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BAGHDAD — The Chaldean Catholic Church welcomed its new church hierarch during a grand spiritual ceremony in the Mar Yawsef Chaldean Cathedral in the Karada district of Baghdad on 29 May, known as ‘Golden Friday,’ celebrating the first apostolic miracle. In the special liturgical service, attended by numerous patriarchs, bishops, and faithful from around the world, Mar Paulos III Nona was vested with patriarchal authority and the patriarchal staff. Among those attending the ceremony were Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch Emeritus of the Chaldean Church, Mar Awa III, patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Gewargis III, patriarch...

An archbishop in Lebanon has appealed to the international community to do whatever it can to protect innocent civilians from the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. “Any assault on this historic quarter would place innocent lives at immediate risk and could lead to widespread destruction, further displacement, and an irreparable wound to the historic Christian presence and to the human fabric of Southern Lebanon.” “Its Old Quarter is not merely a historic area – it is a living place of faith, memory, family life, coexistence, and continuous Christian witness. “It is home to civilians, elderly people, children, and families who...

The Mad Dash toward Synodal SuicideSynodal Inc., is hurtling toward the UN's Agenda 2030 deadline, accelerating the Great Spiritual Reset before the deadline expires.The race is on. Cardinal Mario Grech, the Secretary General of the Synod wrote in the 2025 Synodal Pathways letter and addressed the need for immediate action from 2025-2028:“It is the urgency of this mission that drives us to implement the Synod, a task for which all the Baptised share responsibility.”What is this urgent mission? Why suddenly is there a frantic sprint to get there? So much for the leisurely pilgrimage of mutual listening. After years of...

Cancel Culture from Rome: Pope Leo and Archbishop Vigano Yesterday I read Archbishop Vigano's letter to the pope. Like he did with the SSPX, Leo dissed the archbishop first agreeing to a private meeting and then changing his mind and refusing. Hmm...first thing I thought of was "Say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no." It's interesting to see whom Leo is willing to meet: the faux archbishop of Canterbury, homo-sympatico clergy like James Martin, the schismatic patriarch of the Eastern Church, pro-abort celebrities like Robert De Niro, etc. ad nauseum. The Vatican these days offers...

Whilst the preliminary agreement between Iran and the United States marks a significant and hugely welcome step towards ending conflict, it brings a new wave of anxiety for those inside Iran. As external pressures ease, there are concerns that the Iranian regime may refocus its efforts on strengthening internal control and domestic repression, particularly against religious minorities and Christian converts. There is also a real need to pray for individual Christians as they face some particularly pressing challenges: * Sam Khosravi and Maryam Falahi - Years after adopting their daughter, Lydia, an Iranian court ruled that, because Lydia is considered...

In the late 2000s, Li became a believer through a campus Bible study shortly after he began attending its meetings. Li worshiped in an evangelical church that held contemporary services shaped by joyful, fast-paced praise songs. But the upbeat worship music, coupled with his busy work schedule, “made his heart even less quiet,” said Li, who is in his mid-30s. Then he stumbled upon Ancient Faith Radio, a digital network of broadcasts offering Eastern Orthodox liturgical music and teaching. The melodies he listened to were simple, solemn, and contemplative. “It felt like another world,” he said. Li began exploring the...

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Michigan (LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit attended and spoke at the grand opening of a mosque and the new headquarters of the Islamic Institute of America (IIOA) last week, praising the building and erroneously saying that Muslims and Catholics worship the same God. In his brief remarks, Weisenburger lauded how he felt a “divine presence” as soon as he arrived at the Imam Al-Hasanain Mosque and erroneously claimed that all mosques, churches, synagogues, and other “places where God reaches out” are sacred spaces. The archbishop also offered his prayers that the new mosque and Islamic center...

Pope Leo says ‘religious faith’ can help fight ‘climate change’ at global conferencePope Leo addressed Arnold Schwarzenegger's Austrian World Summit in a video message, saying that ‘the religious dimension is in fact essential’ to dealing with ‘climate change.’Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday sent a video message to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2026 Austrian World Summit, calling for people of various faiths throughout the world to increase their “care for creation” and work towards a society rooted in “solidarity and human dignity.”In his June 16 remarks to the Summit, citing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, Leo referred to the care for the environment...

MLB rebukes Christian Giants players for citing Bible passage on ‘Pride Night’ capsThe league issued a warning to three San Francisco Giants pitchers after they wrote a Genesis verse on their ‘Pride Night’ caps, while LGBT activists demanded harsher punishment.Major League Baseball (MLB) has issued a warning to three Christian San Francisco Giants pitchers who inscribed a Genesis chapter 9 citation on their team’s specially issued “Pride Night” ball caps last Friday.As it turns out, so-called “Pride Night,” which is purported to be promoting tolerance, is actually about intolerance for Christians. “The writing on the cap violates our rules and...

Catholic aid workers warn that entire communities risk disappearing from the Middle East. Father Jan Zelazny, director of the Polish section of Aid to the Church in Need, met Christian communities as he traveled through Lebanon and Syria at the end of May. “In some places, only small Christian towns remain,” he said. “The Muslims left those areas. There are tunnels where Hezbollah fighters hide. The Christians stay and live in a kind of constant siege.” Many refuse to leave, fearing that departure would mean permanent exile. “They say that if they leave, they will never return,” Father Zelazny told...

A Baptist World Alliance delegation visited Egypt, Lebanon and Syria in a regional tour focused on Christian unity, interfaith dialogue and planning for a global commemoration of the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus Christ's life and ministry. The delegation was led by Elijah M. Brown, General Secretary and CEO of the Baptist World Alliance, and included Charlie Costa, President of the European Baptist Federation... Costa told Christian Daily International the conditions in Lebanon and Syria weighed heavily on the delegation. Quoting Luke 21:25 — "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in...

[Catholic Caucus] The Archbishop of Milan celebrates a Mass for an LGBT group during the 'Pride'The celebration of a Mass presided over by the Archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, for a group of LGBT Catholics during «Pride» week has sparked intense controversy in Italy. The initiative, organized by the so-called Gruppo del Guado, has been harshly criticized by various ecclesiastical sectors, which consider that the event sends an ambiguous message regarding Catholic doctrine on homosexuality.According to La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, the celebration took place last Friday at the Church of San Carlo al Lazzaretto, located in one of Milan’s neighborhoods...

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The Hezbollah war with Israel has brought great suffering to the country. About one-quarter of the population (1.4 million people) has been displaced. More than 3,500 have been killed — many of them Hezbollah fighters but also many civilians... About a dozen Lebanese Christian civilians have been killed in the south...On June 1, Dr. James Karam and his two children, Tony and Theodosia, were killed by an Israeli drone strike as they returned from university exams in Beirut to their village. The Trump administration has sought to save Lebanon, pushing the Lebanese and Israeli governments to negotiate directly for the...

[Catholic Caucus] Women’s group approved by German bishops demands abortions in Catholic hospitalsThe Catholic Women’s Association of Germany demanded access to abortion in Catholic institutions as a matter of ‘physical and mental health of those with unwanted pregnancies.’The Catholic Women’s Association of Germany (kfd) has demanded that abortion be carried out in Catholic hospitals.The kfd adopted a position paper, titled “Between the Protection of Life and Self-Determination: Positions and Perspectives of the kfd on Section 218 of the German Criminal Code,” at its assembly in Mainz last weekend.The document states: “The kfd demands that abortions must also be available in...

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Today, Melania and I join in prayer with Catholic Bishops gathered in Orlando, Florida, as they consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of our 250th year of American Independence—a powerful moment in our national story and a poignant reminder that America has always been guided by the loving hand of God.Even in the centuries before the United States was conceived in nationhood, America was a land of prayer, a place of miracles, and home to some of the most faithful and devoted Christians to ever live. From the heroic bands of...

A group of Iranian refugees are gathered in our living room in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Iranians are staying longer to have a Bible study in Farsi. Black tea is placed on the table with cookies and large dates. It is busier than ever. Iranians are eager to be together to share the latest news... People are deeply worried and hopeful at the same time. Mohamed Reza Behbudi is one of these, a new friend with whom I play rapid chess whenever we meet. He is a tough-looking man with incredibly kind eyes. “In Iran, I was...

[Catholic Caucus] Faithful priest targeted by protesters after denying ‘married’ homosexual Holy CommunionThe priest ‘told me that when he was giving me communion he was giving me ‘poison’ and that both my husband and I were ‘unworthy’ people and were doomed to live eternally in purgatory,” the homosexual alleged.A parish priest in Spain is being protested for preventing a homosexual from receiving Communion.José Antonio Hurtado alleges that on May 30 a parish priest in his hometown, Villanueva del Rio and Mina, asked him to remain after Mass and informed him that although he had received Communion that day, he would...

Leo XIV Met Homosexual Activist Bad BunnyOn Monday evening, Pope Leo XIV met with the Puerto Rican homosexual activist and singer Bad Bunny at Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium.Both were touring Spain, the Vatican said on Tuesday.Spanish media report that several photos were taken, including by members of the papal entourage, and discussions have taken place about whether and when to publish them."Bad Bunny" is the stage name of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a Puerto Rican rapper. He is known for his "fluid" gender expression, evident in his fashion choices, nail polish, wearing skirts and kissing men during performances. He is also...