On November 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, met the president and members of the Syriac Charity Association in Amman, at Mor Aphrem Church in Amman – Jordan.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Anthimos Jack Yakoub, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, and Patriarchal Delegate to the Archdiocese of Jerusalem, Jordan, and the Holy Lands, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, attended the meeting.

On the occasion of the beginning of the Christmas fast, the Antiochian Orthodox Media Center affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, republished the first episode of the series of videos “The incarnation and Deification of Man”, which was published in 2019 on the Patriarchate's Facebook page. The series includes Homilies in Arabic for His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.

The Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions held its yearly meeting from November 7th to the 11th, 2022. This was the first meeting to occur in-person since the last gathering in 2019. Participants gathered from around the globe in Vancouver, Canada, and were hosted by the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

The Ecumenical officers of each respective Church family and communion shared their reports and updates. V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian participated on behalf of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia. Our Church’s report was offered to the members of the conference, detailing our Ecumenical initiatives and challenges, as well as future endeavors. It also highlighted the current status of the dialogues and Ecumenical conversations held between the Oriental Orthodox Family and other communions.

On Wednesday, November 3/16, 2022, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the glorious great martyr George the Trophy-bearer in Lydda, Palestine, at his holy church and tomb.

On this day, the Church does not celebrate the memory of his martyrdom, which took place in Rome under Diocletian, but the memory of the repatriation, that is, the transfer of his relics from Rome to Lydda, his mother’s hometown, in accordance with his command to his servant before his martyrdom.

The holy relic was indeed brought back and buried in Lydda. When in the meantime piety shone forth, Saint Helen built a temple around the Saint’s tomb and its consecration took place. Today, on the 3rd of November, the Church celebrates the feast of the transfer of the relics and the consecration of the Church in Lydda, while his martyrdom is celebrated on the 23rd of April.

At the celebration in honour of this event, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, officiated the Divine Liturgy…

At noon on Sunday, October 31/ November 13, 2022, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, made a pastoral visit to the Arabic-speaking Greek Orthodox Community in the city of Beit Jala, Palestine.

First of all, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III visited the building belonging to the Hegoumen of the Monastery, which in the past was used as an Elementary School and now has been renovated with the sponsorship of the Palestinian Authority, to function as a kindergarten and as a space for the catechetical school.

Affiliated to St. George’s & St. Abram’s Church, Heliopolis in New Cairo

On November 12, 2022, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. inaugurated the “Lotus Conference House” in Orabi area in Obour City, Egypt. The conference house is affiliated to the St. George’s and St. Abraam’s Church in Helioplis, New Cairo.

Fr. Sergius Sergius, Deputy of the Patriarchate in Cairo and the Church’s Priest attended the inauguration along with the Priests of the Church and the members of its committee.

A Clerical Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Pope

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. congregate with the clergy of Alexandria, on the afternoon of Thursday 10 November 2022, at the theatre in the Papal Centre in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, with the presence of H.G. Bishop Bavly, General Bishop of Montazah, H.G. Bishop Elarion, General Bishop of West Alexandria, H.G. Bishop Hermina, General Bishop of East Alexandria and Father Abraam Emil, deputy of the Patriarchate in Alexandria.

The clergy celebrated the 10th anniversary of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II’s Enthronement. The celebration started with a musical called “The Well”. Just as Joseph came out of an empty well and was set over all the land of Egypt, and as the Samaritan woman who went out from where the well that was filled with water was to preach, that is how His Holiness came out as leader, patient, wise father and teacher.

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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.