The Voice of the suffering in Middle East

“May this prayer make them feel the closeness of God, who is faithful, and touch every conscience to bring about a sincere commitment to peace. May God, our Lord, forgive those who make war, those who make weapons to destroy each other. We pray for peace in beloved Syria.”

"There is fear that the ISIS will return to our region, perhaps under a different name. That’s because of the lack of political unity in Iraq; and Christians have no confidence in their country’s political leadership, with legislators looking out for their own interests and discriminating against Christians."

AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED (ACN) is embarking on a program of reconstruction and restoration in Syria, including in Aleppo, one of the cities that suffered some of the heaviest fighting in the country’s civil war. Among the seven projects for the physical reconstruction of the city there are three involving Catholic cathedrals, namely the Armenian Catholic, Maronite and Syriac Catholic cathedrals. They represent the riches of the Eastern rites in Aleppo, while at the same time symbolizing the ...

'We need further help to rebuild the [Christian] villages in the Nineveh Plains, destroyed by ISIS. We need that the government grows and improves its services. Finally, we want to put an end to corruption [and the activities of] militia."

“They do not want us to instruct pupils in the liturgical language, Syriac, and they do not want us to teach history because they prefer to drum their own history into the heads of pupils."

"During the war, we lived in difficult circumstances, especially as students. We studied by candlelight sometimes, not to mention the sounds of the explosions that were increasing our stress."