Khazen

إرشاد البابا لمسيحيّي الشرق: المجتمع يحمي الأقلية

  في جانب من مبرّرات برودة الحماسة الظاهرة حيال زيارة البابا بنيديكتوس السادس عشر، أنها ليست للبنان على غرار تلك التي قام بها البابا يوحنا بولس الثاني في أيار 1997 وأودع اللبنانيين، والموارنة خصوصاً، الإرشاد الرسولي الخاص بلبنان. يأتي خلفه لتسليم بطاركة الكنائس الكاثوليكية في ست دول عربية، هي مصر والعراق وسوريا والأردن وفلسطين ولبنان، […]

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Lebanon to Plunge in Darkness

  Efforts to resolve the controversial crisis of Electricite du Liban reached a standstill on Tuesday as the contract workers refused to budge on their demands and the company’s board of directors is insisting on its stance. Prime Minister Najib Miqati entered into negotiations between the rival sides in an attempt to avert a looming electricity […]

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A Muslim Convert Talks About Jesus Christ and the Church

 

By Bernardo Cervellera (catholic news) 

ROME, Italy (AsiaNews) – A few days ago, the website of Notre Dame de Kabylie posted a tape in which a former Muslim, Mohammed Christophe Bilek, talked about his conversion to Christianity. The original broadcast, which focused on the persecution of Christians, first appeared in ‘Dieu Merci’ (Thank God), a show that deals with religion on Direct 8, a French TV channel.

Mohammed Christophe Bilek was born in Algeria in 1950 and has lived in France since 1961. He is the author of two books: Un algérien pas très catholique (A not very Catholic Algerian), published by Cerf (1999) and Saint Augustin raconté à ma fille (Saint Augustine as told to my daughter), published by Éditions Qabel (2011). In the 1990s, he founded the Notre Dame de Kabylie (in French), a website devoted to evangelisation among Muslims and Muslim-Christian dialogue.

In the video, Bilek highlights the risk Muslim converts face when accused of apostasy, an offence that can be punished by death. Nevertheless, he insists on the importance of baptism, the encounter with Jesus Christ and affiliation with the Church.

His views go against those of priests and bishops in Muslim countries, who prefer to dissuade or even deny baptism to Muslims who want to convert out of fear for the consequences they and Christian communities might face.

Is baptising banned?

A few weeks ago, a bishop in an Arab country in the Middle East told me that police threatened to close one of his communities because members had advertised a Christian-Muslim meeting on dialogue. Police were concerned that this might be the first step towards so-called proselytising and apostasy. "If this is the reaction to a meeting on dialogue, imagine what it would be if we had a conversion," an embittered bishop said.

It is no wonder then that the prelate is against conversions and baptisms for only this seems to be the way to preserve the little freedom of worship that exists in the country in question.

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Barbar Beik el Khazen (1861-1928)

  Barbar Beik el Khazen     Barbar Beik el Khazen, son of Cheikh Fendi el Khazen and Sultana daughter of Cheikh Chahine el Dahir was born on September 21 1861. On 15 November 1896, he married Therese daughter of Ghandour Beik El Saad, sister of Habib Basha El Saad, who gave him four children: […]

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بارود: القوى السياسية تخاف نتائج تصويت لا تستطيع التحكم به مسبقاً

  رأى الوزير السابق زياد بارود لـ "السفير" أن" الجمعية اللبنانية لديموقراطية الانتخابات سجلت نجاحها الاول عبر حملة "بلدي بلدتي بلديتي التف حولها الاعلام وطلاب جامعات وقادة رأي وغيرهم وجمعت مئة الف توقيع، واستطاعت ان تكون ظهراً داعماً لنواب تقدموا بطعن الى المجلس الدستوري الذي اصدر قراره بابطال قانون مدد للمجالس البلدية والاختيارية. وكان يمدد […]

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Abducted pilgrims not heading home before end of holy month

  BEIRUT: One of the kidnappers holding 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria denied Sunday reports that the men would be released before the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Several of the kidnapped blamed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and the Lebanese government for delaying their release. Abu Ibrahim, an opposition leader in the Syrian […]

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الراعي رسم خمسة أساقفة جدد في بكركي

  ترأس البطريرك الماروني مار بشارة بطرس الراعي، عصر اليوم، قداسا في الباحة الخارجية للصرح البطريركي في بكركي، رسم فيه المونسنيور جورج شيحان، الأباتي موسى الحاج، الأب بولس روحانا، المونسيور مارون العمار والمونسنيور جوزف معوض الى الرتبة الأسقفية، بمشاركة الكاردينال نصر الله صفير، السفير البابوي غابريال كاتشا وعدد من أساقفة الطائفة وأساقفة من مصر والسودان […]

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UNHCR: 34,000 Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

  Nearly 34,000 Syrian refugees had fled the crackdown in their country to Lebanon according to a report issued on Saturday by the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees. “There are currently more than 34,000 Syrian refugees receiving aid in Lebanon through the efforts exerted by the Lebanese cabinet and its U.N. and non-governmental organization partners,” […]

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American exorcist-in-training shares his experience

 

.- “I never thought I’d end up doing this, no,” admits the middle-aged priest whose unexpected path to becoming an exorcist began while saying one of his first Masses after he was ordained 15 years ago.

“At the moment of consecration of the precious blood I asked the Lord to shower his blood upon the youth and to help any young men who may have a vocation to the priesthood.”

The instant reaction of one 13-year old boy shocked the young priest, “he fell backwards and started growling. And I thought, ‘I wasn’t expecting this!’”

Several years later, and he is one of a new generation of exorcists-in-training following a decision by the U.S. bishops in November 2010 to vastly increase the number of exorcists, which might number as low as 50 in America.

The priest, who is from the U.S. Midwest, spoke to CNA on the basis of anonymity so that he will not be deluged with inquiries. As he explained, “we have set structures to make sure those who most need help get it.”

He now finds himself in Rome, sent by his bishop to shadow the work of the six official exorcists of the Rome diocese. In practical terms that means he is “involved in about three exorcisms a day.”

 

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