Beirut, Lebanon, Dec 25, 2018 / 08:00 am (CNA).- On the evening before Christmas, the city of Beirut was decked with lights and trees and nativity scenes. A festive glow covered everything as people made their way to the various Catholic and Christian churches for Midnight Mass.
In downtown Beirut, the traffic around the cathedral was heavy with cars and pedestrians as my colleague, Alexey Gotovsky, and I arrived. Muslim families, too, could be seen walking around the streets, enjoying the festive atmosphere and the air fresh off the nearby Mediterranean Sea.
The Cathedral of St. George is the Maronite Catholic cathedral for the Archdiocese of Beirut. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui iuris, in full communion with Rome, which celebrates the liturgy according to the West Syriac Rite.
The cathedral, like other Catholic and Orthodox churches the evening of Dec. 24, was guarded by a handful of armed military police. Lebanon is relatively stable and safe, but in recent years churches in other parts of the Middle East have been targets of attacks on important feast days, meaning precautions must be taken.
The large cathedral was almost full for Christmas Mass at Midnight, though there was a steady stream of people who would wander in to sit in the back for five or 10 minutes, or longer, before departing again.
Maronites celebrate the Mass in Arabic, a language they share with their Muslim neighbors who worship in the grand Mohamed al amin Mosque situated next door.
The Mass was not quite an hour and a half long. When it finished, and almost all the people had left the church, the choir, a group of around 25 young adults descended from the choir loft, already changed out of their red robes.
They gathered at the front of the church, to the left, by the altar which holds the tabernacle and the already consecrated hosts. A priest approached to give them Holy Communion as men gathered up the video camera cables from the floor around them.
As they stepped up to receive, the group caught my attention as they broke out in song: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless his holy name.” I approached to listen, the a capella harmonies the first English-language hymn I had heard since arriving in Lebanon.
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A scene from a papal visit to Lebanon, Sept. 14, 2012. / Vatican Media
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Local Christians pray the rosary during a prayer service hosted by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem. / Credit: Marinella Bandini
Jerusalem, Oct 16, 2023 / 14:13 pm (CNA).
This past weekend, Franciscan friars in Jerusalem gathered together with the faithful for two prayer services dedicated especially to peace, marking one week since war erupted between Israel and Hamas.
A moment of silence at the Way of the Cross, held in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The first took place on Friday, Oct. 13 — the Via Crucis. This is a tradition that Franciscans have carried on for centuries, walking through the Old City of Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa every Friday: from the Sanctuary of the Flagellation (where Jesus’ condemnation to death and flagellation is remembered) to the Holy Sepulchre, which encompasses the sites of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
This tradition continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this time the Via Crucis was held inside St. Saviour’s Church for security reasons. This was a rare occurrence and has only happened before during crises of public order.
A Franciscan friar who carried the cross during the Way of the Cross held in St. Saviour’s Church in Jerusalem on Friday, Oct. 13. The cross bore symbols of Jesus’ Passion: the sponge that was soaked in vinegar, the crown of thorns, and the spear. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A small procession — formed by the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, the master of ceremonies, and two friars — walked along the perimeter of the church, stopping at each station. The cross at the front of the procession bore symbols of Jesus’ Passion: the sponge, which was soaked in vinegar and brought to Jesus’ lips when he said “I thirst”; the crown of thorns with which Roman soldiers crowned him as king to mock him; and the spear that a Roman centurion used to pierce his side to ensure his death.
Praying the Way of the Cross, held in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Inside the church, the community of the friars of St. Saviour along with some nuns and a few faithful joined in prayer. Before the final blessing, a moment of silence was observed — as before the tomb of Jesus in the Holy Sepulcher’s edicule — to invoke the gift of peace.
A small procession, formed by the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, the master of ceremonies, and two friars, walked along the perimeter of the church, stopping at each station of the Way of the Cross. Here, they stop before the 8th station. Oct. 14, 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Then on Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Church of St. Saviour a special time of prayer took place with the recitation of the rosary for peace at the feet of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
The Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, standing before the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, during the “Rosary for peace” in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem, Oct. 14, 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
In addition to the friars and religious men and women, there was significant participation from the local Christian community.
The five mysteries meditated upon were chosen based on an observation by Pope John Paul II in his 2002 apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae.
The parish priest of St. Saviour’s Latin parish in Jerusalem and the assistant priest pray the rosary at a prayer service organized by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“The rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace,” the late pope wrote. He explicitly mentioned five rosary mysteries: the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (joyful mysteries), the proclamation of the kingdom of God (mysteries of light), the death of Jesus on the cross (sorrowful mysteries), the glory of the risen Christ, and the crowning of Mary as Queen of Peace (glorious mysteries).
After the singing of the Salve Regina and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Prayer for Peace by St. John Paul II was recited: “Look with special attention upon the land in which you gave birth to Jesus, a land that you loved together with him, and that is still so sorely tried today. Pray for us, mother of hope!”
The Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land promoted a special “Rosary for peace” in St. Saviour’s Church in Jerusalem, on Saturday, Oct.14. The prayer was presided over by the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The prayer service concluded with the final blessing and the song “Sub Tuum Praesidium.”
This Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace. This will be a time of Eucharistic adoration presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and will be held in the church of the Latin Patriarchate, Jerusalem’s co-cathedral.
A Franciscan friar prays the rosary during a prayer service promoted by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land on Oct. 14, 2023, in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem.
In the sanctuaries of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem) and the Nativity (Bethlehem), celebrations will also be held according to the Status Quo with a specific intention for peace. (The Status Quo is an understanding among religious communities regarding the holy sites.)
In the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed throughout the day and a special program of prayer for peace will take place, including Masses, Eucharistic adoration, the recitation of the rosary, and the divine mercy chaplet.
Local Christians pray the rosary, during a prayer service hosted by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land on Saturday, Oct. 14, in St. Saviour’s Church, Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
During the Angelus prayer on Oct. 15, Pope Francis invited all believers to join the day of prayer and fasting for peace, stating: “Prayer is the meek and holy force to oppose the diabolical force of hatred, terrorism, and war. I invite all believers to join with the Church in the Holy Land and to dedicate next Tuesday, 17 October, to prayer and fasting.”
Mosul, Iraq, Feb 18, 2020 / 03:10 pm (CNA).- The rebuilding of a Syriac Catholic church in Mosul, Iraq, destroyed by ISIS will begin soon, the U.N.’s heritage agency (UNESCO) announced last week.
Al-Tahera church, in the old city of Mosul, was severely damaged after ISIS invaded the city in June of 2014.
Among numerous documented murders and other atrocities committed against Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities in the area, ISIS destroyed at least 28 significant religious sites in the city, one of which was the Al-Tahera church.
The church suffered extensive damage to its arcade and outer wall which must be rebuilt, as well as its remaining ceiling which will be demolished and reconstructed. Landmines inside the church will also have to be removed.
UNESCO announced in October that it was partnering with the United Arab Emirates to rebuild the church which was built in 1862. The partnership said that another church in the city, the Dominican Al-Saa’a church which dates to 1873, will also be rebuilt.
The reconstruction will be part of the agency-led “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative. UNESCO says the reconstruction project will create jobs and provide further education, training, and experience for local young professionals and craftsmen.
The second largest city in Iraq, Mosul is the seat of two bishoprics in Iraq for the Chaldean Catholic and Syriac Catholic churches. Its Christian population fell from 35,000 in 2003 to only around 15,000 at the time of the ISIS invasion in 2014.
After the ISIS takeover of Mosul and the surrounding region, there were numerous reports of militants forcing Christians to convert to Islam, pay a tax, or be killed.
The Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch estimated that ISIS killed 500 people in its conquest; thousands were killed during the ISIS occupation and nearly one million people fled the city.
In 2016, a report by the Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians documented accounts by victims or witnesses of killings, rapes, and girls and women being forced into sex slavery. A separate U.N. report said that ISIS had abducted 800 to 900 children in Mosul and subjected them to religious and military training.
In March of 2016, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that ISIS was committing genocide against Christians, Yezidis, and Shi’a Muslims in Iraq and Syria.
ISIS was driven out of Mosul in 2017, but conditions in the city and in much of Northern Iraq remain tenuous for Christians.
Barely 40 Christians have returned to live in Mosul, according to Syriac Catholic priest Father Amanuel Adel Kloo, in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from July of 2019. Around 1,000 other Christians commute into the city to attend the University of Mosul by day, but they leave the city at night due to continued fears of insecurity, he said.
In an April, 2019, interview with ACN, Archbishop Petros Mouche of the Syriac-Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul expressed concern at a lack of funds to rebuild homes in the region and “very few initiatives” for jobs.
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