Around the world (ISIS, Iraq, Indonesia)
ISIS obliterates oldest Christian monastery in Iraq
IRBIL, Iraq — The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq has been reduced to a field of rubble, yet another victim of the Islamic State group’s relentless destruction of ancient cultural sites.
For 1,400 years, the compound survived assaults by nature and man, standing as a place of worship recently for US troops. In earlier centuries, generations of monks tucked candles in the niches and prayed in the cool chapel. The Greek letters chi and rho, representing the first two letters of Christ’s name, were carved near the entrance. [link]
For 1,400 years, the compound survived assaults by nature and man, standing as a place of worship recently for US troops. In earlier centuries, generations of monks tucked candles in the niches and prayed in the cool chapel. The Greek letters chi and rho, representing the first two letters of Christ’s name, were carved near the entrance. [link]
In Wake of Bombings, Jesuit Calls on Indonesian Muslims to Fight Islamic Terrorism
Says That Government Must Succeed so Youth Don’t Go Looking for Alternatives Such as ISIS
Father Franz Magnis-Suseno, a Jesuit and lecturer in philosophy at the University of Jakarta spoke with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the terrorist attack Jan. 14 in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, which left seven people dead, including five of the attackers. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Jesuit said the violence had nothing to do with tensions between Christians and Muslims in the country, which has been long known for its moderate and tolerant form of Islam. The priest speculated that the target of the violence were not Christians or other religious minorities, and that the attack were meant to send a message to the West, just like recent ISIS-inspired or sponsored terror operations in Istanbul and Egypt. [link]
The Jesuit said the violence had nothing to do with tensions between Christians and Muslims in the country, which has been long known for its moderate and tolerant form of Islam. The priest speculated that the target of the violence were not Christians or other religious minorities, and that the attack were meant to send a message to the West, just like recent ISIS-inspired or sponsored terror operations in Istanbul and Egypt. [link]
