On final day of His Holiness Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Bahrain, Pope encourages nation's clergy to joyously bring God's joy to the Gulf nation's diverse flock, and makes appeals for peace in Ethiopia and Ukraine.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Preserve and deepen your Christian joy, spreading it to all around you, and remember that with God, you can face and overcome everything.

His Holiness Pope Francis offered this powerful reminder when speaking to bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and lay pastoral workers, of Bahrain on Sunday in the Sacred Heart Church in Bahrain's capital of Manama.

During a meeting with young people at Sacred Heart School in Awali, His Holiness Pope Francis tells them, “We need your creativity, your dreams and your courage, your charm and your smiles, your contagious joy and that touch of craziness that you can bring to every situation, which helps to break us out of our stale habits and ways of looking at things.”

By Christopher Wells

His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged young people to “Never lose the courage to dream big and to live life to the full,” during an encounter with youths at Sacred Heart School in Awali, Bahrain on Saturday 5 November 2022.

His Holiness Pope Francis encourages members of the Muslim Council of Elders in Bahrain to embrace fraternity, prayer and common efforts to help humanity rediscover the hidden sources of life, foster peace and promote care of the disadvantaged in society.

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

His holiness Pope Francis met with the members of the Muslim Council of Elders, in the presence of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in the mosque of the Sakhir Royal Palace on Friday afternoon.

Bring waters of fraternity to desert of human coexistence

After a courtesy visit to the King of Bahrein in the Sakhir Royal Palace, His Holiness Pope Francis addresses authorities, members of civil society, and the diplomatic corps, and reflects on the “Tree of Life,” an outstanding “emblem of vitality” in the country.

By Christopher Wells

His Holiness Pope Francis described Bahrain as a °place of encounter between different peoples,” a land where “ancient and modern converge; tradition and progress mix; and above all, people from different backgrounds create a distinctive mosaic of life.”

Day One: Peaceful coexistence for all peoples

As His Holiness Pope Francis wraps up his first day in Bahrain, our correspondent offers a peek into the journey toward peace which his Apostolic Visit seeks to foster.

By Devin Watkins - Manama, Bahrain

“Peace… as we welcome the Pope of the Vatican”

Thus read the headline of a major Arabic-language newspaper sitting on the coffee table at a hotel in Manama, the capital city of Bahrain, on Thursday morning.

And peace looks set to form the focus of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to this Muslim-majority island nation in the Gulf.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, met on Wednesday November 2, 2022 in Manama, with the parishioners of Antioch in Bahrain at the Golden Tulip Hotel. The meeting was attended by His Eminence Ghattas Hazim, Metropolitan of Baghdad, Kuwait and dependencies, His Eminence Niphon Saykali, Metropolitan of Shahba, and Father Saba Haidousian, the Parish Priest.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X met with the members of the Bahrain Association for Tolerance and Religious Coexistence.

His Holiness Pope Francis departs Rome for the Kingdom of Bahrain on his 39th Apostolic Journey abroad, where he will meet with local Christians and encourage interreligious dialogue.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis set off on Thursday for his Apostolic Journey to the Kingdom of Bahrain, marking his 39th Apostolic Journey abroad and the 58th country he has visited as Pope.

The Holy Father flew out of Rome on an ITA Airways flight on his way to the Middle Eastern Gulf nation for his November 3-6 visit, with the papal flight taking off at approximately 9:45 AM Rome time. He is expected to land in Awali about 4:45 PM local time (2:45 PM Rome time).

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) in partnership with the Waldensian Evangelical Church and the Church of Scotland will open an ecumenical office in Rome, Italy, in 2023.

“Today as never before, we are called as churches to rekindle the spirit of ecumenism in the life of the church worldwide, against any spirit of distancing. As Christian churches sharing a common confession of Christ as Lord, we are called to work together towards making visible the unity that Christ has already given to us,” said Najla Kassab, WCRC president.

On Friday, October 15/28, 2022, the national anniversary of October 28, 1940, was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this day at around 10.30 a.m., a Doxology was held in the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This Doxology was held as a thanksgiving to God for His help to our nation to repel and defeat the German Nazi and Italian Fascist forces during the war of 1944-1945, as a prayer for the repose of the fathers who fought and fell heroically in this fight.

The doxology was presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem…

On the occasion of the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, presided over the Vespers in the Cathedral of Our Most Holy Lady in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on Thursday 27 October 2022, with the participation of the Most Reverend Nicholas Amathondos, the Auxiliary Bishop of the diocese, and many priests and deacons.

The Anglican–Oriental Orthodox International Commission held its ninth residential meeting from 24th to 29th of October 2022, at The Bethel Centre of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in Braintree, Essex, England.

The Commission greatly appreciated the generous hospitality of His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London. The Commission thanked the staff of the Bethel Centre and of the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre for the warmth of their welcome and the support offered to the work of the Commission.

His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa Participated in the 36th International Meeting for Peace in Rome

ROME – After conferences in Spain and in Lublin, His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, participated in the 36th International Meeting for Peace in Rome, entitled “The Cry For Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue” and organized by the lay Catholic association of Sant’Egidio.

The initiative of such a meeting was in born in 1986, after an ecumenical gathering for peace in Assisi, attended notably by Saint Pope John Paul II. Since then, many religious and political leaders contributed to it, offering, through their speeches and conferences, "a message of hope for the future in the name of the greatest good, which that of Peace."

The Oriental Orthodox-Anglican International Commission held its ninth residential meeting from 24th to 29th of October 2022, at The Bethel Centre of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in Braintree, Essex, England, hosted by the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London. V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, continued his participation in the commission on behalf of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, under the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia.

As a two-day Caritas Internationalis conference gets underway in Paris, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and various keynote speakers highlight the harsh realities and injustices many women face around the world, and pledge to work together to create a more just and equal society for all.

By Francesca Merlo - Paris, France

115 million girls are out of school. Less than 3% of humanitarian funding goes to organisations working on women empowerment. Only 5% of the world’s CEOs are women.

On October 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, officially inaugurated the First Gathering of the Syrian Christian Youth Leaders, convened at Ebla Conference Center in Damascus. The theme of the gathering is entitled “Together today for a better future”.

The gathering is organized by Hope Center, under the auspices of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate.

CYPRUS – From October 20th to 22nd, 2022, the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land (ACOHL) held a meeting on the island of Cyprus, hosted by Mgr Joseph Sfeir, Maronite Bishop of Cyprus. After reviewing the recent developments of the Church, the participants went over several issues, which included the Synodal process and the protection of children in the Catholic institutions in the Holy Land.

The participants also took the opportunity to visit the Church in Cyprus and to meet with church officials and parish priests. The charity Caritas Cyprus also benefited from their visit.

During their stay, the members of the Assembly also had the opportunity to learn more about the historical events that took place in the northern part of the island, controlled by Turkey, and about the deportation of Christians in the wake of 1974. Their visit allowed them to discover many historical and religious sites, including the tomb of St. Barnabas.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

We, Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Patriarch Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, and Catholicos Aram I, the Armenian Catholicos of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon,

We thank God for granting us to hold the 13th Official Meeting for the Patriarchs of our Churches since 1998, within the framework of the communion of faith that is existing since the first centuries of Christianity.

Since early Christianity, our three Churches are joint through common Apostolic heritage and one faith, firmly adhering to our spiritual heritage and unity in faith that is sourced from the Holy Bible, that was expressed in the first three Ecumenical Councils: Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) ,the Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) and the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.), and through the teachings of our Saintly Fathers and the refusal of heresies by our Churches throughout their history.

The Thirteenth meeting of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East was held on 18 and 19 October 2022. The Patriarchs were His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, His Holiness Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, the Armenian Catholicos of Cilicia, Antelias, Lebanon. The meeting was hosted by the Coptic Orthodox Church in Logos Centre in the Papal Residence in St. Bishoy Monastery, Wadi El-Natroun.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received, on Thursday 18 October 2022, at the Papal Residence in St. Bishoy’s Monastery in Wadi El Natroun, Egypt, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, to participate in the thirteenth meeting of the Patriarchs of the Coptic, Syriac and Armenian Churches (Oriental Orthodox Family).

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II participated today, on Monday 17 October 2022, in the International Conference organized by The League of Arab States at its headquarters in Cairo, with the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, which started its work on Monday and for a period of two days.

The conference discusses the topic “Tolerance, Peace and Sustainable Development in the Arab World”.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II delivered a speech at the opening of the conference entitles “Forgiving in Christianity and its Role in the Consolidation of the Foundations of the Peace of the Community”.