The Assumption of Mary Church was built in the 18th century by el Khazen Cheikhs and Ballouneh residents used to attend the church and share with el Khazens all religious ceremonies and masses up until the Maronite Church built the Mar Yaacoub Church in 1931. During the early part of the 20th century, the […]

The Maronite Bishops Council lamented on Wednesday the ongoing political deadlock in Lebanon given the failure to form a new government and convene parliament and given the unrest in the northern city of Tripoli. It said: “Parliament and Tripoli have become arenas for rival political parties to settle their scores.” It made its remarks after […]

Some Lebanese citizens are fighting in Syria against “takfiris” or waging “jihad” against the “infidel regime.” Abu Ali, who spoke to NOW under an alias, is one of those who went to Syria to join the ranks of the armed opposition. He told NOW about his daily life as a fighter in Syria. Abu Ali […]

1- Saint Anthony of Padua Church In the beginning of the 17th century, Cheikh Abou Nader el Khazen, who worked as a Moudabber for Prince Fakhreddine The Second, built near his residence in Ballouneh a church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Badua (Saint Antoine De Padou or القديس أنطونيوس البدوانى).  After relocating to Ajaltoun, the […]

Efforts to unify the Christians of Lebanon in order to protect the community from the worst of the fallout from regional and internal crises have so far proven futile, but the looming threat of a presidential vacuum could breathe new life into reconciliation attempts. Christian political sources from across the spectrum discuss mounting concern within […]

  كنيسة السيدة – عجلتون   The role that the Khazen family played throughout the decades in supporting and strenghtening the Maronites in Lebanon has been crucial and unmatched. The Khazens were successful in spreading the message of the Maronites in Lebanon, they supported the clergy and reinforced the relationship between the Christians in general […]

Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel dismissed Monday Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s account of Lebanese nationals missing in Syria, saying their whereabouts were known and that most are being detained in Syrian prisons. “The 662 names that we have are in Syria, Sayyed Hasan, and they are not missing but have been detained and kidnapped,” Gemayel […]

As the Qalamoun battle looms on the horizon, with sources pointing to the Party of God beefing up its presence in the region, NOW again meets Abou Ali, a Hezbollah fighter who participated in the Qusayr battle and was recently deployed in the Damascus region.   NOW: Last time we met you described your fight […]

Metropolitan Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Metropolitan Boulous Yazigi, two Syrian bishops who were kidnapped by an unknown group on April 22, 2013, are still alive, according to new information obtained by Al-Monitor. Authorities in Beirut have received "reliable reports" that the two bishops are still alive via Turkish governmental and intelligence agencies, reports Al-Monitor. […]

BEIRUT: Green transportation may seem like a dream in Lebanon, where cars clog the road and the thick layer of smog hanging over the capital is visible from the mountains. But Wednesday night, some 30 people involved in the transportation sector as well as local environmentalists got together at the Green Transit+Green Space Meetup at […]