Wadi Al-Nasara, February 19, 2022

Under the auspices of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the General Secretariat of the Orthodox Youth Movement’s fifty-second conference was held in the Patriarchal Monastery of Saint George al-Humeyra in Wadi Al-Nasara in Syria. The Secretary-General Rene Anton took part in the conference in addition to members of the participating delegations from all the Syrian and Lebanese centers. Besides His Beatitude, the Abbot of the monastery, Bishop Arsanios Dahdal, attended.

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4).
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, gave his weekly Wednesday sermon on the 16th of February 2021, from the Church of the Transfiguration, located in the Papal Residence at the Logos Center (Saint Anba Bishoy Monastery, Wadi El-Natroun, Egypt). A limited number of people were in attendance. The sermon was also broadcast live on several Christian satellite channels and over the Internet, on the Church’s Coptic Media Center channel (COC).

His Holiness Pope Francis releases the theme for the second World Day for Grandparents and Elderly, which aims to reconsider and value grandparents and the elderly who are too often kept on the margins of families, civil and ecclesial communities.

By Francesca Merlo

His Holiness Pope Francis, on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, announced the theme for the Second World Day for Grandparents and Elderly with a tweet…

JERUSALEM - On February 2nd, 2022, for the World Day for Consecrated Life, His Beatitude Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, paid tribute to the men and women who chose to dedicate their lives to God through a beautiful Mass celebrated in the Co-Cathedral of the Patriarchate.

The World Day for Consecrated Life was established in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II. At that time, the Supreme Pontiff had just celebrated the Synod of Bishops on Consecrated Life and had published the Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata. He gave three main reasons for the institution of this day…

On Sunday, February 13th, 2022, the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Temple was celebrated at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I. During the special service, Antasdan (Blessing of the Four Corners of the World), presenting the children to the altar for blessing, and the traditional bonfire took place.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office gives details of upcoming liturgical celebrations presided over by His Holiness Pope Francis.

By Vatican News staff writer

The Holy See Press Office on Monday released the schedule of upcoming liturgical celebrations that the Holy Father will preside over in the month of March.

His Holiness Pope Francis sends a letter to His Eminence Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, as the Church begins preparations for the 2025 Jubilee year.

MILAN - On Saturday, February 12, 2022, in partnership with the Festival della Missione, Terra Santa and Caritas Ambrosiana, His Beatitude Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, participated in a conference on the theme of reconciliation, organized by the Archdiocese of Milan.

His Holiness Pope Francis sends a video message congratulating His Beatitude Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I on thirty years of ministry as Archbishop of Constantinople, and wishing him "many years" - "Chrónia pollá! Ad multos annos!".

JERUSALEM - After several months of work, the Latin Patriarchate's Liturgical Office, in cooperation with the Christ the King Bookstore, recently published its new manual on serving the altar for all parishes in the diocese.

What does serving the Mass entail? Who can do it? What are the different ranks of an altar server? Who organizes the role of each? And how can an altar server be prepared? Until now, the answers to these questions were more or less defined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the priest, seminarian, sister or lay leader of each parish.

By Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader

With an initiative taken by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan, in cooperation with Caritas Jordan, and in the presence of a number of ambassadors, Parliament deputies, Christian and Muslim clergymen, as well as directors of intellectual, cultural, and humanitarian institutions in the Kingdom, a seminar has been held marking the World Interfaith Harmony Week (February 1) and the International Day of Human Fraternity (February 4) as both of them are endorsed by the United Nations.

JERUSALEM - From January 22 to January 30, 2022, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity took place in Jerusalem, giving the many Churches of the Holy City the opportunity to receive and honor representatives of other Churches in a common prayer.

Last year, the strict sanitary measures applied in the Holy Land forced the Churches of Jerusalem to postpone this week of prayer until Pentecost, in union with the Churches of the southern hemisphere.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases a video message on the occasion of a webinar marking the 30th World Day of the Sick, organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

By Lydia O'Kane

The World Day of the Sick is marked annually on 11 February. On the eve of this observance, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has organized a webinar entitled: “World Day of the Sick: Meaning, Goals and Challenges.”

His Holiness Pope Francis has released a video message on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, marked in the Catholic Church on the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, 8 Feb.

By Vatican News staff reporter

His Holiness Pope Francis is urging all to join the fight against the scourge of trafficking in women and girls saying it is violence.

Live painting as a portrayal of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. This was the concept behind a session organised by the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in collaboration with "We Love Art" in the Emirati pavilion at the Dubai 2020 Expo.

It is one of many events taking place during a Festival organised by the Ministry and the High Commission of Human Fraternity in the lead up to International Day of Human Fraternity, marked on 4 February.

His Eminence Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar releases a message on the occasion of International Day of Human Fraternity, expressing optimism for efforts for a better world despite the pandemic and other ills.

By Robin Gomes

One of the most respected and influential authorities in Islam has expressed hope that the world’s races, religions and leaders will unite in solidarity and fraternity to help create a better world, overcoming the crises created by the ongoing pandemic and by human selfishness.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases a video message to mark the 2nd International Day of Human Fraternity, and urges all people to trod the difficult path of fraternity in order to overcome the prejudices and conflicts that divide humanity.

By Devin Watkins

The International Day of Human Fraternity was set up by the UN General Assembly to commemorate the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together by His Holiness Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019.

Between January 26th and 28th, 2022, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches was held online. On behalf of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia Bishop Magar Ashkarian and V. Rev. Boghos Tinkjian (co-secretary) participated in the Dialogue.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of February, and invites Catholics to pray for religious sisters and consecrated women as they continue in their mission with courage.

By Devin Watkins

“What would the Church be without religious sisters and consecrated laywomen? The Church cannot be understood without them.”

His Holiness Pope Francis made that affirmation in his February prayer intention, released on Tuesday by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

On 29 January 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, consecrated St. James of Sarug Church in California.