His Holiness Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of October, in which he asks that the Church be one of synodality, which means walking together, along the same road.

By Francesca Merlo

As is customary at the beginning of every month, His Holiness Pope Francis has released his prayer intention for the month of October: "A Church that is open to everyone".

In The Pope Video, produced by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, the Holy Father begins by asking "What does it mean 'to synod'?", before answering himself, that it means walking together: syn-od. He explains that in Greek, the word synod means to walk together, and to walk on the same road.

On Wednesday September 28, 2022 at the Papal Residence in Cairo, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, met with the Coptic Orthodox Delegation which participated in the eleventh General Assembly of the World Council of Churches “WCC” in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31st of August till 8th of September. Around four thousand people have participated from all over the world in this meeting and it is regarded as the most diverse Christian gathering in the world.

H.G Bishop Thomas and H.G. Bishop Abraham were elected as members of the Central Committee, which includes one hundred and fifty members. This Central Committee of the World Council of Churches acts as the main decision-making body in the council.

On September 29th 2022, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, signed an agreement to establish the headquarters of the Latin Patriarchal Vicariate in Nicosia (Cyprus), stating that this Vicariate will become a separate and independent place where all administrative and spiritual matters of the Latin parishes and their institutions in Cyprus will be handled. From the beginning of December 2022, Fr. Bruno Varriano, OFM, Patriarchal Vicar in Cyprus, will officially reside there.

The Antiochian Orthodox Media Center published a new video including a Homily for His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, entitled “You, O Human”. You may watch it on the Facebook page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, within the series of videos “Spots & Descriptions”.

On Sunday, September 19/October 2, 2022, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated in the Holy Cross Monastery, located in West Jerusalem near the Jewish Parliament.

This holiday was celebrated there in memory and honour of the tradition that in the area of ​​this Monastery, under Lot, the three-composite wood of cedar, pine and cypress was planted, from which the Cross was made, on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified for our salvation.

On Thursday 27 September 2022, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, witnessed the celebration of the Coptic Language Department at the institute of Coptic Studies, marking the 200th anniversary of the interpretation of the ancient Egyptian language by the French scholar Champollion (27 September 1822- 27 September 2022).

The ceremony included theatrical and choir performances, a presentation on the Rosetta Stone as well as various speeches given by several attendees, including a Coptic and Arabic speech by His Eminence Bishop Demetrius, Bishop of Malawi, Ansna and Ashmounin and the Head of the Coptic language department at the Institute of Coptic Studies and Dr. Issac Agban, the Dean of the institute.

n Tuesday, September 14/27, 2022, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this holiday, the Church has primarily the commemoration of the Lord Jesus Christ raised on the Cross for our salvation, but also the memory of the elevation of the wood of the cross, when it was found under Saint Helen and raised by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Makarios in sight and worship of the pilgrims and thousands of pilgrims for the Consecration ceremony of the Church of the Resurrection.

This world-historical event was celebrated with Vespers in the evening and with a Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast in the Catholicon of the Church of the Resurrection.

Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy were officiated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

BETHLEHEM – From September 16th to September 19th 2022, the town where Christ was born saw the festivities of the Ibn El Balad Festival echo through its streets.

It was the General Secretariat of the Youth of Jesus’ Homeland (YJHP) who, in cooperation with the Bethlehem Municipality and under the patronage of Mrs. Rula Mayaah, Minister of Tourism, organized this four-day festival in Manger Square, in front of the Church of the Nativity. On the first day, His Beatitude Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah and His Eminence Mgr Yacoub Ephrem Semaan, Syro-Catholic Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem, inaugurated the largest Arabic Bible exhibition in the Middle East and the Arab world, in the Armenian Hall adjacent to the Church of the Nativity. They then officially declared the festival opened, after a solemn parade of the scouts to which several Catholic groups from Bethlehem and Jerusalem participated.

After the opening speeches, one of the people in charge of the festival, Mr. Rafi Ghattas, gave a speech about the aims of the festival, and spoke of the late journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Shireen’s niece also addressed the crowd to testify to her aunt’s attachment to the Church of the Nativity and its history. A dance troup and a band, who performed the best songs of Lebanese artist Julia Boutros, animated the evening, to which about 3 000 people attended.

His Majesty King Abdullah, King of Jordan on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 participated in the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein.

In a speech to the General Assembly, King Abdullah said the Palestinians cannot be denied their right to self-determination, noting that there is no place for hatred and division in Jerusalem, according to a Royal Court statement. He noted that Christianity as an integral part of the region and the Holy Land and added that no country can thrive if affordable food does not get to every family's table, stressing that regional resilience packs are coming together among countries in the region to stimulate fresh opportunities and growth. King Abdullah also cited Jordan as a bridge for regional partnerships and international crisis response.

The World Council of Churches held its 11th General Assembly from August 31st to September 8th 2022, in the German city of Karlsruhe with the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia participated with a delegation consisting of twelve members—six clergy: Archbishops Gomidas Ohanian, Sebouh Sarkissian, Kegham Khatcherian, Nareg Alemezian, Bishop Masis Zobouyan and V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, and six laypersons: Prof. Teny Pirri-Simonian, Mrs. Seta Khedeshian, Dr. Nora Bayrakdarian-Kabakian, Esq. Vanna Gidtsinian, Ms. Tamar Kanarian and Ms. Araz Kojayan. It is noteworthy that Ms. Carla Khijoyan continues her ecumenical service as head of WCC’s staff responsible for the Middle East.

On Sunday, September 5th/18th 2022, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of our Lady and Immaculate Mary in the Holy Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Beit Jala, Palestine.

During this feast, the Church remembers that the Theotokos is a gift of God to her childless parents, Joachim and Anna, and to all humanity, because from her the Redeemer of the world, Christ, was made flesh by the Holy Spirit.

On September 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, inaugurated the new building of “St. Matta Patriarchal Theological Institute” in Mor Matta Monastery.

The two-day interreligious event kicked off this week in Kazakhstan’s capital of Nur-Sultan.Government officials and spiritual leaders from around the globe gathered this week in Kazakhstan for the 7th Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

The interreligious event themed ‘The Role of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in the Spiritual and Social Development of Human Civilization in the Post-Pandemic Period’ included representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Shintoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and other religions, including His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, the Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis, Egypt’s Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, among others.

In a letter to H.E. Zbigniew Rau, OSCE chairman-in-office, and minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, jointly appeal for urgent action by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to promote a just and sustainable peace in the Caucasus, following renewed violence in the region in which more than 100 lives have already been lost.

Thanks to the tireless and diligent work of the Printing Press and Liturgical Office of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the latter being supervised by Father Aziz Halaweh, the printing of the new Arabic edition of the Missal began yesterday in Mariano Comense, near Milano. The new liturgical book, which should be available on December 2022, will be divided into two parts. The first will focus on the prayers said around the altar, and the second on the other prayers.

On Sunday, August 29/September 11, 2022, the commemoration of the beheading of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist John was held at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

During this feast, the Church, especially that of Jerusalem, remembers that Saint John the Baptist, “clothed with a mantle and eating locusts and wild honey”, (Matthew 3:4), calls the multitudes to repentance, “he showed with his finger Jesus as the Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world”, he criticized Herod for living with Herodias, his brother’s wife (Matt. 14:3). Herod was controlled by John, but he also respected him, when, however, “he celebrated his birthday”, (Mat. 14,6) Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced and Herod liked her, and he promised to give her even half of his kingdom. The insolent girl, brought forward by his mother, asked for “John’s head on a pinnacle” (Matthew 14:7). Herod felt sorry, but because of “the oaths and the witnesses” he ordered the dissection of John’s head and brought it to the girl as an offering, and the girl offered it to her mother.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases a third message for World Youth Day 2022 - 2023, to be held in Lisbon in 2023, after being postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and urges young people to follow in the footsteps of Our Lady, going in haste to others and dedicating our lives to Jesus.

By Francesca Merlo

His Holiness Pope Francis released his third message for the 37th World Youth Day (WYD) on Monday. In this final message of a trilogy, the Holy Father recalls the theme of the last WYD, held in 2019 in Panama: “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

“After that event, we resumed our journey towards a new destination – Lisbon 2023 – with hearts afire with God’s urgent summons to arise”, noted the Pope.

On 11 September, 2022, during the Suryoyo Youth General Gathering – Syria 2022, a “Questions and Answers” session was organized with His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church.

The youth were given the opportunity to personally ask their spiritual father questions they have about the church and other topics.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, is elected president of the World Council of Churches, representing the Oriental Orthodox churches. The election was held by the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches which is taking place in Karlsruhe, Germany.

A well-knowing ecumenical leader, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I has served as moderator of the Executive and Central Committees of the World Council of Churches for two terms 1991-1998 and 1998-2006. He is author of several books on theological and ecumenical topics.

From August 29th to August 31st took place the annual meeting of the Conference of Latin Bishops in the Arab Region (CELRA), in Rome. The three-day meeting was presided over by His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Mgr Cesar Essayan, Latin Apostolic Vicar of Lebanon. The Patriarchal Vicars for Jerusalem and Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Cyprus, as well as the Latin bishops of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti were also present.

During the meeting, each bishop presented the situation of his region and the work of the Church. In many countries, difficulties encountered by Christians have arisen due to economic and political conditions. The bishops and religious representatives also discussed the process of Synod; actions and initiatives of each region and future plans. They also spoke of the future election of a representative of the Synod of the Bishops, which will take place next October during the meeting of the Synod in Beirut.