Mt 3: 1-12

Both the season of Advent and Lent carry with them an urgent call to conversion. 

However, these two invitations, have a different nuance: the charachter of Lent is more penitential, referring to the inner struggle, and it points to practices such as fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. It is the conversion of the heart, which needs to allow itself to be transformed by the Paschal love, a love that conquers sin and death.

The conversion proposed to us in the time of Advent concerns, above all, our gaze: it wants to help us pay attention, to learn how to recognize the Lord who comes. It is an “eschatological” conversion, a joyful learning of how to live starting from now as citizens of the Kingdom that is to come.

Repentance is also the central theme of the Gospel passage of this Second Sunday of Advent (Mt 3:1–12). This passage helps us to deepen our understanding of the relationship between Advent and conversion…

On Saturday, 29 November 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the annual Mass honoring the commitment and charitable work of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Jerusalem. Concelebrating with him were Monsignor William Shomali, Vicar General, Monsignor Boulos Marcuzzo, and Fr. Rami Assakrieh, Parish Priest of Jerusalem.

Among those in attendance were His Eminence Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, Mr. Elias Tams, President of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Society’s members, Mr. Joseph Hazboun, Director of the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem, as well as many faithful and the Arab Catholic Scouts group.

On Monday, 8 December 2025, 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 Excellency Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, the President of the Republic of Cyprus. During their meeting, they discussed various issues concerning the Armenian communities in Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, and the broader Middle East region. President Christodoulides shared his perspectives and concerns, expressing deep respect for the Armenian community in Cyprus and reaffirming his government’s ongoing support, especially in education.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus and invites the faithful to believe as Mary did, and to welcome Christ into their lives.

On Monday, December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful to believe in God as the Blessed Virgin Mary did and thus give “our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us”.

He spoke to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus Prayer on this feast day, where the Church celebrates how Mary, at the moment of her conception, was preserved from original sin by a unique grace from God, given in view of the future merits of Christ’s redemption.

Continuing a decades-old tradition of paying homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV prays at the foot of the 12-meter column on top of which the figure of the Virgin Mary is placed, and lays a wreath at the base.

Within 100 years of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the tradition of sending flowers to the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome had begun with Pope Pius XII. A few years later in 1958, Pope Saint John XXIII went to Piazza di Spagna and placed a basket of white roses at the foot of the statue.

Continuing this decades-old practice started by his predecessors, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV marked 8 December—the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception—with a visit to the Piazza di Spagna.

At the Angelus Prayer, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reflects on the urgency of preparing for the coming of the Kingdom of God and our encounter with Jesus, the just Judge.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV prayed the noon-day Angelus with the faithful gathered on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, as the Church celebrated the Second Sunday of Advent.

In his address, the Pope recalled John the Baptist’s preaching in the desert of Judea: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Each day, we pray the Our Father, in which we ask “Thy kingdom come.”

With those words, he said, we invite God’s kingdom to enter our world and recognize that the course of history is not controlled by the powerful of this world.

On Saturday, December 6, 2025, the Armenian community of Cyprus celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Election and Consecration 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), with an official banquet in Nicosia.

Diocesan Council Chairman Hagop Kazandjian, Representative Assembly Chairman Vahan Aynedjian, and Pontifical Vicar Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian delivered addresses. They underscored the deep significance of the Pontifical visit, praising His Holiness’s steadfast defense of national values, his pivotal role in the struggle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the Artsakh cause, and his respected stature in global Ecumenical circles.

In his Pontifical message, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I defined service as the core mission of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

On December 5, 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 a Charity Bazaar organized by the Association of the Young Syriacs in Damascus.

‏Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.

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), arrived in Cyprus on the evening of Friday, December 5th, commencing a Pontifical visit at the invitation of the Armenian Diocese of Cyprus.

Upon arrival at the airport, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I was warmly received by a delegation led by the Pontifical Vicar, His Eminence Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian. The welcoming group included Armenian Representative in the Cypriot Parliament Vartkes Mahdessian, Very Rev. Fr. Hovhannes Saghdedjian (Pastor of Limassol), Rev. Fr. Momig Habeshian (Pastor of Nicosia), Diocesan Council Chairman Vahan Aynedjian, Diocesan Executive Council Chairman Hagop Kazandjian, and council members.

On the morning of Saturday, December 6th, His Holiness visited the Armenian Prelacy in Nicosia, where a Canonical Prayer was celebrated at the Holy Mother of God Cathedral.

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, met with the General Conference of the Orthodox Youth Movement, on Friday, December 5, 2025, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery - Lebanon.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV recalls his recent Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon, saying his encounter with Religious Leaders teaches that peace is possible if we build it together.

At the Sunday Angelus Prayer following his visit to Türkiye and Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV thanked the many people who made it possible and the faithful who accompanied him with their prayers.

In Türkiye, he prayed with his “beloved brother Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Representatives of other Christian confessions” at the site of the Council of Nicaea in 325, at modern-day Iznik.

Before taking off for Rome at Beirut’s airport, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV concludes his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon, calling for dialogue, fraternity, and reconciliation across the Middle East and expressing his hope that those who “currently consider themselves enemies” may embrace a spirit of fraternity and commitment to peace.

Following an official “Farewell Ceremony” at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Tuesday, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV concluded his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon on Tuesday, highlighting a vision of fraternity and peace for the entire region.

“We hope to involve the entire Middle East in this spirit of fraternity and commitment to peace, including those who currently consider themselves enemies,” the Pope said, bringing his 6-day apostolic visit to a close.

Concluding Mass at Beirut Waterfront, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV appeals for peace in Lebanon and the Middle East, and urges the Lebanese faithful to be courageous in the face of instability and suffering.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his Mass in Beirut on Tuesday morning with an appeal for everyone to work for peace.

Recalling that he came to Lebanon as a pilgrim of hope, the Pope prayed for the gift of peace for “this beloved land, marked by instability, wars, and suffering.”

“Dear Christians of the Levant, when the results of your efforts for peace are slow in coming, I invite you to lift your gaze to the Lord who is coming!” he said. “Let us look to Him with hope and courage, inviting everyone to set out on the path of coexistence, fraternity and peace.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Beirut’s Waterfront, and urges Lebanese to disarm their hearts so as to build a newly reunited Lebanon where peace and justice reign.

On the last day of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV presided at Mass for the thousands of Lebanese faithful who have accompanied his long-awaited visit to their country.

As the Mass began, Patriarch Youssef Absi, Greek Melkite Patriarch of Antioch, recalled that the vast majority of Lebanon’s Catholics belong to the Eastern Churches.

He thanked the Pope for his care for Eastern-rite Catholics and for bringing a message of joy and peace to Lebanon.

On the last day of his Apostolic Visit to Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV prays silently at the site of the 2020 explosion in the Port of Beirut that killed over 200 people.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho — Beirut

Silence, heavy with the memories of 4 August 2020, hung over the Port of Beirut on Tuesday.

On that day, the Lebanese capital had been filled with chaos, as an explosion killed more than 200 people, wounded 7,000, and left 300,000 without homes, a tragedy that deepened the political and economic crises already burdening the population.

Yet, on 2 December, the only sounds were the whir of helicopters overhead and the clicks of camera shutters, as His Holiness Pope Leo XIV stood for several minutes before the monument bearing the names of all the victims as the world looked on.

On the last day of his first Apostolic Journey, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV visits the La Croix Hospital in Jal Ed Dib, one of the largest mental disability hospitals in the Middle East, and praises the work of the religious sisters and staff who dedicate themselves to caring for the most fragile.

Kicking off his third day in Lebanon and the final day of the journey, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV spent Tuesday morning visiting the La Croix Hospital in Jal Ed Dib—one of the largest mental disability hospitals in the Middle East.

Founded in 1919 by Blessed Fr. Jacques Haddad, it was converted into a psychiatric hospital in 1937 and later into a hospital for people with mental disabilities in 1951.

Meeting with young people in Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV urges them not to give into despair, rather to cultivate friendships rooted in genuine love and to keep the enthusiasm that is needed "to change the course of history."

By Kielce Gussie

For his last event on the first full day in Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV met with young people in Bkerké, Lebanon. The event began with the testimonies of volunteers and young people, before two more asked the Holy Father questions.

In his speech, the Pope began by addressing those present with the “greeting of the Risen Jesus”, “assalamu alaikum” or peace be with you.

The enthusiasm they all feel, the Pope highlighted, “expresses God’s loving closeness, which brings us together as brothers and sisters to share our faith in him and our communion with one another.” Specifically, he welcomed the young people from Syria and Iraq as well as all the Lebanese who have returned from living abroad.

At an Ecumenical and Interreligious Encounter in Beirut, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV upholds the Catholic Church’s desire to foster dialogue inspired by divine love, so as to affirm the dignity of every human being.

By Devin Watkins

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV met with Christian and Interreligious Leaders at Martyr’s Square in Beirut on Monday, the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon.

The Pope in his address began by calling Lebanon a “blessed land, exalted by the prophets of the Old Testament, who beheld in its towering cedars emblems of the righteous soul that flourishes beneath heaven’s vigilant gaze.”

He recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente, signed in Beirut in 2012, which proclaimed the Church’s desire to dialogue with followers of other religions.

During a meeting with Bishops, Priests, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV highlights coexistence, education, and support for migrants as concrete paths toward peace.

On the second day of his Apostolic Journey to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV met with Bishops, Priests, consecrated persons and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.

Opening his remarks, the Pope underlined the relevance of the visit’s motto, “Blessed are the peacemakers”, by recallingthe words of Saint John Paul II when he said that the Church in Lebanon carries the responsibility of sustaining hope.

He noted that the testimonies he had just heard, from four different people, demonstrate that these expectations continue to be met in concrete ways.

On the second day of his Apostolic Visit to Lebanon, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV visits the tomb of St. Charbel, saying he taught “prayer to those who live without God, silence to those who live amid noise ... and poverty to those who pursue riches.”

Every year, thousands of pilgrims, Christians and Muslims alike, travel to Annaya, Lebanon to pray at the tomb of Saint Charbel Makhlouf.

On the morning of December 1, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was among them.

At the main entrance to the Monastery of St. Maroun, which houses the tomb, the Pope was greeted by the monastery's superior and the Superior General of the Lebanese Maronite Order, as well as Lebanon's President and First Lady.