Taybeh’s parish priest raises the alarm about the increasing violence by pro-occupation groups, backed by Israeli authorities. For the clergyman, people live "without security or protection". Palestinians are being attacked, driven from their homes, their land seized. The last two extremists arrested in connection with the Kafr Malik raids and the attack on the IDF base have been released.
The relics arrived on 13 June, the day war broke out between Iran and Israel, and are travelling through a country that is recovering from the war between Hezbollah and the Jewish state. A stop in the tormented south is planned. They are a precious seed according to the nuncio, Archbishop Borgia, and encourage “the faithful to undertake the same path to holiness,” says Lazarist clergyman.
Extremist groups have attacked the LeMan magazine, while a Turkish court issued an arrest warrant for the chief editor and three other people, including the cartoonist. Erdogan calls the cartoon a "clear, vile provocation" and accuses the authors of immorality. Activists and civil society movements condemn the manner of the arrest, comparable to "torture", and the posting of its video.
Speaking to AsiaNews, the parish priest describes the tragic reality of a population that is getting more desperate by the day. The war continues in the shadow of Israel-Iran confrontation, with a glimmer of hope for fresh ceasefire negotiations. Netanyahu is set to visit the White House next week. Palestinians in Gaza show photos of Israeli children killed by Hamas on 7 October.
In recent days, three men accused of “spying” for Israel were executed. Dozens of Afghan migrants were detained in Operation “Plan Hijrat”. According to the UN, Tehran is deporting up to 30,000 Afghans a day. Arrests and interrogations also among Baha'is and Iranian Jews. An apparent show of force to mask military weaknesses.
During an audience with representatives from the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches, the pontiff launched a harsh warning to the leaders of the world over the unresolved wars from Ukraine to the Middle East. The pope also called on Christians around the world to learn from those who are the seed of forgiveness and salvation amid the bombs. In the West, Christians must realise “Eastern Catholics today are no longer our distant cousins who celebrate unfamiliar rites”.
