Another deception by the Iglesia Ni Cristo® Media of a Certain Ferdinand Mendez

A certain "Fr. Ferdinand Mendez" was featured in one of Iglesia Ni Cristo®'s Church News. And according to them, Mr. Ferdinand Mendez was a "former" Catholic priest of the "Eastern Order of Saint Basil Lady of Fatima Missions" which is nonexistent according to registered Catholic orders and congregations available in the internet.

An "eastern" Catholic wearing a "Western" priestly garments?????????????????!

According to this Tweeter user @aprilkaygardose (Nhonoy@yahoo.com), he is a member of such non-existent Easter Order of Saint Basil:

He posted his intention to MEET THE CATHOLIC POPE (FRANCIS) whom he considers HOLY!

He even followed POPE FRANCIS's Tweeter and Our Lady of Fatima Missions (OLFMissions) which are all WESTERN, not easterm.

Here are OFFICIAL LISTS of CATHOLIC ORDERS and CONGREGATIONS from Catholic-Hierarchy:

Religious Orders

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Jump to: Institutes of Consecrated Life | Societies of Apostolic Life

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Institutes of Consecrated Life

Name	Abbreviation	Nickname	Type
Agostiniani Scalzi	O.A.D.	Discalced Augustinians	Mendicant Order
Antonian Order of Saint Ormizda of the Chaldeans (Chaldean)	O.A.O.C.		Monastic Order
Antonin Maronite Order (Maronite)	O.A.M.		Monastic Order
Arrouhbaniat Albassiliat Almoukhalissiat (Melkite Greek)	B.S.	Basilian Salvatorian Order	Monastic Order
Ar-Rouhbanyat Al-Marounyat Liltoubawyat Mariam Al-Azra (Maronite)	O.M.M.	Aleppians	Monastic Order
Augustinians of the Assumption	A.A.	Assumptionists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist (Melkite Greek)	B.C.		Monastic Order
Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat (Order of St. Basil the Great)	O.S.B.M.	Order of St. Basil the Great	Monastic Order
Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy	Lay Religious Congregation
Brothers of the Sacred Heart	S.C.		Lay Religious Congregation
Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona	E.C.M.C.	Camaldolese	Monastic Order
Canons Regular of Saint Augustine of the Congregation of Windesheim	C.R.V.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Congregation of Saint Victor	C.R.S.V.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Congregation of the Brothers of Community Life	Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Congregation of the Most Holy Saviour of the Lateran	C.R.L.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Hospitaller Congregation of Great Saint Bernard	C.R.B.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Immaculate Conception	C.R.I.C.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Lateran Congregation of Austria	C.R.L.A.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Mother of God	C.R.M.G.		Order of Canons Regular
Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross	O.S.C.	Crosier Fathers	Order of Canons Regular
Capuchin Tertiary Religious of Our Lady of Sorrows	T.C.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate	C.M.I.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Carthusian Order	O. Cart.		Monastic Order
Chemin Neuf Institute	I.C.N.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Clerics of Saint Viator	C.S.V.	Viatorians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Clerics Regular Minor	C.R.M.	Caracciolini	Order of Clerics Regular
Clerics Regular of St. Paul	B.	Barnabites	Order of Clerics Regular
Clerics Regular of the Mother of God	O.M.D.		Order of Clerics Regular
Clerks Regular of Somasca	C.R.S.	Padri Somachi	Order of Clerics Regular
Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus	M.C.C.I.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Company of Mary for the Education of the Deaf	S. M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Confederation of Canons Regular of St. Augustine	C.R.S.A.		Order of Canons Regular
Congregación de San Pedro ad-Vincula	S.P. ad V.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congrégation du Sacré-Coeur	S.C.J.	Pères de Timon David	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Christian Doctrine	D.C.	Dottrinari	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Christian Workers of Saint Joseph Calasanz	C.Op.	Calasantini	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Clerics Regular	C.R.	Theatines	Order of Clerics Regular
Congregration of Jesus the Priest	C.G.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary	M.I.C.	Marian Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries	C.M.M.	Marianhiller Missionare	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Missionaries of the Holy Family	M.S.F.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Saint John the Baptist Precursor	C.S.I.B.P.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Saint Joseph	C.S.I.	Giuseppini del Murialdo	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel	C.S.M.A.	Michaelites	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus “Little Flower”	C.S.T.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Servants of Charity	S.d.C.	Guanellian Priests and Brothers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of St. Basil	C.S.B.	Basilian Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament	S.S.S.	Blessed Sacrament Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of Holy Cross	C.S.C.	Holy Cross Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth of Blessed Father Piamarta	F.N.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Holy Spirit	C.S.Sp.	Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans)	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary	C.I.C.M.	Scheutists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ	L.C.	Legionaries of Christ	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo	C.S.	Scalabrinians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer	C.SS.R.	Redemptorists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Passion	C.P.	Passionists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Priestly Fraternity	C.F.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart	S.C.I.	Dehonians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ	C. R.	Resurrectionists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary	SS.CC.	Picpus Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata	C.S.S.	Stigmatine Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Schools of Charity	C.S.Ch.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Sons of Mary Immaculate	F. M. I.	Pavonians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregation of the Sons of Merciful Love	F.A.M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Congregazione dei Figli dell’Immacolata Concezione	C.F.I.C.	Concezionisti	Lay Religious Congregation
Congregazione Mechitarista	C.A.M.	Mechitarists	Monastic Order
Congregazione Sacra Famiglia di Bergamo	C.S.F.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Consolata Missionaries	I.M.C.	Consolata Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Discalced Mercedarians	O. M. D.		Mendicant Order
Fathers of Mercy	C.P.M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Fils de Marie Immaculée	F.M.I.	Pères de Chavagnes	Clerical Religious Congregation
Franciscan Friars of the Atonement	S.A.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate	F.I.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer	F.S.V.F.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Hijos de la Sagrada Familia	S.F.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Indian Missionary Society	I.M.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Institut du Clergé Patriarcal de Bzommar	I.C.P.B.
Institute of Charity	I.C.	Rosminians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Institute of Schönstatt Fathers	P. Schönstatt	Schönstatt Fathers	Clerical Secular Institute
Institute of the Josephites of Belgium	C.J.	Josephites of Belgium	Clerical Religious Congregation
Istituto del Prado	Ist. del Prado	Prado Institute	Clerical Secular Institute
Knights of the Cross with the Red Star	O.Cr.		Order of Canons Regular
Little Brothers of Jesus	P.F.J.	Foucauld	Lay Religious Congregation
Little Mission for the Deaf and Dumb	P.M.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Misioneros de la Natividad de María	M.N.M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionari dei Poveri	M.O.P.		Mendicant Order
Missionari di S. Giuseppe nel Messico	M.J.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette	M.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales d’Annecy	M.S.F.S.	Fransalians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Company of Mary	S.M.M.	Montfort Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Divine Redeemer	M.D.R.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Holy Spirit	M.Sp.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception of Lourdes	M. I. C.	Fathers of Garaison	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and Saint Mary of Guadalupe	M. S. C.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus	M.S.C.	Sacred Heart Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary	M.SS.CC.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Mallorca)	M. SS. CC.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionaries of Workers	M.O.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Brothers of the Countryside	F.M.R.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament	M.C.B.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity	S.T.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Servants of the Poor	S.d.P.	Morsel of the Poor	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Servants of the Word	M. S. P.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Society of St. Paul	M.S.S.P.	Paulist Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary	C.M.F.	Claretians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Montfort Brothers of Saint Gabriel	S.G.		Lay Religious Congregation
Oblates of Mary Immaculate	O.M.I.	Oblates of Mary Immaculate	Clerical Religious Congregation
Oblates of Saint Joseph	O.S.I.	Josephines of Asti	Clerical Religious Congregation
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales	O.S.F.S.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Oblates of the Virgin Mary	O.M.V.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Orden de San Jerónimo	O.S.H.	Monjes Jerónimos	Monastic Order
Order of Augustinian Recollects	O.A.R.	Augustinian Recollects	Mendicant Order
Order of Cistercians	O. Cist.	Cistercians	Monastic Order
Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance	O.C.S.O.	Trappists	Monastic Order
Order of Discalced Carmelites	O.C.D.	Discalced Carmelites	Mendicant Order
Order of Friar Servants of Mary	O.S.M.	Servites	Mendicant Order
Order of Friars Minor	O.F.M.	Franciscans	Mendicant Order
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin	O.F.M. Cap.	Capuchins	Mendicant Order
Order of Friars Minor Conventual	O.F.M. Conv.	Conventual Franciscans	Mendicant Order
Order of Friars Preachers	O.P.	Dominicans	Mendicant Order
Order of the Pious Schools	Sch. P.	Piarists	Order of Clerics Regular
Order of Imitation of Christ	O.I.C.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Order of Lebanese Maronite (Maronite)	O.L.M.	Baladites	Monastic Order
Order of Our Lady of Mercy	O. de M.	Mercedarians	Mendicant Order
Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel	O. Carm.	Carmelites	Mendicant Order
Order of Saint Benedict	O.S.B.	Benedictines	Monastic Order
Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit	O.S.P.P.E.	Pauline Fathers	Monastic Order
Order of St. Augustine	O.S.A.	Augustinians	Mendicant Order
Order of the Canons Regular of Premontre; Norbertines	O. Praem.	Premonstratensians	Order of Canons Regular
Order of the Holy Cross	O.R.C.		Order of Canons Regular
Order of the Hospitallers of Saint John of God	O.H.		Mendicant Order
Order of the Minims	O.M.	Minimi	Mendicant Order
Order of the Ministers of the Sick	M.I.	Camillians	Order of Clerics Regular
Order of the Most Holy Trinity	O.SS.T.	Trinitarians	Mendicant Order
Order of the Teutonic Knights of Saint Mary’s Hospital in Jerusalem	O.T.	Teutonic Order	Order of Canons Regular
Ordine Basiliano Italiano di Grottaferrata	O.S.B.I.		Monastic Order
Ordre Basilien Alépin (Melkite Greek)	B.A.		Monastic Order
Parochial Cooperators of Christ the King	C.P.C.R.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Pious Workers Rural Catechists	P.O.C.R.	Ardorini Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Poveri Servi della Divina Provvidenza	P.S.D.P.	Don Calabria	Clerical Religious Congregation
Priests of Saint Mary of Tinchebray	P.S.M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Bétharram	S.C.I. di Béth.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Religieux de Saint Vincent de Paul	R.S.V.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus	R.C.J.	Rogationists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Rosarian Fathers	C.S.R.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Salesians of Saint John Bosco	S.D.B.	Salesians of St. John Bosco	Clerical Religious Congregation
Servants of Jesus and Mary	S.I.M.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Servants of the Holy Paraclete	S.P.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Christ for Polish Immigrants	S. Chr.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Divine Vocations	S.D.V.	Vocationists	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Jesus	S.J.	Jesuits	Order of Clerics Regular
Society of Mary	S.M.	Marist Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Mary	S. M.	Marianist Fathers	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Saint Cajetan	P.S.S.G.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of Saint Edmund	S.S.E.	Edmundites	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of St. Paul	S.S.P.	Paulines	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of the Divine Savior	S.D.S.	Salvatorians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Society of the Divine Word	S.V.D.	Divine Word Missionaries	Clerical Religious Congregation
Sons of Charity	F.C.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Sons of Charity	F.d.C.C.	Canossians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Sons of Divine Providence	F.D.P.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Sons of Saint Mary Immaculate	F.S.M.I.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Swiss Congregation of Canons Regular of Saint Maurice of Agaune	C.R.A.		Order of Canons Regular
Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance	T.O.R.	Franciscan Friars (T.O.R.)	Mendicant Order
Ukrainian Studite Monks (Ukrainian)	M.S.U.		Monastic Order
Vincentian Congregation (Syro-Malabar)	C.V.		Clerical Religious Congregation
Xaverian Missionary Fathers	S.X.	Xaverians	Clerical Religious Congregation
Other

Societies of Apostolic Life

Name	Abbreviation	Nickname
Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America	M.M.	Maryknoll
Clerical Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles	M.S.A.
Clerical Society of Virgo Flos Carmeli	E.P.
Companions of the Cross	C.C.
Confederation of Oratorians of St. Philip Neri	C.O.	Oratorians
Congregation of Jesus and Mary	C.I.M.	Eudists
Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries (Maronite)	M.L.	Kremisti
Congregation of the Mission	C.M.	Vincentians/Lazarists
Emmanuel Community	Comm. l'Emm.
Fraternità Sacerdotale dei Missionari di San Carlo Borromeo	F.S.C.B.	Fraternity of St. Charles
Glenmary Home Missioners	G.H.M.
Heralds of Good News	H.G.N.
Instituto Español de San Francisco Javier para Misiones Extranjeras	I.E.M.E.
Misioneros de Guadalupe	M.G.	Guadalupe Missionaries
Misioneros Javerianos de Yarumal	M.X.Y.
Missionari della Santa Croce	M.H.C.
Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers)	M. Afr.	White Fathers
Missionários da Boa Nova	S.M.P.	Portuguese Missionary Society
Missionary Society of Saint Paul of Nigeria	M.S.P.N.
Missionary Society of St. Columban	S.S.C.M.E.	Columban Missionaries
Mission Society of the Philippines	M.S.P.
Oblates of Saints Ambrose and Charles	O.Ss.C.A.
Paulist Fathers	C.S.P.	Paulists
Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions	P.I.M.E.
Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter	F.S.S.P.
Priestly Society of Saint Jacques	S.P.S.J.
Priestly Society of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo	S.S.C.	Cottelengo Congregation
Scarboro Foreign Mission Society	S.F.M.
Società dei Missionari di San Paolo (Melkite Greek)	S.M.S.P.	Pères Paulistes
Société de l’Oratoire de Jésus	C.O.I.	Oratorians of France
La Société des Missions Etrangères	M.E.P.
Société des Missions-Étrangères	P.M.E.
Society of African Missions	S.M.A.
Society of Bethlehem Mission Immensee	S.M.B.
Society of Precious Blood	C.Pp.S.
Society of Priests of Saint Sulpice	P.S.S.	Sulpicians
Society of the Catholic Apostolate	S.A.C.	Pallottines
Society of the Missionaries of Saint Francis Xavier	S.F.X.	Pilar Fathers
Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana	S.C.V.
St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill	M.H.M.	Mill Hill Missionaries
St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart	S.S.J.	Josephite Fathers
St. Patrick’s Society for the Foreign Missions	S.P.S.	Kiltegan Fathers
Workers of the Kingdom of Christ	C.O.R.C.

Here are the List of Eastern Catholic Churches

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Jump to Tradition: Alexandrian | Byzantine | Chaldean | Western | Antiochian | Armenian

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Alexandrian Tradition

Coptic Catholic Church Eritrean Catholic Church Ethiopian Catholic Church

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Byzantine Tradition

Albanian Catholic Church Belarussian Catholic Church Bulgarian Catholic Church Greek Catholic Church Hungarian Catholic Church Italo-Albanese Catholic Church Križevci Catholic Church Macedonian Catholic Church Melkite Greek Catholic Church Romanian Catholic Church Russian Catholic Church Ruthenian Catholic Church Slovakian Catholic Church Ukrainian Catholic Church

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Chaldean Tradition

Chaldean Catholic Church Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

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Western Tradition

Latin (or Roman)

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Antiochian Tradition

Maronite Catholic Church Syrian Catholic Church Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

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Armenian Tradition

Armenian Catholic Church

KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL CATHOLIC FAITHFUL TO ROME!

Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter

"Do not be afraid, I am with you" -Isaiah 41:10

Who can stop the Faith of Christians from spreading? Contrary to what anti-Catholics preached to their followers such as the Iglesia Ni Cristo® Church of Felix Manalo in 1914, the Catholic Church is still the widest persecuted Church in the world yet still the only Church that was founded by Jesus Christ from 33 A.D. to the Third Millenium and is still ALIVE! For the Spirit of the Lord guideth the Church and "he will remain with us forever" (John 14:16) -CD2000

Coptic Catholics consecrate first church in Sinai, against backdrop of martyrdom

Divine Liturgy for the dedication of Our Lady of Peace, the first Coptic Catholic church on the Sinai peninsula, Feb. 15, 2015. Credit: Aid to the Church in Need.

By Oliver Maksan originally posted in Catholic News Agency

Ismailia, Egypt, Feb 20, 2015 (Aid to the Church in Need).- “The Church in Egypt has been strengthened by the murder of our brothers in Libya.” Such was the reaction of Coptic Catholic Bishop Youssef Aboul-Kheir of Sohag to the beheading of 21 Orthodox Coptic men in Libya by Islamic State affiliates.

The guest workers in Libya "suffered a holy death with prayers on their lips. They went to their deaths just like the early Christians,” the bishop told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

As fate would have it, Islamic State released gruesome video of the executions on the very day, Feb. 15, that Egypt’s Coptic Catholic Church celebrated the consecration of its first-ever church in Sinai, in the community of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The church is known as Our Lady of Peace: a name chosen by Suzanne Mubarak, wife of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Suzanne, who was educated by Catholic nuns, ensured that construction of the church could proceed after years of delay and opposition by local political leadership. Our Lady of Peace's construction was also made possible through the financial support of Aid to the Church in Need.

“This is a great day of joy for Catholics in Egypt,” the local ordinary, Coptic Catholic Bishop Makarios Tewfik of Ismailia, said at the consecration ceremony.

“We have a number of places of worship in Sinai” – a famous tourist destination where hundreds of hotels line the coast known for its spectacular coral reef – “but these are chapels or even just rooms in normal houses,” he said. “The church of Our Lady of Peace is the first proper church building that was built for the sole purpose of worshiping God.”

Father Bolos Garas, the local pastor, will celebrate three services in the church every Sunday.

“I am a Coptic Catholic priest. However, there are very few Coptic Catholics here: just a handful of families. Most of our faithful are tourists or foreign workers. For this reason I not only celebrate Sunday Mass according to my Church’s rites, but also according to the Roman rites, in both Italian and English,” he said.

The English-language service will primarily cater to Filipinos, guest workers in the local hotel industry, while a sizeable community of Italian retirees who spend winters in Sharm El-Sheikh will hear Mass in their own language.

Patriarch Ibrahim I Sidrak, head of the 200,000-member strong Coptic Catholic Church, presided over the consecration ceremony.

Meanwhile, the brutal killing of the 21 men hangs like a cloud over Egypt’s Christian community, which already faces home-grown Islamic extremism.

"I am afraid of the Salafists in the country,” said Bishop Aboul-Kheir, who added, “they speak with forked tongues. The Muslim Brotherhood is opposed to society anyway. So there exists an internal danger in Egypt itself."

Egypt’s Christian leaders are concerned that extremists may be voted into power during upcoming parliamentary elections.

The new parliament should ensure that “Christians will finally be able to live as equal citizens," the bishop said, stressing that among other rights, religious liberty for all should guarantee the freedom to construct new churches.

Bishop Aboul-Kheir called on the country’s Muslim community to choose moderation.

Its highest theological and intellectual forum, he said, “the Al-Azhar University, is regarded as a moderate force.” However, he continued, “there are many aspects of the institution’s teachings and programs that are anything but moderate. For example, the use of force in cases that are considered apostasy by Muslims” – including their conversion to Christianity – “is justified. This contradicts moderate views.”

Oliver Maksan writes for Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA);www.acnuk.org (UK);www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL);www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN)

Dwindling Iraqi Christians is a disaster!

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — A car bomb outside Holy Family Syrian Catholic Church wounded 23 people Tuesday, August 2, 2011, as security forces found and disabled other vehicles packed with explosives outside two other churches in northern Iraq.  Photo: Emad Matti / AP

Iraq’s vanishing Christians
One church leader is pointing the finger at the West to explain the disappearance of Iraq’s Christians, writes Salah Nasrawi

Ahram.org - As the mass exodus of Iraq’s Christians continues, so does the call for ending the plight of those who have remained. Like Iraq’s ancient Jewish community before them, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities may soon cease to exist.

The disappearance of Iraq’s religious minorities has been a troubling trend since the US-led invasion in 2003, and it has threatened to end the cultural diversity of Iraq. As the violence in the country spikes and religious intolerance grows, many Christians, Yazidis, Mandaeans and other minority community members are leaving the country.

Last week, the head of the Iraqi Catholic Church sent a chilling warning that Iraq’s 2,000-year-old Christian community is on the brink of extinction as new waves of Christians take the journey of exodus.

The exodus is largely blamed on the worsening security since the US-led invasion that toppled former president Saddam Hussein’s regime. Christians have suffered abuses by Muslim extremists and militias, including brutal attacks, death threats and forcible seizure of property.

But Chaldean patriarch Louis Sako now believes that intervention by the West in the region has exacerbated the problem by producing more chaos and conflict in the war-ravaged country, and it is this that has been driving Christians to flee.

Vatican News: Pope confirms election of new Archbishop of Homs in Syria

Coat of Arms of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate
of Antioch and All the East
of Alexandria and of Jerusalem

VATICAN CITY (News.va) - The Holy Father has given his consent to the election of Archbishop Abdo Arbach, BC, to the Greek Melkite Metropolitan Archdiocese Archdiocese of Homs, Hama, andYabroud in Syria.

Archbishop Arbach was born in Yabroud on June 28, 1952. He made his final vows in the Basilian Chouerite Order of Saint John the Baptist in 1977, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1980.

On October 17, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Exarch for the Greek Melkite faithful residing in Argentina.

Archbishop Arbach’s election happened at the Greek Melkite Catholic Synod of the Church, which is led by Greek Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Gregory III Laham.

At the opening of the Synod on June 18, Patriarch Laham expressed his solidarity with the Syrian people, calling them “tenacious in their quest for life, dignity and unity of their country”

He also called for the reform of the country, which he said must happen "in all fields of the political, social, cultural and administrative reality, through the efforts of all the Syrians: the government, political parties, intellectuals, constructive opposition".

Catholic Church' Different Rites (Western & Eastern)

EGYPT: Truth and justice not lies and superficiality on massacre of Copts

by Bernardo Cervellera

The results of the autopsies will be released Oct. 27. But Egyptian army trying to silence the issue by manipulating the truth and accusing the Copts of provoking the violence despite the eyewitness accounts and videos. Shenouda III is opposed to the military’s version. Obama also assumes that the Copts were violent. Not to forget AsiaNews publishes some pictures of the massacre, sent by Coptic organizations. (Let us keep in our prayers our brothers and sisters in Egypt. Let us recommend the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen -CD2000)

Rome (AsiaNews) - The tortured bodies of Coptic Christians killed on 9 October demand truth and justice. The 26 still bloody corpses, heads smashed by the violence of military tanks and armored vehicles are piled up in of Cairo's Coptic Hospital and other hospitals in the city waiting for autopsy. Ihsan Kamel, head of forensic medicine, said it will take time and that the results will be published only on October 27. He also claimed that declarations made by forensic doctors in the past week may be inaccurate. (More disturbing photos... WARNING: The images presented here are very harsh and could upset sensitive viewers. To see the images click here.)

Perhaps this warning is due to scrupulousness and scientific accuracy. We hope it is not an attempt to discredit the eye-witness accounts of demonstrators or the evidence of doctors who stressed that the deaths of several victims was caused by bullets from firearms and from the crushing weight of heavy vehicles.

Church' Two Lungs Breathing Together

Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Benedict XVI (Source: Taylor Marshall's Blog)

ROME, JUNE 23, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople will send a delegation to Rome on June 29, feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The visit takes place as part of what has become a traditional exchange of delegations between the Orthodox Church and the Vatican for the respective feasts of their holy patrons.

The Holy See always sends a delegation to Istanbul on Nov. 30, feast of St. Andrew.

The Orthodox delegation will be made up by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and director of the Orthodox Church's office in the European Union; Bishop Athenagoras of Sinope, auxiliary bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate serving in Belgium; and Archimandrite Maximos Pothos, the vicar-general in Switzerland.

On June 28, Benedict XVI will receive the delegation in audience, and on June 29, it will attend the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Pope in St. Peter's.

The delegation will also meet with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The exchange of delegations between Rome and Constantinople began in 1969, with Cardinal Johannes Willebrands' visit to Constantinople for the feast of St. Andrew. At the time, the cardinal was president of the Secretariat for Christian Unity.

Coptic Church Ecumenical Day of Prayer and Solidarity for Christians Suffering in Egypt

Our Coptic brothers and sisters are asking for our prayers on December 4, 2010 at 10:30 am. Let us remember those suffering Christians in Egypt, as well as those persecuted Christians in Iraq, in Iran, in Pakistan, in India, in Sudan and elsewhere and remember to pray for the souls of those who went ahead of us.  In particular let us pray for the Church of Christ that we may soon become ONE CHURCH. -Catholic Defender. (visit copticchurch.net)

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Church

As the world follows the unfortunate events affecting Christians in Egypt and experiences the pain and injustice they face because of their faith, the Coptic Orthodox bishops of the United States, including Their Graces Bishop Serapion, Bishop Youssef, Bishop Macarious, Bishop David, and Bishop Michael have called for a Day of Prayer and Solidarity on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.

Al Qaeda threat: Christians are legitimate targets

The authors of the terrorist massacre in the Baghdad church publish a message on the internet that is a threat to all Christians, and make explicit reference to the Vatican.

Terrorists!

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) – “The ultimatum made two days ago to the church of Egypt for the release of two Muslim women held prisoner, has expired. We have had no response and now you are all involved in the war on Islam , so be careful of the souls of your followers. " The so-called 'War Department' of the 'Islamic State of Iraq' (ISI) al-Qaeda in Iraq issued a statement on the Web to announce that the passing of the deadline of its "ultimatum" to the Egyptian Coptic Church to release two Egyptian women, Camilia Cheh and Wafa Constantine, wives of Coptic priests, whom according to the terrorists are detained against their will in a convent after converting to Islam.

Their conversion has been denied by all the Islamic religious authorities in Egypt, and the Muslim Brotherhood have harshly attacked the authors of the massacre in Baghdad. Al-Qaeda, however, confirms that all Christians and their churches have become "legitimate targets" of the terrorist group and are therefore are in danger. The message issued today by the Iraqi cell of al-Qaeda also makes explicit reference to the Vatican.

The Pope Condemned Attack on Catholics by Muslim Extremists in Baghdad

File Photo: Catholics solemnly praying inside Baghdad Church before it was attacked
(Photo Source: zindamagazine)

The defeaning silence Muslim States and the Islamic communities around the world such as the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the CAIR, and other known Muslim organizations and institutions; Muslim individuals who says "Islam is a Religion of Peace" is quite disturbing!

If they DO NOT have the GUTS to condemn such people "hijacking their faith" why they can't go out in PROTEST and show their force that they are really anti-terrorism!

Iraq: Dozens dead following Muslim standoff at Catholic church

Just a week ago, the Catholic Church held its Middle East Synod at the Vatican. Among the greatest threat for Christians are "Muslim Extremists" who want all Christians to be out of the Middle East.

We need peaceful Muslims to CONDEMN this BARBARIC acts done in the name of Islam by the few. We condemn this attrocities but we stand with those suffering Christians in the Middle East that their own blood become seed for Evangelization just as our saint-martyrs did.

Today, as we Catholics are celebrating the ALL SAINTS DAY, let us remember them, those who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of Christ and ask them to pray for us who are still journeying to salvation.

And those who died who still need the grace of God, may all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen!

Youth freed after the siege was brought to an end by security forces (Photo Source: SkyNews

Energy Publisher - A siege by Iraqi security forces at one of Baghdad's largest Catholic churches ended on the night of October 31, leaving at least 37 people dead and twelve injured.

FINAL MESSAGE OF SYNOD FOR MIDDLE EAST

VATICAN CITY, 23 OCT 2010 (VIS) - During yesterday's Thirteenth General Congregation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, the Synod Father's approved their Final Message.

Extracts from the English-language version of the Message are given below:

I. THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE EAST: COMMUNION AND WITNESS THROUGHOUT HISTORY. THE JOURNEY OF FAITH IN THE MIDDLE EAST

"The first Christian community was born in the Middle East. From there, the Apostles after Pentecost went out to evangelise the whole world. ... We are now at a turning point in our history: The God Who gave us the faith in our Eastern lands 2000 years ago, calls us today to persevere with courage, strength and steadfastness in bearing the message of Christ and witnessing to His Gospel, the Gospel of love and peace".

"Today we face many challenges. ... What Christ asks from our Churches is to strengthen communion within every 'sui iuris' Church, and between the Catholic Churches of different traditions, and to exert every effort in prayer and charitable acts in order to attain the full unity of all Christians".

Pope Urges Eastern Churches to Conserve Identity

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 10, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging the Eastern Catholic Churches to conserve their identity, patrimony and traditions.

The Pope stated this Saturday in an audience with participants in a congress marking the 20th anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches.

The congress was organized by the Congregation for Eastern Churches, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The Pontiff affirmed that "the 'sacra canones' of the ancient Church, that inspire the Oriental codification in force, stimulate all the Oriental Churches to conserve their own identity, which is simultaneously Eastern and Catholic."

"In preserving the Catholic communion the Eastern Catholic Churches did not at all intend to deny their own tradition," he added.

"As has been many times repeated," the Holy Father said, "the full union of the Eastern Catholic Churches with the Church of Rome that is already realized must not lead to a diminution of the consciousness of the unique authenticity and originality of those Churches."

"For this reason," he continued, "it is the task of all the Eastern Catholic Churches to conserve the common disciplinary patrimony and nourish their own traditions, which is a treasure for the whole Church."

Benedict XVI noted that "the same 'sacri canones' of the first centuries of the Church constitute to a large extent the same basic patrimony of canonical discipline that also regulates the Orthodox Churches."

"Thus the Eastern Catholic Churches can offer a peculiar and relevant contribution to the ecumenical journey," he said.

"In the context of the Church's current effort for a new evangelization," the Pope affirmed, "canon law, as the peculiar and indispensable ordering of ecclesial fellowship, will not fail to contribute to the life and the mission of the Church in the world, if all the components of the People of God know how to interpret is wisely and apply it faithfully."

Pope Says Church Is Instrument of Unity in Mideast

Requests Prayers for Synod of Bishops

Participants in the opening Liturgy of
the Synod of Bishops of the Middle East.

VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org) - Benedict XVI is pointing out that the Church is called to be a sign and instrument of unity in the Middle East, amid all of the division present in that region.

The Pope affirmed this today before praying the midday Angelus together with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

He said: "I have just come from St. Peter's Basilica where I presided at the opening Mass of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops.

"This extraordinary synodal gathering, which will last two weeks, will see the meeting in Rome of the pastors of the Church that lives in the Middle East, a very diverse reality. In that land, in fact, the one Church of Christ expresses herself in all the wealth of her ancient traditions."

The Pontiff noted, "We will be reflecting on the following theme: 'The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness.'"

"In fact," he added, "in those countries, unfortunately marked by profound divisions and lacerations by age-old conflicts, the Church is called to be the sign and instrument of unity and of reconciliation, on the model of the first community of Jerusalem, in which 'the multitude of those who had become Christian were of one heart and one soul' (Acts 4:32)."

"This is an arduous task," the Holy Father observed, "since the Christians of the Middle East often find themselves having to endure difficult conditions of life at the personal, familial and communal levels."

He continued, "But this should not be discouraging: It is precisely in this context that the perennial message of Christ becomes more necessary and urgent: 'Convert and believe in the Gospel' (Mark 1:15)."

Benedict XVI concluded by inviting everyone to pray for the synod assembly, "invoking from God an abundant outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit."

Will there be an Arabic Section of the Vatican's Official Website?

Feeling neglected by the rest of the Christian world, missionaries assigned to the Middle East have very little resources to be used to Evangelize our brethren in the Middle East. Except that of the Coptics made available in Egypt by Christian Copts, we have no other means to bring the message of Christ in their own language. Perhaps an Arabic authorized Catholic Version, or the official Vatican City's website with an Arabic version could speak to millions of Arabs accross the Middle East.

Vatican is planning to include Arabic and Russian in its official website. Hopefully, this will not take much time while the harvest is still plenty, and the harvesters are still waiting for their reaping tools for the harvest. Let's pray to the Lord of the harvest that he may provide our missionaries their tools and send forth the harvesters without delay.

May our Blessed Mother be their inspiration of patience while watching the ripening fruit of our labor.

Catholicism: Vatican mulling Arabic and Russian versions of website

Vatican City, Religiouscope - The Vatican plans to revamp its official website and is considering opening sections in Arabic and Russian, an official said Tuesday.

The need to use language "that is comprehensible to today's internet users," is prompting the initiative, Monsignor Lucio Adrian Ruiz who manages the site, told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

The site: www.vatican.va currently consists of some half-a-million pages with sections in eight languages: Latin, Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Chinese.

"First of all it must be made clear that it will be a long process (to update the site). But it has to be done," Ruiz said.

The site was first launched in 1995 with a Christmas message by the then pontiff, John Paul II.

It currently hosts several sections, including archive material, statements and publications from the Holy See's press office - such as the daily bulletin.

There is also an area dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI including speeches, details of his travels and other activities.

Plans include expanding the section on all the 265th popes in history, with online versions of documents and other materials, Ruiz said.

A video archive collecting images of Benedict's pontificate which began in 2005, is also in the pipeline.

The Vatican site currently receives an average of some three million "hits" a day.

However, some of these may be multiple attempts to reach the site from the same source so a new statistical system will be introduced to enable the Holy See to assess how many people actually visit the site, Ruiz explained.

The most hits originate from computers in the US, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, France and China, he added.

Egyptian Coptic Church Accused of Stockpiling Weapons

It must be noted that Egyptian Copts as all non-Muslims in the Islamic world ~ live under a second class status. Under laws based on the Shari'a they are limited in all areas of society. This is not an aberration ~ orchestrated by a few radicals ~ this is the norm.

By Mary Abdelmassih

(AINA) -- A new wave of defamation by Islamists against Coptic Pope Shenouda III and the Coptic Church is seen by many observers as a serious provocation to sectarian violence against the Copts, and the possibility of Egypt being dragged into civil war.

Egyptian woman stands near the remains
of a burned motorcycle after attacks on
Christian homes in the village of Bahjora,
Qena province, about 40 miles
(64 kilometers) from the famous ancient
ruins of Luxor, Egypt, Saturday,
Jan. 9, 2010, (Photo source: IslamizationWatch

On September 15, Qatar-owned Al-Jezirah TV broadcast a program called Without Limits, presented by moderator Ahmad Mansour, who hosted the Islamist Dr. Selim el-Awah, former Secretary-General of the World Council of Muslim Scholars, which has stunned and enraged Copts inside and outside of Egypt. "El-Awah is simply threatening Copts that the forthcoming chaos after Mubarak dies will see mass violence against the Copts," says Magdy Khalil, Coptic activist and head of Middle East Freedom Forum.

The program alleged the Church has its own militia and hides weapons and ammunition in monasteries and churches, preparing for a war "against the Muslims." el-Awah said that "Israel is in the heart of the Coptic Cause," and the Church gets weapons from Israel. He cited as evidence an incident in mid-August, in which the son of a priest in Port Said, Mr. Joseph El-Gabalawy, was falsely accused of importing weapons from Israel. Although he was cleared of charges and released, as the imported goods were children's fireworks from China and did not belong to him, he is still detained by State Security.

The television program also charged the Church of concealing Muslim converts to Christianity, besides abducting and torturing Christian converts to Islam. Out of the thousands of Christian woman who converted to Islam, willingly or unwillingly, el-Awah mentioned only two wives of priests whom he claimed converted to Islam and consequently were imprisoned in monasteries, Wafa Constantine and Mary Abdallah. Speaking on the latest crisis over Camelia Shehata, about whom Muslims fabricated rumors of her conversion to Islam, he said that she never converted to Islam and was handed over by State Security to her two married sisters (AINA 11-1-2015).

The nearly two-hour program went on to accuse the Coptic Church of being a "State within the Egyptian State," allegedly taking advantage of the weakness of the present regime, behaving as if it is above the law. The Church was also accused of making an "inheritance" deal with the regime to support President Mubarak's son in succeeding his father as president in exchange for benefits.

Selim el-Awah said that ever since Pope Shenouda came out of detention, having been banished to a desert monastery by the late President Sadat in 1981 and released by President Mubarak in 1982, there has been "scientific preparation" to demand the division of Egypt into a Muslim State and a Coptic secular State"

He warned that if the status of the Church remains as such, the "country will burn" and called on Muslims to go out in demonstrations as the "only answer left to counteract the strength of the Church." He said "If they go out to the streets, who can control them?"

"For the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel," says Magdy Khalil, "someone has accused the Coptic Church of stockpiling weapons from Israel as a prelude to waging war on Muslims, claiming that Israel is at the heart of the Coptic issue."

In response to the seriousness of the accusations, the Church aired a program on its own TV channel, Agape, denying all allegations and accusing Al-Jezirah of being hostile towards Egypt. It discussed the whereabouts of the two priests' wives, who had marital problems but never converted to Islam. "Constantine chose to remain in a monastery and Abdallah lives in a house alone with her children paid by the church," said Father Abdelmassih Baseet.

In a Middle East Freedom Forum press release on September 20, Magdy Khalil said that what Dr. Selim el-Awah said "amounts to incitement to murder and ethnic cleansing of a minority, which are crimes in Egyptian and international law" and if Al-Awah's words of hate and incitement are overlooked by the Egyptian government, "this would mean that they are partners in these crimes." The Forum invited national lawyers, Muslims and Christians, to join its campaign for the prosecution of Dr. el-Awah for crimes of incitement.

Dr. Naguib Gobrail, legal counselor to the Coptic Church and president of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations, presented on September 20 a memorandum to the Prosecutor General against Dr. Selim el-Awah and Al-Jezirah's Egyptian moderator Ahmad Mansour, accusing both men of propagating lies which would affect social peace and harm national security. The memo went on to say that they accused the Church of storing weapons and Christians of "high treason," since these weapons would "normally be used against the State and their Muslim brethren," a claim, if true, would subject 15 million Christians to the charge of high treason, which carries the death penalty.

Coptic attorney Mamdouh Nakhla, head of AL-Kalema Centre for Human Rights, told Freecopts the TV program included reference to a terrorist plan for several massacres to be committed against the Copts. "el-Awah said that the simple Coptic citizen will be the real victim of those massacres, while the Coptic clergy will hide in the monasteries," said Nakhla. "Such remarks should not be ignored and el-Awah should be questioned about the facts and what information he knows about those plans." He added that he will present a complaint to the prosecutor general against el-Awah and Al-Jezirah Channel for spreading unfounded lies that could provoke incitement against the Church and the Copts.

The Egyptian media has accused el-Awah of claiming the Church is storing weapons without having any evidence. Al-Jezirah was accused by renowned writer Salah Issah, editor of Cairo Daily, of not adhering to the Press Charter, which prohibits covering anything that would cause sectarian strife, stressing the network has committed professional errors.

Observers see that el-Awah statements of September 15, coming only two days after the call of the banned Front of Al-Azhar Scholars, on September 13, to boycott Coptic businesses, professionals and schools, only confirms that there is secret coordination between the Islamist religious groups, "who have one thing in mind, which is to burn the homeland," say Muslim thinker Ayman Abdel Rassol. He added that weapons are stored in mosques, especially in upper Egypt. Abdel Rassol called for the prosecution of Dr. el-Awah for crimes of incitement.

A Muslim demonstration is called for Friday September 24, in Alexandria demanding the disposal of Pope Shenouda III.

Khalil recollects similar circumstances taking place at the end of the seventies when rumors circulated about a plan by Pope Shenouda to establish a Coptic state in the Upper Egyptian Province of Assiut, and about the storage of weapons in monasteries, "those rumors were justifications for a series of attacks against the Copts over decades," he said.

He believes that this dangerous talk by Dr. el-Awah is an introduction to the destruction of the Copts in the event of a the outbreak of chaos in Egypt after Mubarak's death. "It will not be like what happened in the seventies, but it could evolve to become like the Armenian genocide that occurred in Turkey in 1915," said Khalil.