On Friday, 6 February 2026, 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), received His Eminence Archbishop Mor Clemis Daniel Kourieh, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, and Member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and His Eminence Archbishop Mor Yostinos Paulos Safar, Patriarchal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Zahle and the Bekaa in Mount Lebanon, of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

On behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Archbishops discussed with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I a number of Ecumenical relations, seeking his views and reflections.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV releases a message to mark the 12th World Day against Human Trafficking, and pledges the Catholic Church’s commitment to confront and bring an end to this “grave crime against humanity.”

On the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has condemned the scourge of modern slavery, which has taken even more disturbing forms in our online societies.

In his message for the World Day, marked on Sunday, February 8, the Pope renewed the Church’s “urgent call to confront and bring an end to this grave crime against humanity.”

He focused on the Risen Christ’s greeting “Peace be with you,” saying these words offer “a path toward a renewed humanity.”

The Gender Justice Ministry at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) held a second workshop to discuss the forthcoming research study about the impacts of the war on Gaza, particularly on women and children. The latest discussion with local experts and leaders was held at Al Quds Open University in Ramallah.

The workshop was opened with remarks by University President Dr. Ibrahim Al-Shaer, Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad, ELCJHL Bishop, and Palestinian Minister of Women’s Affairs Mrs. Mona Al-Khalili. All three speakers emphasized the importance of gender justice and efforts like this to protect vulnerable groups in society during times of war and conflict. The draft study was then presented by Judge Scarlet Bishara of the ELCJHL Ecclesiastical Court and Judge Somoud Damiri of the Sharia Court. This study was developed with the support of the Sawasya Programme, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance access to justice and strengthen evidence-based knowledge…

Mt 5: 13-16

Today's Gospel passage (Mt 5:13–16) begins with a pronoun: you.
“You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13).

It is the same pronoun with which the passage we heard last Sunday, that of the Beatitudes, had ended. In fact, that passage concluded precisely with these words: “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you....Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” (Mt 5:11–12).

After speaking in general terms (“blessed are the poor,” “blessed are the meek”…), in the last Beatitude Jesus moved to direct address: Blessed are you…

This final Beatitude therefore refers to a particular experience of the early Christian community: that of tribulation and persecution: It is the moment when faith is put to the test, when one must pass through difficult times without any support, with nothing but pure faith.

It is the moment when everything seems to be fading away, when life risks having only the bitter taste of sadness and failure…

The Lenten Spiritual Exercises for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome, and head of Dicasteries will be preached by Trappist Bishop Erik Varden, scheduled for February 22-27.

The start of the Spiritual Exercises for Lent is set for Sunday, February 22, at 5:00 p.m. in the Pauline Chapel, in the presence of Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome, and heads of Dicasteries.

According to a note released on Wednesday by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the annual Lenten Exercises will be preached by Bishop Erik Varden, on the theme “Illuminated by a Hidden Glory.”

The Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) has served as Bishop of Trondheim in Norway since 2019.

In his message for the World Day of Human Fraternity and the presentation of the Zayed Award, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV describes fraternity as an urgent necessity, stronger than conflicts, differences and tensions, while warning against leaving it trapped in the realm of ideas.

In a world where peace is often dismissed as an outdated utopia and fraternity reduced to an abstract ideal, Pope Leo XIV insists that human fraternity is not a theory but an urgent necessity. This is the central message of the text published on 4 February for the World Day of Human Fraternity and the presentation of the Zayed Award, in which the Pope calls for a fraternity stronger than conflicts, differences and tensions.

During his weekly General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV warns against "fundamentalist or spiritualist readings" of Scripture, and upholds the Church's mission to proclaim the Word of God in language that touches human hearts.

Scripture reveals God’s desire to be close to His people, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed 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 has called “one of the most beautiful and important” documents of the Council.

The Vatican releases the calendar for His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s Liturgical Celebrations through Easter, which includes his five scheduled visits to Parishes in Rome.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV will carry out Pastoral visits to five Roman Parishes, take part in Lenten Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican together with the Roman Curia, and celebrate the Easter rites in St. Peter’s Basilica and St. John Lateran.

The Bishop of Rome will express his closeness to the faithful of his Diocese as he makes a series of Pastoral visits to five Roman Parishes, scheduled from Sunday, February 15, to Sunday, March 15.

The Pope’s visits take place mostly in the outlying areas of the capital, and coincide with his participation in the Lenten Spiritual Exercises and the Easter Rites.

On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 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), received His Eminence Sheikh Fayez Seif, Representative of His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic and Spokesperson of the Supreme Islamic Sunni Council, in the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon.

The visit aimed to convey the Mufti’s warm greetings to His Holiness and to extend a special invitation.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the general situation in Lebanon, as well as the relations between the Armenian and Sunni Communities.

On February 4, 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), presided over the Holy Qurobo on the occasion of the Fast of Nineveh, at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma, Damascus.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, celebrated the Holy Qurobo.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Dionysius John Kawak, Patriarchal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Eastern USA, Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, and Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, also attended.

The Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments releases a decree in which Pope Leo XIV inscribes the Doctor of the Church, St. John Henry Newman, in the General Roman Calendar with his memorial held on October 9.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has inscribed St. John Henry Newman, Doctor of the Church, in the General Roman Calendar, with his optional memorial being on October 9, announced the Dicastery of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in a decree released on Tuesday, February 3.

The 19th-century English-born former Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism and then became a Cardinal, was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and canonized by His Holiness Pope Francis in 2019.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life, praising consecrated men and women for living out their steadfast faith even in the most difficult of circumstances, and inviting them to be 'leavens of peace' and 'signs of hope.'

"Through your commitment to follow Christ more closely — sharing in his self-emptying and in his life in the Spirit — you can show the world the way to overcome conflict, sowing fraternity through the freedom of those who love and forgive without measure."

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV gave this powerful reminder during the Mass he celebrated on Monday for the World Day for Consecrated Life, an annual observance that was instituted in 1997 by His Holiness Pope Saint John Paul II which is celebrated on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2 February.

Representatives from the outreach arm of the German Evangelical Church, "Gustav-Adolf-Werk", visited Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family, at the UAECNE headquarters in Beirut, on 2 Feb 2026.

Reverend Dr. Martin Dutzmann (President), Reverend Enno Haaks (General Secretary), and Katja Buck, Researcher and Journalist on Church matters and the Middle East, spent an engaging hour with Union Acting President, clergy and lay leaders, learning more about the UAECNE's multifaceted ministries.

In a global context marked by escalating conflicts and growing fragmentation, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, renewed a strong appeal not to surrender to resignation, but to persevere in the demanding work of peace.

Speaking in Geneva on 29 January 2026, during the 17th Annual Interreligious Service for Peace, hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, the Cardinal welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the 2026 World Day of Peace, “Towards an ‘Unarmed and Disarming’ Peace,” describing it as “a timely and necessary word for the moment we are living.”

Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12–13; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; Matthew 5:1–12 

Dear brothers and sisters, 

We are on the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered what is known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” which begins with the Beatitudes just proclaimed. This mountain is actually a small hill, not very high, a place that neither dominates nor overwhelms. Jesus begins his ministry right here, where people live, on one of the trade and life routes of that time. This discourse, therefore, is addressed to a population immersed in daily life, within a fragile and concrete reality. Jesus does not choose a place of power, but one from which life can be seen. He climbs this hill, sits down, and speaks: he does not denounce, accuse, or propose political solutions. He speaks of happiness. This is the first paradox: he does not say what to do, but who is blessed; he points to a way of life rather than strategies for action. He speaks of beatitude in a land marked at that time by hardship, poverty, tension, fear, and injustice – a land that knew well the violence and difficulty of living together… 

Human dignity, art, life, migrants, the elderly, young people, and artificial intelligence: these are some of the themes of the Prayer intentions that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has entrusted to his Worldwide Prayer Network for next year.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has released his Prayer intentions for 2027. 

For each month of that year, the Pope will invite the Church to pray for a specific intention, touching on both global challenges and issues within the life of the Church.

The 2027 Prayer intentions were entrusted to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which was received in audience by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.

During his Sunday Angelus address, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV insists that living the Beatitudes can bring us happiness, bring light to the world’s shadows, and renew our hearts.

God gives hope to those whom the world discards as desperate, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday during his midday Angelus address in the Vatican.

Recalling the day’s Gospel reading according to Matthew on the Beatitudes, the Pope said Jesus announces Good News for all humanity.

“These are, in fact, lights that the Lord kindles in the darkness of history, revealing the plan of salvation that the Father accomplishes through the Son, with the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Welcoming the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV calls the transmission of the faith an urgent matter, noting that the “rupture” in its generational transmission among Catholics must lead the Church to rediscover the “sweet and comforting joy of Evangelizing,” which lies at the heart of her life and mission.

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV insisted that “the transmission of the faith” is “a matter of great urgency in our time,” when addressing the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Thursday in the Vatican.

Mt 5,1-12a

Last Sunday (Mt 4:12-23), we saw that Jesus began his public ministry in a wounded land near a border. In this wounded land, his words came as a light, indeed, as a great light, the same great light that the prophet Isaiah had foretold, laying the foundation for the hope of those who lived in a land of darkness and death (Isaiah 8:23-9:1).

We see immediately what this great light is in today's Gospel (Mt 5:1-12a). It is the Gospel of the Beatitudes, which begins the first great discourse of Matthew's Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount.

It is a passage that we all know almost by heart, which we will try to read today using a twofold interpretation linked to the gaze. Today's passage begins by saying that Jesus sees the crowds, and that following this gaze, the words he then utters are born. Not only that. Continuing in the discourse, we see that the theme of the gaze returns, in reference to the Father: the Father sees in secret and will reward all that is done in secret (Mt 6:4, 6, 18).

This Father, therefore, is a Father who first and foremost sees: his gaze is directed towards his children, towards those who follow Jesus and welcome his presence…

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A 
Matthew 4:12–25 

Dear brothers and sisters, members of the newly established community of Saint Nicholas, 
dear priests, men and women religious, 
dear all of you who today gather as the family of God, 

The Word of God we have just heard could not be more fitting for this day of grace. It is not merely the account of a beginning in the past; it is a revelation of the way in which God, even today, brings His work to birth. And so, while the Church, in an act of trust and hope, establishes this parish, the Gospel sheds light on the deeper meaning of what we are living and celebrating. 

The Gospel opens with a shadow: “When Jesus heard that John had been arrested…” The arrest of the Baptist is more than a chronological detail; it is a theological event. The prophet of preparation, the voice crying out in the wilderness, is silenced by the injustice and violence of power.