Turkey’s Council of State rules that Hagia Sophia is a mosque

In his Sunday homily, Card al-Rahi laid out the bases for a new Lebanon that is sovereign and protected from foreign attacks. To this end, he addressed an appeal to the country’s political leaders, one that should not be seen as partisan. Lebanon’s foreign minister is in Rome today.

Syrians are "tired and exhausted" by the war, “revolted” by Western policies and "outraged" by sanctions. The economic crisis has been made worse by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Blue Marists are promoting projects of support and solidarity for the weakest among local residents. Their work goes beyond the emergency.

Videos of their work have gone viral. The country has reported 160,000 cases of infection and 2,000 deaths, including a dozen Christians. Fearing contagion, very few people are willing to touch the bodies of the infected. Catholics are grateful for this service.

Judged in absentia after Riyadh's refusal to extradite them, they include two close collaborators of the Saudi crown prince, who denies all involvement in the journalist’s murder. Turkish investigators: Eliminated for criticizing the al-Saud regime. United Nations labels Saudi process a sham trial.

The project is funded by the government. Aournd three million Hindus live in the country; 3,000 in the capital. For some conservative Muslims, members of minority are third-class citizens and do not have the right to build new places of prayer. A High court justice has no objection to construction. For Hindu activist, new mosques built in non-Muslim countries are examples of harmony between the different faiths.

Felix Dawood al-Shabi will lead the eparchy, today distinct from that of Amadiyah on the proposal of Patriarch Sako. A strategic area for trade with Syria and Turkey, as well as being "the heart of the Chaldean world". He asks the faithful to "have courage and hope"; appeals to Western Catholics to "support their suffering brothers".

The State Council has completed the documentation process. The sentence, scheduled for this morning, postponed by two weeks. Rumors of "pressure" on the Ankara government. But Erdogan wants to hold the official ceremony on July 15th, on the fourth anniversary of the failed coup.

The Iranian Foreign Minister intervenes in the "virtual" Security Council meeting.  A response to the US attacks and pressure for "indefinite" duration of sale ban. Tehran's head of diplomacy lists "numerous acts of US aggression". And hopes for a strong Middle East, capable of ensuring "territorial stability".

Card Sako issued a message for the Chaldean community in the Iranian capital, which is confidently waiting for a bishop. Its most urgent issues are emigration, embargo and the coronavirus emergency. The strength of the community lies in hope and "their faith”. For the prelate, “we need a local clergy who know the local people, culture and language.”

The holiness of Hagia Sophia constitutes a vital centre where west and east can meet; its conversion into a mosque will a drive a wedge between these two worlds.

On 1 July 2016, Islamic militants killed 22 people, including nine Italians, at the Holey Artisan Bakery café. Seven terrorists have been sentenced to death. Bangladesh’s counterterrorism police have conducted 395 raids, arresting 1,065 jihadis and killing 25. Radical groups are using social media to recruit young people and university students.

According to German researcher Adrian Zenz, Chinese authorities are conducting a sterilization campaign to control the growth of the Uyghur population. The women who refuse are locked up in internment camps. Demographic collapse of the Uyghurs in 2017 and 2018. US and European parliamentarians demand an international investigation.

The Cardinal blames "lack of adequate preparation" for failure of the president's meeting and calls for "shared unity" to "save society from hunger, misery, deprivation", to face challenges and reconcile the nation.  A warning over episode involving US ambassador: the sentence stains the image of the judiciary and is contrary to the Constitution.

At least 353 migrants are dead. For the Philippine ambassador in Riyadh, most died of "natural causes,” a few from COVID-19. He mocks workers' poverty. The Bishop of Balanga wants to know what really happened to them. NGO complains that Christians are discriminated in access to medical treatment.