News from the Orient – October 4, 2024
Christians under bombardment in Lebanon
The clashes in Lebanon, ongoing for several days, continue to take lives, especially within the Christian community. In southern Lebanon, the Christian village of Aïn Ebel has been hit particularly hard, with airstrikes causing dozens of deaths. Father Gregorius Salloum, a Greek Orthodox priest from the village of Abel al-Saqi, was seriously injured by Israeli bombings, along with several members of his family. In addition, a church in Baalbek was completely destroyed, and a school run by the Daughters of Charity in southern Beirut was damaged by the strikes.
Re-consecration of Etchmiadzin Cathedral
On Sunday, September 29, near Yerevan, Armenia, the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin—one of the spiritual centers of the Armenian Apostolic Church—was re-consecrated after 12 years of renovation. Closed for six years, the cathedral reopened with a religious ceremony led by the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II.
Among the 500 attendees were prominent members of the Armenian government, who were there to witness the historical and spiritual significance of the event for the nation.
A New Chaldean Parish in France
The Chaldean Church has opened a new parish in France. Father Momtaz Kasha, originally from Iraq, is the first Chaldean priest of the parish in Pau. He moved to France in 2017 and has previously served in Marseille and Paris.
The Chaldean diaspora in Europe is mainly found in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden. In France, the Chaldean Church now has five parishes.
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