Lebanon’s refugee crisis
Maronite bishops in Lebanon have attributed rising social tensions and crime to the presence of more than a million Syrian refugees in the country. On 2 October, they appealed to Lebanese and international political authorities “not to spare any effort in speeding up the return of Syrian refugees to their homes”, stating that Syria has “many safe areas that can accommodate displaced persons in a dignified manner”.
Béchara Boutros Raï, Cardinal of Antioch, the head of the Maronite Church, which is in full communion with the Pope and the Catholic Church, maintained last month that the massive presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was unsustainable. The United Nations has voiced its concern about a rise in tensions in the country.
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) has been welcomed by Pax Christi International, the Catholic movement for peace. In a statement. it said that it was “very pleased that Ican has been recognised through the Nobel Peace Prize for its many years of striving to draw attention to the disastrous humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and for its admirable work in achieving the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted at the UN this July”.
The treaty, which the Holy See has signed, bans the use, threat of use, production, development, stationing and testing of nuclear weapons under international law. It will enter into force once 50 states have ratified it.
Ican is a coalition of non-governmental organisations in 100 countries. Pax Christi International is an official “international partner” of Ican but not part of the coalition.
The Catholic bishops of Mali have said that Islamist militants are targeting Catholic churches and telling Christians not to gather together to pray. Over the past year, Catholic churches in the centre of the country have been ransacked and torched. Last month, in Bodwal, gunmen chased Catholics out of a church and told them: “We will kill you if we see you still praying in the church.” Fr Edmond Dembélé, bishops’ conference secretary, said: “We have no security programme of our own and rely on the authorities to provide protection and find solutions.”
The US bishops’ conference (USCCB) has welcomed the decision of Donald Trump’s administration to extend a broad exemption to religious employers from a rule that requires them to provide health insurance that also includes contraception.
“Such an exemption is no innovation, but instead a return to common sense [and] corrects an anomalous failure by federal regulators that should never have occurred and should never be repeated,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the USCCB, and Archbishop William Lori, chair of the Committee on Religious Liberty, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the bishops’ conference has teamed up with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Catholic Charities USA to join Pope Francis’ “#ShareJourney” social media campaign.
“Amid a global refugee crisis not seen since World War II, we have to do more to welcome and support those whose lives are threatened by violence and poverty,” said Joan Rosenhauer, the CRS vice-president for US Operations. “In the US, we can do that by admitting the most vulnerable refugees for resettlement and … assist … countries hosting them around the world.” Dioceses are planning prayer services for the next two years, as part of the Pope’s campaign.
The Venezuelan bishops’ conference called for a National Day of Prayer on 13 October, two days ahead of regional elections that will elect governors for the country’s 23 states. Making the announcement, the bishops wrote: “Venezuelans with the right to vote have a duty towards the country, regions and future generations. Not participating in the vote means condemning ourselves and future generations.”
President Nicolas Maduro has delayed regional elections since 2016. Street protests against his Government have claimed more than 100 lives in Venezuela this year. Since the elections were announced for October, the opposition has re-focused its strategy away from protests towards winning more political representation.
Blessing for Egypt pilgrimages
Pope Francis has endorsed the Holy Family journey in Egypt as an official Christian pilgrimage. Egypt’s Tourism Minister was among Egyptian officials attending a Mass at the Vatican last week that blessed the initiative. It is hoped to boost pilgrimages and tourism to Egypt, and also signifies government support for Egypt’s Christian minority. Pope Francis told Egyptians during his visit in April: “I am honoured to visit the land visited by the Holy Family.” The pilgrimage route takes pilgrims to eight different places thought to be connected to the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt from Herod’s persecution.
The Libyan authorities have recovered the remains of 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by Islamic State (IS) militants more than two years ago. The discovery was made in the coastal city of Sirte. A statement said an IS militant who had witnessed the killings in January 2015 led officials to the site. Twenty of the victims were from Egypt and one was Ghanaian.
The killing of the Copts in Sirte became a rallying symbol for Middle East Christians. One week after news of the massacre emerged, the Coptic Pope, Tawadros II, said their named would be inscribed in the Coptic Church’s Book of Martyrs.
The National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group and the Colombian Government have agreed to a bilateral ceasefire that began on 1 October and is due to run until early January. It is an important step forward in negotiations with Colombia’s final remaining guerrilla organisation.
The Catholic Church will have a role in verifying the ceasefire, according to Bishop Juan Carlos Barreto of the Catholic Church’s commission for dialogue with the ELN. At the regional level, bishops will report on the ceasefire’s effectiveness, while 20 dioceses work with the UN to inform the public on its progress.
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