NEW YORK - Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said Islamic State militants terrorizing the Middle East are a distortion of “genuine” Islam much as the Irish Republican Army was a “perversion” of Catholicism.
21 slain Egyptian Copt martyrs had their cross to bear
MONTREAL - Christians have always faced various degrees of persecution through the centuries and should always be prepared to wear “the crown of martyrdom,” a Coptic leader in Montreal told his congregation Feb. 28 during a memorial Mass honouring 21 Egyptians who were beheaded on a beach in Libya by jihadists in mid-February.
VATICAN CITY - The head of Vatican security said Islamic State militants have threatened the Vatican, but there are no indications of any planned attack.
BEIRUT - A pontifical aid organization has begun sending aid to families who fled their homes when Islamic State militants raided a cluster of Assyrian Christian villages on the Khabur River in northeast Syria.
19 Assyrian Christians released, but many concerned for more than 200 said to be held captive
AMMAN, Jordan - Christians in the Middle East welcomed the release of nearly 20 Assyrian Christians abducted by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria, but expressed concern that more than 200 others remained in captivity.
Melkite, Orthodox patriarchs urge world to work to solve Syrian crisis
BEIRUT - Two Syrian-born patriarchs separately urged the international community to work together to address the crisis in Syria and the region.
Islamic State refugees grow disgruntled
SANLIURFA, Turkey - Hassan, a chain-smoking 20-year-old from Syria, sits in a cafe across the border from his homeland, one of thousands who escaped the clutches of the Islamic State group.
WASHINGTON - Amid frequent reports of brutal killings and attacks by Islamic State militants, the director of an Islamic group in the United States strongly believes that people of faith must "collectively denounce" these actions of "stark evil" and "cruel barbarism."
Up to 100 Christians abducted in Islamic State offensive in Syria
DOHUK, Iraq - Dozens of Assyrian Christians were abducted by Islamic State forces during a new offensive against a string of villages in northeastern Syria, aid and civil rights organizations reported.
Hundreds gather to mourn Christians slain by Islamic State
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - The Coptic Christians of Toronto and their friends gathered in Mississauga Feb. 22 to answer the murder of 21 Egyptian Copts by Islamic State allies in Libya. They answered the Feb. 15 beheadings with Bible readings, prayers, songs, hope and forgiveness.
Italy and Vatican on guard after threat from Islamic State
ROME - The Italian government is on high alert after threats from the Islamic State called Italy “the nation signed with the blood of the cross.”
Pope seeks prayers for Egyptians beheaded by Islamic State
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called for prayers for the Egyptian Christians beheaded by Islamic State militants in Libya and asked that God recognize these men killed for their faith.
Coptic Christians increasingly feel endangered in Libya and Egypt
CAIRO - The gruesome video released by militants from the Islamic State showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya has focused the world’s attention on the plight of Christians there and the government’s ability to respond.
Pope Francis condemns Islamic State’s executions of Christians in Libya
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Monday (Feb. 16) denounced the brutal slayings of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya by militants linked to the Islamic State, saying “they were assassinated just for being Christian.”
Education a priority for church agencies aiding displaced Iraqis
SHARIAH COLLECTIVE, Iraq - Young children happily sing songs in Kurdish and Arabic, play interactive games, learn to count and how to read and write under a big colorful tent. Meanwhile, teens and pre-teens study more serious subjects.