On Friday, October 3, 2025, participants from the ARF Zavarian Students Association’s inter-student conference visited 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), at St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya to receive his blessings prior to the conference’s opening.

From the General Secretariat of the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Tuesday, 24th September / 7th October 2025, the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the commemoration of Saint Thekla, the First Martyr and Equal to the Apostles, who came from Iconium of Asia Minor. She became a disciple of the Apostle Paul, abandoned her betrothed Thamyris, endured torments for Christ in Antioch and other places, preached Christ, and when a rock was rent asunder, it covered her. Having retired to her homeland, she fell asleep in the Lord at the age of ninety.

Prot. N. (1) 2291/2025

To the Diocese of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Dear brothers and sisters,
May the Lord give you peace!

For two years, the war has absorbed most of our attention and energy. By now, everyone is sadly aware of what has happened in Gaza: continued massacres of civilians, starvation, repeated displacement, limited access to hospitals and medical care, lack of hygiene, without forgetting those who are being held against their will.

The Holy See Press Office announces Pope’s first Apostolic Journeys abroad, which will take him to Türkiye from 27 to 30 November, and then to Lebanon until the 2 December 2025.

By Vatican News

The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, has announced that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will travel to Türkiye and Lebanon in late November and early December of this year.

The visits will be the Pope’s first Apostolic Journeys abroad.

On October 4, 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), inaugurated “Archbishop Mor Severius Hawa Hall” at Dar Sharqi Guesthouse in Bab Sharqi - Damascus.

The inauguration was also attended by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Severius Hawa, Archbishop of Baghdad and Basra, Mor Timotheos Matta Al-Khoury, Archbishop of Homs, Hama, Tartous and Environs, Mor Yacoub Babawi, Patriarchal Vicar for Monks Affairs and the Administration of Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary in Maarat Saydnaya, Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, Mor Christophoros Markose, Patriarchal Secretary for the Affairs of the Church in India, Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, and His Grace Bishop Mor Iwannis Boulos Al-Souqi.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV tells Daughters of St. Paul their work is precious to the Church and to the world, and invites them to look to the zeal of Saint Paul, "to his tireless joy in proclaiming Christ."

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"To proclaim and spread the Word, dedicating one's life to the cause of the Gospel in the footsteps of Jesus the Master, and seeking paths, instruments, and languages so that all may know and follow the Lord—this is the heart of your apostolate."

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV gave this encouragement to the Daughters of St. Paul in the Vatican on Thursday morning who are in Rome to participate in their General Chapter, one hundred and ten years after the founding of their Institute. 

Lk 17:5-10

Today”s Gospel passage (Lk 17:5-10) opens with a request the apostles make to Jesus to increase their faith: «The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith”» (Lk 17:5).

In this chapter, Jesus addresses aspects of community life, such as scandal, guilt, and forgiveness. The apostles’ question arises within the context of a real and concrete community that must learn to deal with the evil present within it. It is the question of those who recognize their own fragility in the face of the evil they repeatedly encounter. Verse 4 (“If your brother wrongs you seven times in one day…” Lk 17,4) shows that the possibility of brothers harming each other is not remote; it is a daily reality.

Faced with this possibility, confronted by evil, the apostles feel powerless: they know they cannot overcome it on their own. Evil is like the mulberry tree Jesus mentions a little later (Lk 17:6). The mulberry tree was common in Jesus’ time and had special characteristics: its roots were strong and penetrated deep into the ground, making it a long-lived tree, difficult to uproot. So it is with evil. Uprooting it can sometimes seem impossible…

During the International Interreligious Summit in Astana, 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), gave interviews to Kazakhstani state media and various international outlets. He warmly praised Kazakhstan’s initiative to broaden interreligious dialogue, advocating for such summits to feature expert committee discussions. Consistent with his opening speech, he called for interreligious cooperation to progress from mere dialogue to joint action on defined agendas. His Holiness stressed that these agendas should focus on current global challenges, such as peaceful coexistence, environmental protection, genocide prevention, human rights, and safeguarding sacred sites. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of religious leaders distancing themselves from political and ideological motives, instead guiding conflict resolution through moral and ethical values.

Diman, September 29, 2025

His Beatitude 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, met with His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Maronite Church, at the summer Patriarchal residence in Diman. Accompanying His Beatitude were His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim Kyriakos of Tripoli, Koura, and Dependencies, and Archimandrite Georges Yaacoub, Abbot of Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery.

The meeting revolved around the general Christian situation in Lebanon and the region, covering urgent issues amid the challenges in the Middle East. Both Patriarchs emphasized the importance of promoting dialogue, mutual understanding, and the principles of citizenship and shared living as pillars for preserving civil peace.

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) met with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), during the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana. Their discussion focused on deepening cooperation among the churches of Jerusalem and addressing current challenges, particularly those faced by the Armenian Patriarchate regarding property disputes near the “Cow’s Garden.” His Holiness emphasized the importance of churches supporting one another, drawing on the teachings of the Apostle Paul.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV addresses participants in an international conference on climate justice and reflects on His Holiness Pope Francis' landmark ecological encyclical Laudato Si, noting that when the time comes, God will ask us if we cared for our common home.

By Francesca Merlo

On Wednesday afternoon, marking the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Leo XIV addressed participants in the Raising Hope Conference, organised by the Laudato Si’ Movement.

In his address, the Pope expressed gratitude for the legacy of Pope Francis’ encyclical, noting how its message has inspired schools, dioceses, academic programmes, and international dialogue.

September 28, 2025

In an official and ecclesiastical gathering, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, celebrated the Sunday Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of Joy Church in Zahle. Their Eminences Metropolitans Antonios El-Soury of Zahle, Baalbek, and their Dependencies, and Niphon Saykali of Shahba concelebrated along with a host of priests and deacons.

In his concluding speech, the Patriarch expressed his joy at being present in Our Lady of Joy Church alongside Metropolitans Antonios and Niphon. He emphasized the importance of hope and joy that one draws amid life’s challenges. His Beatitude also conveyed his happiness at being in Zahle, greeting the people of Zahle and the Bekaa region.

Following the liturgy, the Patriarch, accompanied by the Metropolitans and the delegation, toured the museum of Metropolitan Niphon Saykali, built beneath the Church.

“Preserving human voices and faces” is the theme for the 60th World Day of Social Communication, which will be celebrated on 17 May 2026, the Sunday before Pentecost.

By Christopher Wells and Isabella de Carvalho

His Holimess Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Preserving human voices and faces” as the theme for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, set to take place on 17 May 2026.

In a communiqué announcing the theme, the Dicastery for Communication – responsible for the World Day – states that “In today’s communication ecosystems, technology influences interactions more than ever before - from algorithms curating news feeds to AI authoring entire texts and conversations.”

On September 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), celebrated the Holy Qurobo at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Ontario for all the Syriac Orthodox parishes in Ontario.

On Saturday, the 14th/27th of September 2025, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Precious Cross.

On this feast, the whole Church, and especially that of Jerusalem, commemorates the event of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross after its finding behind the Horrendous Golgotha by the Archbishop of Jerusalem Makarios and Saint Helen, during the feast of the Consecration of the Church of the Resurrection in 336 AD.

For this feast, the following were held:

1.  On the eve, Great Vespers, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, with reception and censing at the Deposition from the Cross, veneration at the Holy Sepulchre, veneration at Golgotha, censing at the Holy Shrines, Praises, Great Entrance and the blessing of bread.

Am 6:1, 4-7; 1 Tim 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31

Dear brothers and sisters,
Dearest Father Matthew,
may the Lord give you peace!

I am glad to be able to meet you on this important diocesan occasion. Indeed, the celebration of Migrant’s Day is an opportunity for us to reflect, pray and give thanks. Reflect on the current situation of tens of thousands of people living among us. To place ourselves in your listening, giving voice to your expectations, fears, difficulties, but also to your joys and determination. To pray for you and with you and thus continue to build together our ecclesial community of the Holy Land. To thank the Lord for your presence, for your witness of authentic, solid and determined faith, and to thank those among you, religious men, women religious and volunteers who spend their lives to support, help and make this portion of the Church of the Holy Land grow.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to join in praying the Rosary every day during October to invoke God’s gift of peace, and announces a Rosary in St. Peter’s Square on October 11 as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

By Devin Watkins

Catholics across the globe will unite to pray the Rosary for peace in war-torn lands, especially during the month of October, which the Church dedicates to the Holy Rosary.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV made the announcement at the Wednesday General Audience.

He said the faithful in Rome will gather in St. Peter’s Square on October, 11, 2025 at 6:00 PM.

On September 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), presided over the Ramsho Prayer at St. Aphrem Church in Sherbrook, Canada.

His Holiness was accompanied by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Athanasius Elia Bahi, Patriarchal Vicar of Canada, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

It is with great joy that we announce the re-consecration of Saint Anna Chapel in Syria, built in 1320 and reopened after 14 years of silence. The providence of God and the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I graced the ceremony, which was led by His Eminence Archbishop Magar Ashkarian, Prelate of Aleppo, on the feast of Saint Anna.

Celebrations commenced with a solemn procession, including Armenian and Latin clergy, scouts, and choirs, leading into the Divine Liturgy and chapel re-consecration. His Eminence Archbishop Ashkarian’s message offered Prayers of thanksgiving and underscored the significance of the chapel’s recent restoration by the Franciscan brotherhood after the 2023 earthquake. He highlighted this as a powerful sign of unity between the Armenian and Latin Churches.

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), granted his pontifical blessing to Yacoubieh’s faithful, commending their enduring faith and resilience.

At the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana (September 16–18), 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), emphasized the need to shift interreligious dialogue from mere discussion to concrete action and cooperation. He outlined four key areas for collaboration: fostering peace and tolerance, serving as mediators in conflict, helping avert crises, and addressing climate justice as a moral imperative. His Holiness concluded by highlighting that, despite doctrinal differences, religions share core values that can support meaningful interfaith cooperation.