On September 4, 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 Suryoyo Youth General Gathering in Syria (SYGG-Syria 2023) at Mor Aphrem Monastery in Maarat Saydnaya – Syria.

On Monday 4 September, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, held two meetings at the Papal Residence in Cairo, Egypt, with the aim of checking on the conditions of his Sudanese children who came to Egypt due to the tense conditions in Sudan.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received a number of Priests from the Dioceses of Khartoum and Omdurman, and was reassured by them about their conditions and the conditions of our Sudanese families in Egypt. His Holiness answered their questions and inquiries in a fatherly spirit, and the fathers thanked His Holiness for his love and care for them and for the Sudanese families in Egypt.

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, addressed his Pontifical Message on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, emphasizing the importance of lifting the blockade and supporting its right to self-determination. As a God-given right and a major principle of international law, independence is inviolable for any nation.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia marked Artsakh Independence Day on Sunday, September 3rd, 2023, in Antelias and Bikfaya, Lebanon, with a Requiem Service during the Divine Liturgy for the souls of all those who have fallen on the road to independence, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. At St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, V. Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian conducted the Liturgy and delivered a sermon on the occasion.

On August 30, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, received His Beatitude Joseph Absi, Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma - Damascus, Syria.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his Prayer intention for the month of September, and invites everyone to pray and assist people who live on the margins of society.

By Devin Watkins

“Let us pray for those people on the margins of society in subhuman living conditions, that they may not be neglected by institutions and never be cast out.”

His Holiness Pope Francis launched that invitation on Tuesday as he released his Prayer intention for September 2023, which is for “people living on the margins”.

The Armenian Apostolic Catholicosate, Holy See of Cilicia is glad to announce the publication of the second edition of “St. Nerses the Gracious and Church Unity,” authored by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, on the occasion of the 850th commemoration of the Saint.

The first part of the book provides a historical analysis of the 12th-century Cilicia Kingdom in both political and Ecclesial contexts; the Ecumenical relations of the Armenian Church, having St. Nerses the Gracious as a major player, with the Greek Church and the Byzantine Emperor; and his Theological, confessional and Ecumenical positions.

On Monday, August 15/28, 2023, the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the Holy Shrine of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Gethsemane, where her Tomb is also located.

During this Feast, the Church remembers that the Theotokos, the mother of Life, died and was buried by the Holy Apostles “in the village of Gethsemane” where the “tomb did not endure death”. Her body, which embodied the Lord of glory, was transferred to the heavens by the Lord, who inhabited her immaculate womb and she remained the “unchangeable hope and protection for all ages”.

By: Miral Atik, Nicolawos Hazboun (photos) / lpj.org

Born on January 5th, 1846, in a village near Nazareth called Ibillin. An answered prayer to her parents, after they went on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, to ask for Our Lady’s intercession for a daughter. Sadly, before she turned three, both of her parents died from an infectious disease. Mariam went to live with a wealthy paternal uncle. Although she was well treated, her intense devotion to Our Lady, and her refusal for marriage, led her to work as a servant. After she was miraculously healed by Our Lady from the wounds inflicted upon her by a man who attempted to kill her for her faith, in June 1867, Mariam finally joined the Carmelites in Pau (France) and chose Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified, as her religious name.

Mt 16:13-20

“Listening” has been the central lesson highlighted throughout our journey in Matthew’s Gospel, from a Sunday to a Sunday: Listening to the Word on the mountain (Mt 17:1-9), the Word in the storm (Mt 14:22-33) and last Sunday we saw that there is also a Word for the foreign woman, who is also called to finally hear the Word (Mt 15:21-28).

Listening to the Word is also central to today's passage (Mt 16:13-20): We are still in a pagan land, where divinity has many faces, many names, many voices, making it hard to listen.

In this context, Jesus asks his disciples a question to see what they heeded and what they understood about what they heard, how the Word they heard led to knowledge, and specifically to a relationship.

On Sunday, 14/27 August 2023, the service of the Lamentations of the Theotokos was held at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The service began with the departure of the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood under their Hegoumen, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, in procession from the Patriarchate Gate through Via Dolorosa and concluded at the rectory of Gethsemane. The procession was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Mr Evangelos Vlioras and many pilgrims who were chanting the hymns of the Dormition.

After a reception at the rectory, the service of the Lamentations began before the Theotokos Tomb and around the sacred icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

After his appointment as Cardinal of the Universal (Catholic) Church by His Holiness Pope Francis on the afternoon of Sunday 9 July 2023, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, answers many questions in an interview via video made with him on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and was published on the website on 24 August 2023.

In the interview, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa talks about the meaning of being a Cardinal, and expresses his desire to continue carrying his responsibility as Shepherd of Christ' Parish in the Holy Land, raising the voice of Christians from Jerusalem to the whole world.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office says the second part of the Laudato si' encyclical letter which His Holiness Pope Francis mentioned on Monday will focus on the recent climate crises.

By Vatican News

Speaking off-the-cuff to a delegation of lawyers from member countries of the Council of Europe on Monday 21 August 2023, His Holiness Pope Francis said he was writing a second part of his Laudato si' encyclical to update it to “current issues".

The Pope was expressing his appreciation for the attorneys' commitment to developing a legal framework aimed at protecting the environment.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, left Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport, on the evening of Tuesday 22 August 2023, to return to Egypt, after the end of his visit to the Republic of Hungary, which lasted for four days.

The Hungarian government had sent an official invitation to His Holiness to visit it to participate in the Hungarian National Day.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II was seen off at the airport by Mr. Shamyin Gullit, Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, the Egyptian Ambassador there, Mr Mohamed El Shennawy, and members of the Egyptian Embassy.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases the theme of his message for the 57th World Day of Peace, and calls for open dialogue on the topic of artificial intelligence which is “endowed with disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects.”

By Edoardo Giribaldi

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development released a statement presenting the next Message of the World Day of Peace’s theme, which will touch on “Artificial Intelligence and Peace.”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, prayed the Liturgy of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Assumption of the Body of the Virgin Mary, in the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and the members of the accompanying delegation, a number of Fathers, Bishops, Priests, Monks, and large numbers of people participated in it.

This was on the last days of his visit to Hungary, which lasted four days, and he delivered the Sermon of the Liturgy, at the beginning of which he congratulated the attendees on the feast of the Virgin Mary, then he talked about three situations in which the Virgin Mary spoke, focusing on important lessons that we can learn…

His Holiness Pope Francis encourages participants in the 44th Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples to approach others like Jesus and help them encounter God, especially in the midst of trying times.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, frequently referred to as the "Rimini Meeting", in a message released and signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

On August 20, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, received His Excellency the Charge d’Affaires of the Austrian Embassy in Syria Mr. Peter Krois, accompanied by a delegation from the Embassy, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma, Damascus, Syria.

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II thanked His Excellency for his efforts to support the Syrian people and discussed with his guests the impact of the sanctions imposed on Syria and the effect they have on the daily lives of the Syrian people.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received on Monday 21 August 2023, an honorary doctorate degree from the Catholic University of Pazmany Peter, in a grand ceremony at the university's headquarters in Budapest.

Professor Toshka Laszlo, Professor of Arabic Language at the University of Budapest, delivered the university’s speech, during which he spoke about the journey of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II from his birth until now. He referred to the political events that Egypt had gone through since 2011, focusing on the events of the June 30, 2013 revolution and the meeting on July 3, in which His Holiness Pope Tawadros II participated, along with army leaders, Sheikh Al-Azhar and intellectuals.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church of Cilicia, H.E. Arch. Kegham Katcherian, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Greece, celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, Lebanon.