The Tablet February 19, 2021
A damaged cross is pictured atop St. George Monastery in Mosul, Iraq, June, 9, 2019. Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq March 5-8. (Photo: CNS/Marcin Mazur)
By Elise Anne Allen
ROME (Crux) – Despite widespread speculation that Pope Francis and top Shi’a cleric Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani will sign a document on human fraternity during their meeting in Iraq next month, an Iraqi state official has said the rumors are false.
According to the Iraqi Kurdish news site “Rudaw,” in comments made during a media roundtable, Senior Undersecretary of Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nizar Al-Khair Allah called the Holy Father’s scheduled visit with Al-Sistani “historic.”
Courtesy of Kerry Wolfe
Isolation is tough people have had to endure not seeing friends, spending the holidays and milestones without family, and getting to the end of everything on Netflix. But for medieval monks, isolation wasn t only a way of life, but a means to protect all of Christendom. According to the 5th century s Augustine of Hippo, monks lived in the “City of God,” and their holy work protected those who lived in the “Earthly City,” a.k.a. the rest of us. In other words, the more isolated the monastery, the better. Feast your eyes on five of the world’s most precariously placed monasteries.
Holy in the Holy Land: 9 of the Most Beautiful Churches in Israel
Holy in the Holy Land: 9 of the Most Beautiful Churches in Israel
As the Judeo-Christian holy land, Israel is filled with churches.
While the Church of Mary Magdalene, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity may be the most famous, the churches and monasteries listed below house many relics, including ancient ruins, Medieval artwork and the tombs of several saints and apostles.
Some are in fairytale locations with breathtaking views, from the heart of the desert to mountaintops overlooking Israel’s seas. Others, however, warrant stripping down to your bathing suit for a quick spiritual dip.
9 of the most beautiful churches in Israel
Just in time for Christmas, we’ve got a list of nine of Israel’s most interesting and beautiful historically significant churches (and it’s probably not what you were expecting).
December 20, 2020, 8:00 am
View of the Dome of the Rock from a window of Dominus Flevit Church in Jerusalem. Photo via Shutterstock.co
Israel is filled with churches. After all, this holy land is where everything you read about in the Bible took place.
Sure, you’ve got to check out the most famous of them all: The gold-domed Church of Mary Magdalene and Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, for example.