Jn 17: 1-11

This final Sunday of Easter time bids us read a passage from the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, where, after speaking with His disciples, after opening their hearts, Jesus now directly addresses the Father: it’s the long prayer of Jesus, called the “priestly” prayer.

It is to the Father that Jesus entrusts what is most dear to Him: first of all His mission among men, which is now going through the drama of death and failure, so that all may be fulfilled and Jesus can thus give eternal life to all.

Then, Jesus entrusts his disciples, his friends, those who have listened and received him, to the Father.

And He prays not only for them, but also for all others who, in the future, will believe in Him and will receive from Him the gift of new life.

The Father entrusted them all to Him – “they were yours and you gave them to me” (Jn 17: 6) – so that He would fill them with life, leading them to the full knowledge of the Face of God.

At the Regina Coeli on Ascension Sunday, His Holiness Pope Francis recalls how on this Feast, Jesus brought our humanity into heaven, opening the way for us to follow so that we might live forever in paradise as children of the Father.

By Vatican News staff writer

Addressing the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the Regina Coeli prayer on this Sunday marking the Ascension of the Lord in Italy and many other countries around the world, His Holiness Pope Francis reflected on two key aspects of this feast: why we celebrate Jesus' departure from the earth, and what He does now in heaven.

On May 17, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, received the representative of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow in Syria Very Reverend Father Philip, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma – Damascus.

His Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, and Very Reverend Raban Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present in the meeting.

On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, the delegation of the "Hungary Helps" led by the State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and the Hungary Helps Program, Dr. Tristan Azbej, paid a visit to the President of the Armenian Protestant Community in Syria, Reverend Dr. Haroutune Selimian.

The delegation became closely acquainted with the Community's Ecclesiastical, educational, medical and social services.

Reverend Selimian presented the contribution of the Hungarian state to the restoration and reconstruction of the community in order to heal the devastating consequences of the war in Syria.

During his Pontifical visit to Kuwait, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and the former Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Mobarak Al-Sabah had an amicable meeting.

On May 17, 2023’s morning (Wednesday), His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, held a meeting with the priests of the Diocese of Milan, in the presence of their bishop, His Grace Bishop Antonio, and His Grace Bishop Luka (Bishop of Southern France and the French sector of Switzerland). The monk Father Kirollos Anba Bishoy (Director of the Papal Office) was also present.

This meeting was preceded by the Divine Liturgy, which His Holiness Pope Tawadros II prayed with the participation of the priests and their wives.

In his sermon during the meeting, His Holiness spoke to them about the subject of “joy” due the occasion of the period of the Holy 50 Days. He indicated that the most important thing in the Resurrection is the spirit of renewal that prevailed as a result of it. The fathers the apostles wrote their gospels and epistles in the light of the Resurrection.

And Bestows Upon The Benefactor Mr. Giragos Kouyoumjian The “knight Of Cilicia” Insignia

On the occasion of the 850th commemoration of the passing of St. Nerses Shnorhali (the Gracious), the newly renovated hall of St. Vartanants church in Kuwait was named after the saint. The official opening ceremony of the hall was conducted by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, on Thursday evening, May 11th, 2023.

On May 17, 2023’s morning (Wednesday), His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received at the Monastery of Anba Shenouda the Archimandrite in Milan, Ambassador Manal Abdel-Dayem (the Egyptian Consul General in Milan), accompanied by Consul Mahmoud El-Toukhy and Consul Ahmed Anwar.

During the meeting, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II referred to the Monastery of Anba Shenouda in Milan as the first monastery established by the Coptic Church in Europe.

His Holiness praised the Egyptian state’s handling of the issue of illegal immigration to Italy, and its success in eliminating this problem.

The Church of Virgin Mary and Saint Anthony in Milan hosted the meeting of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, with the youth of the diocese of Milan.

The youth gave His Holiness a warm welcome, asserting that they had learned from His Holiness the love of the Church, the love of Egypt, and love for all in general. This made them take the verse “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8) as their motto for all matters in their lives, due to what they learned from His Holiness.

They thanked His Holiness for coming and visiting them, chanting: “Axios Ava Tawadros.”. They then displayed a movie of a beautiful hymn about love for the Church and giving thanks to His Holiness.

His Holiness Pope Francis pens a preface to an Italian book by Gaël Giraud and Carlo Petrini entitled "The taste to change. The ecological transition as the path to happiness" (Slow Food Editore and Libreria Editrice Vaticana), which hits bookshops on Wednesday.

By His Holiness Pope Francis

The good that appears as beautiful carries with it the reason why it must be done. This is the first thought that arose for me after reading this beautiful dialogue between Carlo Petrini, whom I have known and esteemed for years, a gastronome and activist known all over the world, and Gaël Giraud, a Jesuit economist whose contributions I have recently appreciated in La Civiltà Cattolica, where he writes qualified articles on economics, finance and climate change.

On May 16, 2023’s morning (Tuesday) His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received at the diocese of Milan’s Residence, Monsignor Mario Delpini, Archbishop of Milan of the Catholic Church, who came to welcome His Holiness.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II expressed his happiness over the Archbishop’s visit, considering it an extension of the love that began with His Holiness’s visit to His Holiness Pope Francis: “We held meetings which all prove the serious pursuit for love and unity. We then came to Milan, which has a long history, strong testimony and Christian message that bears witness to Christ. We are joyful because of this trip, and with your visit to us today.”

On Saturday, May 13th, 2023, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and the Pontifical delegation visited the Vatican Embassy, where they were warmly received by Archbishop Eugene Nugent, Apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

During their meeting, they discussed issues concerning the region, as well as the Christian communities of the region.

On Tuesday May 16, 2023’s morning, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, prayed in the Church of Saint Joseph of Arimathea, in the New Residence of Milan Diocese.

This is the first liturgy to be prayed in this new Church.

Sharing in the Liturgy alongside His Grace Anba Antonio (bishop of Milan) were: His Grace Anba Yolyos (General Bishop of Old Cairo and the Bishopric of Services), His Grace Anba Luka (Bishop of Southern France and the French sector of Switzerland), the Monk Father Kyrillos Anba Bishoy (Director of the Office of His Holiness the Pope), the monks and priests of the diocese of Milan, around 500 deacons from the diocese, and a number of the Coptic congregation in Milan.

May 18, 2023

Ascension of the Lord, Year A

Mt. 28: 16-20

The Evangelist Matthew does not record the account of the Ascension of the Risen Lord and concludes his Gospel account with the verses that we heard today. Rather than highlighting the departure of Jesus, Matthew, on the contrary, underlines His permanent presence among His disciples, in the emerging Church. None of the verbs of which Jesus is subject speaks of departure, of detachment. On the contrary, all action of the Risen One speak of relationship, they tell the closeness of Jesus with his disciples.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, met with over 80 young Kuwaiti Armenians on Friday evening, May 12th, within the framework of his pontifical visit to Kuwait, to listen to their concerns, share his thoughts on the role of youth in the revitalization process of the Armenian Diaspora and reiterate his support for active youth involvement in the decision-making process of their community.

GALILEE - On Monday, May 15th, 2023, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the seminarians of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in the Galilee to listen to their impressions and experiences of the ending academic year.

The visit began with a meeting with the formators and seminarians, during which the Patriarch commented on the results of the recent symposium of the Middle Eastern Churches in Cyprus, as well as the continental phase of the synod requested by His Holiness Pope Francis. He also reviewed the intense work of the past year and recalled the challenges and sufferings of the Church of Jerusalem, which are an integral part of the priestly mission.

On Friday morning, May 12th, 2023, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Kuwait, where the Catholicos addressed the faithful, including ambassadors, and officials, with his pontifical speech.

His Holiness expressed his immense joy in visiting Kuwait and meeting with the Armenian community, whom he highly commended for its positive and encouraging atmosphere. His Holiness praised the pontifical vicar V. Rev. Fr. Bedros Manouelian for his work and granted him the right to wear an episcopal mitre, and expressed commendation to Rev. Fr. Ardag Keheyayan for his life-long service.

On the commemoration by the Palestinians of the "Al-Nakba", the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issue a statement stressing the importance of consolidating the values of justice, peace, love, compassion and mutual respect…

You can find the full text of the statement which was originally published on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On Monday 15 May 2023’s morning, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, met with congregation of the Diocese of Milan, Italy, in his first meeting in the Diocese since his arrival during the late hours of Sunday evening.

At the beginning of the meeting held in the Monastery of Anba Shenouda the Archimandrite, in Milan, His Holiness expressed his joy over visiting the Diocese, giving thanks to His Grace Bishop Antonio, (Bishop of Milan), for his efforts in arranging the visit. He added: “Indeed, this visit came to you after the days of joy and love we lived in Rome, and we continue our joy with you.”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II reflected on the verse: “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20).

Within the framework of the activities related to the Year of the Armenian Diaspora II, on Thursday evening, May 11th, 2023, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, met with the Kuwaiti Armenian community organizations at St. Nerses Shnorhali atrium, conveyed his guidance and recommendations, and listened to their future plans, suggestions, and worries.