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Last Updated: 15 March 2013

CWN - Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said that Americans must stem the tide of Catholic emigration from Iraq.

Accompanied by Syrian Catholic Bishop Yousif Habash, Bishop Pates represented the USCCB at the recent enthronement of Louis Raphaël I Sako as the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon.

“With the Chaldean Church struggling to retain members in Iraq, Patriarch Sako's leadership is providential,” said Bishop Pates. “He is a man of dialogue and friendship and will work diligently to establish beneficial relationships with those of the Muslim tradition and other religions, as well as governmental and civic communities in Iraq.”

“It is estimated that nearly one-half or 350,000 individuals from the Chaldean Church have emigrated from Iraq since the invasion and occupation of the country by American military forces beginning in 2003,” Bishop Pates continued. “It is surely incumbent upon us as Americans to assist the Chaldean Church in reversing this trend. Especially is this so because this is a land that was the beneficiary of apostolic evangelization attributed to St. Thomas the Apostle.”

“The Iraqi government provided tight security for me and Bishop Habash, and demonstrated commitment to protect minority religions and their practice of worship as evident by the presence of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Osama al-Nujaifi, at the installation ceremony of the new Patriarch,” Bishop Pates added.

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Last Updated: 13 March 2013

RISU correspondent in Rome Oksana Shkodziska took the commentary of Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk about newly elected Pope Francis I.  

risu.org.ua - "I would first like to say that the newly elected Pope Francis was mentored by one of our priests, Stepan Chmil who is now buried in the basilica of St. Sophia in Rome. Today’s Pope, during his time as a student of the Salesian school, awoke many hours before his classmates to concelebrate at our Divine Liturgy with Fr. Stepan. He knows our Tradition very well, as well as our Liturgy.

The last time I had an opportunity to see him was as I was preparing to leave Argentina for Ukraine. I asked him to bear witness to the process of beatifying Fr. Stepan Chmil, to which, he gladly agreed. The Holy Father very well knows not only of our Church, but also our liturgy, our rites, and our spirituality.

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Last Updated: 15 March 2013

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina was elected on the conclave's fifth ballot as the 266th Roman Pontiff of the Catholic Church.

May the Lord God grant His Holiness, Pope Francis, many years! Mnohaja Lita! Eis pollá eti, Déspota!

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Last Updated: 13 March 2013

CWN - Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak was enthroned as patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church on March 12 as his predecessor, Cardinal Antonios Naguib, was taking part in the Mass for the election of the Roman Pontiff at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Representatives of Egypt’s government and the patriarch of the far larger Coptic Orthodox Church attended the enthronement liturgy in Cairo, during which Patriarch Sidrak called for equal rights for Christians and Muslims.

Born in 1955, Patriarch Sidrak was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 and consecrated Bishop of Minya in 2002. He was elected Coptic Catholic patriarch in January following Cardinal Naguib’s resignation at the age of 77.

The Coptic Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See, has 162,000 members.

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Last Updated: 08 March 2013

CWN - Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako was formally enthroned on March 6 at Baghdad’s cathedral of St. Joseph, with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki among those in attendance.

In his homily the new Chaldean leader spoke candidly about the trials Christians are facing in Iraq today. "What we have experienced in terms of suffering, tribulation and the bloodshed of our martyrs," he said, "can, if we want, incorporate us to the mystery of Christ, help to recognize the presence of God among us, strengthen our hope that the Holy Spirit changes and improves the hearts of men and women.”

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Last Updated: 06 March 2013

We call upon all local and international leaders to make every effort to protect civilians in Syria.

Communities in various parts of Syria have for some time now been the target of indiscriminate shelling or abuse directed at the elderly, women, children and the disabled. Arbitrary abductions for exorbitant ransom and intimidation or coercion have developed into a running sore. The number of innocent victims from remote and destitute populations is inexorably increasing. Recently, Rableh village, close to the border with Lebanon, was the scene of serious incidents of the sort.

We strongly urge that these gratuitous, unjustified attacks on peaceful, harmless folk be stopped. The international community ought not to underestimate these crimes that violate human dignity and contravene international conventions.