This is Beirut - Christians

Iraq's Prohibition Zeal Threatens Baghdad's Boozy Subculture

This is Beirut, 22/12 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iraq christians alcohol Yazidis prohibition

The smell of dampness rises through the dust at a private club in central Baghdad, one of many shut in a crackdown on alcohol sales in Iraq. "We appealed to all authorities in the country, but no one listened to us," said the owner, a Christian who asked not to be named. Although a law banning the sale and import of alcohol was passed in 2016 ...

Rai Urges Syrian Christians to Embrace Political and Social Role

This is Beirut, 15/12 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sunday Homily Bkerke Syria Christians Béchara Raï

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed the need to “encourage Christians (in Syria) to get involved in national and political work.” In his Sunday homily in Bkerke, Archbishop Rai affirmed that “it is essential to unite all components of Syrian society to collaborate in rebuilding the country,” stressing the importance of “building a ...

Aleppo: Christmas Amid Hope and Concerns for Christians

This is Beirut, 13/12 13:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Christians

Where should the crown be placed? In the courtyard of the Marist Brothers in Aleppo, one of the eleven Christian communities in Syria’s second city (northwest), the question that is sparking debates is about the Christmas tree. Just days after their swift conquest of power in Damascus on December 8, the new rulers of the country, former ...

Father Siraj Dib from Damascus: 'As Long as We Have Faith, We Have Hope!'

Elie Ziadé, 11/12 22:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Bachar el-Assad Christians Revolution

However, in Bab Touma, a district with a strong Christian majority in the eastern part of Old Damascus, a sense of apprehension and waiting prevails in the almost deserted streets. Most shops and churches remain closed, awaiting a stabilization of the political and military situation. This is Beirut spoke to the residents of this neighborhood, ...

Charles Malek 1/3

Amine Jules Iskandar, 10/11 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Christians Human rights Maronites

Born in 1906 in northern Lebanon, in Bterram (meaning "the elevated village" in Syriac), Charles Malek waged a cultural battle for Lebanon and human rights until his death in 1987. His philosophy was deeply rooted in the values and principles of Christianity, which served as the foundation for his contribution to the drafting of the Universal ...

The Maronite Church, Prisoner of Its Own Memory

Fady Noun, 26/10 13:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Middle East christians druze canonization

For some Lebanese Christians, the 1860 massacres remain an open wound — a persistent thorn in their collective memory. The painful recollection of this brutality resurfaced during the canonization of the Massabki brothers, who were martyred in Damascus on the night of July 9-10, 1860. How did it come to pass that over 20,000 Christians — half ...

Jerusalem Church Leaders Justify Meeting Herzog After Criticism

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-23 18:23 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Catholic church Christians Gaza

Church leaders in Jerusalem replied to critics regarding a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog amid fighting in Gaza in a statement published on Saturday, December 17. During this meeting, they reportedly insisted on "the universal position of the Church calling for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza" to the Israeli leader. Jerusalem's church ...

Christians in Lebanon: Rights Versus Roles

Johnny Kortbawi, 2023-12-19 09:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Christians

The discussion on the rights of Christians in Lebanon takes center stage in various periods — be it amidst the fervor of elections, times of heightened tension, or when it becomes relevant to review and reshuffle all the pertinent matters at hand. Today, we are surfing through a multitude of phases. We are currently in a period dominated by a ...

Soldier Kills Two Women in a Gaza Parish Church

This Is Beirut, 2023-12-16 22:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Christians Gaza

Two Palestinian women were killed by Israeli fire in the only Catholic complex in Gaza, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem published on Saturday, December 16. The institution condemned the "cold-blooded" killing. A Christian mother and daughter were shot dead by an Israeli soldier on the grounds of a Catholic ...

Christians Stand Firm in Gaza, Refusing to Leave Their Churches

2023-12-09 18:33 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Christians churches Gaza Hamas

Despite the war between Hamas and Israel, Gaza's Christian community, along with all Palestinians, stands resolute. Approximately 1,100 Palestinian Christians have been living in Gaza since the Nakba. Ignoring the Israeli army's evacuation request, they adamantly refuse to abandon the two remaining open churches in Gaza, located in the northern ...