Middle East - Africa News
Ivory Coast cease-fire discussions reported after hundreds die
While cease-fire negotiations are underway in the Ivory Coast, Vatican charity Caritas Internationalis condemned violence in the country that killed... Read more
Patriarch sees Egypt faced with a choice: Democracy or Islamism
"We don't have an intermediate choice" between Islamism and democracy, says Cardinal Patriarch Antonios Naguib about the future of Egypt. Read more
Catholic charity mobilizes for Ivory Coast refugees as crisis escalates
Catholic Relief Service is working to provide immediate aid to over 100,000 refugees who've fled the Ivory Coast amid rising... Read more
Catholic Relief Services resumes food aid in Sudan
Catholic Relief Services announced that it has been allowed resume food distribution in Sudan's West Darfur state after the government... Read more
Pakistan bishops urge Pope to name Shahbaz Bhatti a martyr
The bishops of Pakistan appealed to Pope Benedict to officially recognize Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic official in the country who... Read more
Catholic Relief Services' forced closure in Sudan endangers hungry (Updated)
Catholic Relief Services has announced that it will be forced to close its food program in Sudan’s West Darfur state... Read more
Archbishop condemns attack in Jerusalem
The apostolic nuncio to Israel and Cyprus responded to a March 23 terrorist attack in Jerusalem that left one dead... Read more
Asia Bibi fasting for justice during Lent
Asia Bibi, the Christian mother condemned to death under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy law, is fasting and praying “for peace and... Read more
Fighting in Ivory Coast could drag country into civil war
Reports from Ivory Coast indicate that the embattled West African nation is on the brink of civil war, with outgoing... Read more
Franciscan guardians of Holy Land shrines launch new website
The Franciscans in the Holy Land, who've been charged by the Vatican with preserving Catholic sanctuaries in the area throughout... Read more
Maronite Catholics in Lebanon receive new patriarch
Lebanon's Maronite Catholic Church has elected Bishop Bechara Rai, a 71-year-old monk, as its new patriarch. Read more
Pakistani Catholics encouraged by Pope’s concern, Bhatti legacy remembered
Pope Benedict XVI expressed his concern for the protection of human dignity and religious freedom again this week as Pakistani... Read more
Patriarch urges offering Lenten sacrifices for end to Middle East turmoil
Patriarch Gregorios III, head of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, is encouraging his faithful to offer their prayers and other Lenten... Read more
Asia Bibi fears she's next, after Pakistani minister’s slaying
Speaking from her prison cell, Asia Bibi has voiced her “pain and concern” following the assassination of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti... Read more
New Egyptian prime minister meets with Christians after recent attack
After a Coptic Christian church was set on fire on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt’s new prime minister, Essam Sharaf,... Read more
Pakistan’s Catholic bishops could propose Shahbaz Bhatti as a martyr
The Catholic bishops of Pakistan will consider a proposal to ask the Vatican to declare assassinated Pakistani minister Shahbaz Bhatti... Read more
Catholic leaders join condemnation of Ivory Coast mosque burnings
Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have condemned the Feb. 25 destruction of two mosques in Ivory Coast, with a... Read more
Pakistani Catholics mourn death of Cabinet member with funeral Mass, protests
Torn with grief over the recent assassination of Pakistani government minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the Christian community in Pakistan declared three... Read more
Retiring Iraqi archbishop sees his flock at turning point on liberty, security
Archbishop Casmoussa of Mosul has guided the Church in northwestern Iraq since 1999. Read more
Pope expresses gratitude for retiring Maronite Patriarch
Pope Benedict XVI has written a personal letter to the retiring Cardinal Patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Catholic Church, thanking him... Read more
