The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Church leaders have denounced new violent attacks on the last all-Christian town in the West Bank.  Extremist settlers entered the Palestinian town of Taybeh, to the east of Ramallah, on July 28, torching cars and spraying hostile graffiti.  The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches put out a statement on July 29, expressing their “profound concern” over what they say are recurring incidents. They said, “Several vehicles were set ablaze, and hateful graffiti was sprayed – an unambiguous act of intimidation ...

More than 600 young people in the Holy Land have been able to experience a week of fun and freedom, thanks to the local Church and the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). This year, because of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, the opportunity to get away from the difficulties of their daily lives was even more important.   Every year, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem organizes summer camps in Palestine and Israel for ...

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received a new and moving testimony from Gaza, following the July 17 attack on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family, which left three people dead and more than ten wounded. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the local Catholic community, sent a message directly to the pontifical foundation, expressing his gratitude, but also his pain and unshakeable faith in the midst of the tragedy. “Here we are, after these terrible ...

The situation in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, where fighting between different ethnic and religious communities has caused widespread bloodshed and suffering, remains dire. The attacks also affect Christian communities in the area.   Sources close to the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) say that despite the serious risk, the Capuchin church of Jesus the King in the city of Suwayda has now become a shelter for some 250 people – between 60 and 70 families from ...

The Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, was hit last Thursday, July 17, in an attack that left its community mired in pain and uncertainty. A shell, according to initial reports, fired from an Israeli tank, killed three people and wounded 15 more, including the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.  “They have been and continue to be very hard days,” Fr. Gabriel begins ...

The Catholic parish of the Holy Family in Gaza was severely damaged today in what is thought to have been an Israeli military strike. According to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, three people died and several were injured, some seriously. In addition, the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, sustained a light injury to his leg. The church suffered major structural damage, and the Christian community in Gaza remains in shock as the ongoing conflict continues to devastate the region. Witnesses ...