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Bethlehem, Star Street: among the light-colored stone buildings lining the road to the Church of the Nativity, there is one that holds the childhood memories of many city residents. The city of Bethlehem feels bare during these cold December days: there are no shimmering lights in the streets, no Christmas tree bringing festive cheer to […]

Syria, Aleppo, December 12, 2024: The streets teem with life, seemingly restored to normality. A Christmas tree glimmers in the center of the city’s main square. Yet, the road from Damascus to Aleppo is lined with lifeless bodies, lives shattered by a war “won without fighting.” The testimony of Jean François Thiry “The journey itself […]

“Aleppo today is no longer a safe place, but it remains our home. And as the days go by, the longing for peace becomes a silent cry that we hope, one day, someone will hear.” “Good afternoon, my name is Jacob. I’m writing to you from Aleppo, a city in northern Syria, constantly struck and […]

La testimonianza da Damasco del nostro collaboratore, Ayham Khouly Damasco 09 dicembre: I ribelli sono entrati a Damasco, le persone sono terrorizzate, sono in continua ricerca di beni di prima necessità, prima che finiscano per l’intera città. La testimonianza da Damasco del nostro collaboratore, Ayham Khouly Damasco 08 dicembre: I ribelli sono entrati a Damasco […]

“Despite difficult times, despair is not an option.” “You are not alone. Despite difficult times, despair is not an option.” These were the words of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, addressing the community of Jenin, a troubled city in the West Bank, just hours after a heavy attack. Strong words, difficult even to utter […]

Either the Darkness alters— / Or something in the sight / Adjusts itself to Midnight— / And Life steps almost straight. The human eye is designed to be deeply adaptable to changes in its surrounding environment. When darkness falls and the shadows obscure vision, it takes only a few minutes for our eyes to learn […]

“This is the voice of the Palestinian child calling my people, / the voice of the wounded bird, and here I am crying out with all my voice, / to those near and far, to every lover of life and beauty. / I want, oh God, to live in peace, / and to play, run, […]

“The art of Arabic Calligraphy is not just an artistic form: it is a form of cultural resistance, a means to express the beauty and strength of our Palestinian and Arab identity.” Since late September, our center in Bethlehem, Dar al-Majus, has hosted an Arabic calligraphy workshop led by Gaza-based calligrapher Hany Sarsour. Over the […]

“Yet the goodness he brought into the world is so great that it deserves to end up somewhere, to take shape somehow.” Today we want to tell you a story. It’s the story of a mother who lost a son, of a niece seeking a gesture that might help her mourning aunt find meaning and […]

“Perhaps today’s tragedy needs this gentleness more than ever: a gaze that embraces the entire situation, with all its complex history, without lingering lazily on easy simplifications.” Amid the delicate branches and pink petals of bougainvillea climbing the stone walls stands, in Deir Rafat, the sanctuary of Mary, Queen of Palestine. At the summit of […]

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, Pope Francis will celebrate the canonization in Rome of the eleven martyrs of Damascus: eight friars of the Custody of the Holy Land and three Maronite laymen, executed for their faith in 1860. This event represents not only the recognition of their sacrifice but also a strong message of peace […]

In the early days of October, the weather in Rhodes is still mild—autumn lingers—and the island echoes with solemn notes, sweetly spreading around the Church of St. Francis. From October 1st to 5th, the Church of St. Francis in Rhodes hosted the twelfth edition of the Organ and Music Festival Rhodes, organized by the Catholic […]

“One thing that struck me, during these days of emergency and pain, was seeing how people started helping each other, even though they belong to different communities. Even though some are Christians and others are Muslims.” This is how Fadi Bejani, the coordinator of our projects in Lebanon, responds to the question “Have you seen […]

Sebastia is a small village located in the West Bank, in the green region of Samaria; surrounded by expanses of olive trees, today it is experiencing the drama of war. On the hills around, settler settlements are expanding more and more, threatening the safety of the villagers. Over time we have launched many projects, with […]

Looking for the fit between the tiles of a mosaic to compose the details of an image almost never succeeds on the first attempt. Try to bring the stone closer to the tiles already glued, trying to make it fit together as much as possible; then, turn it over until you find the most similar […]