Middle East
The Middle East — for all its current turmoil, political and civil strife, and economic disparity — forms the cradle of Christianity, and is home to some of the most dynamic Christian communities living the Gospel to the fullest.
Throughout Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, religious sisters, priests, lay men and women go about their days rolling up their sleeves, feeding the poor, caring for the sick, listening to the broken-hearted and finding opportunities and solutions for families of all faiths seeking stability and security — and a place to call home.
The coronavirus has hit the Middle East hard, devastating tourist-dependent economies, closing schools and social service programs, burdening weakened health care facilities, and prompting new surges in emigration from all sectors of the population. While economies may have slowed and activities halted, the churches of the Middle East plow on, responding to others — the vast majority of whom are not Christian. The churches work to address immediate existential needs of displaced families, such as medical care and food, and to more long-term investments in people’s lives, including catechesis, counseling, education and health care.
Sister Anahid, a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, interacts with students in a primary school she supervises in Dohuk, Iraq. (photo: Paul Jeffrey) 
The Rev. Androwas Bahus teaches children in the smallest of his parishes at St. Andrea the Apostle Melkite Catholic Church in Old Acre, Israel. (photo: Ilene Perlman) 
Amabel Sibug speaks during a meeting with Filipina community members at the Pontifical Mission Community Center in Amman, Jordan. (photo: Nader Daoud) 
George Rizk, a Syrian refugee, collects a plate of food at St. John the Merciful, in Zahleh, a large Christian town in the Bekaa valley, in eastern Lebanon. (photo: Raed Rafei) 
A young patient receives care at the Near East Council of Churches (NECC) Clinic in Shija’ia, Gaza. (photo: Tamara Abdul Hadi) 
A priest greets children outside of St. Elias Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Ezraa, Syria. (photo: Armineh Johannes)
