On August 28, 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) arrived to Mardin Airport starting his first apostolic visit to the Archdiocese of Turabdin.

With a Cross-Resurrectional ethos, today, Wednesday, the 14th/27th of August 2025, at 7.30 p.m., on the Eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood marched in procession from the Central Monastery to the Holy Shrine of Gethsemane for the Epitaph service, the Lamentations for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

This most moving, majestic, and in many respects unique ceremony has held its place in the Church order and the Status Quo of the Church of Jerusalem for a long time.

This service was preceded by an All-Night Vigil, on the night of the 13th to the 14th of August 2025, at the Holy Tomb of the Theotokos, presided over by the Hegoumen of the Shrine, His Eminence Metropolitan Joachim of Helenoupolis.

To our beloved students,
To the esteemed parents,
To the priests and religious who serve in our Church schools,
To the principals, teachers, and educators,
To the General Secretariates of Christian Schools in the Holy Land,

The Lord May give you Peace!

We stand at the threshold of a new scholastic year. Once again, our schools throughout the Holy Land open their doors to welcome tens of thousands of students—Christian and non-Christian alike—who sit side by side at the same desks, united by a love for learning and animated by hope in the future. Each one of them is a precious gift from God, a sacred trust placed in our care.

Yet, with deep sorrow, this joy does not extend to our children in Gaza, who for the third consecutive year are deprived of their right to education because of the war. Their schools have been destroyed, their classrooms have closed. We carry them in our prayers, imploring that peace may soon prevail so that they may return to their desks and reclaim their childhood.

Lk 14: 1,7 -14

The invitation to lunch at the house of one of the Pharisee leaders provides Jesus with an opportunity to re-flect and share his thoughts with the other guests. His reflection begins with observations about the guests. As is often the case, Jesus starts with what he sees and then makes broader reflections on life, the way people live in the world, and what they strive for in vain.

He tells two short parables: The first is about the seating of wedding guests (Lk 14:8-10), while the second is a short story about inviting those to your table who can give you nothing in return (Lk 14:12-14).

Jerusalem, August 26, 2025

At the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, together with the leaders of the Armenian, Franciscan, Latin, and Anglican Churches, received United States Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley for a solemn deliberation on the grave tribulations confronting Christians in the land sanctified by the life, crucifixion, and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jerusalem August 26th,2025

“In the path of righteousness there is life, in walking its path there is no death” (Proverbs 12,28). 

A few weeks ago, the [Israeli] government announced its decision to take control of Gaza City. In recent days, the media have repeatedly reported a massive military mobilization and preparations for an imminent offensive. The same reports indicate that the population of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians live — and where our Christian community is located — is to be evacuated and relocated to the south of the Strip. At the time of this statement, evacuation orders were already in place for several neighborhoods in Gaza City. Reports of heavy bombardment continue to be received. There is more destruction and death in a situation that was already dramatic before this operation. It seems that the [Israeli] government’s announcement that “the gates of hell will open” is indeed taking on tragic forms. The experience of past campaigns in Gaza, the declared intentions of the [Israeli] government with regard to the current operation, and the reports now reaching us from the ground, show that the operation is not just a threat, but a reality that is already in the process of being implemented. 

On August 23, 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) participated in the Special Ecumenical Service held in Stockholm in the presence of His Majesty the King of Sweden, other royalties and dignitaries.

‏It is with great spiritual joy that I stand among you as we commemorate two great events which became milestones in the history of global christianity. Namely, the council of Nicea in 325 and the 1925 Stockholm Conference.

‏ In Nicea, the bishops and teachers of the church arrived from different parts of the world carrying with them their physical wounds as a result of different persecutions by civil authorities and spiritual wounds resulting from heretical teachings and divisions challenging the faith and unity of the church. They were able to articulate in a profound way the faith of the church in the triune God and explain the mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In reality they were seeking to restore peace and unity in the church.

On August 23, 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) met His Excellency Rev. Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the World Council of Churches moderator.

On Saturday, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark consecrated the Church of Saint Mina in the Fleming district of Alexandria.

Upon his arrival, the clergy of the church received His Holiness with reverence, while children presented to him bouquets of flowers in a gesture of welcome. Pope Tawadros proceeded directly to the commemorative plaque marking the consecration of the church, which he blessed by making upon it the sign of the Cross. Photographs were then taken of His Holiness surrounded by the bishops, priests, and members of the church council.

Ahead of the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace on August 22, called by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem highlights the power of prayer to open people to trust and seek to do good, even in the Holy Land, where finding common ground is nearly impossible.

By Francesca Sabatinelli

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has expressed gratitude for Pope Leo XIV’s constant attention and hope that people’s hearts may change.

In his message to participants in the 2025 Ecumenical Week in Stockholm, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reaffirms that "in our world bearing deep scars of conflict, inequality, environmental degradation, and a growing sense of spiritual disconnection," it is crucial for Christians to continue working and praying together.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"May the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Council of Nicaea, and who continues to guide us all, deepen your fellowship this week, and awaken fresh hope for the unity which the Lord so ardently desires among His followers," Pope Leo XIV said Friday in a message sent to the participants in the 2025 Ecumenical Week, taking place this week in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.

On August 22, 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),participated in the Ecumenical Celebration organized by the Church of Sweden at the Philadelphia Church in Stockholm.

On Tuesday, the 6th/19th of August 2025, the Patriarchate celebrated the Despotic Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The centre of this feast was Mount Tabor, for upon it, according to the most ancient tradition of the Church, the event of the Lord’s Transfiguration took place.

According to the Gospel narratives, the Lord took with Him three of His disciples, those called the “foremost”, Peter, James, and John, and ascended a high mountain. In front of them, the face and garments of the Lord became white beyond the brightness of the sun, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and the Prophets Moses and Elias appeared with Him—the one, Moses, as representative of the departed, and the other, Elias, as representative of the living. They conversed with Him and spoke concerning His Passion upon the Cross, which was to be accomplished in Jerusalem. Then the Apostle Peter proposed that they should make three tabernacles and remain upon the mountain. And a voice was heard from heaven, saying: “This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him” (Luke 9:35, Mark 9:7, Matt. 17:5).

Lk 13:22-30

The central theme of today’s Gospel (Lk 13:22-30) is that of salvation.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, passing through towns and villages. On the way, a man asks him: “Lord, are there few who will be saved?” (Luke 13:23). Once again, Jesus’ answer goes beyond the question: it is not important how many are saved, whether they are few or many. What is important is to be saved.

And, as always, there is something paradoxical about salvation that does not fit the mold of our human logic and that Jesus allows to shine through in his account, which he offers as an answer, full of paradoxes.

On the occasion of the Pilgrimage Day of St. Mary Monastery, the Christian Education Department of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, with the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and under the directorship of V. Rev. Fr. Stepanos Pashayan, organized a Pilgrimage Week leading up to the celebration. During this period, Divine Liturgies, special services, prayers, and Bible studies were conducted in the monastery’s chapel. This year, from August 10 to 15, 2025, these spiritual gatherings were led by the young priests of the Cilician Brotherhood.

Before sharing a lunch with the poor supported by Caritas Albano in the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas, the Pope explained that each one of us is made in the image of God, and that “we can find God’s presence in everyone.”

By Alessandro Di Bussolo

Amid the beauty of nature and creation in the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas at Castel Gandolfo and beneath the large gazebo set up for the lunch with the poor, Pope Leo XIV, speaking off the cuff, invited everyone to reflect on the fact that “the most beautiful of all creation is that which was made in God’s image—that is, each one of us.”

On August 17, 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), celebrated the Holy Qurobo at St. Aphrem Cathedral in Sodertalje - Sweden.

On August 16, 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), consecrated St. Mary Church in Eskilstuna - Sweden.

On August 15, 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), celebrated the Holy Qurobo on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, at St. Mary Church in Tumba - Sweden.