Virtual Meeting of Holy Land Coordination 2021: COVID-19, Gaza, Education

HOLY LAND - From January 16- 21, 2021, the bishops of the Holy Land Coordination (HLC) held their virtual meeting with the local Church and Christians. This year, a particular attention was drawn to the effects of COVID-19 on the population of the Holy Land and the steps that were taken by the different solidarity and Christian institutions to combat and adapt to the reality that the virus created.

Pontifical Academy for Life: No to 'vaccine nationalism', immunisation is a common good

Opening its statement, the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life warns that "Faced with the very serious problems that are arising in relation to the production and distribution of the vaccine for Covid-19", identifying suitable syatems for transparency and collaboration has become an "urgency".

11-15 Յունուար 2021-ին առցանց դրութեամբ տեղի ունեցաւ Եկեղեցիներու Համաշխարհային Խորհուրդի (Ե.Հ.Խ.) յառաջիկայ Ընդհանուր Համաժողովին Պաշտամունքի Ծրագրաւորման Յանձնախումբին երկրորդ նիստը։ Յանուն Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ Կաթողիկոսութեան նիստին իր մասնակցութիւնը բերաւ միջ-եկեղեցական բաժանմունքի վարիչ, Ե.Հ.Խ.-ի Կեդրոնական Վարչութեան եւ սոյն յանձնախումբին անդամ Հոգշ. Տ. Հրանդ Վրդ. Թահանեան։

The Worship Planning Committee of the WCC’s next General Assembly held its second meeting virtually, from January 11th to the 15th, 2021, in lieu of its planned physical gathering, due to the Coronavirus. V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, and member of the Central Committee of the WCC and the AWPC participated in the meeting.

Շաբաթ առաւօտ՝ 23 Յունուար 2021-ին, Ն.Ս.Օ.Տ.Տ. Արամ Ա. Վեհափառ Հայրապետը շնորհաւորեց Ամերիկայի Միացեալ Նահանգներու նախագահ Ճօ Պայտընի ընտրութիւնը:

His Holiness Aram I congratulated president Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th president of the United State of America.

Global ecumenical prayer shows “we are one world and one human family”

As he offered words of welcome, WCC interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca reflected that the online format allowed people to pray together wherever they are. “The global pandemic has shown just how fragile we are as humans, yet also how creative and resilient we can be when we pray and work together to bring hope and a sense of caring for each other and for the wider ecumenical family,” he said. “We are one world and one human family.”

If President-elect Joe Biden makes good on his campaign rhetoric, his sanctions policy will meet the approval of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).

Two 18th-century religious icons depicting Jesus and the Virgin Mary, were returned to Greece from Lebanon on Tuesday. The icons which are in good condition, were stolen from an exhibition in Athens in 2016. They were seized during an auction, a judicial source said.

Homeless people receive Covid-19 vaccine in the Vatican

A statement released on Wednesday by the Holy See Press Office said that 25 homeless persons were inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

The Catholic Church has continuously embarked on the quest for Christian unity with the establishment of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, whose origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962 to 1965.

“As restrictions in many places due to the coronavirus pandemic are making it difficult to physically gather, this global online celebration will allow us to pray together wherever we are,” said Sauca. “Prayer is one of the fruits that is borne out of our abiding in Christ’s love.”

Iraq awaits Pope Francis and prays that his visit may not only happen but also bear fruits of dialogue and peace among the people, long-tried by violence and divisions. The strife-torn nation continues to experience tensions not only along its border with Syria but also within, from Nasiriyah to the area of ​​Mosul, which was the capital of the 'Islamic State' between 2014 and 2017.

JERUSALEM - The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for the year 2021 in Jerusalem has been postponed, as a result of the COVID-19 imposed restrictions. The annual event, which takes place in January after the Armenian Church’s celebration of Epiphany, will be celebrated at the time of Pentecost in May.

The community of Grandchamp in Switzerland is a monastic community that brings together sisters from different churches and countries. It is this community that has provided the theme for this year’s “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity," and that offers the daily reflections and texts that aim to nurture closer communion with one’s brothers and sisters in Christ and greater solidarity with the whole of creation.

Pope Francis explained that this year the theme highlights "Jesus' request that we abide in His love so that we might bear much fruit". He went on to note that the week will conclude on 25 January with the celebration of Vespers in the Basilica of St Paul's Outside-the-Walls in Rome, "together with the representative of the other Churches and Christian communities in Rome".

Lord our God, grant Pope Francis health and safety to carry out successfully this eagerly awaited visit. Bless his effort to promote dialogue, enhance fraternal reconciliation, build confidence, consolidate peace values and human dignity, especially for us Iraqis who have been through painful “events” that affected our lives.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church since 1968.

“A society is all the more human to the degree that it cares effectively for its most frail and suffering members, in a spirit of fraternal love.” Pope Francis makes the point in his message for this year's World Day of the Sick.

For the occasion of Christmas, new year and Epiphany, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem gathered via Zoom yesterday morning, 11 January, to greet and wish well for each other, as His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III shared his hopes for a global relief from the current pandemic.