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September 2, 2017

From one refugee generation to another

Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies (top left) and her family were sponsored by Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Enoch, Alta., when they escaped Vietnam in 1979. She has paid forward their favour some 40 years later by sponsoring the Alshablis, a Syrian refugee family. Her story of generosity will be highlighted in a film to be released by the UN this fall.

EDMONTON - Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies will never forget the January day she saw the Alshablis, a family fleeing war in Syria, walk through the doors of Edmonton International Airport.

Published in Canada
January 7, 2017

Syrians who never thought they'd need help turn to Caritas in Lebanon

Pierrette Gabriel, right, a receptionist at the Caritas Lebanon center in Zahle, greets two Syrian refugee women seeking assistance for their families Jan. 4.

ZAHLE, Lebanon – Balancing boxes and bags filled with warm clothes for his family, Malak Elias Mnayeri waited for a taxi in the near-freezing temperatures outside Caritas Lebanon's center in Zahle, close to the Syrian border.

Published in International
October 6, 2016

World has a duty to protect refugees, Vatican representative says

Displaced Iraqi women wait for their tent to be built June 21 at a refugee camp in Fallujah. Vatican observer to U.N. agencies in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, says the world has a duty to protect refugees.

VATICAN CITY – While national concerns about an influx of migrants and refugees may be legitimate, no country should lose sight of the fact that the influx is made up of real people whose lives are in danger, a Vatican official told a U.N. meeting.

Published in International
August 6, 2015

Pope condemns world's silence on Iraqi refugees

Iraqi Christian children play with concrete blocks Jan. 21 in a new camp set up for the displaced on the outskirts of Ainkawa, Iraq.

VATICAN CITY - The world continues to be silent in the face of widespread persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, Pope Francis said.

Published in International
March 9, 2015

Knights of Columbus send in humanitarian aid to Ukraine's Catholics

People react to a homily by Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, during a Divine Liturgy for Ukrainian expatriates at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome Feb. 19

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Knights of Columbus is providing $400,000 to relief programs sponsored by the Catholic Church in Ukraine.

Published in International
February 4, 2015

War in Ukraine, between Christians is a scandal, Pope says

A crucifix and image of Christ are seen in the casket of Georgian Tomaz Sukhiashvili, a member of a self-defense battalion, during his Jan. 21 funeral in Kiev, Ukraine. The United Nations estimated that at least 224 civilians have been killed and another 545 people wounded since mid-January, raising the death toll to more than 5,300 people since April.

VATICAN CITY - The only word worthy of being heard in the throes of war is "peace," and there is nothing more scandalous than a nation made up of Christians engaged in conflict, Pope Francis said.

Published in International
January 14, 2015

Funding for D&P to help Iraqi refugees through winter

Members of the Yezidi religious minority who fled from violence in Mosul, Iraq, receive humanitarian aid Aug. 21 in Dohuk province, in the northern part of the country. Catholic relief agencies are trying raise more money for additional aid in the region.

Thousands of refugees who fled Mosul, Iraq, six months ago, now living in tents near the border with Turkey, will get more stable and winter-ready housing thanks to an extra $2.4 million in government funding given to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

Published in International
January 13, 2015

Catholic sponsors set to answer call as Canada to take in 13,000 refugees

Syrian refugees warm themselves around a fire Dec. 3 in Ankara, Turkey. Martin Mark, right, executive director of Office of Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto welcomes Canada’s pledge to bring in more refugees from the Middle East, but wished the government had consulted with refugee advocates before making its announcement.

TORONTO - Catholic refugee sponsors stand ready to do their part in bringing 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, but they want to hear more from the federal government about its plans.

Published in Canada
January 9, 2015

Funding running out for Iraqi refugees in Jordan

An Iraqi Christian child who fled from violence in Mosul, Iraq, lies on a bed in late August at a church in Amman, Jordan. A Catholic official warned that funding will soon run out for the refugees, who fled Islamic State militants.
AMMAN, Jordan - A Catholic official warned that funding will soon run out to feed and house thousands of Iraqi Christians sheltering in Jordan after being made homeless by Islamic State militants.
Published in International
November 28, 2014

Syrian bishop urges Pope Francis to raise arms supply issue in Turkey

Chaldean Catholic Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, poses for a photo in Dublin Nov. 25. Bishop Audo, who is the president of Caritas in Syria, has appealed to Pope Francis to use his time in Turkey to raise the issue of the ongoing supply of arms b eing sent across the Turkish border to rebel factions in northern Syria.
DUBLIN -- The president of Caritas in Syria has appealed to Pope Francis to use his Nov. 28-30 trip to Turkey to raise the issue of the ongoing supply of arms being sent across the Turkish border to rebel factions in northern Syria.

Published in International