The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime gave way to the rapid rise of rebel groups with Islamist roots. The Christian minority reacted with a mix of cautious optimism and deep apprehension as promises of inclusivity from rebel leaders clashed with fears of persecution. Almost 15 years ago, in 2010, revolutions across the Middle East toppled…
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Thirteen years of war. The earthquake and the consequences of the conflict in Gaza. A forgotten country. The Church is still a point of reference for many people, as Father Bahjat Karakach, Latin parish priest of the Syrian city of Aleppo, tells us. The voices of the children sound in the courtyard of the parish…
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A journey to the last Christian village in the mountains of Syria where the language of Jesus is still spoken. Islamists almost wiped out the pilgrimage site during the war. Now there is hope again. Thanks also to a courageous nun. As Ilias tells his story, he repeatedly strokes a wooden beam with his hand.…
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Thirteen years of war have shaped the daily lives of the people remaining in Syria. Millions of children have never known peace. Quality school education is almost non-existent. A generation without a future, which also influences the future of the country. The ‘Don Bosco’ paediatric centre of the Salesians in Damascus is a refuge for…
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Maria Cecilia Sierra Salcido is from Mexico and has been a Comboni Missionary Sister for 32 years. She has lived in many different countries. She shares her experiences with us. “The desert has become a sacred space for me.” Everything is grace. Divine gratuitousness and beauty are values that define and guide my life and…
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It has spread to the entire Persian Gulf, representing, to date, a new threat also for Europe. Captagon is the name given to phenethylline, a synthetic stimulant, a narcotic that causes disinhibiting effects and gives a sense of invincibility, considerably altering the perception of what one is doing, facilitating acts of extreme violence, as well…
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Sister Lourdes García, a Mexican Comboni missionary, works in the Bedouin communities of Jahalin, in the Judean desert. Her testimony. Assalamu Alaikum (‘Peace be upon you’) is the greeting with which we are greeted every time we visit the Bedouin communities in Palestine. Although the word ‘peace’ is part of the daily encounter, its experience…
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The history of the Armenian Catholic Church is made up of persecution but also of the courage to survive. In Lebanon, the church is engaged in the field of education and social affairs. The difficult political situation in the country. The explosion three years ago in the port of the capital left open wounds. We…
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This month of July, Monsignor Paolo Martinelli celebrates one year since the beginning of his ministry as a bishop in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia. “The Arabian Peninsula challenges the Church to live her mission authentically, supporting the faith of migrants, so that in this complex society they may be witnesses of the joy of…
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A visit to Maryam al-Adhra monastery; a place of dialogue and peace in Iraqi Kurdistan. It can only be seen at the last moment and only if you are looking for it: in the heart of Sulaymaniyya, among narrow streets and pedestrian alleys, small shops and tea rooms, finally a large building appears around a…
Read morePersecuted and driven from their homeland, Sinjar, in Iraqi Kurdistan, Yazidis cling to their religion and traditions such as the pilgrimage to the most important shrine. We visited the place. “Angels live on the threshold of every entrance, so it is important not to step on the entrance steps”. This is one of the rules…
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The Emirate Federation, created in 1971 out of the union of the six monarchies (seven since 1972), is unique in the Arab world since it is made up of absolute hereditary monarchies headed by a sheikh who functions as an absolute sovereign within his own state. In virtue of its constitution, the Emirates enjoy autonomy…
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“We want to create a federation of international journalistic organisations that collaborate in this effort, starting from the global South,” says Filipino journalist and 2022…
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Once upon a time, there was a leopard. He had a huge walnut tree that was full of nuts. Stingy as he was, however, he forbade…
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Three young Comboni missionaries from three continents share their vocation stories and missionary experiences. Fr Victor Cunanan Parungao from the Philippines reflects on 15 years of…
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