Few would deny that Tripoli is the most strained of Lebanese cities and the most appealing to extremist and Salafist movements. Even so, the northern city has another face to display to its visitors: Churches are proof of how much the city’s Muslim inhabitant’s care for pluralism, even if it is more symbolic than […]

ALEPPO, Syria (Catholic Online) – A Reuters news report by Oliver Holmes and Alexander Dziadosz entitled Special Report: Syria’s Islamists seize control as moderates dither is must reading for anyone who wants to know what is really happening in Syria as the current US Administration makes choices which may make the matter worse for Christians in that ancient biblical land.

The news out of Syria continues to shock the conscience of anyone who still has one. However, the solutions, at least from a geopolitical perspective, are not the ones being considered by the Obama Administration. There is no doubt that the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, is committing atrocities against the Syrian people.  The allegations are that they have used chemical weapons against their own people.

However, much of the opposition is composed of Islamists who may be far worse than the regime. In the crosshairs of this escalating violence are the Christians. In April, Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church and Bishop John Ibrahim of the Assyrian Orthodox Church were kidnapped. They were traveling from the Turkish border to Aleppo, Syria. There has been a plague of kidnappings.

Among the strongest voices in the international outcry calling for the release of the Bishops is Pope Francis, a champion of peace who is also well aware of the dangers of militant, extremist versions of Islam. He referred to the kidnapping as "a dramatic confirmation of the tragic situation in which the Syrian population and its Christian community is living."

  khazen.org strongly supports the Lebanese presidency, the President of the Parliament, Prime Minister offices and the army. His Excellency President Michel Suleiman has been leading us for a prosperous & safe Lebanon.  Thanks to the effort of President Suleiman as he is enforcing greatly the Lebanese consititution,  and increase security at the borders while […]

  BEIRUT: Hezbollah is exposing Lebanon to internal tensions and Israeli aggression by continuing its military campaign in Syria, President Michel Sleiman said in comments published Thursday, in the second such warning by the head of state over the resistance group’s growing involvement in the conflict next door. “If they participate in the Allepo [north Syria] […]

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s public debt swelled by nearly $5 billion during the term of former premier Najib Mikati’s Cabinet, the secretary-general of the Association of Banks in Lebanon said. “Based on the statistics provided by the Finance Ministry, the public debt rose by $5 billion, 60 percent of which is foreign currency,” Makram Sader told The […]

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi demanded on Tuesday the formation of a neutral cabinet to bridge the gap between the March 8 and 14 alliances and achieve reconciliation.“The March 8 and 14 coalitions sit on one table to save the country,” al-Rahi told reporters at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport before heading to the Vatican. He […]

 The army announced that it will immediately respond to any further cross-border attacks by the Syrian military after a helicopter gunship attacked on Wednesday. "Army units deployed in the (Arsal) area took the necessary defensive measures to respond immediately to any similar violations," an army statement said, in a rare warning against the regime of […]

  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – According to the pro-opposition monitoring group, the boy, Mohammad Qataa was shot in the face and neck a day after being seized.  "The Observatory cannot ignore these crimes, which only serve the enemies of the revolution and the enemies of humanity," said the group’s leader Rami Abdulrahman. The […]

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman discussed Tuesday the weekend killing of an anti-Hezbollah protester with Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad. “The meeting today at Baabda Palace came in the wake of Sunday’s incident outside the Iranian embassy,” Environment Minister Nazem al-Khoury told the Voice of Lebanon radio station. He said that during his meeting with Raad, Sleiman […]

 Lebanon will "pay the cost" of the Syrian conflict, a top Roman Catholic cardinal said in an interview. "Where do the refugees go? The Christians go to Christian homes in Lebanon, the Druze go to Druze homes in Lebanon, the Alawites go to their relatives (in Lebanon)," said Jean-Louis Tauran, who was secretary of state […]