By Serenhedd James -- catholicherald.co.uk -- As the BBC reported a mounting death-toll in Ukraine, on Friday afternoon I spoke about the rapidly-developing situation to the Rt Revd Kenneth Nowakowski, the Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London. A member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, Bishop Nowakowski leads a community of nearly 14,000 Greek Rite Catholics in Great Britain; having previously been Eparchial Bishop of New Westminster in his native Canada, he was appointed to lead the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the UK by Pope Francis in January 2020.

The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, had already urged his worldwide flock to pray urgently for the defence of Ukraine. In a robust letter he stated that “all of humanity has been placed in danger […] we consider the defence of our native land, our historical memory and our hope, [and] our God-given right to exist to be the personal responsibility and sacred duty of the citizens of Ukraine.” Meanwhile the Archbishop of Westminster called it “a precarious moment”, and urged all Catholics to “pray for the people of Ukraine, who are suffering the brunt of this conflict”. Cardinal Nichols went on to state that “the international community must unite in seeking an end to this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, as the only way forward.” He said that he would remember victims of the conflict at mass on Sunday in Westminster Cathedral.

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has praised Lebanon as “a beacon of knowledge that spares no effort in backing every activity that enriches joint Arab action.” Aboul Gheit was speaking on Saturday at a ceremony held by the Council of Arab Justice Ministers in Beirut for Arab doctoral thesis award winners in the field of law and justice. His remarks came after comments by Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said at the ceremony: “We expect our Arab brothers to understand our reality and stand by us to spare Lebanon more risks and help us bear the burdens that have exceeded our capabilities. “Lebanon, which was and will remain part of the Arab world, is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, and our government is trying to solve it with all available capabilities, relying on the support of its Arab brothers and international friends,” Mikati added. “It is unfair to burden Lebanon with more than it can handle,” the prime minister said. Mikati added: “We are unable to stand in a trench here or on a front line there. We have thus adopted a neutrality policy when it comes to Arab conflicts, and we insist on implementing it.” He said that the only loser in any regional dispute “is our Arab world, which has always been seeking unity.”

The prime minister added that Lebanon’s “bitter experience has taught it that fighting leads nowhere and everyone comes out a loser.” He said: “The homeland loses and the people lose. Whoever thinks they can win against their Arab partner is wrong. “Victory can only be achieved through understanding, looking after future generations, and charting a future that fulfills their ambitions.” Aboul Gheit added during his speech that Arab universities are still experiencing “low rankings worldwide due to their lack of innovation and seriousness in scientific research, and the dwindling volume of scientific publications.” He highlighted the need to “recover from this shortfall by increasing the budget for scientific research, providing opportunities for the youth, preparing them to face modern challenges and allowing them access to equal opportunities to compete with other societies.”

وفي اليوم السابع ……  ينقسم اللبنانيون بين مؤيد لاحتلال روسيا لأوكرانيا ومعارضٍ له، بين من يعتبر الغزو تصحيحاً للتاريخ ( دون التنبه …

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun sent a cable of congratulations Friday to King Salman on the occasion of Saud Arabia’s Founding Day. “This occasion holds many bright milestones in the Kingdom’s history, which, with its vision and efforts, has managed to reserve an advanced position among the modern countries striving for broader horizons. Saudi Arabia has never spared any effort to defend the just humanitarian and Arab causes, and to preserve the unified Arab world despite all the circumstances in the region,” Aoun said. He further praised the Kingdom’s support for Lebanon and the Lebanese, hoping “bilateral ties will recover for the good of the two brotherly peoples.” Aoun also sent a cable of congratulations to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stressing the importance of this occasion, which “is one of the brightest milestones in the history of Saudi Arabia that overcame many challenges in order to build a brighter tomorrow.”

Speaking before a delegation of Arab justice ministers in Lebanon on Friday, Aoun stressed “Lebanon’s full desire to cooperate with Arab countries and show solidarity in all issues that help develop and strengthen laws and unify legislation in these countries.” He hoped that the delegation would contribute to alleviating the problems that sometimes arise between the Arab brothers. “Beirut's doors are open to everyone, especially to the Arab brothers,” Aoun said. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki arrived in Beirut on Friday to participate in a ceremony to honor three winners of the award for the best doctoral thesis in the Arab World in the field of law and justice. Meanwhile, several pro-Syrian regime and Hezbollah figures objected to the position expressed by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.