Syria

By Eric Leijenaar, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- A film about the life of the biblical Apostle Paul, which "clearly reflects the Gospel," has been watched in Syria by over a thousand Muslim clerics and politicians, including a government minister, organizers said.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in war-torn Syria have marked one month since the kidnapping of two bishops near the Turkish border with a new appeal for their release, amid mounting concerns about the leaders' safety and health.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christian aid workers and local believers in Syria have urged prayers and assistance after President Bashar Assad's forces were accused of launching a chemical weapons attack killing at least 70 people and injuring many more.

By BosNewsLife Americas Service WASHINGTON, USA (BosNewsLife)-- Most Americans agree with the presidential candidates of both parties in calling Islamic State group atrocities against Christians in the Middle East "genocide," according to a poll by the Catholic Knights of Columbus (KofC) order and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Martin O'Malley have all called the situation genocide.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)— One of Syria’s most respected church leaders has condemned the destruction of an ancient Catholic monastery by the Islamic State (IS) group and expressed concern that hundreds of kidnapped people, many of them Christians, may have been killed and Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo Antoine Audo spoke hours after news emerged that IS had destroyed the monastery in the Syrian town of Qaryatain dating back to the 5th century after Christ, and is located in central Homs province.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Special Correspondent DAMASCUS/LOS ANGELES (BosNewsLife)-- Syrian Christian activist and filmmaker Sargon Saadi has urged Christians in the West to step up efforts to help besieged Assyrians, after the kidnapping of 150 Assyrian Christians by militants of the Islamic State group.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- One of the modern-day saints of the Middle East is Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of captivity and torture after being kidnapped by the al-Qaida terror group. During my Skype interview with him last year, I was startled at how surprisingly cheerful and relaxed he appeared when recalling his harrowing experiences.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service AMMAN, JORDAN (BosNewsLife)-- Preparations were underway in Jordan's capital Amman for "the first ever Christmas meal for Christian refugee children from Iraq and Syria" who have been "mostly ignored by Islamic charities," organizers said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Islamic militants with ties to terror group al-Qaida have launched the"ethnic cleansing of minority Christians" in Syria, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee the embattled Syrian city of Homs and other areas, aid workers confirmed Tuesday, March 27.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- An Iraqi Franciscan priest abducted by Islamic militants in northwest Syria has been released, but Christian leaders cautioned that persecution of minority groups continues in the war-torn region.