Delegates of the Churches in the Middle East begin their Continental Synodal Assembly in Beirut, running until 18 February 2023.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Delegates representing seven Catholic Churches (Coptic, Syriac, Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, Armenian and Latin) from the Holy Land, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Armenia, are gathered in Beirut  this week for the Continental Synodal Assembly for the Middle East.

The meeting was officially opened on Monday, 13 February, by Father Khalid Alwan, General Secretary of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East (CPCO) and General Coordinator of the Synodal Assembly, after a special Prayer for the victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.  

On Saturday, January 29/February 11, 2023, the commemoration of the three Hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, was celebrated at the Patriarchate with a transfer, normally celebrated on January 30 of each year.

On this day, the Church jointly honours the three Hierarchs according to the arrangement since the 11th century. Then some of the faithful appointed especially honourable as superior Basil the Great, called Basileitai, others Gregory the Theologian, called Grigoreitai, and others John the Chrysostom called Ioannitai.

In order to resolve the division, the Church established a common celebration and Bishop John Mavropous composed a common Canon in honour of the Three Hierarchs. On this day, the Three Hierarchs are especially honoured by educational institutions, because they were patrons of Education and they established the relationship of Christianity to the ancient Greek classical philosophy.

The Antiochian Patriarchal delegation arrived at Adana International Airport, where they were received by the Priests of the Parish of Antioch, the Rev. Fr. Can Delüler and Pavlus Orduluoğlu, and Mr. Can Arap (President of the Mersin Association) and Cem Altıniş (Member of the Mersin Parish Council).

It is noteworthy that His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, appointed this delegation and assigned it to visit our Antiochian Parishes in Turkey, damaged by the earthquake.

After receiving the delegation at Adana airport, the Patriarchal delegation headed to Mersin on February 14, 2023, where the faithful received them with great joy and condolence, stressing the apostolic blessing of His Beatitude John X, Greek orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, which was conveyed to them by the patriarchal delegation.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27

With the grace of service and the joy of giving… In compliance with the directives of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, to provide all support and assistance to the people affected by the earthquake, the teams of the St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee EPDC in Jaramana and Irbeen centers in rural Damascus prepared a variety of winter clothes, medicines and medical materials, with the great assistance and generosity of the people of the local community, to be delivered to the beneficiaries of the affected brothers and sisters.

In the areas afflicted by the earthquake, and through vigorous efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the disaster following the directives of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the level of faith in actions is rising among GOPA-DERD's team, the only official charitable arm of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.

In Aleppo, in response to the urgent needs of the affected people, who are temporarily residing in shelters within schools, GOPA-DERD's team provided family hygiene kits and food items for families in Salim Melko Jerbaqa School in Al-Haydariya district, and Queen Zenobia School in Al-Izaa’a area.

To their Eminences our brothers in Christ the Archbishops,

Members of our Syriac Orthodox Holy Synod of Antioch.

May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, we visited our spiritual children in the city of Aleppo which was greatly affected by the earthquake and several hundreds lost their lives. We inspected the damage and observed the scale of the destruction. Our churches and schools were damaged, several buildings collapsed and many lost their houses. We also visited refuge centers in churches and elsewhere, where a large number of people are sheltered because their houses were destroyed or are still not safe.

Immediately after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning on February 6, ACT members began to conduct rapid needs assessments in Syria and Turkey.  They also began to provide life-saving aid including food, medicine, and warm blankets, mattresses and pyjamas to families who lost everything to the devastating quake even as search and rescue efforts continue to free survivors from the rubble.

“People are staying out of their homes,” reports Samer Laham of the Middle East Council of Churches.  “They are afraid of aftershocks destroying the buildings that are still standing.”

Sara Savva of The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East- Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERD) continues, “Lots of buildings have not yet collapsed, but they are not stable.  Families are sleeping in the streets, in cars if they have them, with friends and family, or in shelters.”

Faith-based and humanitarian groups across the world were setting in motion appeals for aid and prayers as response expands in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on 6 February.

Churches in Syria are cooperating with the Middle East Council of Churches in relief efforts. The Middle East Council of Churches launched a relief appeal the same day the quake struck.

The Middle East Council of Churches continues to call on the international community and the international ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, and is also urging the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria to allow access to all materials.

Churches in Syria have started to provide direct relief to the affected people.

Following the instructions of the His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development continues its relief and emergency response work in the areas affected by the earthquake.

In continuation of the emergency response efforts, assuming the relief role and social responsibility, and with the close follow-up of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, GOPA-DERD, affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, continues to work on the ground to reduce the effects of the earthquake disaster. In Hama, the team carried out a field visit to the 'youth union' hall's sheltering center, carrying out a quick response to the needs of the affected families by distributing food kits, and securing diapers and baby milk for some of the families in the center, in addition to purchasing and installing lighting requirements for the hall.

J. Herbert Nelson calls on support for victims of devastating earthquake

Office of the General Assembly - February 7, 2023

LOUISVILLE

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joins our partners in the Middle East in calling on the U.S. government to lift its sanctions on Syria so that a speedy and effective humanitarian response can be mounted immediately in response to the devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6. The earthquakes that rocked Southern Turkey and Northern Syria resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries and hundreds of destroyed buildings. In Northern Syria, already suffering from years of war and U.S.-imposed sanctions, the earthquake has had devastating effects. 

On February 8, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, arrived to Aleppo to visit the victims of the earthquake that struck the city two days ago.

His Holiness was received by His Eminence Mor Boutros Kassis, Archbishop of Aleppo and Environs and was accompanied by his Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director.

GOPA-DERD Team Continues Implementing Relief and Emergency Response work in the Areas Affected by the Earthquake in Syria

In Hama, GOPA-DERD’s team, affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, visited the National Hospital and the affected area in the Al-Arba’een neighborhood, and provided meals to the civil defense personnel and those working to remove rubble in this area, as well as to the injured, their families, and the medical staff in the hospital. The team also carried out field visits to conduct a needs assessment for the affected people displaced from Aleppo and Latakia to Kfarbo area in Hama, to provide the necessary aid in terms of food items, drinks, blankets and clothes, in addition to distributing food kits to the affected families in Suqaylabiyah and its countryside.

Under the guidance of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, the teams of St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee EPDC performed their humanitarian duty by preparing 4 relief trucks with 2,772 winter kits and sending them for the people of the earthquake-stricken Aleppo city.

Issue a Joint Appeal: Lift the Embargo on the Syrian People

Following the earthquake which struck northern Syria on Monday February 6, 2023, thousands of Syrians lost their lives, many churches, institutions and homes were destroyed and a large number of families were displaced.

‏This natural disaster adds to the ordeal of the Syrian people, who continue to suffer from the tragedies of war, crises, disasters, epidemics, and the harsh economic hardships resulting from inflation, the absence of indispensable materials, medications, and daily basic necessities needed in order for people to survive and live in dignity.

After the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria at dawn of Monday 6 February 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, issued the following humanitarian appeal:

To all the faithful and people of good will in the diocese of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

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

The powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on the night of February 5th, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, has brought misery to many families already suffering from war and economic hardship. The damage caused to people and infrastructure is considerable and the resources of the local populations are insufficient to cope with the consequences of this natural disaster that occurred in the middle of winter…

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land holds in prayer our neighbors in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake that has taken the lives of nearly 5,000 people to date. The cold and damp weather conditions have made this disaster even more deadly, as help and rescue efforts are severely limited and displaced people are exposed to the winter elements. Many Churches, along with other places of Worship, have been damaged or completely destroyed; and those still standing are housing a growing number of refugees. We have heard horrifying tales from our siblings in Christ in the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches concerning the destruction and severity they face in the wake of this earthquake. We mourn with them as this catastrophe continues to unfold. ACT Alliance and the Middle East Council of Churches, both of which the ELCJHL is a part, are working hard to help provide aid and support to survivors.

JORDAN – From February 6th to 7th, 2023, in the Rosary Sisters Visitation Home, the Priests of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem met with His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Auxiliary Bishops to discuss and plan a brighter future for the Latin Church in the Holy Land.

The return of the annual meeting

Just like all other activities, this highly important meeting for the life of the Latin Church in the Holy Land was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It came after two years of absence, and was held to discuss the mission of the Latin Church in the Holy Land, and ways to empower it.

On 3 February 2023, at the Papal residence at St Bishoy’s Monastery, in Wadi El Natroun, Egypt, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received His Eminence Metropolitan Antonious, Coptic Orthodox Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East, accompanied by Representative Kamel Michel, a member of the Senate.

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonious represented to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II some pastoral matters in relation to the services in the Diocese.

His Holiness Pope Francis addresses the winners of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity, and tells them that fraternity can be reached, and peace obtained, but that it is a long journey.

By Francesca Merlo

February 4th marks the International Day of Human Fraternity, and the day of the ceremony for the awarding of the 2023 Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity, awarded this year to the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Kenyan peacemaker, Mama Shamsa.

To mark the occasion, His Holiness Pope Francis sent a video message, in which he congratulates the winners for their work in promoting a culture of peace. 

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East Forms a Relief Taskforce

Following the earthquake that struck the region at dawn on Monday 6 February 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, launched a distress signal to help the afflicted and affected people. Hence, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East formed a relief taskforce in response to this emergency appeal, and announced the following on its Facebook Page:

Upon the appeal of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, to respond to the urgent needs of the Parishioners, Churches, and Parishes in the regions of Antioch, Alexandretta, Mersin, Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, following the devastating earthquake, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East has formed a relief taskforce with the aim of implementing emergency response and assistance to those impacted by this great disaster.