The Kingdom also warns that the international community’s silence regarding these practices, and the absence of accountability mechanisms amid ongoing Israeli violations and assaults, weakens the foundations of the international order and undermines the principles of international legitimacy.
The Kingdom reiterates its firm position in supporting the Palestinian people and in continuing its efforts toward establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions.
Archiv: Kirchen / Religionen / religions / churches
Saudi Arabia warns international order undermined by persistent Israeli attacks on Palestinian holy sites
„The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the continued violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities and extremist settlers against the Palestinian people, most recently the storming of the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque and the provocation of worshippers there, and the reprehensible attack on the Hajja Hamida Mosque in the Palestinian village of Kafr Haris,“ the statement said.
The Trial of Galileo: An Account
The trial by the Congregation moved to its conclusion. Several of the ten cardinals apparently pushed for Galileo‘s incarceration in prison, while those more supportive of Galileo argued that–with changes–the Dialogue ought to continue to be allowed to circulate. In the end, a majority of the cardinals–rejecting much of the Commissary‘s agreement with Galileo–demanded Galileo „even with the threat of torture…abjure in a plenary assembly of the Congregation of the Holy Office…[and] then be condemned to imprisonment at the pleasure of the Holy Congregation.“ Moreover, the cardinals declared, the Dialogue „is to be prohibited.“
The grand play ran its course, with the Pope insisting upon a formal sentence, a tough examination of Galileo, public abjuration, and „formal prison.“ Galileo was forced to appear once again for formal questioning about his true feelings concerning the Copernican system. Galileo obliged, so as not to risk being branded a heretic, testifying that „I held, as I still hold, as most true and indisputable, the opinion of Ptolemy, that is to say, the stability of the Earth and the motion of the Sun.“ Galileo‘s renunciation of Copernicanism ended with the words, „I affirm, therefore, on my conscience, that I do not now hold the condemned opinion and have not held it since the decision of authorities….I am here in your hands–do with me what you please.“
Many American Jews sharply critical of Israel on Gaza, Post poll finds
Q: When the war ends, would each of the following be an acceptable or unacceptable way for Gaza to be governed?
Completely acceptable (in %):
Governed by leaders elected by Palestinians in Gaza 30
Governed by group of existing Arab nations 10
Governed by the Palestinian Authority 10
Governed by Israel 14
Governed by Hamas 9
Israeli tanks close in on Gaza City, Trump to chair meeting
Thousands have already left, but church leaders in the city said on Wednesday they were staying put, as leaving Gaza City and „trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence“.
„For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds,“ a joint statement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.
At least 2 children killed and 17 people injured in shooting at Minneapolis Catholic school Mass
(today)
Here’s what you should know:
The shooter is dead: The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, O’Hara said at the news conference. The shooter, who was in his early 20s but has not been publicly identified, was clad in black and armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Police are still investigating a possible motive.
Pope Leo joins Jerusalem Patriarchs’ call for peace in Gaza
(August 27, 2025)
“Today I renew a strong appeal both to the parties involved and to the international community, that an end be put to the conflict in the Holy Land, which has caused so much terror, destruction, and death,” said the Pope.
He also called for the safe entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the protection of civilians.
“I appeal for all hostages to be freed, a permanent ceasefire to be reached, the safe entry of humanitarian aid to be facilitated, and humanitarian law to be fully respected—especially the obligation to protect civilians and the prohibitions against collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,” he added.
Joint Statement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem August 26th,2025
“In the path of righteousness there is life, in walking its path there is no death” (Proverbs 12,28).
A few weeks ago, the Israeli government announced its decision to take control of Gaza City. In recent days, the media have repeatedly reported a massive military mobilization and preparations for an imminent offensive. The same reports indicate that the population of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians live — and where our Christian community is located — is to be evacuated and relocated to the south of the Strip. At the time of this statement, evacuation orders were already in place for several neighborhoods in Gaza City. Reports of heavy bombardment continue to be received. There is more destruction and death in a situation that was already dramatic before this operation. It seems that the Israeli government’s announcement that “the gates of hell will open” is indeed taking on tragic forms. The experience of past campaigns in Gaza, the declared intentions of the Israeli government with regard to the current operation, and the reports now reaching us from the ground, show that the operation is not just a threat, but a reality that is already in the process of being implemented.
Since the outbreak of the war, the Greek Orthodox compound of Saint Porphyrius and the Holy Family compound have been a refuge for hundreds of civilians. Among them are elderly people, women, and children. In the Latin compound we are hosting since many years people with disabilities, who are under the care of the Sisters Missionaries of Charity. Like other residents of Gaza City, the refugees living in the facilities will have to decide according to their conscience what they will do. Among those who have sought shelter within the walls of the compounds, many are weakened and malnourished due to the hardships of the last months. Leaving Gaza City and trying to flee to the south would be nothing less than a death sentence. For this reason, the clergy and nuns have decided to remain and continue to care for all those who will be in the compounds.
Can Netanyahu say just what he likes?
(October 25, 2015)
A political consultant once related how he lunched with Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered a hamburger with fries. He was not supposed to be eating such foods – doctor’s orders. As they were finishing up, Bibi’s wife, Sarah, came in, saw the evidence and began to see red. Netanyahu, all righteous indignation, looked her straight in the eye and said he had eaten no such hamburger. The storyteller said he was convinced at that moment that Netanyahu himself believed it.
If apocryphal, it is definitely in character. Netanyahu regularly embraces bad ideas or even lies so totally that he convinces himself of their rightness. Others start to believe them too. His outlandish idea, uttered in a speech, was that Hitler would have been happy with just expelling Jews if a Palestinian, the then grand mufti of Jerusalem, had not suggested annihilation instead.
Netanyahu says Hitler didn‘t want to kill the Jews, but a Muslim convinced him to do it
Oct 22, 2015
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Adolf Hitler didn‘t want to kill the Jews, but a Muslim convinced him to do it.
Holocaust historians disagree.
Pope appeals for end to Gaza ‘barbarity’
After the Holy Family church was struck on Thursday morning, three of the approximately 600 Gazans sheltering there were killed, and several others, including the parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, were injured.
Speaking on Sunday after reciting the Angelus prayer at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope named the three victims – Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud – and said he was “close” to them and their families.
Pope Leo then stressed that the attack “is just one of the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza”.
The Pope appealed for “an immediate halt to the barbarity of the war” and for “a peaceful resolution of the conflict”. He urged the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, “as well as the prohibition against collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population”.
Israeli forces strike Catholic Parish in Gaza
The Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip, was hit by a tank this morning. Three people subsequently died from their injuries. Others were reportedly wounded more lightly, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, earlier spoke to Vatican News:
“What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church”, he said. “There are four people seriously wounded, among these four, two are in very dramatic conditions and their lives are in serious danger”.
Pope to ROACO: May Eastern Churches bear witness amid pain of conflict
The Pope highlighted Eastern Christians’ “sense of the sacred, their deep faith confirmed by suffering, and their spirituality, redolent of the divine mysteries”.
Pope Leo went on to recall the violence ravaging the Christian East with “diabolical intensity previously unknown,” noting that some ROACO members were unable to come to Rome for the annual meeting due to the conflict in the Middle East.
“Our hearts bleed when we think of Ukraine, the tragic and inhumane situation in Gaza, and the Middle East, ravaged by the spread of war,” he said.
Every individual, added the Pope, must examine the causes of these conflicts and seek to resolve them, while rejecting explanations that are manipulative or false.
“It is truly distressing to see the principle of ‘might makes right’ prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest,” he said.
Pope Leo laments ‚diabolical intensity‘ of Middle East conflicts
Pope Leo said on Thursday that conflicts in the Middle East were raging with an unprecedented „diabolical intensity“ and appealed for greater respect for international law, in comments to Catholic bishops and aid agencies operating in the region.
At a meeting in the Vatican, the pontiff said countries in the region were being „devastated by wars, plundered by special interests, and covered by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic.“
Shas said planning to back Knesset dissolution over stymied draft-exemption bill
Speaking with the Haaretz daily following a faction meeting held to discuss whether or not to support the UTJ-led move, a Shas source said that the party will push to dissolve the Knesset, a move that would strip the coalition of its majority and trigger new elections.
Elections may loom as senior rabbis tell Haredi UTJ party to bolt coalition
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was teetering Wednesday after the spiritual leaders of Degel Hatorah, one of the two factions that make up the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, instructed their MKs to introduce a bill to dissolve the Knesset due to the coalition’s failure to pass a law exempting yeshiva students from conscription — a longstanding UTJ goal.
On Wednesday morning, Degel Hatorah chair MK Moshe Gafni received the instructions from rabbis Moshe Hirsch, the dean of Bnei Brak’s Slabodka yeshiva, and Dov Lando, the senior leader of the so-called Lithuanian stream of non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodoxy and the chairman of the faction’s ruling Council of Torah Sages.
Biography of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost
Prior to his election as Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Here is the biography of the 267th Bishop of Rome.
Leo XIV is the new Pope
„Peace be with all of you!“ – the first words of Pope Leo XIV. The Conclave has elected Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome. The new pope was announced to the waiting crowds by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti.
Zweiter Tag im Konklave: Papstwahl geht weiter
Nach dem ersten Wahlgang am Mittwochabend setzen die 133 wahlberechtigten Kardinäle an diesem Donnerstag das Konklave in der Sixtinischen Kapelle fort. Am Mittwochabend warteten 45.000 Menschen am Petersplatz auf die Rauchsäule. Sie kam später als erwartet, um Punkt 21 Uhr, und war – wie erwartet – schwarz.
Black smoke signals end of first day of conclave
Black smoke emerged from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 21:00 on Wednesday evening, signalling that a first ballot has been held at the conclave and has concluded without the election of a Pope.
Around 45,000 people had gathered in St Peter‘s Square to await the announcement, which had been expected some time after 7pm. In the end, they had to wait until 9.
Who will be the next pope? Here are some possible candidates
During his pontificate, Francis overhauled the composition of the body that will elect his successor, making it more representative of the worldwide church.
He threw out the old, unwritten rulebook that bishops of certain dioceses (several of them in Italy) would automatically be made cardinals and instead gave red hats to bishops in parts of the world that had never had them before, such as Tonga, Haiti and Papua New Guinea. Several of them are “outsiders” to the Roman system, so it makes it harder to predict how they will vote.
The Pope Has Died, And The Palestinian People Have Lost An Important Advocate
I don’t know who the cardinals will pick to replace him, but I do know with absolute certainty that there are transnational intelligence operations in the works to make sure they select a more reliable supporter of Israel.
Hochfest der Geburt des Herrn – Segen „Urbi et Orbi“
Segensloggia der Petersbasilika
12.00 Uhr
I sued the government over ‚extremism‘ and I know the game Gove is playing
The British public should realise that Muslim scapegoats today, much like the Jewish, Irish or Black scapegoats used by demagogues yesterday, are not their enemies
UK government targets Muslim groups with new definition of extremism
In an earlier statement, Gove‘s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the definition had been updated to respond to an “increased extremist threat since October 7 terror attacks in Israel”, citing an increase in reported antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes.
It said the new definition would be used by government departments and officials to help them decide which groups they should engage with and fund, and to identify “extremist organisations, individuals and behaviours”.
But it said: “This definition is not statutory and has no effect on the existing criminal law – it applies to the operations of Government itself.”
Papst erteilt feierlichen Weihnachts-Segen – Ruf nach Frieden
Eindringlich rief der Papst in seiner Urbi-et-Orbi-Botschaft dazu auf, sich für Frieden einzusetzen. „Er komme bald in Israel und Palästina, wo der Krieg das Leben dieser Völker erschüttert. Ich umarme sie alle, insbesondere die christlichen Gemeinschaften in Gaza und im gesamten Heiligen Land. Ich trauere im Herzen um die Opfer des verabscheuungswürdigen Angriffs vom 7. Oktober und erneuere meinen dringenden Appell für die Freilassung derjenigen, die noch immer als Geiseln festgehalten werden. Ich flehe darum, dass die Militäroperationen mit ihren entsetzlichen Folgen unschuldiger ziviler Opfer eingestellt werden und dass man etwas gegen die verzweifelte humanitäre Situation unternimmt, indem man das Eintreffen der Hilfslieferungen ermöglicht.“
Franziskus richtete den Scheinwerfer aber über das aktuelle Gaza-Drama hinaus auf die Zukunft der Menschen und Völker im Nahen Osten. „Man schüre nicht weiter Gewalt und Hass, sondern führe die palästinensische Frage zu einer Lösung, und zwar durch einen aufrichtigen und beharrlichen Dialog zwischen den Parteien, der von einem starken politischen Willen getragen wird und von der Unterstützung der internationalen Gemeinschaft.“ Der Vatikan wirbt für eine Zwei-Staaten-Lösung Israel/Palästina und für einen international garantierten, freien Zugang zu den Heiligen Stätten.
Pope: May Christmas bring peace to our world and turn sorrow into joy
Following the birth of the Saviour came the slaughter of the innocents, the Pope recalled, and he remembered the innocents, the „little Jesuses“ of today, who are victims „in their mothers’ wombs, in odysseys undertaken in desperation and in search of hope, in the lives of all those little ones whose childhood has been devastated by war.“
We must say „yes“ to peace and „no“ to war the Pope decried, as every war marks „a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly.“ He also called for a „no“ to weaponry given that with human weakness we can often end up using it for war sooner or later.
Peace is even more difficult, he observed, „when arms production, sales, and trade are on the rise“ and public funds spent on arms can come at the expense of bread for the hungry. He decried „the interests and the profits that move the puppet strings of war.“ And these must be brought to light, „talked about and written about,“ he emphasised, since many have no idea how much of their public funds are being spent on weapons, whereas they should be informed.
Pope condemns attacks on civilians in Gaza: ‘It is war; it is terrorism’
“Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” he said. “That is why the Scripture affirms that ‘God stops wars… breaks the bow, splinters the spear’ (Psalm 46:10). Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
Pope Francis also recalled people in various parts of the world who are suffering due to war.
“Let us not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from war, in Ukraine, in Palestine and Israel, and in other conflict zones,” he said. “May the approach of Christmas strengthen the commitment to open paths of peace.”
Pope speaks out after IDF sniper kills two women inside Gaza church, per Catholic authorities
Seven others were also shot and wounded in the attack at the complex, where most Gaza’s Christian families have taken refuge since the start of the war, according to the patriarchate, which oversees Catholic Churches across Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the statement continued. “They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish, where there are no belligerents.”