Dear brothers and sisters, 
may the Lord grant you peace! 

Today we are celebrating two important moments: the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary and the anniversary of the foundation - precisely on August 15, 1425 - of the Olivetan Oblates of Mary (today “Oblates of St. Francesca Romana”), who were then granted the privilege of leading a regular religious life by Pope Eugene IV in July 1433. 

So allow me to re-read what we live in the light of the Word of God that we have heard. I would like to dwell first on the reading from Revelation. It is a passage that has accompanied us several times during these painful months and has given us food for thought. Indeed, it is precisely at this time that we feel a strong need for true and meaningful words for ourselves. It is precisely the pain of this time, that does not allow us to make speeches about peace that are embellished and abstract, and therefore not credible, nor to limit ourselves to the umpteenth analysis or denunciation. Rather, it is about standing as believers within this drama, that will not end any time soon. 

These are strong words spoken by Jesus in today’s Gospel passage (Luke 12:49-53). The passage is divided into two parts, which apparently do not have much in common.

In the first part (Luke 12:49-50), Jesus speaks about himself and his mission. In doing so, he uses two very strong images: that of the fire that he has lit and that of the baptism that he knows he needs to be baptized.

In the second part (Luke 12:51-53), however, Jesus speaks of the disciples and what happens to them when they allow themselves to be ignited by the same fire that Jesus ignited, when they allow themselves to be immersed in his own baptism.

"We convey to you the condolences of the President of the Republic for the martyrs of St. Elias Church in Dweilaa, and we affirm our solidarity and standing together hand in hand to build the future of Syria"

Damascus – August 13, 2025

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, received Dr. Maher Al-Sharaa, Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, who was sent as an envoy by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa of the Syrian Arab Republic, leading a presidential delegation at the Patriarchate in Damascus. Dr. Maher Al-Sharaa conveyed the President’s condolences for the Martyrs of St. Elias Church in Dweilaa, Damascus, affirming that this crime undermines the spirit of coexistence in Syria. He also expressed the President’s appreciation for His Beatitude Patriarch John X and for the authentic Christian community, which regards the Patriarchate in Damascus as a symbol of its identity and a testimony to its pioneering role in the history of the East.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV issues a rescript effectively placing the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children within the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

By Salvatore Cernuzio

From an organization directly under the Pope’s authority, the Pontifical Committee for the World Day of Children—established last year by His Holiness Pope Francis to organize and coordinate the so-called “WCDs”—has now been placed within the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

This decision was made by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV following an audience granted to the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, on August 6, and was made public in a Rescript.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has returned to the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, where he will celebrate Mass and enjoy the cooler weather over the feast of the Assumption of Mary.

By Devin Watkins

The Holy See Press Office announced that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV returned to Castel Gandolfo by car on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pope stayed at the papal summer residence in the hilltop town near Rome for several days in July. 

While there, he celebrated Mass in the local parish of St. Thomas of Villanova, visited the Vatican Observatory, and met with various local residents.

Dear brothers and sisters,  
dear poor Sisters of St. Clare,  
may the Lord grant you peace! 

I would like to begin my short meditation today on the Solemnity of St. Clare with a passage from the second reading, which is taken from the second letter to the Corinthians. 

God is light. And primitive man was created and clothed in light. And this light shone in the heart of man. But our heart is like earthen vessels. It breaks easily. And so it was when Adam sinned and disobeyed God’s commandment. But Christ has clothed us with light again, has restored in us the original fellowship with God. Contemplating His face, we behold God’s glory, we experience redemption, communion. Of course, we remain earthen vessels. But our limitations and sinfulness are no longer a condemnation. On the contrary, God’s strength and greatness are revealed in our weakness and sinfulness. Precisely because we are “earthen vessels”, small and sinful, it is clearly shown that “this surpassing power may be of God and not from us” (2 Cor 4:7). 

From the General Secretariat of the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Sunday, 28 July / 10 August 2025, the commemoration of Saint John the New Hozevite, from Romania, was celebrated at the Holy Monastery of the Hozevites.

Saint John was distinguished for the high standards of his monastic asceticism and priestly calling, chiefly for his humility, despite his high education, his poverty, his vigil, and his love in Christ, and he was deemed worthy by the Holy Spirit of many gifts and miracles.

On August 11, 2025, the Memorial Day of St. Clare of Assisi, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a solemn Mass at the Clarisse Convent in Jerusalem.

The celebration was marked by the concelebration of several bishops, Franciscan friars, the Clarisse sisters, and representatives from various religious orders. Among the faithful gathered were the Deputy Consul and Head of the Religious Affairs Section at the French Consulate, coming together to honor the life and enduring witness of St. Clare.

On August 8, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), visited his brother in Christ His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Armenian Orthodox Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), at his residence in Bikfaya.

On August 7, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), received His Beatitude Mor Baselius Joseph, Catholicos of India, at the Patriarchal Residence in Atchaneh - Lebanon.

Today’s passage from the Gospel (Lk 12:32-48) is closely related to last Sunday, when the Lord Jesus told the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:13-21): Today the meaning is clarified, the content deepened and, in a sense, we are given the key to understanding something that had been left suspended. 

On previous Sundays, we were left with some important questions: What is the good part that Mary had chosen and that will not be taken from her (Luke 10:42)? And what are the goods that do not perish, what does it mean to be enriched before God (Lk 12:21)? 

Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East

Damascus, August 6, 2025

In the aftermath of the heinous attack on the Church of St. Elias in Dweilaa, Damascus, which claimed the lives of dozens of martyrs; as a reaffirmation by the Church of Antioch of the steadfast faith of Her children, handed down from their forefathers; and as a confirmation of the uninterrupted continuation of prayer services in the aforementioned church, which resumed immediately following the vile assault;

the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East hereby announces the commencement of restoration works on the Church of St. Elias in Dweilaa, Damascus, beginning next week. In the meantime, all prayer services will be held in the Church Hall until the restoration is complete.

As we remain anchored in hope, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the faith and, through this very steadfastness, our rejection of all fear and terror. We implore the Lord God to steer the vessel of our salvation through the turbulent waves of this world, He Who is blessed forever.

Among our Lord’s followers during his healthy life and ministry, Saint Mary Magdalene displayed a unique commitment. Her faith was firm and unshakable, even in the face of terrible threat. She was with our Lord throughout his ministry, and remained with him in the darkest hours of his passion and death on the cross. And it was she who was the first to come to the tomb after the Sabbath, and so she became the first witness to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But she did not keep this revelation to herself. She proclaimed it first to the disciples, and then to the world, and so she became a “radiant star” a herald of the Gospel. Even in our own day, in a world of confusion and crisis, conflict and chaos, inhumanity and indifference, Saint Mary Magdalene remains for us a powerful witness  that the darkness of the world cannot master us, because, like her, we contain within ourselves the spark of light that is the reflection of the true Light that has come into the world. Saint Mary Magdalene is an example to imitate.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, attended yesterday evening the closing ceremony of the Fifth LOGOS Coptic Youth Forum for Coptic Orthodox youth from around the world. The week-long event was held at the Logos Center within the Papal Residence at the Monastery of Saint Bishoy in Wadi El-Natroun, with the participation of 250 young people from dioceses of the Coptic Orthodox Church in 44 countries across the six continents, along with the forum’s service team.

A vigil was held on Sunday 4 August in Beirut in an area adjacent to the site of the port explosion tragedy exactly five years ago on 4 August 2020. A message from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV read during the vigil expressed his closeness with the people. Apostolic Nunzio, Archbishop Borgia says, “the families of the victims need justice and truth about what happened. These are deaths that still have no explanation, and this weighs heavily on the whole country.”

By Salvatore Cernuzio

Testimonies, memories, a silent march, and the planting of 75 trees bearing the names of the victims marked the prayer vigil for the fifth anniversary of the explosion at the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020. Tears and prayers accompanied the solemn commemoration as the Lebanonese, five years on, remembered again the 245 dead and 6,000 injured, an open wound, yet another trial for the Land of the Cedars, along with war, economic and political crises, and social instability.

On Saturday, the 20th of July / 2nd of August 2025, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate celebrated the commemoration of the holy, glorious Prophet Elijah the Thesvite at his Holy Monastery, situated near the ancient Monastery of the “Kathisma” (Seat) of the Theotokos, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

In this feast, the Church remembers the marvellous works of God through the Prophet Elijah upon Mount Carmel, when the Prophet Elijah brought down fire from heaven and consumed the stones of the altar, and afterwards slew the prophets of shame (1 Kings 18:20–40).

This evening, the Fifth LOGOS Coptic Youth Forum for the youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church organized an open discussion with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. The session featured questions from the youth on a wide variety of topics, to which His Holiness responded.

The participants asked their questions spontaneously, and His Holiness answered them with a fatherly spirit, offering them much encouragement. The questions covered various spiritual, ecclesiastical, and life-related topics.

Lk 12:13-21

There are elements in today’s Gospel (Lk 12:13-21) that remind us of the episode of Martha and Mary that we heard two Sundays ago.

There was a pair of sisters, here a pair of brothers. There was a quarrel between the sisters, here it is about the inheritance. In both passages, one of the two goes to Jesus to ask him to say something to the other in order to resolve the matter. And in both cases, Jesus gets out of the contingent problem, goes beyond it and brings the interlocutor back to the essentials, to what is really missing.

Jerusalem, 29 July 2025

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, express our profound concern and unwavering condemnation following yet another violent assault that targeted the West Bank Christian town of Taybeh. Several vehicles were set ablaze, and hateful graffiti was sprayed—an unambiguous act of intimidation directed at a peaceful and faithful community rooted in the land of Christ.

This grievous incident is not an isolated occurrence. It forms part of an alarming pattern of settler violence against West Bank communities, including their homes, sacred spaces, and ways of life. Only days ago, settlers forcibly entered Taybeh, herding livestock into the heart of the town. Masked individuals—some armed, others on horseback—roamed the streets, spreading terror and threatening the sanctity of daily life. Fire reached the very walls of the ancient church, a living testament to the Christian faith’s enduring presence in the Holy Land…

During his Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV encourages the faithful to learn to speak properly, using words that heal and not hurt.

By Vatcian News

Wednesday saw the conclusion of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV's catechetical series on the public life of Jesus, which he described as being marked by encounters, parables, and healings.

Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for his weekly General Audience, the Pope brought everyone's attention to the present, noting that “this time we are living through also needs healing".