This is Beirut - Christians

Charbel’s Path, the Path of a People: The Lebanese Camino Is Launched

Makram Haddad, 21/07 16:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

A breath of spirituality swept through the heights of Annaya on Sunday, July 20, with the official inauguration of Section 1 of Darb Mar Charbel, the first long-distance pilgrimage trail in Lebanon. Also known as the Camino de San Charbel, in reference to the world’s great spiritual routes, this ambitious project aims to connect key sites tied ...

The Dual Peril Facing Eastern Christians

Fady Noun, 12/07 09:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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On June 22, a deadly bombing inside Damascus’s Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah during Mass claimed 25 lives and left around 50 injured. In response, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Youhanna X, rightly declared that the victims deserve to be honored as martyrs of the faith, just as those who perished in past tragedies in Lebanon, ...

Thérèse of Lisieux: Holiness Made Possible

Fady Noun, 28/06 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Christians St Therese Relics

The relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are currently touring Lebanon. Despite certain excesses—such as the brevity of some “visits” and the hurried processions past her reliquary—this form of popular devotion remains deeply rooted in Church tradition. The veneration of relics—and belief in their power—dates back centuries. As ...

Eastern Christians: The Last Keepers of a Legacy

Marc Saikali, 26/06 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Europe Israel Middle East Christians

A suicide bombing, this time inside a Damascus church during Sunday Mass. Twenty-five dead. The blast silenced prayer, shattered lives and shook a community already on the brink. Eastern Christianity is dying, not in the chaos of an open warfare, but through a long, silent agony, met with the world’s indifference. In a secularized Europe where ...

Syria Announces Arrests over Damascus Church Attack

This is Beirut, 24/06 11:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Syrian authorities on Monday announced arrests over a suicide blast targeting a church blamed on the Islamic State group, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed those involved in the "heinous" attack would face justice. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Saint Elias church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed ...

Between the Christians of the Middle East and Tehran’s Judas

Johnny Kortbawi, 24/06 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The 1994 bombing of Saydet al-Najat (or Our Lady of Deliverance Church) in Lebanon, given its historical weight and political context, remains a haunting reference point – almost a syndrome of its own. Like the Stockholm or London syndromes, the term “Our Lady of Deliverance Syndrome” is now invoked, especially by ...

Syria’s Christians in the New Order: A Fight for Survival

Élie-Joe Kamel, 24/06 08:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Damascus christians islamism jihadism

The suicide bombing that struck Saint Elias Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday, June 22, in Damascus’s Dwelaa district has reignited deep fears among Syria’s Christian community – already alarmed by the growing influence of Islamist groups in the country. The attack, claimed by the “Saraya Ansar al-Sunna” group, killed at least 22 ...

Syria President Vows those Involved in Church Attack will Face Justice

This is Beirut, 23/06 15:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa Christians Church bombing ISIS

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Monday that those involved in a "heinous" suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, calling for unity in the country. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the ...

Damascus Church Attack Draws International Condemnations

This is Beirut, 23/06 11:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The suicide bombing of a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during Sunday mass, killing at least 20 people, drew strong international condemnations. The attack was the first known suicide bombing in the Syrian capital since December, when a rebel coalition ousted Syria’s autocratic president, Bashar al-Assad. EU The EU on Monday condemned as ...

Khatchig Babikian: A Perfect Symbiosis of Lebanese and Armenian Identities

Fady Noun, 21/06 12:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Christine Babikian Assaf offers us an unfinished yet invaluable work: the Memoirs of her father, Khatchig Babikian—a towering figure of Lebanese parliamentary history in the 20th century and one of the key architects of the Taif Agreement. Published under the title “My Lives”, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand ...

Pope Offers to Mediate between World Leaders to end Wars

This is Beirut, 14/05 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Pope Francis Vatican Christians

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday offered to mediate between leaders of countries at war, saying that he himself "will make every effort so that this peace may prevail". The new US pontiff, who became head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics last week, also called on Christians living in the Middle East not to abandon their homes, in a speech to members ...

When The Virgin "Turns," The Whole World Turns With Her!

Fadi Noun, 03/05 15:55 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Christians Catholic Church

The month of May has, for centuries, been dedicated to Mary. In Lebanon, the feast of Our Lady of Lebanon is celebrated on the first Sunday of May. On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, entrusting them with messages—once considered "secrets"—that, though now revealed, continue to stir the conscience ...

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