bankruptcy filings, a rule that could have significant consequences for U.S. Catholic dioceses facing abuse lawsuits.

The bill, proposed by a bipartisan group of U.S. congresswomen and announced on April 29, would move to "address misuse of the bankruptcy system by organizations facing lawsuits for child sex abuse," according to a press release from Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina.

Ross noted that bankruptcy filings, including those by U.S. dioceses facing voluminous child abuse allegations, trigger stays in civil litigation that block plaintiffs from further discovery while the Chapter 11 process plays out.

Ross said U.S. bankruptcy law contains "unacceptable loopholes" that allow organizations to "avoid the consequences of their negligence and abuse."

The proposed bill would allow abuse victims to continue the discovery process even amid bankruptcy filings. It would also allow victims to submit impact statements within the Chapter 11 proceedings themselves.

The bill would also "require forensic accountants to assess the debtor's estate and nondebtor holdings in child sex abuse cases."

The measure, titled the "Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act," was previously introduced in 2024, though it stalled in the House of Representatives.

Bankruptcy generally offers more payouts for victims

Numerous U.S. dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in recent years, particularly amid the passage of state-level laws that have expanded or removed the statute of limitations for filing child abuse claims.

Marie Reilly, a professor of law at Penn State University and an expert in bankruptcy litigation, told EWTN News in 2025 that bankruptcy filings are generally advantageous not just for a diocese but for those seeking compensation from it.

The alternative, she said, is for a plaintiff to "prove their case on a trial of evidence against the diocese," which requires considerably more effort with less chance of payment.

Committees of survivors usually agree that bankruptcy is the better option, she said, insofar as it ensures that everyone gets some form of compensation instead of just a few big payouts being limited to the quickest litigants.

"Outside of bankruptcy, we call it 'the race of the diligent,' where the speediest get the spoils," she told EWTN News.

Still, the U.S. representatives sponsoring the latest bankruptcy reform bill argue that such procedures should not limit victims from being able to seek evidence in their suits against organizations including Catholic dioceses.

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, said in the press release that abuse victims "deserve justice, accountability, and transparency at every step of the process."

"No one should be able to use bankruptcy proceedings as a shield to avoid responsibility," she said, arguing that the bill "closes those loopholes so survivors can continue their pursuit of justice and bad actors are held fully accountable."

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As it continues the "confident renewal of its Catholic identity," the University of St. Thomas in Houston announced the appointment of influential Catholic leaders to its board of directors this week.

Among the new board members are R.R. "Rusty" Reno, editor of First Things; Adam Laxalt, the former attorney general of Nevada; and Mary Eberstadt, writer and senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C.

Reno told EWTN News he would like to see the school become a leader on the American Catholic academic scene.

"It's a Thomistic institute," said Reno, a former theology professor, "and there's a unique opportunity to put forward the Thomistic tradition in the context of American Catholic higher education in an intellectually strong and robust way."

The new members join the university board as the school "is poised to take its place among the leading Catholic institutions in our country," school President Sinda Vanderpool said in a press release April 28.

"The university's governance now draws upon voices who have shaped national conversations in faith, culture, law, and public life," said board chairman Craig Jarchow in the press release.

"We live in a time when the academic culture, which is secular and progressive, exerts tremendous influence over the formation of young people," Reno said. "A Catholic university requires a very clear and explicit mission to avoid drifting and becoming like any other university with a chapel. You don't want that."

Eberstadt told EWTN News "the fact that UST has this enthusiastic, unapologetically Catholic leadership" is "what drew me to the school."

"Against the backdrop of secularization, and all the things that we know are wrong in the West," the writer said she is seeing what she calls "the next American awakening."

Seeing "new forms of fellowship and outreach, Catholic and Protestant alike, including on campuses where there had never been such things before," is exciting, she said.

"It is clear that something is stirring, and so when I saw this in action at UST, I wanted to be a part of it and not just to keep telling people this was out there, but to participate in building it."

The school is now "the Catholic 'room where it happens,'" Eberstadt said.

Laxalt, a former naval officer and Iraq veteran, agreed, telling EWTN News that there is "an orthodox Catholic revival going on in the U.S. and our youth are seeking more depth and formation in their education."

"One of the things I have most cherished, both in and out of public service, is mentoring young people," he said. "I am honored to support UST in grounding students in the Catholic intellectual tradition."

Eberstadt said she hopes that as a board member, she can help "enhance the social lives of the students because I know from my research, and we all know after COVID, there's been a real collapse of socializing, in Gen Z especially."

She said she hopes this will build "community that will be part of their battle armor that they will take into their lives after they leave the university, so they will be grounded in a spiritual network and a network of fellowship."

Practically, she said she would like to see the university add square dances to its cultural repertoire.

"It's very small 'd' democratic," she laughed. "You have to dance with everybody, you don't have to have a partner, and it has the spiritual dimension of bringing students together who would otherwise be looking at their phones."

"And the fact that it's an American pastime … It's an American thing, perfect for the 250th anniversary of our country," she said.

Other new board members include philanthropist Charlene Brandau, attorney and UST alumnus Habeeb "Hobbs" Gnaim, energy executive David Preng, and board director for the Mays MBA Program at Texas A&M University Bill Way.

The University of St. Thomas is a comprehensive Catholic university offering programs in the traditional liberal arts, professional, and skilled-based disciplines.

It ranks as the second-largest institution by enrollment among colleges and universities listed in the Newman Guide, published by the Cardinal Newman Society, which recognizes institutions committed to the Church's principles of education.

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The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to efforts from President Donald Trump's administration to remove the temporary legal status of Haitian and Syrian migrants.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for migrants from Syria, Haiti, and other countries. If the court rules that her actions are lawful, the administration could order the removal of more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.

The Trump administration argued April 29 that the executive branch has broad discretion to terminate TPS for any country. The challengers, representing the migrants, argued Noem failed to follow the proper procedure and accused officials of unlawfully using racist beliefs about migrants to make their determinations.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the administration to extend TPS status for both countries.

Migrants' lawyers challenge Trump

Ahilan Arulanantham, who argued on behalf of the Syrians, recognized that the administration has "broad" discretion in determining TPS status but argued that Noem failed to follow proper procedure in her decision-making.

Even though he said Noem can make the final decision to terminate TPS, he noted that the law requires Noem to consult with relevant agencies before deciding. He argued that Noem did not adequately consult with agencies prior to making the decision.

"We cannot challenge on the ground that she's wrong," Arulanantham acknowledged, "… [but] what is reviewable is whether she actually asks anything and gets any information about country conditions."

He said that one basis for Syria's TPS designation was armed conflict, "but the secretary never consulted the State Department about the armed conflict." Rather, he argued, "she terminated based on the national interest."

"We don't argue about the levels; we don't argue about the amount," Arulanantham said. "All we say is [there] has to be deliberation about a subject. They have to talk about country conditions."

Justices questioned those arguments, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett pressing Arulanantham, asking him whether Noem could have consulted with the State Department on those subjects, and terminated the status, even if there was strong evidence in favor of extending it.

Arulanantham said she could have, which led Barrett to assert the procedure appears to simply be a "box-checking exercise."

Justice Samuel Alito argued that if the administration has broad discretion in the "determination" of whether TPS status is extended: "If we apply the ordinary meaning of that term here, I really don't understand how you can prevail."

Justice Elena Kagan appeared sympathetic to the claim that the court could review whether the administration followed procedures but that scrutinizing whether Noem consulted with agencies about proper or improper subjects "seems harder to me than the procedural argument."

Geoffrey Pipoly, who represented the Haitians, argued Noem's review of the termination for his clients "was a sham," saying the decision was "a preordained result driven by the president's resolve to end TPS for Haiti no matter what."

He accused the president of "racial animus toward non-white immigrants and bare dislike of Haitians in particular," citing Trump's remark that Haiti is an "[expletive]-hole country" and his assertion that migrants were "eating the dogs and eating the cats."

Kagan questioned the argument, noting the Trump administration broadly scaled immigration back, stating: "I don't quite see how that operates when all of these programs went."

Alito pressed Pipoly on what constitutes "white" and "non-white," and said: "You have a really broad definition of who's white and who's not white. As I said, I don't like dividing people of the world into these groups."

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson defended the argument, noting that only predominantly non-white countries have TPS status.

'Broad discretion'

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the law does not permit judicial review of Noem's decision to terminate TPS, arguing that Noem had "broad discretion" over how she considered whether to extend the status for those countries.

"Any determination — with respect to designation, extension, or termination — is not subject to judicial review," Sauer told the justices.

Sauer said the secretary can determine which agencies are appropriate to consult and could even determine there are no proper agencies to consult. He accused the other side of simply claiming her consultation "wasn't quite enough."

"Seeking input is consultation, seeking advice from someone knowledgeable is a form of consultation," he said, arguing the secretary has broad discretion to decide what constitutes consultation.

Sauer said these decisions are "traditionally entrusted to the political branches" and accused the district courts that halted TPS terminations of "appointing themselves junior varsity secretaries of state."

He also rejected the allegations of racism, saying "not a single one of [Trump's comments] mentions race or relates to race." He said they always refer to "crime, poverty, welfare dependency, drugs, [and] drug importation," among other issues.

Kagan challenged the suggestion there could be no judicial review at all, noting that Congress enacted a statute that requires consultation and "it set forth procedural steps that have to be followed."

"The Constitution … [says] due process applies to any alien who lives in the United States," she said. "It applies to all people living here. … They're entitled to due process. Now Congress has given them a process. It may not be a court process, but that's OK. It's a process and you're saying … it's unreviewable whether the president has followed that process."

Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told "EWTN News Nightly" that terminating the status would not remove every person who entered through TPS if the administration succeeds in court because some people have other forms of lawful status, such as a student visa.

"If they are here and they are not in lawful status and they don't have removal orders, [the Department of Homeland Security] is then going to have to take them all and put them into removal proceedings, get a removal order, and then remove them from the United States," he said.

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The U.S. Supreme Court said a New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center may challenge a state subpoena demanding donor information.

The court in a unanimous ruling April 29 decided the case could proceed in federal court, reversing a lower court decision that had deemed the lawsuit premature.

The pregnancy center had raised First Amendment concerns about whether it could immediately assert its right to challenge a state subpoena demanding donor information — including names, addresses, and places of employment — in federal court, or whether it must first proceed through the state court system.

The ruling was a victory for First Choice Women's Resource Centers. Diverse groups including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of Congress, the Trump administration, and the ACLU had agreed that First Choice should be able to challenge the subpoena in federal court without first litigating the issue in New Jersey state court.

The case, First Choice Women's Resource Centers, Inc. v. Davenport, involves a 2023 subpoena issued by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin seeking donor information from First Choice. In 2022, Platkin had begun investigating crisis pregnancy centers like First Choice, saying they are organizations that may provide "false or misleading information about the safety and legality of abortion."

First Choice described itself in a Supreme Court brief as a faith-based nonprofit serving New Jersey women by offering material support and medical services such as ultrasounds and pregnancy tests. The organization said it does not provide or refer for abortions.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told the court in an amicus brief: "Compelling disclosure of a religious organization's financial support violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion."

It contended that compelling disclosure would undermine the group's religious mission and chill the free-exercise rights of donors who give anonymously in keeping with their beliefs.

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Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami (CCADM) said it will cut more than 80 jobs after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declined to renew an $11 million federal contract.

"HHS not renewing funding to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami will result in 85 staff members being laid off as of May 31, 2026," Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the organization's CEO, said in a statement to EWTN News.

He said another 20 employees will be let go on June 30.

For decades, CCADM partnered with the federal government to serve vulnerable children and families. The termination of the contract ended a more than 65-year relationship that began with Operation Pedro Pan, which resettled about 14,000 Cuban children who were fleeing the Castro regime in the U.S.

The layoffs follow the announcement that CCADM "had to make the difficult decision to close the Msgr. Bryan Walsh Children's Village," Devika Austin, chief administrative officer of CCADM, wrote in an April 24 letter.

The Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children's Village, formerly known as Boys Town, is a CCADM program sheltering unaccompanied, undocumented immigrant children with the ability to house up to 81 children.

It is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence and excellence that Catholic Charities has achieved, if and when future waves of unaccompanied minors reach our shores."

Archbishop Thomas Wenski

Archdiocese of Miami

"This week all affected employees received notice," she wrote. "We are working with our employees to assist them during this difficult transition."

Due to the unforeseen circumstances, CCADM reported in the letter it was "unable to provide 60 days' notice" to employees and noted that the "layoffs are permanent."

More than half of the staff laid off was made up of youth care workers in the program, along with numerous others including clinicians, case managers, and medical coordinators.

During a press conference on April 15 following the funding cuts, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami urged the government to reinstate the funds noting that services for unaccompanied minors would "be forced to shut down within three months."

"It is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence and excellence that Catholic Charities has achieved, if and when future waves of unaccompanied minors reach our shores," he said.

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The Vatican Observatory has named four asteroids after key figures in its history. Among them is Pope Leo XIII, who refounded the institution in 1891.

The newly named asteroids were discovered by the telescope the Vatican operates in Arizona.

The asteroid "Gioacchinopecci" honors Pope Leo XIII, born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, whose legacy is closely tied to the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV.

According to the observatory, Leo XIII reestablished the Vatican Observatory after the loss of the Papal States and of important astronomical facilities, particularly the observatory of Father Angelo Secchi located above the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome.

Photographs of the Vatican from the early 20th century show the domes of the observatory's telescopes above the Vatican walls and the Tower of the Winds.

In the 1930s, because electric lighting made Rome's night sky brighter, the telescopes were moved to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, whose domes can still be seen today from miles away.

The later increase in light pollution from Rome led to the construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, or VATT, on Mount Graham in Arizona in the 1990s.

Through the 1891 motu proprio Ut Mysticam, Leo XIII established the Vatican Observatory, stating that it would help show the world that the Church's present and historic attitude toward "true and solid science" was to "embrace it, encourage it, and promote it with the greatest possible dedication," contrary to what its critics claimed.

In particular, he emphasized that the observatory would help promote "a most noble science that, more than any other human discipline, raises the spirit of mortals to the contemplation of heavenly events."

Leo XIII is the third pope to have an asteroid named after him. Gregory XIII has one in recognition of his role in the reform of the calendar, as does Benedict XVI, to whom "(8661) Ratzinger" is dedicated.

In addition to Pope Leo XIII, another asteroid has been named "Lais" in honor of Giuseppe Lais, an Italian priest and astronomer who served as deputy director of the Vatican Observatory for 30 years. Asteroids were also named for Pietro Maffi, an Italian cardinal, archbishop of Pisa, and astronomer, and André Bertiau, a Belgian Jesuit priest, astronomer, and former director of the Vatican Observatory.

Asteroids receive a provisional designation at the time of discovery based on the date of observation and managed by the Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature of the International Astronomical Union.

When an asteroid's orbit is determined with sufficient precision and its future path can be reliably predicted, it is assigned a permanent number. Currently, about 850,000 of the roughly 1.3 million known asteroids have received a permanent number.

Only after receiving this number, the observatory noted, can discoverers propose a definitive name to replace the provisional designation.

The proposed name is then examined by the working group and must comply with specific guidelines. Once approved, the asteroid is known by its official name, written as "(number) Name."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Pope Leo XIV granted ecclesiastical communion to the new patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, His Beatitude Mar Paul III Nona, who now serves as the head of this Eastern Catholic Church based in Iraq, which is in full communion with Rome.

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What is the Chaldean Church?

The Chaldean Church is one of more than 20 Eastern Catholic Churches under the authority of the pope in Rome and possesses autonomy in accordance with Canon 27 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

This allows it to manage its internal affairs in accordance with the laws it has established for itself. The Synod of Chaldean Bishops was the body that elected the new patriarch.

What is ecclesiastical communion?

The new patriarch, who succeeds Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako following his resignation, was elected on April 12 and received ecclesiastical communion on April 24, having requested it via a letter sent to Pope Leo, as established by Canon 76 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

"With a heart filled with joy, I grant you ecclesiastica communio as an expression and bond of full communion with the Apostolic See in the common service of unity within the Church and the building up of the body of Christ," the Holy Father wrote to the new Chaldean patriarch.

Ecclesiastical communion is the formal recognition of full communion with the Diocese of Rome, i.e. with the pope, granted to the one requesting it; in this case, the Chaldean patriarch.

This recognition enables the new patriarch to fully exercise his ministry as the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, not only within Iraq but also among the diaspora throughout the world.

Once the patriarch, who is "primus inter pares" ("first among equals") has received ecclesiastical communion, he may convene the synod of bishops of the Church over which he presides and also ordain bishops.

Pope Leo's message to the new Chaldean patriarch

Pope Leo XIV offered his prayers for the new patriarch and his mission to proclaim the Gospel, "strengthening ecclesial communion within his own territory and in the territories of the diaspora, which is becoming increasingly numerous."

The Holy Father highlighted that Mar Paul III Nona was elected "on the day when the Chaldean liturgy commemorates the encounter of the risen Christ with St. Thomas, from whom the living tradition of this Church originates."

For this reason, he encouraged the Chaldeans to persevere as "true believers," especially in the face of the "exceedingly arduous trials" that the faithful in Iraq and other territories often confront.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Trump administration has dissolved the governing body that oversees the National Science Foundation, which included two high-ranking staff members at The Catholic University of America (CUA).

CUA Executive Vice President and Provost Aaron Dominguez was serving as vice chairman of the National Science Board (NSB) while CUA Vice Provost Victor McCrary was serving as NSB chair before the Trump administration fired all 22 board members on April 24.

"On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately. Thank you for your service," NSB members were informed in an April 24 email from the White House, a spokesperson for the National Science Foundation confirmed to EWTN News.

"The Supreme Court's reasoning in U.S. v. Arthrex in 2021 raised constitutional questions about whether non-Senate confirmed appointees can exercise the authorities that Congress gave the National Science Board," a White House official told EWTN News in a statement. "We look forward to working with the Hill to update the statute and ensure the NSB can perform its duties as Congress intended. The National Science Foundation's work continues uninterrupted."

The NSB oversees the National Science Foundation, advises the president and Congress on science and engineering policy, approves NSF funding awards, and publishes key reports on the state of U.S. science. Members serve staggered six-year terms.

The case cited by the administration, U.S. v. Arthrex, says federal boards whose members wield unreviewable executive power must be structured so that a properly appointed principal officer, one appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, can review or overrule their decisions.

The NSB's actions are advisory, policy-setting, and subject to oversight by a Senate-confirmed agency head. While not holding final executive authority, board members oversee a federal agency and approve billions in grants.

The board issued policy-shaping publications such as Science and Engineering Indicators, Vision 2030, and its Skilled Technical Workforce reports, which influenced federal science priorities and congressional decision-making. The board also issues merit-review analyses that guide how the National Science Foundation allocates billions in research funding.

The Catholic University of America declined to comment on the firings. Dominguez and McCrary did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Catholic bishops of the European Union closed their spring plenary in Cyprus with an urgent appeal for peace in the Middle East and a public gesture of solidarity with the island's Maronite Christians, whose villages and churches lie in the north of the island, under Turkish military control since 1974.

Meeting in Nicosia from April 22–24 under the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, delegates of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) endorsed a declaration that echoed Pope Leo XIV's recent appeal: "Let those who have weapons lay them down."

In his opening address, Maronite Archbishop Selim Sfeir called Cyprus a "natural bridge" between Europe and the Middle East and named greed as the root of wars "that are regional only in name."

The Church, he told the assembly, citing Paul VI, is "an expert in humanity."

Support for Christians

On April 23, the feast of St. George, the bishops celebrated Mass in the Maronite rite in Kormakitis, Cyprus.

In his homily, Sfeir said the once-flourishing Cypriot Maronite community had been reduced to four villages and that the unresolved Cyprus question continued to deprive the faithful of access to their properties, including — according to Sfeir — two parishes and the historic Monastery of the Prophet Elijah.

The bishops past occupied homes and churches under restricted access; they pledged to advocate within EU institutions for the rights and heritage of Cyprus' Christians.

Cypriot Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou used her address to the assembly to set out Nicosia's EU agenda, citing more than 550 religious monuments under occupation, over 20,000 stolen icons, and looted cemeteries since 1974. Combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, she said, is a Cypriot presidency priority.

The plenary also heard from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, who joined by video link and described the daily reality of Christians in the Holy Land since October 2023.

He urged the European bishops to invest in interreligious dialogue at home as a model for the region.

EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica briefed the assembly on the new EU Pact for the Mediterranean, with its 21 initiatives focused on youth, investment, and migration, and on Europe's "demographic winter." A separate meeting with His Beatitude Georgios III, Greek Orthodox archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, completed the ecumenical program.

COMECE's autumn plenary convenes in Brussels from Oct. 14–16.

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JERUSALEM — Catholic soldiers were among the three dozen young Israeli servicemen and servicewomen invited to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 26. The meeting was a rare opportunity for Christians serving in the Israeli military to share their views and experiences with the leader of Israel's government. 

"I'm here in the prime minister's office with an extraordinary group of young men and women. These are Christian soldiers, men and women, in the Israel Defense Forces," Netanyahu said in a video as he sat at his desk, flanked by the soldiers. "They fill all the important positions in our incredible military, and they do incredible work."

Up to 1,000 of the roughly 185,000 Christians with Israeli citizenship serve in the IDF. While some have been drafted, the majority serve as volunteers. 

The meeting was scheduled at a time when Israel faces mounting criticism over the country's treatment of Christians in both Israel and south Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah. On April 19, an IDF soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon. The same week, a video showed an IDF vehicle destroying a large solar energy panel near the same Lebanese Christian village. 

There were also 180 reported anti-Christian incidents — from spitting at Christian clergy to defacing church property — in Israel in 2025, according to the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli nongovernmental organization that tracks these incidents. 

In contrast to other Middle Eastern countries, Israeli law grants full rights to its small Christian community. But Christian emigration from both Israel and Palestine has increased in recent years, fueled by wars, financial instability, and anti-Christian acts by both Jews and Muslims. 

Appointment of special envoy

Reflecting the growing crisis between Israel and Christians around the world, on April 23 the government appointed diplomat George Deek, an Orthodox Christian, to serve as special envoy to the Christian world. Deek previously served as Israel's ambassador to Azerbaijan.

In a statement announcing Deek's appointment, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel "attaches great importance to its relations with the Christian world and with its Christian friends around the world. I am confident that George, a respected and experienced diplomat, will greatly contribute to the friendship and strengthening of the ties between the state of Israel and the Christian world."

During Sunday's meeting with soldiers, Netanyahu said that "Israel fights for the rights of Christians around the Middle East" and noted that "Israel has Christian soldiers who fight for the defense of Israel and for our Christian brethren throughout the area, throughout the region, and beyond."

Netanyahu said he was "impressed" by the soldiers' personal stories, "their commitment, their sacrifice, their achievements."

Juergen Buehler, head of the evangelical International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, said it was gratifying to be invited to the meeting, where 17 evangelical Christian soldiers and about 20 Arab Christian soldiers spoke at length with the prime minister.

"It was an extraordinary meeting, which lasted for at least one-and-a-half hours. At first, the prime minister went around and greeted each soldier personally. It was a very open discussion," Buehler said.

Given the opportunity to share some of the challenges of being a Christian IDF soldier, "an Arab Christian soldier told Netanyahu that he doesn't face any challenges in the IDF for being Christian, but when we go home, it's a different reality," Buehler related.

Buehler said the gathering was particularly important after the back-to-back incidents in southern Lebanon.

"One purpose of the meeting was to signal from the government that Christian soldiers are appreciated. Christians here are a minority within a minority within a minority, so it provided a unique window for the government to see why we serve. We are Zionists, but there are issues when you are a minority."

Buehler said the soldiers told Netanyahu that the government must work harder to raise the profile of Israel's small Christian population. 

"Israel needs to make sure that the next generation of Israelis are taught that Christians are part of the state of Israel and that there are many Christians around the world who stand with Israel," Buehler said. 

Shadi Khalloul, a Maronite Christian from northern Israel, agreed.

"Israel needs to normalize that Christians have a place here in this country, and it must stop Jewish and Muslim extremists. These extremists like the ones we saw in southern Lebanon do not represent the Israelis, the IDF, or the Jewish spirit," said Khalloul, an IDF veteran.

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