Vatican City, Dec 12, 2016 / 02:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has sent a letter to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad appealing for peace and for humanitarian relief, as the Syrian government consolidates gains in Aleppo, where tens of thousands are beseiged. A Dec. 12 communique from the Holy See press office noted that in recently naming the apostolic nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Mario Zenari, a cardinal, “the Holy Father sought to show a particular sign of affection for the beloved Syrian people, so sorely tried in recent years.” The statement added that “in a letter sent through the new Cardinal, Pope Francis expressed again his appeal to President Bashar al-Assad and to the international community for an end to the violence, and the peaceful resolution of hostilities, condemning all forms of extremism and terrorism from whatever quarter they may come, and appealing to the President to ensure that international humanitarian law is fully respected with regard to the protection of the civilians and access to humanitarian aid.” The Syrian civil war began in March 2011 with demonstrations against Assad. The war has claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people, and forced 4.8 million to become refugees. Another 8 million Syrians are believed to have been internally displaced by the violence. What began as demonstrations against the nation's Ba'athist president, Bashar al-Assad, has become a complex fight among the Syrian regime (supported by Russia and Iran), moderate rebels, Kurds, and Islamists such as the Army of Conquest and the Islamic State. The Syrian government launched an offensive a month ago to retake Aleppo, the nation's largest city before the war began. Rebel forces have lost more than 90 percent of the city's territory they once held, though many civilians remain in the besieged sector, and food and water have largely run out. This weekend, the United States and Russia held talks over a deal to allow civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo, though no agreement was reached. Read more

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2016 / 05:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The day after an explosion at the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo killed 25 people, mostly women and children, Pope Francis called the head of the Church to offer prayer, and to say they are united the blood of their martyrs. According to a Dec. 12 communique from the Vatican, Francis called His Holiness Pope Tawadros II earlier that morning to express his condolences and to assure of his closeness to the Patriarch and the entire Coptic community, “so hardly hit.” On his part, Patriarch Tawadros II reminded Francis of the phrase “ecumenism of blood” he often uses to describe the global persecution of Christians, and which he also used during his 2013 meeting with the patriarch at the Vatican. Pope Francis told the patriarch that “we are united in the blood of our martyrs,” and promised to pray for the community during his evening Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Tawadros II then thanked Pope Francis for his closeness and asked that he pray for the Coptic Church and for peace in Egypt, promising to send the Pope’s condolences to the entire Coptic community. Francis’ phone call came the day after a Dec. 11 explosion at a chapel attached to St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo killed at least 25 people and wounded dozens more. The blast occurred around 10a.m. local time during a Liturgy at the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church is an Oriental Orthodox Church, meaning it rejected the 451 Council of Chalcedon, and its followers were historically considered monophysites – those who believe Christ has only one nature – by Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. Egypt’s Christians, mostly Copts, make up 10 percent of Egypt’s 83 million-strong population, while the remaining 90 percent is Muslim. Christians in Egypt have long faced attacks from Islamist extremists, particularly since Egypt's military ousted president Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013. In February, four Coptic teenagers were found guilty of insulting Islam and sentenced to five years imprisonment, and two persons were killed in clashes outside St. Mark's in April 2013. In Libya, the Islamic State killed 21 Coptic Orthodox from Egypt in February 2015. In 2011, a bombing on a Coptic church in Alexandria killed 23. Following his Sunday Angelus address, which took place just hours after the attack, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the attack, and stated that “there is only one answer” to such violence: “faith in God  and unity in human and civil values.” Read more

Vatican City, Dec 12, 2016 / 04:34 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When it comes to the many conflicts splintering different parts of the world, Pope Francis the Christian response must be one of nonviolence, which isn’t passive, but active and has roots in... Read more

Vatican City, Dec 11, 2016 / 07:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During the Angelus for the third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, Pope Francis made a special appeal for prayers for the people of Aleppo and Syria, and for all those affected by the ... Read more