With the blessing and presence of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the meeting of priests, serving in the Diocese of Damascus and Rural Damascus, was launched on Monday, June 6, at the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George Al-Humeyra and will continue until Thursday, June 9.

The meeting was opened by Vespers presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch John X in the monastery church. Then, His Beatitude delivered a welcoming and guiding speech, in which Patriarch John X underlined the cruciality of the meeting and fraternal gathering. His Beatitude explained that the conglomeration wi bring personal and spiritual benefit to every single priest on the one hand, as well as to all the assembled and serving priests in the diocese on the other, through the exchange of pastoral experiences, concerns, and aspirations.

A solemn ceremonial mass was held in the outer courtyard of the Monastery of the Cross – Jal el-Dib – Qenaya, during which the canonization of the honorable martyrs parents Leonard Owais Malaki and Touma Saleh al-Kabushites from the town of Baabdat was announced, in the presence of the President of the Republic represented by the Minister of Tourism in the caretaker government Walid Nassar, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri, represented by Representative Hagop Pakradounian, and Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, represented by Caretaker Minister of Youth and Sports George Kallas.

Retired Major General George Shreim, representing Caretaker Minister of Defence Maurice Selim, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, MP Elias Hankash representing the head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel, MP Razi Al-Hajj, Major Rana Asfour representing the Director General of Public Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim also attended. Former MP Ghassan Moukheiber, political, official, partisan and spiritual figures and a crowd of believers from different Lebanese regions.

Pope Francis sends a video message to the global, online ecumenical Pentecost Vigil organized by CHARIS, and reassures Christians that the Holy Spirit can achieve peace and restore love through our daily actions, even in a world wounded by war and hatred.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis on Saturday, the eve of Pentecost, sent a message for the ecumenical Pentecost Vigil organized by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service (CHARIS), through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The Charis-organized 2022 Vigil was transmitted online first from Burkina Faso, then Australia, and lastly in Lebanon. The Pope’s video message was broadcast during the vigil.

“When the day for Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” - Acts 2:1

JERUSALEM – This year, at the initiative of Christian Movements and New Communities, the faithful of the Holy Land gathered in small groups between the evening of the Ascension and the Vigil of the Pentecost, to truly live in faith the experience of Mary and the Apostles.

The Pentecost, sometimes called “Whitsun” or “Whitsunday”, marks the day the Apostles received the Holy Spirit as a gift, in the form of “tongues of fire” “sitting upon each of them”. It coincides with the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, the Jewish holiday commemorating the day the Torah was revealed to Moses and the people of Israel – which the Apostles were celebrating when the Holy Spirit descended upon them. For the Latin Church, it is part of the solemnities, meaning the most important feasts of the Liturgical calendar. Solemnities also include, for example, the Paschal Triduum, the Nativity, the Epiphany or the Ascension.

Under the patronage of the Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, Mgr Rafic Nahra, a meeting for the Latin Youth in Galilee was held under the title “From the First Minute, You Contribute to the Kingdom of God”, under the guidance of the spiritual guide of the youth, Father Ramez Twal.

The meeting was also attended by Father Elie Karzam, parish priest of Shafa’mer; Father Makarios Jeries, the youth guide of the Akko diocese; Father Ayman Bathish from the Franciscan Order; Father Cyprian from the Carmelite Order. Several Rosary Sisters also came; Sister Carmela Bou Khuza'a, Sister Ghada Nehme, Sister Lauren Imad and Sister Alfonsina Al Daoud, as well as postulants Batoul Fakhoury, Najlin Al-Banna and Teresa Daniel. Two sisters from the Servants of the Gospel of God's Mercy, Sisters Anna and Monica, also attended.

As for the participants, they included about sixty young men and women, all coming from different towns in Galilee; Shafa’mer, Rineh, Jesh, Haifa, Jaffa, Nazareth, Ramah, Kafr Kanna, Ibilin, Ma'aliya, and so on.

In His Holiness Pope Francis' Message for the 2nd World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and Elderly, Pope Francis encourages the elderly to persevere in hope and reminds them of their great power to transform the world through prayer and tenderness.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis says aging is not a condemnation, but a blessing, and that even if society or your own frailties may tempt you to think otherwise, you are invaluable and God wants you to persevere in hope!

Beirut (AFP) – His Holiness Pope Francis has postponed a trip to Lebanon initially planned for June over health concerns, Lebanon's tourism minister Walid Nassar said Monday.

Nassar did not elaborate on the "health reasons" behind the postponement, but the Pope who has suffered from pain in his knee was seen using a wheelchair for the first time at a public event on Thursday.

On May 9, 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 Mor Zakay Church in Merky, Iraq.

As a two-day conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” continues in Brussels Tuesday, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development in England and Wales, CAFOD, is calling on donor governments to pledge adequate funds to address both the immediate and longer-term needs of the people inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.

On May 8, 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. George Church in Bahzani, Iraq.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases a message for the 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations on the theme “Called to Build the Human Family,” and encourages every person in the Church to give the very best of themselves “in this great divine plan!”

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis says that when we speak about vocations, we are speaking about making God’s dream come true.

The Holy Father made the observation in a Message released Thursday for the 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which falls this year on 8 May, and has as its theme “Called to Build the Human Family.”

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of May, and urges everyone to pray for young Catholics to be courageous in their response to God’s call.

By Devin Watkins

As the Church marks the Marian month of May and prepares for the upcoming World Meeting of Families in late June, His Holiness Pope Francis is urging Catholics to pray for young people and their response to God’s call to holiness.

HAIFA, Holy Land – This year, the Haifa procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which takes place every year from the Latin parish of St Joseph to the Stella Maris Monastery, was without any COVID-19-related restrictions, and saw many locals from all over the Holy Land attend the event.

Last year, due to the pandemic of COVID-19, the procession had been turned to a convoy of cars that drove all the way to the top of Mount Carmel.

His Holiness Pope Francis invites Catholics and Marian Shrines around the world to dedicate the month of May to a marathon of prayer for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Devin Watkins

Catholics across the globe are encouraged to dedicate the Marian month of May to praying for an end to the pandemic.

The initiative, behind which His Holiness Pope Francis has thrown his support, involves 30 Marian Shrines from various parts of the world.

On April 26, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, invited the cleaners (garbage collectors) of Old Damascus for an honorary banquet at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma - Damascus.

Under the high auspices of Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, on Sunday evening, April 24th, 2022, the “Shonorhali” Choir of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, led by V. Rev. Fr. Zaven Nadjarian and accompanied by Cilicia Band, held a concert of national songs in commemoration of the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, in Liqaa, Rabweh - Lebanon.

The Patriarchal Message of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I

“Our nation is in crisis. The self-determination of Artsakh is uncertain. Armenia's territorial integrity and even independence are threatened. Our demands are faced with serious challenges.”

“We see an urgent need for consultations and cooperation among the Armenian leaderships on issues, programs, and concerns that matter to the entire Armenian nation, and adopt decisions accordingly at the level of a National Council.”

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I

Our Language is One it is Antiochian, Christ is Risen… Indeed, He is Risen

On the occasion of Easter, the Antiochian Orthodox Media Center, affiliated the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, issued a video entitled “From Antioch to the World, Our Language is One it is Antiochian, Christ is Risen… Indeed, He is Risen”.

In the video, the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology Choir Balamand performed the hymn of “Christ is Risen from the Dead” in many languages, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Assyrian, Turkish, Greek, French, English and Arabic. Noting that the filming location was is in Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, issued his Papal Message on the occasion of Easter 2022. You may click here to watch the message.

Ninth Anniversary of the Abduction of the Metropolitans of Aleppo

Dear brethren and spiritual children,

“Christ is risen; He is risen indeed”.

We declare it as of today, and we intend it as a paschal letter. We declare it today on Great Friday, which coincides this year with the ninth anniversary of the abduction of the Archbishops of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi. We declare it today, while Christ is in the depth of Golgotha of glory, hanging on the lofty cross, to excavate for us and for the tormented East, the path of Resurrection. We declare it today and the present moments reiterate, to confirm that Christians in this East were and are steadfast in Crucifixion, following the model of our Lord. Once again, we declare it today, to always substantiate that the cross of suffering is the initiator of the path of Resurrection.