The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

Like many other Syrians, Mousa and Tamara lost their jobs and most prospects for a better life because of the civil war that tore their country apart. But these two Christians never stopped dreaming of a brighter future.

GAZA CITY—Sister Nabila Saleh, a sister of the Holy Rosary, is taking refuge in the Holy Family Parish,along with 700 other Christians. She has made a heartfelt plea for peace and humanitarian aid. In a telephone conversation with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Sister Nabila expressed deep concern for the 100 traumatized children who are currently housed in the parish complex and have known nothing but war. “We just want peace. We have had six wars in Gaza. ...

Sister Nabila Saleh, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Rosary and ACN’s local project partner, says that she is not going anywhere. “We need medicine. Hospitals have been destroyed. Our school has also been damaged, but we’re not leaving. People have nothing, not even the essentials. Where would we go? To die in the street?"

“The hatred, which we have unfortunately already been experiencing for too long, will increase even more, and the ensuing spiral of violence will create more destruction. Everything seems to speak of death."

ACN was one of the first international organizations to initiate relief efforts after the earthquake, since it was already present on the ground and had local trusted partners in place. The Catholic charity provided material, psychological, and educational assistance.

The Christian community in Iraq has once again been brought to its knees by a tragedy; fire at a Christian wedding in Qaraqosh, Iraq, left more than 100 people dead and 150  injured.