Al-Azhar University, the most prestigious center of learning for Sunni Islam, urged Christians living in the Arab world on Thursday to stand firm in resistance and not flee in the face of extremist violence. The call comes days after Pope Francis urged Muslim leaders to criticize extremists using Islam as a crutch, especially groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and …
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The Holy See on Thursday said that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres will be praying for peace on June 8 at the Vatican. During his three-day trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis had invited both of them to his home for a “heartfelt prayer” for peace, the Vatican said. It added that the …
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In what has been called by some as a complex game of “papal propaganda poker”, commentators have said that Pope Francis’ prayer at the West Bank separation barrier has handed the Palestinians a decisive victory over Israel. According to the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot, “One image from the pope’s visit has already become history”. The newspaper admitted that the picture …
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Pope Francis on Saturday will meet with Syrian refugees in Jordan and will first-hand hear horrific accounts from the Syrian civilian war. The Pope is set to make a stop at Jordan before his trip of the Holy Land. Jordan, which has a population of 7 million, has only 250,000 people who identify themselves as Christian. Pope Francis will meet …
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On Wednesday, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin defended the right of Palestinians to a “sovereign and independent” homeland, saying that he hoped that the Pope’s upcoming visit will lead to a “courageous decision” for peace. Cardinal Parolin’s role in the Vatican is equivalent to that of a country’s Prime Minister. “We know that the pope is going …
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Palestinian activists on Tuesday were critical of Pope Francis’ plans to visit the tomb of Zionist founder Theodor Herzl. Omar Barghouti, a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement called the planned visit “nauseating”. “Laying a wreath on the grave of the founder of Zionism, a patently racist ideology that has served to enable and justify the ethnic cleansing …
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