His Eminence Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), and a delegation from the ELCJHL, visited the Armenian Patriarchate to exchange greetings on the occasion of Armenian Christmas. The assembled Bishops and Heads of Churches also offered congratulations to His Eminence Bishop Haddad on his recent installation as Bishop of the ELCJHL.

The National Evangelical Church of Beirut extends its heartfelt congratulations to His Eminence Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad and to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land on his installation as its Fifth Bishop.

The National Evangelical Church of Beirut stated on its Facebook Page:

"Bishop Haddad served in our Church during his years of study in Lebanon, a connection we remember with deep appreciation and fondness. Although we were unable to be present for the installation in Jerusalem, we are grateful that Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah was able to participate, alongside other international guests, in His Eminence’s first Liturgy as Bishop in Amman.

We thank God for this new calling entrusted to Bishop Imad and pray for wisdom and strength as he leads in these challenging times."

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to pray for Christian unity and for peace, especially in our time marked by a lack of respect for human dignity and heightened international tensions.

"Let us pray for peace at a moment in history that seems marked by a growing loss of respect for the value of human dignity and in which war has come back into fashion."

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV made this appeal during his General Audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Wednesday.

Greeting Portuguese-speaking faithful after delivering his catechesis, the Pope prayed, “May the humanity of Jesus, who reveals the Father, help us to find paths of justice and reconciliation.”

During his weekly General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, as he continues his catechesis on the Dogmatic Constitution 'Dei Verbum' on Divine Revelation.

“Thanks to Jesus, Christians know God the Father and entrust themselves to Him with confidence.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed this during his Wednesday General Audience, as he continued his catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council. He concentrated again this week on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation, which the Pope last week called “one of the most beautiful and important” documents of the Council.

The Christmas season has led us to celebrate and contemplate a God who comes.

The Word of God comes in the flesh of our poverty, enters into history, and takes the initiative to be with us and like us. 

But God does not come only at Christmas, nor does He come only at the moment of the Incarnation. 

On the contrary! The incarnation of the Word inaugurates a new time for humanity, a time in which God comes and continues to come. 

For this reason, it is very significant that among the first words we find in the Gospel of this first Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord (Jn 1:29–34) the verb “coming” (Jn 1:29): John the Baptist sees Jesus coming toward him…

With the simplicity of a shepherd who wishes to walk alongside his people, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, opened his Pastoral visits for the new year with a visit to the Parish of Jabal al-Hussein in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The visit, which began on Friday, 16 January 2026, unfolded over three days marked by Prayer and encounter.

At the entrance of the parish, His Beatitude was warmly received by Fr. Ibrahim Naffaʿ, parish priest of Jabal al-Hussein; Fr. Issam Zu’mot; Brothers Fadi and Julio of the De La Salle Brothers; Deacons Youssef Fattal and Ramzi Ghanem; along with the Parish Council and the various parish groups, whose joyful presence reflected the vitality of the community.

On January 20, 2026, 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 Patriarch Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), at the Patriarchal Residence in Atchaneh, Lebanon.

His Beatitude was accompanied by Msgr. Chorepiscopus Habib Mrad, Patriarchal Secretary, and Member of the MECC Executive Committee.

As part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, explores His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to walk the path of Ecumenism.

Christians are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from Sunday, January 18, to Sunday, January 25.

Speaking to Vatican News, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity explored the meaning of our Christian mission to seek unity.

Asked about His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s call for efforts toward unity and commitment to world peace to go “hand in hand,” Cardinal Kurt Koch emphasized the role of Christian Churches.

“Ecumenism can assist society if it does not mirror society’s discord, but is rather itself a sign of unity,” the Cardinal explained.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV releases his message for the 34th World Day of the Sick, and invites the faithful to consider the Samaritan's compassion and how we too can offer love by bearing the pain of others.

"The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another's pain” is the theme of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV's message for the 2026 commemoration of the World Day of the Sick to be held on 11 February.

In his message, signed 13 January and released on Tuesday, the Pope encouraged renewed reflection on the figure of the Good Samaritan ahead of the Day to be solemnly celebrated next month in Chiclayo, Peru.

He noted that this image "is always relevant and essential for rediscovering the beauty of charity and the social dimension of compassion" and helps further "direct our attention towards the needy and all those who suffer, especially the sick."

On January 19, 2026, 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), called His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

His Holiness Patriarch Aphrem II wished His Holiness Pope Tawadros II a full recovery following the surgery he underwent recently.

On January 19, 2026, 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 Eminence Bishop Michel Kassarji, Head of the Chaldean Community in Lebanon, at the Patriarchate in Atchaneh - Lebanon.

The meeting was attended by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, and Delegate of the MECC Executive Committee to the Diakonia and Social Service Department, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant.

“And as many as touched it were made perfectly well” (Matthew 14:36).

As part of the medical follow-up being undertaken by H.H. Pope Tawadros II, and following several tests and investigations, His Holiness’ condition required surgical intervention on one of the kidneys. By the grace of God, the procedure was completed with full success.

Pope Tawadros is currently spending several days in a hospital in Austria for clinical monitoring. Thereafter, His Holiness is scheduled to spend a period of convalescence at Saint Anthony's Monastery in Austria.

We thank the Lord for the health of our father, H.H. Pope Tawadros II, and we pray together that the Lord may restore him safely and in good health to the homeland.

We also extend our greetings to you all on the occasion of the Glorious Feast of Epiphany.

Friday, 16 January 2026

8 Toba 1742 A.M.

As the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy celebrates its 325th anniversary, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites his diplomats to embrace their pastoral vocation to seek paths of reconciliation in light of the Gospel.

In 1701, His Holiness Pope Clement XI created the institution that today bears the name “Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.”

The Academy trains priests to serve in the Holy See’s diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State, and its alumni include Popes Clement XIII, Leo XII, Leo XIII, Benedict XV, and Paul VI.

As the Pontficial Ecclesiastical Academy celebrates its 325th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the institution’s community, thanking God for its long and fruitful history in service of the Pope.

Marking the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV recalls its origins and calls for renewed Prayer for visible unity among Christians.

Speaking after the Angelus on 18 January, Pope Leo XIV recalled the origins of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins and dates back two centuries. The initiative, he noted, was “strongly encouraged” by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII and, exactly one hundred years ago, was enriched for the first time by the Suggestions for the Octave of Prayer for the Unity of Christians.

On the occasion of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026", the Churches of Qamishli in Syria, held a Prayer Service entitled “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4: 4), organized by the Committee of Christian Youth Meetings - Qamishli, on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the St. Hagop Armenian Orthodox Church.

On January 15, 2026, 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 Patriarch Joseph Absi, Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma - Damascus.

His Beatitude congratulated His Holiness on the occasion of Christmas and the New Year.

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

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family, along with Armenian Evangelical Pastors and wives, visited the Armenian Elders’ Home (CAHL), in Lebanon, on 14 January 2026 on the occasion of New Year’s and Christmas. A group of residents gathered with the visitors to celebrate the Lord Jesus’ birth through song, Bible readings and prayer. In his encouraging message, Rev. Haidostian exhorted the group to “Praise God at all times” (Psalm 34.1).