In his homily at the New Year's Day Mass celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, His Holiness Pope Francis calls on us to "entrust this coming year to the Mother of God" and consecrate our lives to her. With her "tender love...she will lead us to Jesus." On this day the Church also marks the World Day of Peace.

By Thaddeus Jones

Presiding over the morning Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica on New Year's Day, His Holiness Pope Francis spoke about this day when we celebrate in a special way the Holy Mother of God, "a simple phrase that confesses the Lord’s eternal covenant with us." January 1st marks the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and also the day the Church marks the World Day of Peace.

On Sunday, December 31, 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by His Eminence the Grand Master Cardinal Fernando Filoni; Ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Modrone, Governor General of the EOHSJ; and Dr. François Vayne, Director of Communications, visited Our Lady of Fatima parish in Beit Sahour to celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. 

The Parish priest, Fr. Issa Hijazin, welcomed them, and thanked the Latin Patriarchate and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem for the work they are doing in the Holy Land.

From the Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, December 18/31, 2023 the annual memorial service of the Holy Sepulchre Fathers, Patriarchs, Bishops, Priests, Hieromonks, monks and nuns was held at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Liturgy was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Dimitrios of Lydda with co-celebrants the Archimandrites Philoumenos, Dionysios, Claudios, Christodoulos, Amphilochios, Stephen and Hierodeacon Eulogios. Hierodeacon Simeon delivered the chanting as members of the Church of Jerusalem attended the service.

Every year the city of Bethlehem welcomes thousands of pilgrims, who come to witness the most joyful season for this town, but the ongoing conflict has limited the outward celebrations, yet this joy continuous to live in the hearts of the Christians of the Holy Land, as nothing can turn off the flame of joy brought to us by the Birth of the Savior, which is the hope and joy of the Church.

On December 24th, 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and his delegation were welcomed into the City of Bethlehem through a procession, which ended at the Basilica of the Nativity, announcing the beginning of the Prayers, which lead up to Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem, adjacent to the Nativity grotto.

On December 25, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, celebrated the Holy Qurobo on the occasion of Christmas, at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma, Damascus, Syria.

During the Holy Qurobo, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II was assisted by their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Cyril Babi, Patriarchal Vicar for the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Damascus, Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, and Armenian Orthodox Archbishop of Damascus Armash Nalbandian, as well as the clergy of the Patriarchate and seminarians of Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary.

His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II delivered a sermon which you can read it in Arabic by clicking here.

Damascus, Syria, December 24, 2023

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, celebrated the Nativity Divine Liturgy at the Mariamiyah Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus, assisted by His Grace Bishop Ioannis (Batach) and the Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Philip Vsevolodovich, Representative of the Russian Church to the Antiochian Church in Damascus, along with many priests and deacons.

In his Homily, His Beatitude wondered at the beginning whether we have truly embraced Nativity. He emphasized the meanings of Nativity, saying, "Nativity is peace, joy, salvation, and light."

In his Christmas message at the midday "Urbi et Orbi" blessing on Christmas Day, His Holiness Pope Francis speaks of how the Child Jesus reveals God's tender love for each one of us, which brings about "the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace." He prays for world peace and calls for every effort to stop violence and help those who are suffering.

By Thaddeus Jones

Greeting the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica, His Holiness Pope Francis offered his traditional good wishes on this Christmas Day with a message followed by his solemn "Urbi et Orbi" blessing, to the city and the world.

His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his closeness to victims of war, and urges the faithful to avoid consumerism at Christmas, and to celebrate the birth of Jesus without waste, by sharing what we have with those in need.

By Christopher Wells

“We are close to our brothers and sisters who are suffering from war,” His Holiness Pope Francis said during his recitation of the Angelus on Sunday.

His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Catholic Family, issued his Christmas Message 2023, which you can watch it by clicking here, on the Facebook Page of the Armenian Catholic Catholicosate armeniancatholic.org, and Télé Lumière and Noursat TV.

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, issued his Christmas 2023 Message, which you can listen to and watch it by clicking here, on the Maronite Patriarchate Facebook Page and on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV.

Bkerke, Lebanon, December 2023, 2023.

His Holiness Pope Francis sends the Papal Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to the Holy Land as a sign of his solidarity amid the tragedy of war, and invites everyone to pray for peace.

By Devin Watkins

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has set out on a Papal mission to accompany the people of the Holy Land through the celebration of Christmas.

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity announced the news in a communiqué released on Friday 22 December 2023.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, convey our Christmas greetings to the faithful around the world in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, born here in Bethlehem more than two-thousand years ago.

In extending these greetings, we are well aware that we do so during a time of great calamity in the land of our Lord’s birth. For over the past two-and-a-half months, the violence of warfare has led to unimaginable suffering for literally millions in our beloved Holy Land. Its ongoing horrors have brought misery and inconsolable sorrow to countless families throughout our region, evoking empathetic cries of anguish from all quarters of the earth. For those caught in the midst of such dire circumstances, hope seems distant and beyond reach…

To bishops, priests, monks and nuns, consecrated men and women, and all Chaldean faithful in the world.

I extend my heartfelt wishes of a Merry Christmas and happy New Year, to each and every one of you, praying for grace, health, peace and joy throughout 2024 and beyond.

As we are preparing for Christmas, it is necessary to think seriously about our faith in Jesus Christ, and to renew our commitment to Him clearly, especially that we are living in a world that does not care about human and spiritual values, and surrenders selfishly to materialism and pleasure, a world that has begun to depend more and more on artificial intelligence without evaluating its risks to humanity, a world that completely different from the one before. In the mid of such unstable political, security, and economic systems around the world, where people are experiencing wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land, and conflicts almost everywhere, even though poor people are still missing peace and awaiting it as it was announced by angels on Christmas Eve, “and on earth peace” (Luke 2/14).

The Church: The Universal as well as our Chaldean Church, must exercise its mission with courage and without fear, preaching the message of Christ, the “Messenger” of peace, fraternity, and love, and never stop demanding people’s rights, freedom and dignity, in order to achieve justice and equality on the basis of full citizenship…

Our spiritual children in Christ,

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

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

(Isaiah 9: 6)

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

As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are once again reminded of the reality of our broken world. The diminishing of faith of many, leading to the denial of the existence of God offers an easy path towards self-destruction. Man is distancing himself from God, distorting thus the image of God after which he was created, by rejecting God's work in his life. Consequently, man treats his fellow human beings unjustly, mistreats the creatures entrusted to him by God, damages the earth and corrupts nature.

Despite humanity's distance from God, God promised salvation to mankind, as expressed through the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9: 6)…

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, all over this Apostolic See

"Bethlehem has opened Eden: come let us see!... come, let us seize Paradise hidden in the cave! ... here the Virgin has borne a child, quenching Adam’s thirst..."

With these words, voicing the hymnographer, the Holy Church invites us to contemplate the Nativity of Christ. The Nativity of Christ is the birth of light and the birth of hope in the journey of our lives. His nativity is the birth of our humanity yearning for the elixir of eternity. His nativity is the birth of joy dispelling the darkness of worldly preoccupations.

In poor Bethlehem, the humble Enriching-God came to us. A child came to us from a virgin mother to quench the thirst of our hearts and humanity for the Creator…

His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Catholic Family, visited his brother His Beatitude Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi, Greek Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, at the Patriarchate headquarters in Damascus, Syria, in the presence of a group of Priests.

His Holiness Pope Francis launches a heartfelt appeal for an end to the “terrorism” of war, and condemns an [Israeli] military attack on Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Parish, which killed two Christian women and destroyed a convent of the Missionaries of Charity.

By Devin Watkins

His Holiness Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for an end to the war ravaging the Holy Land, praying especially for Christians holed up in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.

At the Angelus Prayer, His Holiness Pope Francis said he continues to receive troubling news from Gaza, where “unarmed civilians are the targets of bombings and gunfire.”

Following the murder of two women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, on Saturday 16 December 2023, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement, which you can find its full text.

The Armenian Evangelical Pastors and Spouses in Lebanon met in KCHAG for a one-day gathering on 9 December 2023. Despite the cold and rainy weather, a warm atmosphere reigned among those present as they spent time in worship and discussion.

Rev. Hovhannes Svadjian presented a Reflection for the day, taking up the Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Corinth to increase in the grace of God. He exhorted the assembly to have this same positive attitude during all types of trials.

In 2023 the Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church and Secondary School of Aleppo celebrated their 100th anniversary, with both the Church and the school planning events to celebrate these twin occasions.

On December 4 the “Tehlirian” Hall of the newly-constructed Armenian Evangelical community headquarters in Aleppo hosted an Exhibition-Lecture dedicated to the 100th anniversaries of the Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church and School. The program included an exhibition of historic photos, performances and lectures. Civil and community representatives, as well as the Archbishops of the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic communities, were present. Offering lectures were Levon Sharoyan, Maria Kaprielian and the Church’s pastor and Syria’s Armenian Evangelical Community Head Rev. Dr. Haroutiun Selimian.