You can find the condolences message of His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, for the passing of His Beatitude Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II.

On Monday, November 7th, 2022, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, extended a condolence letter to the Holy Synod of the Cyprus’ Greek Orthodox Church over the passing of His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II, head of the church.

In his letter, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I states that the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II has served the church remarkably on every level, and has led his congregation with grace and courage.

On the morning of Monday, October 25 / November 7, 2022, the Blessed Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II passed away after a long illness.

Thus, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, sent the following letter of condolence to the Church of Cyprus:

To His Eminence the Metropolitan Georgios of Paphos, governor of the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus, beloved brother in the Lord and co-minister of Our Mediocrity, holy greetings in Christ Jesus.

Through Our Patriarchal brotherly Letter we express the deep condolences of the Church of Jerusalem and Mother of Churches, as well as Our personal ones, to the brotherly Autocephalous Church of Cyprus, and to your quite beloved Eminence, for the departure in the Lord of the blessed Shepherd of the great island of Cyprus Chrysostomos II, our brother and co-minister…

His Holiness Pope Francis recalls the late Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, who passed away on November 7, as a man of dialogue and a lover of peace.

By Lisa Zengarini

During the Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis turned his thoughts to the Cypriot people mourning the death of His Beatitude Chrysostomos II.

The late Orthodox Archbishop, who had been leading the Church of Cyprus since 2006, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 81 in his residence in Nicosia due to cancer.

On Saturday, October 23 / November 5, 2022, the Feast of the Holy Glorious Apostle James the Brother of God was celebrated by the Patriarchate, which is the Enthronement Feast of the Patriarchate, as Saint James was the first Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem.

On this feast, the Church of Jerusalem commemorates that Saint James was ordained its bishop by the Lord and that he presided over the First Apostolic Synod of Jerusalem, in the year 49 AD. He opened the doors of the Church to the nations and left as a legacy to the Church his Catholic letter in the New Testament and his martyrdom. Saint James confessed Jesus as the Christ and for this, the rulers of the Jews pushed him down from the wing of the Temple in the year 62 AD and killed him.

In his memory, evening Vespers were held in his Cathedral, the one between the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in which His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided.

More than 100 world leaders have started arriving in the Egyptian Red Sea town of Sharm el-Sheikh for the UN’s annual climate change summit that aims to maintain the momentum in the battle to curb planet-warming emissions.

By Linda Bordoni

On the first day of the UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, the head of the United Nations warned that the world is on a “highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator” unless drastic action is taken to curb global warming.

Thus, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an impassioned plea to world leaders saying that humanity must “cooperate or perish,” and added that rich industrial nations must lead the way.

The Russian Orthodox Church gifted His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, a Medal of “Glory and Honor” on Monday November 7, 2022 for his tenth anniversary of his Enthronement and his 70th birthday, in appreciation of His Holiness’ efforts in working on relations between the Coptic and the Russian Churches.

On Monday November 7, 2022, at the Papal Residence in Cairo, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received Archbishop Anthony Volokolamsk, Head of the External Relations Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, accompanied by Father Stephan (Igomenov), Director of the Secretariat for Christian Relations in Moscow Patriarchate, and Father Alexander, Secretary of His Eminence the Metropolitan, to award His Holiness the medal on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

TAYBEH, Palestine – On Sunday, November 6th, 2022, to mark the end of the olive harvest and as part of the traditions of the diocese, His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a Mass with the faithful at Christ the Redeemer Church, in Taybeh (Ramallah), and blessed the olives yielded by the land.

In their field, Palestinians gathered under the olive trees. Harvest has several steps: the ripe olives are collected, pressed into oil, and fermented, to be enjoyed throughout the whole year. In this part of the Holy Land, the end of October is known as the olive harvest season.

On the evening of Thursday November 3, 2022, The Papal Residence in Cairo hosted a ceremony for signing the book “Pope Tawadros II… Years of Love for God and Homeland”, in the presence of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

The book is issued by the Egyptian-Lebanese bookstore and it is from several interviews with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, that were conducted by the presenter Sherine Abdel Khalek with the aim of documenting the past years since His Holiness was seated on the seat of St. Mark.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II welcomed the guests in his opening speech and he commended President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during the economic conference that was held and the future vision that was presented by the Egyptian Government during the global economic crisis.

And HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad

In the framework of his visit to Bahrain to participate in the "Bahrain Forum for Dialogue", His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, met His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on Thursday 3 November 2022, in Manama. His Beatitude commended the atmosphere of religious tolerance in the country, wishing the best for Bahrain, which remains a beacon of tolerance and coexistence among every spectrum of society.

During the flight bringing him back from Bahrain, His Holiness Pope Francis speaks about Ukraine and the world's many conflicts. He talks about his friendship with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, of the importance of ensuring rights and equality for women, on migration issues and against child abuse. To German Catholics he says: "Germany already has one great Evangelical Church, I wouldn't want to see another one."

The Vatican news’ videographer in Bahrain, Franco Piroli, takes a visual glimpse back over the touching moments of His Holiness Pope Francis' 4-day Apostolic Journey to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

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.