Middle East

Maryknoll and its international affiliates have been engaged in the struggle for peace and justice in the Middle East for many years. We support the work of Muslims, Christians, and Jews around the region who challenge of racism, political and economic inequality, military occupation, and who promote inter-religious dialogue. In Washington D.C., the Office for Global Concerns analyzes issues affecting the Middle East in its cultural and historical contexts so that U.S. citizens and law makers can make informed decisions about foreign policy and better understand this important and diverse region of the world.

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Like Jesus, we are weeping … in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Myanmar, in the United States, in schools, homes and public spaces around the world. But this week, even as we prepare to retell the story of his Passion and Death, we hear Jesus say:…

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

The people praised David for his bravery in defeating and slaying Goliath. We know through scripture that King Saul was very jealous of David’s success and eventually sought to kill him. David had to run. But, in today’s reading, David is given the chance to turn the tide and slay King Saul. He refuses to…

Maryknoll OGC Joins Letter to Congress Cautioning Against Sanctions for the ICC

Maryknoll OGC Joins Letter to Congress Cautioning Against Sanctions for the ICC

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 75 human rights organizations, faith-based groups, legal associations, and academic institutions in an open letter to Congress and the incoming US Presidential administration decrying sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). As the House of Representatives is scheduled to review this legislation among its first orders of business, we…

Charges Dropped Against Christians for Ceasefire Members

Charges Dropped Against Christians for Ceasefire Members

Art Laffin offers the following reflection on the experience on March 21 of being arrested alongside twelve other members of Christians for Ceasefire while wearing pictures of the destruction in Gaza and singing hymns of peace in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office building. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue…

Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule

Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule

Iqbal Ahmad, Kroc Institute Fellow, writes of how, three years since the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan has devolved into one of the most repressive regimes in the world resulting in severe hardship and a third generation of Afghan refugees. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. More than two decades after…

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More than 200 Christian Leaders Sign Letter Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza

Prior to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the U.S. Congress in Washington, DC, more than 200 global bishops and Christian leaders, including Sr. Teresa Hougnon, president of the Maryknoll Sisters and Susan Gunn, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, call for world leaders to institute a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, halt of offensive arms sales to Israel, and prevention of a broader regional war. 

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Maryknoll OGC Joins 100+ Refugee and Human Rights Orgs Letter on Restoring U.S. Funding to UNRWA

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 102 other Refugee and Human Rights Organizations in a Letter to President Biden, Speaker Johnson, and Majority Leader Schumer on Restoring U.S. Funding to UNRWA. The UN aid organization had its funding frozen by law in this current Congress while famine and starvation conditions exist in Gaza now.