The Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions held its yearly meeting from October 30th to November 3rd, 2023. After last year’s meeting in Vancouver, the Conference met in The Ecumenical Institute of Bossey and the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.

The Ecumenical officers and secretaries of each respective church family and communion shared their reports and updates. Members detailed their ecclesial and ecumenical initiatives and challenges, as well as ongoing and future endeavors. On behalf of the Catholicosate of Cilicia and His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian participates in the conference.

Mt 25:1-13

Before reflecting on today's Gospel passage (Mt 25:1-13), I would like to review what we heard last Sunday (Mt 23:1-12).

Jesus had warned his disciples and the crowd in front of him about the behavior of the Pharisees and the leaders of the people. Speaking of them, Jesus had pointed out an aspect of their life, which was marked by a certain paralysis: Those who occupy ranks or attend banquets, say and not do, not moving the burdens they place on others not even with a finger... This seems strange within the history of God's covenant where everything resembles a journey, where salvation is a journey of walking humbly with God, and where God himself walks with his people.

Hope Remains... Peace Shall Come

By: Lpj.org

A whole month has passed since the outbreak of the war, yet the blessed hope still beats in the hearts of the faithful who remain in the Holy Family Church of Gaza. Not ceasing in lifting their Prayers every day, and supporting each other, while receiving consolations from His Holiness Pope Francis, who has been showing his great support by contacting daily Fr. Joseph, assistant priest, and the sisters of Mother Teresa, as well as the Rosary sisters, who serve there, to check up on the well-being of the parish and encourage them by praying with them and consoling them amid their hardships as well as give them his blessing.  

On Thursday, November 9th, 2023, the Christians of Jerusalem participated in a Prayer for peace, which was organized by the Latin parish of Jerusalem in collaboration with Sabeel, and the Arab Catholic Scouts Center. His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the Prayer and took a moment of silence for all the souls that have been lost throughout this war. Among the assembly were several Bishops, and Priests from different denominations, as well as a number of religious sisters.

After visits to Greece, Cyprus, Kuwait, Canada, and Lebanon within the scope of the pontifical proclaim "Year of the Diaspora II: From Self-Examination to Reorganization," His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, started his visit to the Eastern Prelacy continuing his mission to revitalize Diasporan life through the various fields of activity of the Cilician Catholicosate prelacies.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I arrived in Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 6. He was welcomed by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy; the Chargé D'Affaires of the Lebanese Embassy, Wael Hachemi; Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar, and community members. His Holiness will visit the communities of Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New Jersey, Troy, New Britain, and New York City, and will meet with our faithful and various governmental, diocesan, and religious bodies. He will give lectures, have ecumenical and youth meetings, and preside over a meeting of clergy from the three prelacies of North America.

Distinguished delegates, Esteemed spiritual leaders, Respected attendees,

and fellow caretakers of our Earth,

I greet you all in the name of our caring Creator of all things, visible and invisible.

As we gather here at COP28, we are all united by a pressing urgency, namely the imperative to preserve our planet, this wondrous creation that sustains and nourishes us all.

In the sacred scriptures, we are reminded of our divine duty: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15). This is not merely an ancient calling but a contemporary responsibility. Today, as leaders, believers, and human beings, we are entrusted with this very Earth – our shared home.

On November 6, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, participated in the Global Faith Leaders Summit held at the Abu Dhabi Energy Conference Center in Abu Dhabi.

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II delivered a speech which you can red its text by clicking here.

His Royal Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican, His Eminence Dr. Mohamed Al-Duwaini, Deputy of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch, His Excellency Mr. Maulen Ashimbayev, Chairman of the World Congress of Traditional Religions, as well as several representatives of world religions, spoke in the opening session of the Summit.

On Sunday, October 23/November 5, 2023, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Holy Glorious Apostle and Martyr James, the Brother of God and first Hierarch of Jerusalem.

On this feast, the whole Church, especially the Church of Jerusalem, remembers that Saint James was the son of a woman who was previously married to Joseph, the betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, therefore, he was also called the brother of the Lord. Because of this legal relationship, Saint James was named Brother God. The Apostle Paul also testifies to this, saying: “None of the apostles did I see but James the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19). He was righteous, a type of virtue and Holiness, also called “hoblias”, that is, righteous and protector of the people.

Saint James was installed by the Lord as the first Hierarch of the Church of Jerusalem, as his Kontakion says, “The Word of God, the Father’s Only-begotten, came down and dwelt here in our midst in these last days. He then appointed thee as the first shepherd of all-holy Jerusalem, and He made thee her teacher and a faithful steward of lofty spiritual mysteries. For this cause as is meet, O wondrous James, O blest Apostle, we all praise and honour thee”.

His Holiness Pope Francis renews his appeal for a ceasefire in the [Israel]-Hamas war, and prays for people suffering from wars in various parts of the world, including in Ukraine.

By Devin Watkins and Nathan Morley

“May we think about the children, all the children involved in this war, as well as in Ukraine and other conflicts: we are killing their future in this way.”

His Holiness Pope Francis made that appeal for an end to the war in the Holy Land on Sunday at the Angelus Prayer.

“I implore you to stop, in the name of God,” he said, adding: “Cease fire!”

The Initiative “Warm Christmas 2023”

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, launched the “Warm Christmas 2023” Initiative, hoping to help poor families in Syria and Lebanon.

You can find the letter addressed to their Eminences the Archbishops, and the Faithful Members and Friends of our Syriac Orthodox Church.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25: 35-36)

After the majority of families in Alma Chaab, South of Lebanon, left their homes and lands, with the exception of a small number who remained in the village, a part of the Presbyterian Community in Alma Chaab met again in Dhour Chweir Evangelical Center, Lebanon.

A Worship Service was held, including Prayers for Lebanon and the South, asking for peace. Finally, attendees ate lunch together, before each family went to the house they lived in during the crisis.

Damascus, November 4, 2023

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, held a Thanksgiving Prayer on the occasion of the glorification of the two Hieromartyrs, Fathers Nicholas and Habib Khasha, at the Church of the Holy Cross in Al-Qassaa, Syria, with the participation of their Graces the Bishops, the Parish Priests of Damascus and a crowd of the Faithful.

First, the procession of Clergymen and faithful crossed the outer square and reached the Church of the Holy Cross while the scouts of the Church were playing music. At the front, the icon of the two hieromartyrs was held in procession, while the Patriarchal Choir “Spiritual Cithare” chanted during the Prayer of Thanksgiving.

Following the painful events happening in Gaza, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, issued a new general appeal published on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in which he said:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May the Lord give you peace!

Charity and prayer animate the entire extended family of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, especially during times of extreme hardship. Many lives were saved and much suffering was alleviated thanks to your support in these recent appeals: Covid-19, Gaza 2021; the Beirut port blast; and the Syria and Turkey earthquake

In all of these situations we heard and answered the cry of the poor. Once again, their cry is heard in the Holy Land because of the war that has been raging now for over three weeks…

His Eminence Bishop Doctor Sani Ibrahim Azar, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, says the biggest challenge is to accompany families who live in fear for their lives as the conflict between Hamas and the [Israel] army continues.

Lutherans in Jerusalem mark Reformation Day amid tensions and fear over Gaza conflict

(LWI) - “It is very hard to speak about hope here in Jerusalem,” says His Eminence Bishop Doctor Sani Ibrahim Azar, leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. On 31 October 2023, he led a Reformation Day Service in the Church of the Redeemer in the Old City, Jerusalem, where Lutherans from many different national congregations traditionally gather for the annual celebration.

Between Sadness and the Hope of Resurrection

JERUSALEM – On November 2nd, 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a Mass at the Pro-Cathedral of the Latin Patriarchate to commemorate the departure of all the faithful, and offer Mass on their behalf and for the forgotten souls in purgatory. Many Bishops, Vicars, and priests also concelebrated the Mass, which was attended by LPJ Employees and other Catholic institutes in Jerusalem, as well as several consecrated women and faithful.

In an interview with Italian news program Tg1, His Holiness Pope Francis speaks about the possibility of global conflict. Addressing a number topics, he says we must not become accustomed to war and he decries the arms trade.

By Vatican News

For His Holiness Pope Francis, a global escalation of the war that broke out in [Israel] and Palestine “is a possibility” but he hopes it does not happen by trusting in “human wisdom”. The Pope’s remarks came during a long interview with Gianmarco Chiocci, director of the Italian news program Tg1, which was broadcast Wednesday on Italy's public broadcaster RaiUno.

On Monday, October 30th, 2023, the third of the online sessions dedicated to Artsakh, presided by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, was held.

The group of experts from Armenia, Artsakh, and the diaspora discussed the potential ramifications deriving from the rapidly changing geopolitical situation surrounding the Artsakh issue. Their discussions encompassed a wide range of topics, such as recent statements given by the President of Artsakh, the implications of statements related to the Zangezur Corridor project, the principles outlined in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deals, as well as the Armenian diaspora's role in all these aspects.

On the occasion of the ‘Reformation Day’ and 125 Anniversary to the dedication of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem, an Ecumenical Service was held at the Church of the Redeemer.

Photos by: Canon Don Binder.

Under the leadership of Reverend Dr. Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, General Secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches, the Evangelical Churches of the Beirut region gathered on Sunday, 29 October 2023, to celebrate the 506th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

On Saturday, October 15/28, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. a Doxology was held in the Catholicon of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the National Holiday of October 28, 1940.

This Doxology was offered as thanks to God for His help in our nation to defend against the Italian military invasion of 1940 and to shake off the barbaric German Nazi occupation of World War II during the years 1941-1944 and as a prayer for the repose of the souls of those who fought heroically and fell in battle or were fraudulently and unjustly executed collectively or individually.

The Doxology was presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, along with the Bishops and Priests of the Patriarchate, in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, members of the Church of Jerusalem and our Greek Orthodox Arabic-speaking flock.

SAT 7 TV Channel published on its Facebook Page a video for Reverend Dr. Joseph Kassab, President of the Supreme Council of Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, General Secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches, in which he presents a Prayer on the intention of peace in the Holy Land.