Lebanon

by Fady Noun | LEBANON

Tensions are rising following the murder of a member of the Lebanese Forces, and a Hezbollah banker. In Lebanon people are bracing for any fallout from a clash between Israel and Iran after Israel bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The head of the Maronite Church warns that the “absence of a president has fostered [. . .] the proliferation of weapons.” Geagea promises a "long" but "democratic" showdown.

by Nirmala Carvalho

Pope Francis has authorised the promulgation of the heroic virtues of the prelate who died in 1953, considered "the Newman of the East” in his native India. ““Our Church has been praying fervently for many years” for this day, Card Baselios Cleemis told AsiaNews. Thus, “his unconditional commitment to Providence” has been recognised. The latest papal decrees also recognise the miracle that will lead to the beatification of Istifan al-Duwayhi, the great Maronite patriarch of the 17th century.

| 14/03/2024
| VATICAN - INDIA – LEBANON
by Fady Noun

Within the Lebanese army and among retired soldiers, anger and protest are mounting: the collapse of the economy has squandered the purchasing power of their salaries. Today they receive between 9 and 12 per cent of what they were entitled to before the 2019 crisis. The indifference of the political and ruling class, aid from foreign countries.

| 08/03/2024
| LEBANON

The victim, 31-year-old Pat Nibin Maxwell from Kerala, arrived in northern Israel just two months ago to work on a farm. He had a five-year-old daughter and his wife is expecting a second child. Two other Indian nationals were wounded. The Israeli embassy in Delhi extended its condolences to the victim’s family and slammed the "cowardly" attack that puts the spotlight back on the fate of migrant workers, the war’s "forgotten” victims.

| 05/03/2024
| ISRAEL – LEBANON – INDIA
by Fady Noun

Responding to an invitation from the women's branch of the Lebanese Order of the Antonines, Archbishop Paolo Borgia visited the school, located in an area dominated by Amal and scene of the fiercest clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. The prelate conveyed Pope Francis’s closeness and prayers for peace.

| 28/02/2024
| LEBANON
by Fady Noun

Regional tensions add to internal divisions, further distancing the prospects for an agreement on the election of the head of state. The pro-Iranian Shia movement attacks, but Tehran and Washington do not want a full-scale war. AsiaNews diplomatic source: implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and an internal agreement are essential.

| 22/02/2024
| LEBANON - GAZA
by Dario Salvi

The international community's focus is now on Rafah, while Israel gets ready for a ground assault. For Jordanian scholar Amer Al Sabaileh, the Palestinian cause has given way to global jihad. Hamas is politically divided while Shia groups are beholden to Iran. Saudis could play the role of mediators, transcending the Abraham Accords.

| 20/02/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
Editor's choices
 
by Dario Salvi
The 23-year-old native of Birzeit is the only Christian woman under "administrative detention". She was taken, blindfolded and handcuffed, overnight by a military patrol without an arrest warrant or charges against her. For the Christian leader, Israel ...
| 19/04/2024
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE
 
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| 16/04/2024
| CHINA
 
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| 15/04/2024
| ISRAEL – GAZA - IRAN
 
by Daniele Frison
The auxiliary bishop of Jerusalem and patriarchal vicar for Palestine looks at the protests in Amman. Diplomatic relations with Israel allow aid to be sent to Gaza. Some students from Gaza’s Holy Family Parish arrived in Amman thanks to the Patriarchate’s ...
| 12/04/2024
| JORDAN
 
The Holy See has officially announced the long journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. Card Goh of Singapore hopes the pope will bring to his predominantly Chinese city, “renewed fervour to all Catholics [. . .], especially ...
| 12/04/2024
| VATICAN
 
by card. Anthony Poola *
The Archbishop of Hyderabad looks at the media reaction to the declaration released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on human dignity. The media are “focused on gender theory, sex change, surrogacy etc., but” people who “struggle ...
| 11/04/2024
| INDIA
 
The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States presides over Mass in the cathedral, the focal point of this historic trip for the local Church since the breaking of diplomatic relations between Hanoi and the Vatican in 1975. In the meeting with ...
| 11/04/2024
| VIETNAM
 
The Custody, a Jewish group and Tag Meir activists offered gifts to Muslims leaving al-Aqsa every Thursday at the Damascus Gate. Fr. Pari: An initiative that has been  carried out  for some time, but this year takes on special value in the context ...
| 06/04/2024
| HOLY LAND
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”