On Friday, 20 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 a delegation from the Christian–Muslim Encounter “Together Around the Virgin Mary,” headed by its president, Naji Khoury. Notably, through the initiative’s sustained efforts, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was proclaimed a joint national holiday in Lebanon, celebrated by both Christians and Muslims.

During the meeting, the delegation presented a report to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I outlining its activities and ongoing initiatives. The Catholicos, commending the Encounter’s work and drawing on his extensive experience in interreligious dialogue, offered several recommendations to further strengthen Christian–Muslim cooperation.

On February 23, 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), met the Clergy and Members of the Syriac Orthodox Youth Group Of Melbourne (SOYGOM).

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Malatius Malki Malki, Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.

During the meeting, His Holiness spoke to the Priests and Committee Members about their ministry to the youth and challenges they are facing. He urged the Priests and Members of the Committee to help the youth remain attached to their Church and its traditions.

On February 23, 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), met the Clergy and Councils of the Syriac Orthodox parishes in Melbourne - Australia.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Malatius Malki Malki, Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.

During the meeting, His Holiness spoke to the priests and councils about their ministry to the faithful and encouraged them to further cooperate for the development and progress of the church and its people.

On February 22, 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 Evening Prayer (Ramsho) at St. Aphrem Church in Melbourne - Australia. He also prayed the Shubqono (Forgiveness) service which is celebrated at the beginning of the Great Lent.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Malatius Malki Malki, Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.

“Vartan Mamigonian was one who understood that one cannot serve two masters” (Matt. 6.24). On the occasion of Lebanon’s joint Armenian Evangelical Worship Service this year, the Sermon was given by Reverend Jirair Ghazarian on the topic “The Battle for Continuation of Life”. He exhorted the congregation, saying, “No one can rob you of your (spirit’s) harmony once you have offered it to Christ.”

The Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church hosted this Worship Service on the morning of 12 Feb. 2026, with the participation of several Armenian Evangelical Pastors.

During the Service Pastor George Sahili read a selection from “Vartan’s Exhortation”, 12th grade student Alice Arslanian from the Armenian Evangelical Central High School recited V. Tekeyan’s “Khorhourt Vartanants”, and that school’s music teacher, Mr. Ghazar Keoshkerian, sang “Lrets, Amberuh”.

As Lent begins, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV says that ashes remind us of “the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reflected on repentance, community, and death this evening, as he presided over Ash Wednesday Mass in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Sabina.

The ashes the attendees were about to receive on their forehands, he said, remind us of “the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war.”

The state of the world, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV stressed, asks us on this Ash Wednesday “to call death for what it is, and to carry its marks within us”.

During his weekly General Audience, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reflects on Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution 'Lumen gentium,' emphasizing that the Church 'is the mystery made perceptible' and is a sign of reconciliation in the midst of a fragmented humanity.

"The Church is the mystery made perceptible," His Holiness Pope Leo XIV expressed during his weekly Wednesday General Audience this morning, Ash Wednesday, in the Vatican, as he continued his catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council.

This week, he concentrated on the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium on the Church, after having spent recent weeks reflecting on the Council's Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum on Divine Revelation.

On February 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), met with His Eminence Archbishop Mor Malatius Malke Malke, Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, and the Clergy of the Syriac Orthodox Parishes in Melbourne.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, was also present.

In accordance with the tradition of the Armenian Theological Seminary of the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, the first day of Great Lent is observed through the celebration of the seven canonical services of the Church, accompanied by spiritual reflection sessions held throughout the day with the participation of the seminarians.

Following the proclamation 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), declaring 2026 as the “Year of the Renewal of Spiritual Life,” this year’s day of spiritual recollection took place at the Catholicosate in Antelias - Lebanon, on Monday, February 17, 2026, with the participation of the Cilician Brotherhood, the seminarians, and members of the faculty.

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, in celebration of the Feast of Poun Paregentan (the Eve of the Great Lent), 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 the Cathedral’s Sunday School family, headed by Director Janine Tanielian, in the atrium of the Catholicosate.

Poun Paregentan, which means “Good Living,” celebrates the joy and abundance of Eden and serves as a transition to Great Lent, inviting the faithful to forty days of repentance, prayer, and fasting. Traditionally, the feast is celebrated with festive meals, masquerades, music, dancing, and games.

On February 17, 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), arrived to Melbourne in a pastoral visit to the parishes.

His Holiness was received at Melbourne International Airport by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Malatius Malki Malki, Patriarchal Vicar of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the priests of the parishes in Melbourne.

His Holiness is accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

By the mercy of God Almighty

His Beatitude Patriarch John X

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

to

My brothers, Pastors of the Holy Church of Antioch

My sons and daughters, everywhere across this Apostolic See

Dear brothers and beloved spiritual children,

At the threshold of the holy Forty Days, the Church stops by. Through the preparatory Sundays that precede Great Lent, she calls us to become a bridal chamber for the heavenly Bridegroom, Christ our God. At the threshold of this Forty-Day Lent, the Church stops by and sets before our eyes that God wants us to be a chamber adorned with the humility of the Publican, the repentance of the Prodigal Son, with care for our brother in humanity, and with longing for the Paradise that was lost through pride and arrogance.

With the preparatory Sundays that precede Great Lent, the Church guides our steps and calls us to cast off the pride of the Pharisee and to imitate the humility of the Publican in the Gospel parable. She calls us to knock at the door of God’s compassion with the modesty of the Publican and with his confession of sin, not with the insolence of the Pharisee who exalted himself even before God. In the same spirit, she leads us to contemplate the parable of the Prodigal Son who departed from God and lived in sin. Yet the bitterness of sin restored within him the sweetness of living in his Heavenly Father’s house. His Father, in turn, opened to him the arms of compassion. From these two Gospel parables, she then leads us to hear the voice of the Judge on this Sunday: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in, naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” It is as though she is telling us that God desires mercy more than all other rites and practices. From these Sundays, she appears to us on the final Sunday to address the Paradise lost by Adam, lost by each one of us, as if to say: “Return, O human, to the paradise of your soul, which you find first and foremost in the sweetness and peace of Christ. Make of yourself a bride for that heavenly Bridegroom, who refuses to dwell except in souls ruled by humility, inhabited by repentance, and in which mercy is manifested in deeds and not merely in words…

We extend our apostolic benediction, benevolent prayers, and greetings to our brethren, His Beatitude Mor Baselius Joseph, Catholicos of India, and their Eminences the Metropolitans; our spiritual children: Very Reverend Corepiscopoi, Reverend priests, monks, nuns, deacons, and the entire blessed Syriac Orthodox people throughout the world. May the divine providence embrace them through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and St. Peter, Chief of the Apostles, and the rest of the Martyrs and Saints. Amen.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119: 105)

The Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church and the Faithful

Dearly beloved in Christ,

The word of God has accompanied the Church throughout her entire journey, sustaining her faith, shaping her worship, and empowering her witness. Radiant like the star of the East, it guides believers through the course of time, remaining the living and authoritative source that illumines the Church’s path. As the prophet David, the psalmist, proclaims: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

As times change and the world evolves rapidly, people today are overwhelmed by an abundance of information, whereby the capacity to discern between right and wrong is increasingly weakened. In this context, the soul’s longing is renewed for a true and faithful word that touches the spirit, penetrates the depths of the heart, and restores meaning to life…

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV travels to the Roman seaside district of Ostia to visit the Parish of St. Mary Queen of Peace and meets with children, young people, and elderly. During Mass, he stresses that the sign of an authentic Christian community is when 'welcome' is more than a word, but “a spirit—opening the door to everyone.”

By Salvatore Cernuzio

On the Sunday before the start of the Lenten season, the Roman neighborhood of Ostia welcomed His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in the afternoon. He arrived around 3:45 p.m. for his visit to the parish—the first of five Sunday stops leading up to Easter.

The Pope was greeted by the Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina and the parish priest, Fr. Giovanni Patané. The crowd area around the parish was filled with people, greeting the Pope in a place marked by the spiritual legacy of Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica.

Ahead of the start of Lent, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to open ourselves to listening, fasting, and community, urging us to abstain from words of hatred in order to make space for words of hope and peace.

“I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV made that invitation at the heart of his message for Lent 2026, which was released on Friday.

As Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, the Pope said this liturgical season offers Christians an opportunity to place the mystery of God back at the center of our lives.

It is rare for people to live without experiencing estrangement. Estrangement is moving from one’s place of birth to other places. It may be short or long, temporary or permanent. It may be voluntary or forced, or in search of a better place, better education, better work, or a better position.

We read about estrangement in Holy Scripture, and how many prophets lived as strangers and journeyed from one place to another, such as Abraham, the father of the fathers. We also read about the Holy Family, who lived as strangers in the land of Egypt for more than three years…

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

With the beginning of Lent, the Church invites us to set out on a shared journey of prayer, penance, and conversion, a journey that will lead us to the beating heart of our faith: the solemnity of Easter. This time of grace is a precious opportunity to purify our hearts, renew our faith, and reorient our lives toward God. It is not merely a time of abstinence, but a call to rediscover the true meaning of our existence, to return to that first love who embraced us at Baptism.

In our diocese, and particularly in Jerusalem, the city that preserves the living memory of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, this spiritual journey gains a unique and deeply felt meaning. In the Holy Land, where the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, we are called to retrace with steadfastness the footsteps of the Savior, so we can enter more fully into the mystery of His redeeming love, and respond to His invitation to walk after Him…

'AI is a tool, not a voice': This World Radio Day, Vatican Radio celebrates its 95th anniversary with seven multilingual programs dedicated to the future of radio.

On 13 February 2026, on the occasion of World Radio Day (WRD), Radio Vaticana – Vatican News has organised a special initiative in seven languages with seven radio programs that will become themed podcasts dedicated to the future of radio, public service, innovation, and the relationship between media, society, and artificial intelligence.

The initiative comes the day after the 95th birthday of the Radio of the Popes: 12 February 2026. Founded in 1931 at the behest of His Holiness Pope Pius XI and created by the father of radio, Guglielmo Marconi, the Pope’s broadcaster is one of the oldest in the world, born to connect the Holy See with every part of the planet and to speak to diverse peoples, cultures, and languages.

At the initiative 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), special courses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been launched for the members of the Cilician Brotherhood at the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.

Taking into consideration the steadily expanding development and application of technology, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I places particular importance on this field—not only in terms of its proper use, but also by examining and evaluating it from an ethical perspective. Guided by this approach, approximately two months ago, during his Pontifical Visit to the United States, His Holiness visited Silicon Valley—widely regarded as the global center of technological innovation—and held a full day of meetings with senior executives and experts from various technological sectors and companies.