The delegation, led by WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, included Dr Michel Abs, secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC); Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance general secretary; and Michel Nseir, WCC senior advisor for peace building. 

The group met with heads of WCC and MECC member churches, and visited restored churches and schools as well as development projects and community and health centres in Old Aleppo and in Damascus.

His Holiness Pope Francis sends a message to participants in a Vatican conference on resilience and climate change, and urges all nations to work together to reduce carbon emissions and help people adapt to climate change.

By Devin Watkins

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is hosting a two-day conference at the Vatican’s Casino Pio IV, on 13-14 July, focusing on the theme: “Resilience of People and Ecosystems under Climate Stress”.

As the event kicked off on Wednesday, Pope Francis sent his greetings to participants, and encouraged their efforts to discuss the environmental crisis.

His Holiness Pope Francis appoints three women to the Vatican's Dicastery for Bishops: Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State; Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, F.M.A, former Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; and, Dr. Maria Lia Zervino, President of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis on Wednesday July 13, 2022 named three women to the Dicastery for Bishops, the first time women have been appointed to the Dicastery responsible for identifying future bishops globally.

The Holy See Press Office published the Pope's latest appointments to the Dicastery in a statement on Wednesday. 

On Tuesday the 12 of July 2022, the Patriarchate celebrated the commemoration of the Holy Glorious and Chiefs of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, at the Holy Church dedicated to them in Capernaum.

On this feast the Church honours the Apostle Peter as the one who confessed Christ to be the Son of God and heard by Him, “You are Peter and, on this rock, shall I build my Church”, and the Apostle Paul as the one who was called by the Lord on his way to Damascus and preached Him “more than anyone else”.

For the feast of the Chiefs of the Apostles the Divine Liturgy was officiated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, in this Church, with the co-celebration of their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth and Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Hagiotaphite Hieromonks among whom Archimandrite Parthenios, Arab-speaking Priests from the Holy Metropolis of Nazareth and Priests from the Russian Church of Diaspora, Archdeacon Mark and Hierodeacon Eulogios. The chanting was delivered by Mr Gotsopoulos with the help of the Archbishop Aristovoulos of Madaba and a Byzantine choir, as the service was attended by a congregation of Greek, Russian and Palestinian faithful Christians.  

A delegation from the World Council of Churches headed by the Acting General Secretary of the Council, Rev Dr. Ioan Sauca, accompanied by the General Secretary of the ACT Alliance, Mr. Rudelamr Bueno de Faria, and the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Michel Abs, visited the Center for Free Medical Clinics and the Shams Community Center in Irbeen to know about the services offered by these centers. The centers provide medical and community services for the people of the local community.

The delegation was accompanied by a team from GOPA DERD headed by the Director General of the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development, Archimandrite Meletius Shattahi. They were received by Mr. Roy Moussalli, Executive Director of EPDC and the administrative team in Irbeen.

On July 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, received a delegation from the World Council of Churches headed by the WCC Acting General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma - Damascus. The delegation included Mr Rudelmar de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary, Dr. Michel Abs, MECC General Secretary, and Mr. Michel Nseir.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, Mr. Roy Mousally, Executive Director of EPDC, and Mr Razek Syriany were also present.

As part of his tour in Syria, the World Council of Churches Acting General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, participated in the Holy Mass, presided over His Beatitude John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, on Sunday 10 July 2022, at the Holy Cross Church in Damascus. During the Mass, Sauca delivered a sermon

In an 8 July letter sent to President Joe Biden, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca appealed for Biden’s attention to the plight of churches and Christians of the Holy Land.

Biden is scheduled to visit Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia on 13-16 July.

“Your visit take place in a time of ongoing and escalating dispossession and displacement of Palestinian families and communities from their homes in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank, and of expanding settlements and settlement enclaves that threaten the multi-religious and multicultural identity of Jerusalem and undermine any remaining prospect of a viable two-state solution to secure peace with justice for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” Sauca wrote. “In addition to the expropriation of properties,

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, received at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Damascus a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC), consisting of the Acting Secretary-General, Father Ioan Sauca, the Director of the World Alliance of Ecclesial Organizations, Mr. Rodelmar de Faria, Dr. Michel Abs, Secretary-General of the Middle East Council of Churches, and Mr. Michel Nassir. Along with His Beatitude, his Grace Bishop Moussa El Khoury and Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Malatius Chatahi, Director of the Ecumenical Relations and Development Department at the Patriarchate, attended.

The dialogue revolved around the Church's current status and existential role in light of the crisis the region is undergoing, especially in Lebanon and Syria, as well as the need to assist Christians to remain in their land and hold on to it. His Beatitude emphasized the humanitarian role that the Church played is playing to help Christians and all spectrums of the Syrian people through the Department of Relations and its role of relief in this field, and expressed the importance of this visit, to examine the reality as it is, far from what is published by the media.

His Holiness Pope Francis is set to beatify his predecessor, John Paul I, on Sunday, 4 September, at Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

By Devin Watkins

The Holy See Press Office announced plans on Monday for the beatification of His Holiness Pope John Paul I, who was born as Albino Luciani in the northern Italian town of Forno di Canale (now Canale d’Agordo) on 17 October 1912.

Pope Francis will preside over the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, 4 September 2022.

Bishop Renato Marangoni will read the Rite of Beatification at the Mass, together with the Cardinal Beniamino Stella, postulator for the Cause of Canonization, and Dr. Stefania Falasca, the Deputy Postulator.

“During the beatification, the team of postulators will gift the Holy Father with a reliquary containing the relics of the new Blessed,” according to a statement from the Press Office.

Tickets for the Mass can be requested from the Prefecture of the Papal Household.

Today, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II celebrated Vespers for the Feast of the Departure of St. Bishoy at his monastery in Wadi El-Natrun, with the participation of six bishops and abbots of monasteries and several monks, and during which His Holiness beautified the relics of the Saint located in his feretory within the ancient monastery’s church.

His Holiness participated in the prayers along with His Grace Bishop Aghabious the bishop and abbot of the monastery, His Grace Bishop Mataeos, Bishop & Abbot of St. Mary Syrian Monastery, His Grace Bishop Esizarous, Bishop & Abbot of St. Mary Baramous Monastery, His Grace Bishop Mina, Bishop & Abbot of St. George Monastery, Khatatbah, His Grace Bishop Discoros, Bishop & Abbot of St. John the Short’s Monastery, El Alamein Road, and His Grace Bishop Bisenti, Bishop of Abnoub, Fattah & New Assiut and Abbot of St. Mina Monastery, Abnoub.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received at the Papal Residence in Cairo today, Saturday, His Holiness Abouna Kirolos, Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, and his accompanying delegation.

The choir of deacons received His Holiness the Pope and His Holiness the Patriarch, with the melody of “Ephlogiminos” and the melody of “Ekizmarout”.
His Holiness delivered a speech welcoming his guest and the accompanying delegation, especially as it is his first visit as a patriarch to the Eritrean Church. He expressed his happiness to open a new page with the Eritrean Church, wishing that the relations between the two sister churches would strengthen under the umbrella of St. Mark the Apostle, who founded the Coptic Church in the first century AD. His Holiness stressed that we look to the future with a broad vision and that the Coptic Church is ready to help its sister, the Eritrean Church, at all levels. His Holiness also wished that the children of the Eritrean Church around the world would unite under the umbrella of their church under the leadership of His Holiness the Patriarch Abouna Kirolos.

GALILEE – From July 4th to July 8th 2022, the Secretariat of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL) organized its annual spiritual retreat for catholic priests and bishops at the Redemptoris Mater seminary in Korazim.

The idea to have a spiritual retreat for all Catholic priests and bishops goes back to 1993, and was born out of the pastoral synod of the time. Last year, the retreat took place at the Stella Maris monastery, in Haifa: this year, the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land gathered in the Domus Galileaea International Center, where can be found, among other things, a Redemptoris Mater seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way. The place has deep symbolism for Christians; according to Bedouin sayings, there used to be three trees under which Jesus preached. Today, only one very ancient tree remains, but three new ones were planted next to it to perpetuate the oral tradition.

In the third part of his interview with the Reuters news agency, his Holiness Pope Francis shares his plans to expand the role of women in the Roman Curia, and announces his intention to appoint two women to the Dicastery that assists the Pontiff in the selection of bishops.

By Vatican News

His Holiness Pope Francis has announced his intention to appoint two women to the Dicastery of Bishops, who will therefore be involved in the process of choosing new bishops.

The Pope made the remarks in an interview with Reuters Senior Correspondent Philip Pullella, in response to questions about the presence of women in the Vatican; the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium, which reforms the Curia; and about which Dicasteries (Vatican offices) could be entrusted to a lay man or woman in the future.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered his weekly homily at the meeting on Wednesday 6 July 2022, from St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, in the presence of a number of bishops and priests, and large numbers of church children who filled the cathedral. The homily was broadcast on Christian satellite channels and the C.O.C channel of the Church’s media centre on the Internet.

Before the homily, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II listened to a speech from Father Antonios Fahmy, who is responsible for the service of those who are about to get married in Alexandria, about the work of the service during the last period since February 2012 with a presentation of the most important methods and statistics that reached the graduation of about 13,000 husbands and wives, and the fruitful results of the service and coordination with the sub-clerical council To discuss the amendment of the curricula in a way that agrees with and addresses the marital problems presented to the Council.

On Thursday July 7, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, visited the Happy Child House kindergarten in Damascus. His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, inspected the summer program that the Happy Child House is offering.

On Thursday July 7, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, visited the construction site of the Patriarchal complex in Harit Al-Zaytoun in Bab Sharqi, Damascus.

During the visit, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II inspected the construction work in the different parts, namely the Women Dorms, Youth Center and the Patriarchal Departments’ Offices.

In a wide-ranging interview with American journalist Philip Pullella of Reuters, His Holiness Pope Francis covers topics such as the recent US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the possibility of resigning, the decision to postpone his planned Apostolic Visit to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and his hopes for a trip to Moscow and Kyiv.

By Vatican News staff reporter

His Holiness Pope Francis has responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which returned power to regulate abortion to the individual states, saying he respected the decision, but had not studied it enough to comment on it from a juridic point of view.

at the opening of Symposium Syriacum XIII in Paris

I am grateful for the invitation to be part of this outstanding event where some of the greatest and most illustrious scholars of both Syriac and Arab Christian literature come together to present their latest works. Some sharing their latest discoveries of still unknown texts and other shedding a new light and giving new meanings to some well-known works.

In greetings intended for the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, His Holiness Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of Christians and Jews encountering one another and working together to counter negative trends in western society.

By Christopher Wells

“Interreligious dialogue is a sign of the times,” His Holiness Pope Francis says, adding that he considers it “a providential sign, in the sense that God Himself, in His wise plan, has inspired, in religious leaders and in many others, the desire to encounter and come to know one another in a way respectful of religious differences.”