On July 17, 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. Aphrem Cathedral in Aleppo.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, assisted His Holiness during the Holy Qurobo.

In his sermon, His Holiness expressed his joy to meet the faithful of the Archdiocese of Aleppo and prayed for the abducted Archbishop Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim. He also was happy to see the institutions of the Archdiocese flourishing and offering services despite the harsh circumstances. He pointed out that the ministry required is great and he appreciated the role of the Patriarchal Delegate along with the priests and lay people who are active in offering help to the people according to their capacities. Commenting on the gospel reading, His Holiness emphasized that leadership in Christianity means service without seeking worldly power or glory. He assured that our role model is the Lord Jesus Christ Who became man through His humility and sacrifice.

On July 17, 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 His Excellency Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo Mor Dionysius Antoine Shahda, at the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppo to offer condolences for the passing away of his two brothers.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, accompanied His Holiness along with the priests of the Archdiocese and the vice presidents of the Councils.

His Holiness prayed the service of the departed for the everlasting rest for the souls of the brothers of His Excellency.

On July 16, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, met the priests, members of the parish councils and institutions of the Archdiocese of Aleppo, at the Headquarters of the Archdiocese of Aleppo.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, attended the meeting.

They discussed the situation of the archdiocese in the absence of His Eminence Mor Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim. They spoke about the ministry in Aleppo and the needs of the Archdiocese as well as the challenges they are facing, appreciating the support they are receiving from the Patriarchate.

His Holiness gave them his blessings and instructions in what is good for the Archdiocese. He also prayed for the return of the two abducted archbishops of Aleppo.

On Saturday July 16, 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 project of the restoration of industrial workshops and units in Ramouseh.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, and the clergy of the Archdiocese accompanied His Holiness as well as the deputy presidents of the councils, the engineer supervising the project and representatives of SOS Chretiens d’Orient.

During the visit, His Holiness inspected some of the restored shops and the work done while listening to an explanation of the different stages of the work and the challenges that they faced to complete the project. This project was sponsored by SOS Chretiens d’Orient.

On Saturday July 16, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II visited the site of the Syrian French Hospital in Aleppo, which belongs to the Archdiocese.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, and the clergy of the Archdiocese accompanied His Holiness as well as the deputy presidents of the councils and the engineer supervising the project.

During the visit, His Holiness inspected the premises which are being restored to prepare the hospital to serve the patients. This project is supported by Hungary Helps.

On Saturday July 16, 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 Mercy Old Age Home in Aleppo, which belongs to the Archdiocese.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Boutros Kassis, Patriarchal Assistant and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, and the clergy of the Archdiocese accompanied His Holiness as well as the deputy presidents of the councils and the project’s engineer.

During the visit, His Holiness inspected the rooms and facilities of the Old Age Home. This project is supported by Church in Action (Holland) through the Middle East Council of Churches.

After being received by representatives of the three churches managing the Church of Nativity, being our Patriarchate of Jerusalem, The Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate, at the entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, President Joseph Biden was accompanied on a short tour to the site of the birth of Christ, where he was awaited by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Custos Father Patton and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Norahan Manugian, who took the President of the United States on a tour and exchanged discussion with him in the presence of a number of Palestinian officials.

Patriarch Theophilos III stressed the need for an active American intervention to protect the Christian heritage and presence in the Holy Land, especially in the city of Jerusalem, which is witnessing unprecedented attacks by Israeli radical groups, that conduct their offenses without accountability in order to create an environment that repels Christians from their own city of Jerusalem. His Beatitude also noted attacks on churches, clergy and Christians faithful by members of these groups and their attempts to seize the properties of Jaffa Gate in a case that illustrates the horror and ugliness of the battle waged by these groups against the authentic Christian presence in Jerusalem. He also spoke of restricting freedom of worship against Muslims and Christians, preventing believers from reaching their places of worship freely, giving the example of Israeli police practices this year on the Saturday of Holy Fire in which they prevented worshippers from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Saturday, 9th of July 2022, His Beatitude Youssef Al-Absi, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, concluded his visit to Germany by meeting the Melkite Youth in Germany.

The meeting included an open discussion, during which His Beatitude discussed with the Christian youth in Germany their current situation and the challenges they face in their lives.

Firstly, the youth greeted His Beatitude with the accompanying delegation:

His Eminence Yasser Ayash- Archbishop and Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem,

The Most Reverend Archimandrite Chihade Abboud- the Patriarchal Commissioner at the Holy See,

and The Reverend Father Rami Wakim- the Director of the Patriarchal Bureau.

The meeting took place in Marienthal Monastery in the German state, Rhineland-Palatinate. While the scout band of St. Joseph- Giessen played joyful music, His Beatitude received a bouquet of flowers to welcome his gracious visit.

This Sunday morning, after the Devine Liturgy, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, met with the people of St. Mary of Zeitoun Church, Vienna in the shadow of his current pastoral visit to the Diocese of Austria.
During the meeting, His Holiness delivered a speech about our country, Egypt, and its natural distinction in terms of history and geography, in addition to the progress it is currently witnessing. After the speech, His Holiness answered the questions of his present children about upbringing, the obstacles to spiritual life, the life of holiness, and others.

This morning,His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, prayed the Devine Liturgy of second Sunday of Epipe at St. Virgin Mary Church in Vienna, in the shadow of his current pastoral visit to the Diocese of Austria.
His Grace Bishop Gabriel, Bishop of Austria, His Grace Bishop Marcos, Bishop of Damietta, Kafe El Sheikh, and ElBarari, Metropolitan Mor Dionysius, Metropolitan of Austria for the Syriac Orthodox contributed to the Devine Liturgy which witnessed a huge presence to a lot of people in addition to the presence of the Ambassador Mohamed El-Mulla, Egypt’s Ambassador to Austria.
His Holiness baptized some children from Egyptian families residing in Austria.
His Holiness delivered the sermon for the Devine Liturgy, followed by a speech by His Grace Bishop Gabriel in which he expressed his thanks and appreciation to His Holienss for his visit to the Diocese.

On Wednesday, 30 June/ 13 July 2022, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the Synaxis of the Holy Glorious twelve Apostles at the Holy Church dedicated to them on the west shore of the sea of Tiberias, at the centre of the town of Tiberias.

On this feast the Church gathers, namely, it keeps the “Synaxis” of its faithful to honour the twelve Apostles to whom the Lord sent His Holy Spirit, and by whom He “kept the whole world into their net”.

For this feast, Vespers was held on Tuesday afternoon and the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday morning was officiated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, along with their Eminences, Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Hagiotaphite Hieromonks, among whom the Archimandrite Parthenios and Priests from the Metropolis of Nazareth. The chanting was delivered by the Hegoumen of Acre, Archimandrite Philotheos in Greek and Arabic, as the service was attended by Arab-speaking and Russian faithful.

“As the ecumenical movement, we are providing humanitarian and spiritual support to Syrians in facing these challenges,” reads the letter. “But we are seeing a continuing outflow of young people migrating to look for a better future abroad, a tide that improved conditions in the country could help turn around.”

Churches and ACT members in Syria have developed institutions that specialize in humanitarian relief and development, and that serve all people without discrimination. “In addition to schools, medical and health facilities, and community centres, psycho-social services are provided, and small businesses supported,” reads the letter. “However, the humanitarian relief and development efforts are insufficient to counterbalance the widespread suffering caused by international sanctions.”

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,