Germany is about to cease granting political asylum to Syrians and to begin repatriating some of them back to their country. After more than a decade of civil war in Syria, the country has finally reached some measure of political stability, and some in Berlin believe the new situation doesn’t warrant the continuation of asylum.

The Assyrian Christian community urges the German government to change its course. No matter how stable the new government in Syria may be, it still allows for the persecution of religious minorities, and for Christians, their country is no more peaceful than it was before. We hereby publish the Syrian community in Germany’s appeal, presenting their case to Germany and the world.

The appeal comes as the radical-right AfD, a growing political force, calls for the deportation of all foreigners in Germany. (Appia Institute)

Syria Is Not Safe for Everyone: Germany Must Not Abandon Syrian Christians. An Urgent Appeal from Assyrian Christian Organizations in Germany

Safe for whom? This is the question the German federal government must answer before sending.

Nearly a century after the Lateran Pacts, the crisis in voter turnout and the new premiership law could turn Italy into a low-representation democracy. The Vatican, bound to Rome’s political destiny, is also concerned.

The new electoral law that Parliament just passed raises delicate questions for the Holy See. In 1929, with the signing of the Lateran Pacts, Italy reached an agreement with the Holy See to coexist, sharing its capital with the seat of the world’s largest unified religion. In many ways, it tied its destiny to this exceptional relationship. Nearly half a century of Christian Democrat rule (the Italian Catholic party), with its particular and direct connection to the throne of Peter, was the plainest proof of this.

In recent decades, non-Italian popes have increasingly looked to the world, and less to Italy, at an accelerating pace. But that does not mean they can afford to be indifferent to Italian affairs. If Italy heads in the “wrong” direction, one that diverges from the Church’s interests, its geographic proximity creates a problem. The Church has to pay more attention to.