On June 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, participated in the conclusion of the first stage of the restoration of the Citadel of the Crac des Chevaliers, with the presence of Her Excellency Dr. Lubana Mshawah, Minister of Culture, His Excellency Mr. Bassam Barsik, Governor of Homs, and His Excellency Mr. Peter Csulak, Charge d’Affaires of the Hungarian Embassy in Damascus.

The Saturday of the Souls was celebrated by the Patriarchate on May 29/ June 11, 2022, with the prayers for the repose of the souls of our departed fathers and brethren of old.

On Friday afternoon Vespers was held at the Church of Saint Constantine and Helen, where His Beatitude Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III led the Canon of the dead…

Love and sharing at the Effetà Institute of Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM – Imagined in 1964, and inaugurated in 1971, the Effetà Paul VI Institute officially celebrated, on June 7th, 2022, and in the presence of Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, its golden jubilee.

The pandemic will have delayed it by one year. Yesterday, the Effetà Paul VI Institute, located in the city of Bethlehem, officially marked its fifty-year anniversary with a Mass presided by Patriarch Pizzaballa, followed by a reception during which the journey of the Institute was briefly retraced.

The Effetà Paul VI Institute came to light in 1964, when Pope Paul VI – called “the Pope with a big heart” by Greek Patriarch Athenagoras I – visited the Holy Land. During his pilgrimage, noticing the presence of many deaf-mute children in Palestine who were not receiving the proper aid required, he decided to have an institution established especially for them.

KORAZIM - In Domus Galilaelae, where seminarians from all over the world are trained to serve the Church, three young men were ordained priests by His Beatitude Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on Saturday, June 11th. A cause of great rejoicing for the Mother Church, especially for the parishes of Madaba, Amman and Zarqa North, to which the three ordained were assigned.

The celebration, which was in Italian but translated simultaneously in several languages (English, Arabic and Spanish), was concelebrated by Mgr Rafic Nahra, Patriarchal Vicar for Israel, Mgr Jean-Pierre Cattenoz, archbishop emeritus of Avignon, and Fr. Francesco Voltaggio, rector of the Redemptoris Mater seminary of Domus Galilaelae. It was also attended not only by the ordained's families and friends (who came from Colombia and California, Qatar, Italy and Eilat), but also by many Christian communities of Galilee, as well as the seminarians of the Patriarchal Seminary of Beit Jala and their rector, Fr. Bernard Poggi.

The priests of the Diocese of Damascus and Rural Damascus concluded the meeting, held with the blessing and presence of their great father, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, in the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George Al-Humeyra, after taking participation in the Divine Liturgy on Thursday morning, June 9.

Over the course of the meeting, the fathers participated in the program of prayers in the monastery. They also had several sessions of meditation on the Bible, dialogue meetings, and workshops that dealt with the life of the priest on personal and pastoral levels.

We are pleased to announce the launching of the special publication dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the election and consecration of His Holiness Aram I as Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia.

52 contributors from various fields: religious, ecumenical, academic, political, church administration, community leadership, among others, pay tribute to the service and mission of His Holiness on his silver jubilee by recalling notable moments and great achievements of his pontificate.

Continuing his catechesis on the value of the elderly and old age at the weekly General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on the Biblical figure of Nicodemus, and says the elderly are messengers of tenderness, wisdom and love.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The tenderness of the elderly shows us the tenderness of God.

Pope Francis stressed this during his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square, as he continued his series of catecheses "on the meaning and value of old age in the light of God’s Word." He reflected this week on the New Testament figure of Nicodemus.

The Pope said he wished to emphasize "the tenderness of the elderly" and grandparents, highlighting how God is equally tender with us.

His Holiness Pope Francis greets a Pan-Orthodox delegation of priests and monks of the Oriental Autocephalous Churches on Friday, reflecting on the Solemnity of Pentecost and “the full unity to which we aspire.”

By Vatican News staff reporter

At the heart of His Holiness Pope Francis’ address to young priests and monks from Oriental Orthodox Churches from different traditions was that of unity.

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.