Beyond Rome
Beyond Rome is a podcast that seeks to reconnect Catholics with their Hebraic and Christian roots in the Near East. Hosted by Simone Rizkallah and James O’Reilly from the Philos Catholic team at the Philos Project, they explore a variety of topics related to religion and culture in the West and why the Near East matters for a healthy Church and world. Beyond Rome looks beyond the West to understand what makes the Catholic Church truly universal.
Beyond Rome
5. Returning to Ninevah
This week Simone Rizkallah and James O’Reilly are joined by Fr. Benedict Kiely, the founder of Nasarean.org, an organization which advocates for and supports persecuted Christian minorities in the Near East.
Fr. Ben is a Catholic priest, incardinated in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Born in London, and ordained in Canterbury, England in 1994, he has spent most of his priestly ministry in the United States. In the summer of 2014, Father Ben perceived a call to devote his entire priestly ministry to aid and advocacy for persecuted Christians, especially in the Near East. Founding Nasarean.org, a charity based in Stowe, Vermont and with the permission and support of his Ordinary, Father Ben divides his time between the US, UK and the Near East, speaking, preaching and writing, trying to focus attention on the plight of persecuted Christians around the world. He has visited war-torn Iraq on multiple occasions since 2015, and has visited Syria, Lebanon, and Armenia where Nasarean is now supporting a number of family businesses. Fr. Ben is also the chaplain of Philos Catholic.
Be sure to tune into this episode to learn more from Fr. Ben's work and how Catholics tap into their Hebraic and Near Eastern Christian roots.
Show notes:
1:20– No Mass in Mosul – Ninevah – What can we do?
3:51 – A call to aid and advocacy – Nasarean.org
8:14 – “A call within a call”
14:23 – Does the Western Church care?
16:00 – The Near East as the root of our faith- The Cradle of Christianity
19:55 - The Christian vocation: “I am Jesus and you are persecuting Me”
26:16 – What is Nasarean?
Resources:
Nasarean.org - Learn more about Fr. Benedict Kiely's work
Project Jonah - Support Near Eastern Christians
Icon Project - Pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in the Near East
The 24 Catholic Churches - Learn about how universal the Catholic Church