The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You

As fighting continues in Syria, DOREEN ABI RAAD reports from Beirut for Catholic News Service on the plight of people who have fled into Lebanon to escape the violence

CASTEL GANDOLFO (Zenit.org): Pope Benedict XVI has encouraged the faithful to turn to God in prayer with trust, seeing God as a Father who takes care of us.

PAKISTAN (ACN News): Police in Pakistan are investigating allegations that extremists targeted hospital nurses by putting poison in the tea they were drinking one afternoon during Ramadan.

SYRIA (ACN News): Christians in Damascus and Aleppo are terrified of being targeted and driven away, a senior bishop said.

SYRIA (ACN News): A priest from Damascus has described his efforts to minister to people suffering "the depths of fear" amid gunfire and bombs in a city running short of bread, gas and electricity.

ISRAEL (ACN News): The retiring apostolic nuncio in the Holy Land has warned against unrealistic expect-ations for Pope Benedict XVI's forthcoming Apostolic Exhortation on the Middle East.

VATICAN CITY (CNS): As violence continued to shake Syria, the Vatican nuncio in Damascus called on the international community to unite in efforts to restore peace.

VATICAN CITY (CNS): Chinese Father Joseph Yue Fusheng has been automatically excommunicated for allowing himself to be illicitly ordained a bishop despite repeated warnings from the Vatican.

CATHOLIC Education has chosen to focus this year's annual week of celebrations from July 22-28 on the family, parish, and school community.