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2026-06-25
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The current apostolic nuncio to Syria is Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona. Appointed in March 2026, he presented his credentials to the Syrian government and began his diplomatic mission in Damascus in early summer 2026, succeeding long-serving diplomat Cardinal Mario Zenari.

On the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (01.02.2026), Father Andreas Resch passed away in the 92nd year of his life, in the Redemptorist community of Gars am Inn in Bavaria. A theologian and expert in paranormal phenomena and clinical psychology, he taught at the Alfonsiana Academy from 1969 to 1999. Some of the main topics of his courses include: introduction to paranormality, ethics and paranormality, ethics of emotions, and emotions and motivations of human behaviour. In 1974, he founded the Resch publishing house, and from 1980 onwards he was director of the Institute for Frontier Areas of Science – Imago Mundi, which he founded in Innsbruck. This represented a fundamental step in his long journey to describe and interpret the extraordinary in humanity and the world. He also edited several journals and editorial series, including the interdisciplinary quarterly Ethica. Father Andreas Resch was born on October 29, 1934, and grew up as the fourth of ten children in a farming family in Steinegg (Collepietra) in South Tyrol. He attended high school in Bolzano. He completed part of his elementary education at Redemptorist colleges in Cortona, Tuscany, and Katzelsdorf, Lower Austria. In 1955, he entered the novitiate of the Redemptorist Congregation in Mautern, Styria. After professing his first vows on December 8, 1956, he completed his theological studies in Mautern and was ordained a priest on July 16, 1961. In 1963, he earned a doctorate in theology in Graz, and in 1967, after studying psychology in Freiburg im Breisgau and Innsbruck, he earned a doctorate in philosophy. In addition to his pastoral work at our college in Innsbruck (Sacred Heart Church, Maximilianstrasse), Father Resch, even as a young priest, studied paranormal phenomena and also worked as a psychotherapist. Thanks to his teaching at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome from 1969 onward, and especially the founding of his Innsbruck Institute for the Frontiers of Science in 1978, as well as his extensive publishing activity, our brother made a name for himself worldwide. He enjoyed great prestige not only among experts but also in wider circles, as his fields of research interested so many. Whether it was the various dimensions of miracles, life after death, or the ups and downs of human phenomena, Father Resch was valued as an expert, frequently interviewed by the media, and for many, an eloquent, empathetic, and, last but not least, humorous speaker. After the dissolution of the Redemptorist College in Innsbruck in 2019, he initially remained there and continued his scientific and journalistic work. A fall in July 2024 caused serious health problems. In early August, Father Resch was transferred to the monastery in Gars am Inn, where he spent the last days of his life, well cared for by his brothers and nursing staff. There he passed away peacefully and peacefully on the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 1, 2026. May he now experience salvation in its fullness and see the salvation that is prepared for all of us.

2025 Holy Week message updated - added German, Italian, Russian versions of the Message
Mise-à-jour du Message de la Semaine sainte 2025- ajout des versions en allemand, italien et russe du Message

Exemplary Life: Modelling sainthood in Christian Syria (excerpts) 263 pages- Andreas Bandak (Canada)