His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, left Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport, on the evening of Tuesday 22 August 2023, to return to Egypt, after the end of his visit to the Republic of Hungary, which lasted for four days.

The Hungarian government had sent an official invitation to His Holiness to visit it to participate in the Hungarian National Day.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II was seen off at the airport by Mr. Shamyin Gullit, Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, the Egyptian Ambassador there, Mr Mohamed El Shennawy, and members of the Egyptian Embassy.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases the theme of his message for the 57th World Day of Peace, and calls for open dialogue on the topic of artificial intelligence which is “endowed with disruptive possibilities and ambivalent effects.”

By Edoardo Giribaldi

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development released a statement presenting the next Message of the World Day of Peace’s theme, which will touch on “Artificial Intelligence and Peace.”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, prayed the Liturgy of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Assumption of the Body of the Virgin Mary, in the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, and the members of the accompanying delegation, a number of Fathers, Bishops, Priests, Monks, and large numbers of people participated in it.

This was on the last days of his visit to Hungary, which lasted four days, and he delivered the Sermon of the Liturgy, at the beginning of which he congratulated the attendees on the feast of the Virgin Mary, then he talked about three situations in which the Virgin Mary spoke, focusing on important lessons that we can learn…

His Holiness Pope Francis encourages participants in the 44th Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples to approach others like Jesus and help them encounter God, especially in the midst of trying times.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples, frequently referred to as the "Rimini Meeting", in a message released and signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

On August 20, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, received His Excellency the Charge d’Affaires of the Austrian Embassy in Syria Mr. Peter Krois, accompanied by a delegation from the Embassy, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma, Damascus, Syria.

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II thanked His Excellency for his efforts to support the Syrian people and discussed with his guests the impact of the sanctions imposed on Syria and the effect they have on the daily lives of the Syrian people.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received on Monday 21 August 2023, an honorary doctorate degree from the Catholic University of Pazmany Peter, in a grand ceremony at the university's headquarters in Budapest.

Professor Toshka Laszlo, Professor of Arabic Language at the University of Budapest, delivered the university’s speech, during which he spoke about the journey of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II from his birth until now. He referred to the political events that Egypt had gone through since 2011, focusing on the events of the June 30, 2013 revolution and the meeting on July 3, in which His Holiness Pope Tawadros II participated, along with army leaders, Sheikh Al-Azhar and intellectuals.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church of Cilicia, H.E. Arch. Kegham Katcherian, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Greece, celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, Lebanon.

Below you can find the Speech delivered by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, at the dinner held by at the Egyptian Embassy in Budapest, on Monday 20 August 2023:

We are happy to meet his Excellency the Ambassador at the residence tonight, and he worked with us before we came. We are happy that the Egyptians gathered as one family”.

Egypt has a special characteristic in all countries of the world, a rich civilization and a long history. I always feel that Egypt is kept in God's heart. Egypt has a strong history and association with Hungary, and exchanges on the political and commercial level.

On Saturday, August 6/19, 2023, the feast of the Transfiguration was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem on Mount Tabor where the event of the Transfiguration took place.

During this feast, the whole Church, especially that of Jerusalem, to which Mount Tabor belongs as a place of pilgrimage, remembers singing and glorifying the event of the Transfiguration of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Gospel accounts (Matthew 17:2 – 8 and Mark. 9, 2-8), because, a short time before His passion, the Lord took the three distinguished disciples and went up with them to Mount Tabor, and He was transfigured before them.

Under the auspices of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church of Cilicia, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was solemnly celebrated at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, Lebanon, and St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya, Lebanon, on Sunday, August 13th, 2023.

HE Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Antelias, conducted the blessing of the grapes ceremony, and delivered the message of the Feast…

By His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako

The Church in Iraq must preserve its freedom and independence. The Church is entrusted to transmit the truth and defend it. Jesus says: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8: 32). The path of truth is narrow, “the narrow gate” (Matthew 7: 13) that qualifies us to test the presence of Christ in our lives by living His teaching “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14: 6).

The clergyman must be a leader, not a “follower”, with enlightened mind, lively conscience and exemplary behavior. He should not deviate from the truth. The duties of the clergyman are to impersonate Jesus Christ, in helping others to follow their Lord and provide them a sound Christian spiritual education and good morals that protect them from being drawn towards evil. The clergyman should neither get along with wicked, nor praise the corrupted persons, or cover up for them.

The Pilgrimage Day of St. Mary Monastery in Bikfaya, Lebanon, was marked on the evening of Saturday, August 12th, 2023 with a ceremonious Divine Liturgy presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church of Cilicia, who also conducted the blessing of the grapes and madagh (sacrifice) ceremony, and delivered his Pontifical message. The Solemn Divine Liturgy was celebrated by HG Bishop Mesrob Sarkissian, the prelate of the UAE and Qatar.

Mt 15:21-28

The past few Sundays, the “Word” was found at the center of all the Gospel readings that we heard during the Liturgy.

In one passage, the Word was portrayed as a seed that grows in different soils and produces abundant fruit only if welcomed and buried deep in the soil. In another passage, the Word was portrayed as the good grain that does not fear the presence of other seeds, of other plants, but rather grows free from all fear.

Later, the Gospel highlighted the Word of the Father, which was spoken on the mountain. And the resounding Word spoken amidst the storm. All, to assure us of the ever-present Word that illuminates our life. A Living and life-giving Word.

MIDNIGHT arrived in Ramallah, but the children at the Anglican summer camp were still full of energy. More than 40 of them, aged 11 to 13, in maroon T-shirts, were gathered in the hall, where, for several hours, they had been singing worship songs in English and Arabic, dancing, and playing games.

Amid the high-octane activities that evening, they had also spent some time putting questions to the priests at the camp: Why didn’t God give Adam and Eve another chance? Why did God create the world? What should I do to strengthen my faith?

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East runs three camps in the summer, each lasting a week and catering to different age groups. They have to be held in the West Bank to be accessible to children in the diocese: those living in Palestinian territory, or in the Arab countries immediately to the east of Israel, face huge difficulties in getting permits to enter Israeli-held territory, including East Jerusalem.

On August 10, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church attended a recital, on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The recital was first performed by St. Mary the Lady of the Girdle (Zunoro) Choir, at the Lady of the Girdle (Zunoro) Cathedral in Homs.

Their Eminences: Mor Timotheos Matta Al-Khoury, Archbishop of Homs, Hama, Tartous and Environs, Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, and His Excellency Youhanna Abdo Arbash, Greek Catholic Melkite Archbishop of Homs, attended the recital.

On August 10, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, presided over the Ramsho Prayer, at the Lady of the Girdle (Zunoro) Cathedral in Homs.

His Holiness thanked the Lord for granting the opportunity to visit the cathedral for the beginning of the festivities of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. He spoke about the various blessings we receive from the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

On August 12, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, attended a recital performed by St. Aphrem Choir from Aleppo, at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Cyril Babi, Patriarchal Vicar in the Patriarchal Archdiocese in Damascus, Mor Boutros Kassis, Archbishop of Aleppo and Environs, and Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, attended the recital.

On August 13, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, attended a Concert by “the Soloists of Damascus”, entitled: “Syriac Spirituality”, at Dar El Assad Opera House in Damascus.

The concert was attended by their Excellencies: Dr. Loubana Mshawwah, Minister of Culture, Dr. Boutros Hallak, Minister of Information, Dr. Louay Al-Mounjed, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr. Diala Barakat, State Minister, as well as dignitaries and religious and political figures

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, attended a concert of hymns for children entitled "From the Nativity of Our Lady to Her Dormition", at the Saint George Patriarchal Monastery in Saydnaya, on August 11, 2023

The concert was performed by the St. Kassiani Children's Choir at the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George in Saydnaya,

where they presented a bundle of hymns to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, revealing her journey from her Nativity to her Dormition.