Members of security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government hold up their firearms as they stand by the Mediterranean sea coast in Syria’s western city of Latakia on March 9, 2025. Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, called for national unity and peace on March 9 amid growing international backlash following the killing of civilians along the country’s coast in the worst violence since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad in the heartland of the Alawite minority, to which the latter belongs. (Credit: OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
ACI MENA, Mar 11, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).
The Syrian coast in the western part of the country has become a theater for unprecedented unrest since the onset of the Syrian crisis in 2011. This past weekend, at least 745 Alawite civilians lost their lives in what the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights described as ethnic cleansing. The clashes have reportedly killed at least 1,000 people.
The incidents unfolded as armed Alawites, opposing the new authorities in the country, killed members of the general security forces. Subsequently, government authorities sent reinforcements to the region and clashes erupted between the two groups. The violence escalated to include looting, random acts of vandalism, and targeting civilians based on sectarian grounds.
Christians, while not targeted specifically for their religious affiliations, were not spared. Some lost their lives simply for living in the region — among them Jihad Bechara, the father of a priest in the coastal city of Banias.
The Latin bishop of Aleppo, Hanna Jallouf, issued a statement on March 7 “supporting the Syrian state” against those who seek to destabilize the country and do her ill, a reference to the Assad loyalists, according to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.
In a joint statement issued the next day on March 8, the patriarchs of Syria condemned acts that threaten civil peace and denounced the “massacres targeting innocent civilians,” emphasizing the “urgent need to put an end to these horrific actions that contradict human and moral values.”
The patriarchs’ statement underscored the importance of Syrian territorial unity and firmly rejected any attempts at division. It also called for “swift measures to create favorable conditions for achieving national reconciliation among the Syrian people and fostering an environment that enables a transition to a state that respects all its citizens, builds a society founded on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, and moves away from notions of revenge and exclusion.”
In his sermon at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X (Yazigi) expressed support for the establishment of a fact-finding committee to hold accountable those responsible for civilian bloodshed and public security violations.
His call was echoed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, in its own statement, strongly condemned “the atrocities committed against civilians on sectarian grounds.”
Addressing President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Yazigi remarked: “The sanctity and dignity of individuals have been violated. The chants and slogans being used fuel division, foster sectarianism, and undermine civil peace. Numerous towns and villages have had their homes burned and their possessions looted. The targeted areas are predominantly inhabited by Alawites and Christians, many of whom have fallen victim to these tragic killings.”
He added: “Mr. President, the icon of the Virgin Mary — honored by Muslims and Christians alike — has been desecrated and destroyed. This is not the Syria you envision in the aftermath of the revolution. We call upon you to exercise your wisdom and efforts to immediately stop these massacres and restore security and stability for all Syrians, regardless of their backgrounds.”
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Benin City, Nigeria, Feb 14, 2020 / 11:55 am (CNA).- A Catholic priest was kidnapped in Nigeria Friday. Fr. Nicholas Oboh of the Diocese of Uromi has been abducted by gunmen in the state of Edo in the southwest region of the country.
Lusaka, Zambia, Jan 9, 2018 / 01:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A cholera outbreak in the southern African country of Zambia, centered on the capital Lusaka, has led to an indefinite cancellation of some school openings and church services.
“We have had an outbreak of cholera from October 6, 2017 and it has affected mainly Lusaka Province and we have recorded sporadic cases in various parts of the country,” read a statement from Zambia’s Minister of Health, Chitalu Chilufya, and the Minister of Education, Dennis Wanchinga, according to Africa News.
As of Jan. 9, an estimated 2,802 individuals have been infected by cholera throughout Zambia, including 66 deaths – the majority of which have occurred in Lusaka.
Due to the outbreak, a handful of ecclesial communities in Lusaka have cancelled services as a precaution against the spread of the disease. In addition, schools have indefinitely called off classes for students.
The Zambian bishops’ conference has limited the number of Masses in some places, and cancelled the sign of peace at Masses which are still being held.
Representatives of three Christian communities in Zambia – the Catholic Church, the Council of Churches in Zambia, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia – issued a Jan. 8 statement on national dialogue which included a lamentation over the cholera crisis.
“Our hearts go to the many families who have lost their loved ones from the disease. We pray for God’s peace, comfort and encouragement during this time of national crisis. We pray for the various teams working on the ground to fight the cholera outbreak so that this may be overcome quickly and life may be restored to normal,” they said. “We support the efforts of other stakeholders in this battle against cholera and pledge ourselves to collaborate with government in addressing the epidemic.”
Kanyama, one of the poorest townships in Lusaka, has been particularly affected by the disease, according to Reuters. Because of this, government intervention in the area has enforced a curfew, and has also banned street vending and public gatherings while the threat of cholera remains.
Cholera is caused by bacterial infection. Within a few hours of infection, the disease causes vomiting and diarrhoea, leading to severe dehydration that can be deadly without rapid intervention. Access to clean water and sanitation is critical to control the spread of cholera, and those with mild symptoms can usually be treated with hydration and antibiotics, although some cases require intravenous fluids.
Recent investigations have shown that the cholera outbreak in Zambia has been caused mainly by food contamination, according to Reuters. Three restaurants have been shut down after they were found to contain the cholera bacterium.
Government efforts have been set in place to combat the spread of cholera in the country. A vaccine will be available for administration Jan. 10 in the areas most affected by the disease, according to Lusaka Times.
Zambia’s president also highlighted the work of the Zambia Defence Forces, which have been collaborating with other organizations in the fight against the disease.
“I have directed all three wings of the Defence Force to join the Ministry of Health and the city fathers, Lusaka City Council to escalate efforts to minimize the spread of cholera in our capital city and the rest of the country,” said President Edgar Lungu of Zambia last month.
At the end of the Mass of consecration on Nov. 1, 2023, María Ruiz Rodríguez shows the ring symbolizing her membership in the Ordo Virginum. That’s the only outward sign of her consecration. / Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Nov 12, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).
On the 25th day of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Church in Jerusalem welcomed a new consecrated member into its fold. María Ruiz Rodríguez made her consecration in the Ordo Virginum on Nov. 1, permanently rooting herself in the local ecclesiastical community.
“A thought crossed my mind, a temptation: ‘What purpose does this step serve in the midst of current events? Doesn’t the Church have more urgent matters to attend to than to stop and celebrate the consecration of a humble woman like me?’” Ruiz shared with CNA a few days later. But she said she was immediately aware of something else.
“I told myself: I cannot delay this commitment… In fact, uniting my life with the Church in a time of suffering is even more meaningful,” she said.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the consecration of María Ruiz Rodríguez in the Ordo Virginum on Nov. 1, 2023, in the Church of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. With this consecration, Ruiz permanently rooted herself in the local Church. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Ruiz, now 42, is originally from Spain and arrived in Jerusalem in 2018 for a period of discernment. At that time, she was a member of the “Monastic Family of Bethlehem, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Bruno,” an institute of consecrated life established in France in 1950.
It was Ruiz’s first time in the Holy Land, even though the desire to visit the sacred places in the Holy Land had long been a dream in her heart.
Iconographer María Ruiz Rodríguez with the new Roman Missal in Arabic. The book is open on the page where she depicted the Crucifixion of Jesus. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“For two years, I set aside my savings to make a pilgrimage in 2000, the year of the Great Jubilee. However, in that very year, I entered the convent, so I gave up. I felt that Jesus was saying to me: ‘I am your Holy Land.’ In a way, I had already arrived in Jerusalem,” Ruiz said.
It was in the Holy Land that Ruiz first came into contact with some consecrated women of the Ordo Virginum.
“I was looking for my place and I felt called,” she said.
The Ordo Virginum, Ruiz continued, “is the oldest form of consecration in the Church”. Abandoned over the centuries in favor of the religious life, it was rediscovered with the Second Vatican Council as a form of life that, “in a radically transformed historical context” possesses “a surprising force of attraction” and is “capable of responding not only to the desires of many women to dedicate themselves totally to the Lord and to their neighbors, but also to the concurrent rediscovery by the particular Church of its own identity in communion with the one Body of Christ” (cf. Instruction “Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago” on the “Ordo Virginum”).
Iconographer María Ruiz Rodríguez at work in her studio. The image depicts Jesus walking on water and taking St. Peter’s sinking hand (Mt 14:22-33). Credit: Marinella Bandini
Consecrated women in the Ordo Virginum choose to live a life of virginity “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” in a lay form of life. They do not wear religious habits, do not live in communities, have no common statutes or rules, or even superiors. Instead, they maintain a personal reference to the local bishop — in this case, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — who acts as guarantor of their journey of discernment and presides over their consecration.
The sole commitment these consecrated women make is the “resolution of chastity,” which they express during the Rite of Consecration. The only symbol they wear is a ring, emphasizing the spousal character of this vocation, which reflects the mystery of the Church as “Bride of Christ.” Engraved in Ruiz’s ring is an inscription in Hebrew meaning “O my life,” referring to Christ, and the date of her consecration.
Iconographer María Ruiz Rodríguez on her terrace looking at the horizon. In the background are the walls of Jerusalem and the outline of the Basilica of the Dormition, November 2023. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Women who consecrate themselves in the Ordo Virginum support themselves through their jobs. Ruiz is an iconographer and has been working for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem for about four years. She was drawn into a project aimed at renewing liturgical books — the Missal and the Evangeliary — with her artwork.
“I first approached iconographic art when I was a nun. It was first of all a spiritual journey, a path of prayer. More than an artistic expression, an icon is a profession of faith. Before beginning the work, I invoke the Holy Spirit and ask for forgiveness for my own sins and for those who will venerate these images. I was interested in this dimension of relationship,” Ruiz shared. She spent a year researching the style and colors.
“The patriarch asked me to create something that would speak to local Christians, who are Latin by tradition but Eastern by culture. A style that was uniquely mine yet rich in the entire iconographic tradition of the Church of Jerusalem. The art of Armenian manuscripts certainly had a significant influence on me.”
Iconographer María Ruiz Rodríguez at work in her studio. Currently, Ruíz is in the process of creating the images for the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The patriarch takes a personal interest in overseeing Ruiz’s work. “We read the Gospel together and choose which scenes to represent, taking into account the particularity of each evangelist. He particularly enjoys highlighting passages that are less frequently represented in the artistic tradition. This is a project close to his heart,” she told CNA.
Currently, Ruíz is in the process of creating images for the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
“The process is very laborious and involves multiple stages for each page: the pencil lettering, the crafting of the icons, then the ink lettering and finally the gilding.” The plan is for a volume of about 200 pages with 250 images.
“Making this work in Jerusalem has a special value: I can visit the places where that Gospel was lived” but also “immerse myself in Jewish culture,” she said. “This has opened my eyes to the richness that Judaism brings to Christianity. There is a perfect continuity and at the same time an unprecedented newness in the person of Christ.”
The Church of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem full of people on Nov. 1, 2023, for the Mass of consecration of María Ruiz Rodríguez in the Ordo Virginum. Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Ruiz learned the local languages — Arabic and Hebrew. The Mass of her consecration brought together within one place all the diverse “souls” of the Jerusalem Church: priests, friars, religious, and laity, Arab Christians and Hebrew-speaking Christians, each hearing the word of God in their own language. There were migrants, foreigners, Jews, and Christians of various denominations.
The culminating moment of María Ruiz Rodríguez’s consecration in the Ordo Virginum. The celebration took place on Nov. 1, 2023, in the Church of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
“I believe my being a foreigner is a blessing for this Church,” Ruiz said. “Why were there such different people in the church that day? Because I am neither Arab nor Jewish, and this allows me to bring both of these peoples into my heart together. In the praise of God we were one people, transcending the divisions that usually separate us. The Church in Jerusalem also needs this, to remember its universal vocation.”
Group photo at the end of the Mass of consecration of María Ruiz Rodríguez in the Ordo Virginum. With her (in the middle, with red shirt) there are other members of the Ordo Virginum, and the bishops of the Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem (from left to right: Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, bishop emeritus; Monsignor William Shomali, general vicar and patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine; Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Monsignor Rafic Nahra, patriarcal vicar for Israel). Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
With her consecration, Ruiz embarks on her new journey as a “living stone” of the Jerusalem Church: “I am certain that I am finally in the right place. It is not an act of heroism. I am simply where God wants me to be.”
The last paragraph of the article would seem to undercut the earler claim that Christians were not targeted on account of their religious affiliation. That this is happening was utterly predictable and many did warn that it would. When jihadists seize power, Christians and other minorities tend not to fare well. However, Assad, like Hussein was unacceptable to Israel, so he had to go.
Indeed. In fact the jihadists are going against the Alawites, a Muslim sect condemned by the Muslim Sunni and the jihadists are telling the Christians “You are next”. See this article that points this out:
As Tony W. noted, who couldn’t see this coming? Well …
President George W. Bush called Islam a “religion of peace” on September 17, 2001, just six days after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In December 2015, following the San Bernardino attack, President Obama rejected violent interpretations of Islam, stating that committing acts of violence in the name of Allah represents a “perverted interpretation of Islam”.
After the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015, President Obama called upon the world to “continue to lift up the voices of Muslim clerics and scholars who teach the true peaceful nature of Islam”.
To go on would be just beating the proverbial dead horse. Has any of our leadership actually read the Quran? Before you ask, yes, I have.
The last paragraph of the article would seem to undercut the earler claim that Christians were not targeted on account of their religious affiliation. That this is happening was utterly predictable and many did warn that it would. When jihadists seize power, Christians and other minorities tend not to fare well. However, Assad, like Hussein was unacceptable to Israel, so he had to go.
Indeed. In fact the jihadists are going against the Alawites, a Muslim sect condemned by the Muslim Sunni and the jihadists are telling the Christians “You are next”. See this article that points this out:
Syria Jihadis Tell Christians You’re Next amid Alawite Slaughter
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2025/03/12/human-rights-groups-syria-jihadis-tell-christians-youre-next-amid-alawite-slaughter/
As Tony W. noted, who couldn’t see this coming? Well …
President George W. Bush called Islam a “religion of peace” on September 17, 2001, just six days after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In December 2015, following the San Bernardino attack, President Obama rejected violent interpretations of Islam, stating that committing acts of violence in the name of Allah represents a “perverted interpretation of Islam”.
After the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015, President Obama called upon the world to “continue to lift up the voices of Muslim clerics and scholars who teach the true peaceful nature of Islam”.
To go on would be just beating the proverbial dead horse. Has any of our leadership actually read the Quran? Before you ask, yes, I have.