US, British forces carry out more strikes against Houthis in Yemen
Washington DC, US Reuters US and British forces carried out strikes against more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, officials said, the latest round of military action against the Iran-linked group that continues to attack shipping in the region. The United States has carried out near daily strikes against the Houthis, who […]
Israeli troops raid Gaza as Arab nations condemn bombardment
Gaza, JerusalemReuters Israeli forces carried out their biggest Gaza ground attack overnight in their 20-day-old war with Hamas as anger grew in the Arab world over Israel’s relentless bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Israeli troops were still preparing for a full ground invasion, while the US and other […]
Pope says women’s rights fight is “continuous struggle”, condemns mutilation
Updated: 10:30am (AEST)Aboard the papal planeReuters Pope Francis said on Sunday the fight for women’s rights was a “continuous struggle”, and condemned male chauvinism as deadly for humanity and female genital mutilation as a crime that must be stopped. Speaking to reporters on the plane returning from a four-day trip to predominantly Muslim Bahrain, he […]
Pope wraps up Bahrain trip with visit to Gulf’s oldest church
Manama, Bahrain Reuters Pope Francis wound up his trip to Bahrain on Sunday by visiting the oldest Catholic church in the Gulf, telling bishops, priests and nuns to remain united as they ministered to the faithful in the majority Muslim area. The last event of his four-day trip took place at Sacred Heart church, built […]
Pope Francis thrills small Gulf Catholic community with big Mass
Awali, Bahrain Reuters Pope Francis said Mass for thousands of Catholics in Bahrain on Saturday, thrilling members of the small foreign Catholic community from around the Gulf and urging them show kindness to their hosts, even if they are sometimes looked down on. The crowd of about 30,000 people that filled Bahrain’s National Stadium was […]
Pope, in Bahrain, condemns rearmament pushing world to “the brink”
Awali, Bahrain Reuters Pope Francis on Friday appealed to religious leaders to help bring the world back from “the brink of a delicate precipice” and oppose a new race to rearm that he said was redesigning Cold War-era spheres of influence. Francis spoke on his first full day in Bahrain as he closed a forum […]
In Bahrain, Pope’s message may get caught in Shi’ite-Sunni Muslim divide
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis leaves on Thursday for Bahrain, a trip aimed at improving ties with the Islamic world but which could thrust him into a human rights conflict between the Sunni-led monarchy and its Shi’ite Muslim opposition. It is only the second visit by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula, following his 2019 visit […]
Pope’s visit a dream come true for woman whose father helped build Bahrain church
Manama, Bahrain Reuters When Pope Francis visits Bahrain this week, it will be a dream come true for many Christians in the Gulf Arab country, but especially for Najla Uchi, whose father helped build the first Roman Catholic church in the island state. Lighting a candle at her home altar lined with religious icons, 78-year-old […]
Pope urged to talk of human rights, political prisoners, in Bahrain visit
Vatican City Reuters Families of death row inmates in Bahrain appealed to Pope Francis on Monday to speak out against capital punishment and defend political prisoners during his trip to the Gulf state this week. The families made their appeal in an open letter released by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, which […]
Pope’s Bahrain trip blends Muslim outreach, Catholic ministry
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Bahrain blends three of his top priorities as Pope: Ministering to a tiny Catholic community, promoting dialogue with the Muslim world and fostering relations with other Christian communities, according to details released Thursday by the Vatican. The 3rd to 6th Noember visit will mark Francis’ second trip to the […]