On March 18, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, received His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Damascus.

His Beatitude was accompanied by his Excellency Mor Baselius Yeldho, Patriarchal Assistant and priests of the Chaldean Church in Syria.

On Sunday 9/20 March 2022, on the commemoration of the Holy Forty Martyrs of the lake of Sebastia in Pontus during the reign of Licinius in AD 320, the Name Day of His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III was celebrated, as one of these Holy Martyrs was named Theophilos.

This feast was celebrated as a ‘Parresia’. On Saturday afternoon the Great Vespers was observed at the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, presided by His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.

On March 13, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, received a delegation from the Scouts leaders of the Patriarchal troop in Damascus, at the Patriarchate in Bab Touma in Damascus.

The meeting was attended by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Anthimos Jack Yacoub, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director.

The inauguration of the restoration work beneath the rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre took place on Monday morning, 1/14 March 2022.

The project is a continuation of the restoration of the Sacred Edicule which was completed four years ago. The current work shares the agreement of the Three Major Communities, the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Custody of the Holy Land of the Franciscans and the Patriarchate of the Armenians in Jerusalem, who have the responsibility of the Status Quo, and has been undertaken by the University Sapienza of Rome.

On March 13, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, presided over the special evening prayer (Ramshoyotho) of the Sundays of the Great Lent at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma – Damascus.

‎‏After reading the gospel, His Eminence Archbishop Mor Anthimos Jack Yacoub, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, delivered a sermon on the miracle of healing the Leprous…

On Sunday 28 February/13 March 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated the Sunday of Orthodoxy as the triumph of the truth of Orthodox Faith through the restoration of the holy icons by the pious Empress Theodora and the Patriarch Methodios of Constantinople; the holy icons testify to the incarnate presence of the Son and Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Successor of Peter, who in recent years has prophetically warned of the Third World War already in the offing, follows in the footsteps of his predecessors and stands with the innocent, fighting evil with good.

By Andrea Tornielli

At the Angelus on Sunday, 13 March, the ninth anniversary of his election as Bishop of Rome, Francis unequivocally spoke about the "barbarity of the killing of children, of innocents" that is taking place, urging a halt to the "massacre" and an end to what he called the "unacceptable armed aggression" against Ukraine.

“Let us pray that we may give a Christian response to bioethical challenges.”

His Holiness Pope Francis offered that invitation to Catholics in his prayer intention for the month of March.

He noted that science in the field of bioethics has made great advances in recent years, presenting a host of problems.

Christians, said the Pope, must respond to these challenges and not bury “our heads like an ostrich.”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, gave his weekly on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 7pm from the Church of St. Virgin Mary and St. Anba Bishoy at the St. Mark Cathedral in Abbassia, Egypt, in the presence of a limited number of people, including both congregants and clergy. This was the first time for the Wednesday evening meeting to be held in the presence of a live audience since the onset of the Corona pandemic, since almost two years ago.

His Holiness Pope Francis has sent a video message in Spanish to young people involved in preparations for World Youth Day 2023, which will take place from 1-6 August in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Pope said he looks forward to meeting young people for the celebrations just as they do in gathering together from around the globe for the international celebrations.

JERUSALEM - On Sunday, March 6th, twenty Franciscans led by Fr. Stephane Milovitch, OFM, accompanied the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to the Holy Sepulchre, with three Canons of the Holy Sepulchre as well as priests of the Patriarchate. The procession left the Latin Patriarchate at the Jaffa Gate, under the banner of the silver cross with two crossbars, and went into the streets of the Old City to the beat of the iron rods of the Kawas.

On March 6, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, presided over the evening prayer at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma – Damascus.

‎‏At the end of the prayer, His Holiness conducted the special service of Shubqono (Forgiveness) during which the clergy and faithful ask forgiveness from one another, on the occasion of the beginning of the Great Lent.

On March 6, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, celebrated the Holy Qurobo at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma – Damascus.

During the Holy Qurobo, His Holiness was assisted by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Cyril Babi, Patriarchal Vicar in the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Damascus, and Mor Anthimos Jack Yacoub, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, also attended the Qurobo.

His Holiness Pope Francis has begun a new cycle of catechesis on old age, focusing his second reflection in the series on long life as a “symbol and opportunity.”

By Christopher Wells

The tremendous longevity of the Old Testament patriarchs – who in the ritual narrative of the Scripture are said to have lived for centuries after fathering their children – has a “profound symbolic meaning,” His Holiness Pope Francis said at Wednesday’s General Audience.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin presides over the customary Mass on Ash Wednesday in Rome's Basilica of Santa Sabina in place of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is resting due to acute knee pain doctors are treating. The Cardinal read the Pope's homily, which recalled this day of prayer and fasting for Ukraine.

JERUSALEM – On March 2nd, 2022, His Beatitude Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrated Ash Wednesday during a Eucharistic Mass held at the Co-Cathedral of the Patriarchate.

This celebration, which is traditionally held six weeks and a half before Easter, marks the beginning of Lent. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday, during which many Christians eat sweets, burn their previous year’s Holy Week palms to collect the ashes for the next day’s celebration et receive the sacrament of reconciliation.

Pope Francis’ historic visit was a blessing to all Iraqis. it has charged Iraqis with enough support and hope to achieve their desire in having a life of solidarity, compassion and dignity.

During our 1st visit to Rome this year as the heads and representatives of Iraqi Churches, we intended to thank His Holiness for taking the time to visit our beloved country. Generously, he invited us to his headquarters in the Vatican on Monday, the 28th of February 2022. In the meeting, we expressed our appreciation for his precious visit to Iraq as a dove of peace, a messenger of fraternity and love. He said emotionally “I won’t forget my visit to Iraq… I am holding your country in my heart”.

The Holy Synod of Antioch, presided by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, held its thirteenth extraordinary session in Balamand, Lebanon.

You can find the program of the celebration held by the Chaldean Patriarchate in Baghdad under the auspices of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World , on the occasion of the first anniversary of the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq (5-8 March 2021).

Meeting a delegation of Iraqi Church religious leaders on Monday 28 February 2022, His Holiness Pope Francis encourages the local Christian communities to continue promoting dialogue so as to build fraternity and counteract extremism and fundamentalism.

By Lisa Zengarini

His Holiness Pope Francis on Monday 28 February 2022 received in audience Representatives of the Christian Churches in Iraq visiting Rome on the occasion of the first anniversary of his Apostolic Journey to the country in March 2021.