Prayer for the Middle East
God, Our Father,
have mercy on the Middle East.
Your faithful servants –
young and old alike –
are called to witness to Christ.
May they be strengthened
during this time of turmoil
as they seek to follow
your beloved Son,
who Himself walked
their ancient homelands.
In union with Benedict, our Pope,
we pray that Christians
in the Middle East
may be enabled to live
their Faith in full freedom.
Embolden them to act as instruments
of peace and reconciliation,
united with all the citizens
of their countries.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,
Amen
Middle East and Syria crisis
The sacred and pivotal position of Christians in the Middle East has entered a new and critical phase at a time of deepening crisis centring on Syria.
As civil war engulfs the country – and threatens to spill over into neighbouring Lebanon – Christians, with many others, are fleeing for their lives.
The sweeping changes brought about by the Arab Spring mean that Christianity in the Middle East is facing an increasingly uncertain future.
Focussing primarily on Syria, but also revisiting Iraq, where the plight of Christians serves as a warning for Syria, these pages assess the growing crisis the faithful face.
Watch and listen
WATCH: Interview with Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria
WATCH: Archbishop Sleiman talks about the October 2010 massacre in a Baghdad cathedral
WATCH: Archbishop Sleiman discusses the challenges and the future for Iraqi Christians
WATCH: Mosul, Iraq: A fragile hope
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LISTEN: John Pontifex speaks about the exodus of Christians from the Holy Land on the Good Friday edition of the BBC World Service's News Hour programme
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LISTEN: Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, addresses Aid to the Church in Need's 2012 Westminster Event
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LISTEN: Aid to the Church in Need's Neville Kyrke-Smith and John Newton discuss the crisis facing Christians in the Middle East.
Features
Jerusalem patriarch invites Pope FrancisPatriarch Fouad Twal has revealed he has invited Pope Francis to visit Jerusalem – and spoken of his hope that the new pontiff will "love the Holy Land as all Popes have done". |
Holy Land: Young Christians' message of love for PopeOliver Maksan reports on the warmth and enthusiasm with which young Catholic in the Holy Land have greeted the new pope's election. |
Syria: Christians face double crisisThe Church in Syria is facing a perilous future as civil war and extremist attacks threaten to drive the faithful out. |
Interview: Maronite Patriarch RaiThe head of the Maronite Church assesses the situation facing Christians in Syria and Lebanon. |
Syria: Apocalypse and ResurrectionMaronite Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus gives a moving account of the conflict as it engulfed his city last July. |
Interview: Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad, IraqThe Roman Catholic archbishop of Baghdad discusses the difficulties facing Iraq's Christians and reveals his fears for the future. |
Syria: Sustaining faith amid the fightingA priest in Syria describes challenges the Church faces ministering to the faithful caught up in the conflict. |
Interview: Archbishop Amil Nona of Mosul, IraqTen years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Oliver Maksan speaks to Archbishop Amil Shamaaoun Nona of Mosul, in the north of Iraq. |
Iraq: a massacre and a miracleArchbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad talks about the catastrophic events of Sunday 31 October 2010, when nearly 50 people lost their lives in a terrorist attack during Mass. |
Profile: Archbishop Issam John DarwishA glimpse at the role of the man responsible for the pastoral care of thousands of Syrian familes who have fled over the border. |
In depth
Events
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Aid to the Church in Need Pilgrimage to Lebanon – 3 June 2013 – 11 June 2013A pilgrimage to key projects and Christian sites in Lebanon, in solidarity with the suffering Church there. |