During a virtual ceremony commemorating the first-ever International Day for Human Fraternity on Thursday, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, highlight the importance of fraternity and solidarity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Moroccan-French activist Latifah Ibn Ziaten were also presented with the 2021 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.

Pope Francis highlights the theme of fraternity in a video message for the first International Day of Human Fraternity celebrated on Thursday. He calls for a world of mutual respect, stressing that we can either choose to be brothers and sisters or we lose everything.

The world is about to celebrate the International Day of Human Fraternity for the first time on 4 February. One of the people who brought this about, Judge Abdel Salam, tells Vatican News that the annual celebration of Human Fraternity will “renew ideas and visions for its realization”.

The Holy Father will mark the International Day of Human Fraternity in a virtual meeting on 4 February, the date set by the United Nations General Assembly for this new annual occasion. He will do so together with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. The event will be hosted in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed.

Pope Francis' prayer intention for the month of February sends a powerful message against the various kinds of violence against women, which he describes as the “degradation of all humanity”.

Pope Francis is to meet top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani during the first-ever papal visit to Iraq in March, a senior Catholic cleric told AFP on Thursday.

The official theme song of World Youth Day (WYD) 2023, scheduled to take place in Lisbon, Portugal, was released on Wednesday, exactly two years since the announcement of the city chosen by Pope Francis to host the next world meeting for young people.

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, invites Christians to participate in a 3-day “Resurrection of Nineveh” fasting and prayer initiative for peace in Iraq, as the nation mourns last week's suicide bombing attack in Baghdad.

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.”