American bishops were returning to their dioceses after a nine-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a stronger resolve to advocate for peace and to urge the U.S. government to take a leadership role in ushering Israelis and Palestinians toward peace, a member of the delegation said."Framed by P

East Jerusalem tour heightens bishops' awareness of complexities

Catholic aid organizations are hopeful that the most recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will hold as they begin to assess the needs in Gaza after 50 days of war."This is a window of opportunity," said Sami El-Yousef, Catholic Near East Welfare Association's regional director fo

When the staff at the lone Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip received text warnings to evacuate the premises, they had nowhere to go.Father Raed Abusahlia, president of Caritas Jerusalem who has been in contact with the parish priest, told Catholic News Service that Father Jorge Hernandez of the Ins

Since the death of his wife in an Israeli missile attack on their house in the Gaza Strip in late July, George Ayyad, 75, has been keeping vigil over his son Jeries, 31.Jeries Ayyad lay in the intensive care unit of St. Joseph Hospital. Second- and third-degree burns covered 90 percent of his body.

No electricity, water: head of Caritas in Jerusalem to launch an international appeal.

The situation in hospitals in the Gaza Strip is dire, and Palestinians are saying that medical supplies will soon run out, said a cardiologist who serves with the Near East Council of Churches in Gaza.Dr. Issa Tarazi, executive director of Near East Council of Churches Department of Services to Pale

Leaders must 'say enough; enough for the mothers, enough for the innocent persons.'

Pope Francis told young Palestinian refugees to look to the future and to always work and strive for the things they wanted."Remember that violence cannot be defeated by violence; violence can only be defeated with peace -- with peace, effort and dignity to move the nation forward," he tol

A long line of cars trailed down the road next to the Church of the Nativity as Franciscan Father Ibrahim Faltas helped coordinate the placement of the electricity generator for the May 25 papal Mass."We are working night and day," he said calmly May 23, as he worked to quickly free up the