Middle East

Despite reassurance from Catholic leaders in the Holy Land, planned pilgrimages from Canada to the land of Christ's birth will likely remain unavailable for the foreseeable future.

While Pope Francis was hospitalized in Rome's Gemelli hospital, one of the cardinals closest to him traveled to Lebanon to demonstrate the pope's ongoing concern for refugees and for peace in the Middle East.

The body of Shiri Bibas -- the mother of two red-headed boys who became a symbol of Israeli hostage suffering, both confirmed dead -- was eventually returned Feb. 21, with the Bibas family confirming Feb. 22 that it was the body of the boys' mother.

One out of four people living in Lebanon is a refugee, and the majority of children born in refugee camps are unregistered at birth, said Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

The election of Joseph Aoun, a Maronite (Eastern-rite Catholic), as the 14th president of Lebanon and a fragile ceasefire have raised hopes that the war-ravaged and crisis-ridden country will finally reverse its steep descent into chaos.

The long-awaited and elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has silenced bombs and halted air raids on the Gaza Strip, for the time being, but the humanitarian situation there is dire, reports the regional director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Catholic leaders in the Holy Land called on Christian pilgrims to return to the region following the implementation of the long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Dalai Lama reminds us, “The very nature (of war) is one of tragedy and suffering.” This is true for both active combatants and civilians. The loss of one life is too many. This is certainly where both of us stand.

Starting at 4 p.m. on Jan. 19, crowds of Israelis arrived at what has become known as Hostages Square in the centre of Tel Aviv to support the hostage families and watch the release screened on the giant screen in the square.

As news spread of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, reactions from religious leaders in the region expressed hopes for peace in the Holy Land, concern for the safety of hostages as well as the people of the Gaza Strip for the past 15 months.