In a tweet on Saturday, Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announces that 6 March will become a "National Day of Tolerance and Coexistence" in Iraq. The announcement came after Pope Francis' meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, which Cardinal Miguel Ayuso has praised as an historic encounter.

Pope Francis meets with bishops, clergy and religious in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad, stressing the importance of sowing seeds of reconciliation and fraternal coexistence that can lead to a rebirth of hope for everyone.

Pope Francis gives his first speech on Iraqi soil on Friday to authorities, civil servants, and diplomats, and indicates the path toward a genuine recovery of the nation following years of conflict and terrorism.

The KAICIID-Supported Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation in the Arab World (IPDC) commends and endorses the historic visit of Pope Francis to Iraq on 5-8 March 2021, which the platform believes will have a substantial impact on the future prospects for peaceful coexistence in that country and further afield.

Pope Francis sends a video message to the people of Iraq, to share a message of peace, fraternity and comfort, as he prepares for his Apostolic Visit which begins on Friday.

In the run-up to Pope Francis’ Apostolic Visit to Iraq, he asks the faithful to accompany his journey with prayers so it may bear fruit for the Middle Eastern nation. The journey is scheduled to take place from 5 to 8 March.

HOLY LAND - On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land will preside over an intercessory prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in time of Coronavirus, at the Shrine of Our Lady (Stella Maris) at 6:00 pm. The prayer will be animated by the parish choirs (Melkite, Latin and Maronite) and recorded by the Christian Media Center, which will broadcast on Thursday, March 4.

This morning, the Divine Liturgy was held in the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, at the end of which, Patriarch John X shared the following message:

“Saint Paul the Apostle addresses us all, saying: “All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

Our Orthodox unity is our daily prayer

My dear Brothers, fellow Primates and Concelebrants in the Lord Jesus Christ,

One year ago this week, we gathered in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to build our common fellowship in the pursuit of a dialogue of love for the sake of the unity of the Local Orthodox Churches.

In a letter addressed to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Francis remembers doctors, nurses and other healthcare personnel who have died in the performance of their duties during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fasting is a biblical tradition that appeared in the two covenants, but it is also a practice that developed and varied according to time and place. I will not dwell in detail on fasting from a biblical point of view, its spirituality and its meanings, because the aim of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive and short panoramic view of the "methods of fasting and their development throughout history" since Judaism to early Christianity and even the Latin Church in our contemporary times. If we turn to the Bible, it is only to clarify this aspect.

International partners working to achieve equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines appealed on Wednesday for the UN Security Council to ensure people caught in conflict have access to these lifesaving treatments.

Vatican News continues with its series on the history, mission, objectives and operating costs of the Vatican offices assisting the Pope in his pastoral ministry. We feature here the Congregation for Oriental Churches with an interview of the Prefect, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.

The Vatican City State Governorate releases a statement explaining a recent decree on the need to vaccinate employees who work in public-facing jobs, saying the directive seeks to strike a balance between protecting the community and an individual’s freedom of choice.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issues a note to bishops and episcopal conferences on the celebration of Holy Week 2021 with worship and health safety in mind.

The social distancing measures also planned in Egypt to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic did not prevent celebrating, even if in a sober and limited way, the 6th anniversary of the massacre of 20 Copts in Libya in the company of their Ghanaian workmates from jihadist terrorists linked to the so-called "Islamic State" in February 2015.

ROME – With less than three weeks to go until Pope Francis’ first international trip in 18 months, rockets were fired Monday at the airport and civilian areas of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan and a city he’s scheduled to visit during his March 5-8 outing to Iraq.

The attacks represent the latest challenge to what was already an outing fraught with complexities.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass on Ash Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, and urges Christians to experience Lent as a return journey toward the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

and addresses by The Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Koch, Fiona Bruce MP, The Bishop of Truro, and a panel of distinguished guests

‘Contemporary Martyrs Day’ is marked annually by The Coptic Orthodox Church to commemorate the anniversary of the 21 Libya Martyrs who were murdered by Isis on 15 February 2015 in Libya. It has also been established to commemorate members of the Coptic Orthodox Church who have lost their lives in contemporary history as a result of religious persecution.

When will justice, peace, and respect for common living prevail so that all people can join hands in the process of the development of their societies as well as in creating a better future for the generations to come?