CULTURE

ENSCHEDE, The Netherlands — The Syriac Maronite congregation in Enschede, the Netherlands, is set to acquire the historic St. Janskerk (Church of St. John) from the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. The transfer of ownership is expected to be finalized between July and November this year.  Currently, the Syriac Maronite…

VATICAN — After a two-day conclave, the Cardinals of the Catholic Church reached a swift decision on Thursday, electing American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV. Following the appearance of white smoke from the Sistine Chapel chimney, Pope Leo XIV emerged on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica…

WEST BLOOMFIELD (Michigan), U.S. – The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, Chaldean Community Foundation, and Chaldean News have opened a new community center on the west side of West Bloomfield Township, Metro Detroit. The renovation of the new 184-square-foot facility location costed $15 million and will house the Chaldean American…

VATICAN CITY — In a ceremony steeped in centuries-old tradition, 133 cardinals assembled this morning in the heart of Vatican City to begin the conclave to elect a new pope, following the death of Pope Francis last month. The sacred process, which has determined the future leader of the Catholic…

AZERBAIJAN – The Assyrian former Greco-Roman wrestling champion Viktor Yuryevich Avd’Isho (Russianized to Avdishev) has passed away at the age of 69 due to heart failure, Life.ru reports. Avdishev was a decorated athlete, crowned European junior champion in 1976, double bronze medalist at the World Championships (1978, 1983), bronze medalist…

ARBA’ILO (ERBIL), Iraq — At the Voices of Women Without Borders Forum in Arba’ilo (Erbil), Maria Hanna, a journalist and media director at SyriacPress and Suroyo TV, offered a rare glimpse into the struggles and evolution of Syriac journalism in Syria. Her insights painted a complex portrait of an indigenous…

NORRKÖPING, Sweden — Last Friday marked the official opening of the Mart Shmoni and Her Seven Sons Church of the Assyrian Church of the East in Norrköping, Sweden. Archbishop Mar Odisho Oraham, Metropolitan of Sweden, Scandinavia, and Germany, led the ceremony, joined by clergy and representatives from various Christian Churches…

BARITLE, Iraq — The Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union (Huyodo Bethnahrin Athroyo, HBA) inaugurated a beginner-level Syriac language course tailored for elderly learners at its local committee headquarters in the Nineveh Plains town of Baritle (Bartella), Iraq. The HBA’s education official welcomed participants, commending their commitment to reconnecting with their ancestral…

ARBA’ILO, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Arba’ilo (Erbil) was the venue of the Women’s Voices Without Borders Forum on 3-4 May.  The event brought together some 60 women journalists and activists from the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, with representatives from…

By Denho Bar Mourad-Özmen | Former Special Educator and Advisor at Sweden’s National Agency for Special Education In a world where globalization and migration blur borders, it is not only territories that disappear—but also languages. Today, many minority languages teeter on the brink of extinction, especially those whose speakers have…