On the occasion of the Golden Priesthood Anniversary of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, His Holiness Pope Francis sent a congratulation letter to His Beatitude, which you can find it below.

He Stresses: “Syria is one family and nothing can separate it”

Latakia, May 28, 2024

Within the context of his Pastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Latakia and its Dependencies, and at the invitation of the Archdiocesan Shepherd, His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios (Fahd), His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches, visited some religious and archaeological monuments in Jableh, such as the Sultan Mosque.

His Beatitude was accompanied by the Shepherd of the Archdiocese, Bishop Athanasios (Fahd), Archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons.

The officials who attended the visit were: the Governor of Latakia, Engineer Amer Ismail Hilal; the Secretary of the Party Branch, Comrade Haitham Ismail, represented by the Deputy Head of the Branch, Dr. Nicholas Martisho; the Chairman of the Provincial Council, Engineer Tayseer Habib; the Chairman of the City Council, Engineer Hussein Zengerli; the Member of the People's Assembly, Iskandar Haddad; the chief officers of security branches; security and military leaders, the members of branch, governorate, and city councils; the Mayor of Jableh, Eng. Ahmed Kanadil and members of the municipality council.

The Dicastery for Evangelisation releases a message for World Tourism Day 2024, themed "Tourism and Peace", and urges a commitment to fraternity and understanding amid global conflicts.

By Francesca Merlo

World Tourism Day is celebrated annually on 27 September. Ahead of the celebration this year, on the theme “Tourism and Peace”, the Dicastery for Evangelisation has released a message, highlighting the connection between precisely those two things: tourism and peace.

In the message, His Beatitude Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-Prefect of the Dicastery, underscores the essential role that cultural exchange through tourism can play in fostering peace. “The cultural exchange between peoples, which finds a privileged form in tourism, can also turn into a concrete commitment to peace,” he says.

Under the auspices of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, the 106th anniversary of the First Independence of the Republic of Armenia was marked on Sunday, May 25, 2024, at the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, Lebanon. His Eminence Archbishop Torkom Donoyan celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered a sermon. During the ceremony, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I presided over Thanksgiving Prayers for the First Armenian Republic and the requiem service for the souls who had fallen in the battle for independence.

Organized by the Armenian Evangelical Pastors’ wives committee of Lebanon, a one-day joint gathering of church women was held on the occasion of Ascension Day, Thursday, 9 May 2024, in KCHAG.

The message for the day was brought by Mrs. Maral Haidostian, who spoke about “The importance and meaning of the Ascension holiday”. She based her words on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, focusing on the confused state of the disciples following the crucifixion, and how before his ascension the Lord Jesus entrusted a mission to them, transforming them into confident witnesses…

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his Prayer intention for the month of June 2024, and invites everyone to pray for people who flee their home countries.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis' monthly Prayer intention this June is for "those fleeing their own countries."

The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The Pope Video, released on Tuesday. The Prayer intention is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network during the month in which the United Nations commemorates World Refugee Day on 20 June.

On Thursday, May 23rd, 2024, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, together with His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, attended the opening session of a conference focused on Levantine Christianity.

The conference was organized by the Hungarian Center for Levantine Christianity (HCLC) in partnership with the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate. It saw the participation of 50 individuals from various Middle Eastern countries, along with state and community representatives at the opening session.

Following the session, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I convened with the head of the Hungarian state’s ecumenical department, who was visiting Lebanon for the conference…

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, is on a Pastoral visit to the the Archdiocese of Latakia and Its Dependencies, between 25 and 29 May 2024.

In this context, you can find a report that shed light on the second day of the visit.

At a Mass in St Peter’s Square for the first World Children’s Day, His Holiness Pope Francis says that "God created us, Jesus saved us, and the Holy Spirit accompanies us throughout our life."

By Francesca Merlo

The final event of the first World Children’s Day – an event held at the request of His Holiness Pope Francis, which yesterday brought together around 50,000 young people in Rome’s Olympic Stadium – was a Mass held in St Peter’s Square.

The day was Trinity Sunday, and the Pope reflected on the feast in his homily.

Mt 28:16-20

On this feast of the Most Holy Trinity, we hear the last verses of Matthew's Gospel (Mt 28:16-20): it is the encounter of the Risen Lord with his disciples, the only encounter recounted by the evangelist. An encounter that coincides with a sending out on a mission, the mandate by which Jesus sends his disciples to carry everywhere the proclamation of the Kingdom.

Being a concluding passage, it is also a passage that summarizes so many central elements of this Gospel. We focus on some of them today.

We deduce the first element from an important verb, which occurs 57 times in the Gospel of Matthew, namely the verb to draw near (Mt 28:18): the disciples reach Galilee, where Jesus has given them an appointment through the words of the women (Mt 28:10), but it is Jesus who draws near to them, not vice versa…

As part of his Pastoral visit to the Archdiocese of Latakia and its Dependencies between 25 and 29 May 2024, 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, consecrated and inaugurated the Cathedral of Saint Georges in Latakia, on Sunday 26 May 2024. Hence, the report presents an overview about the Inauguration Service.

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, is on a Pastoral visit to the the Archdiocese of Latakia and Its Dependencies, between 25 and 29 May 2024.

In this context, you can find two reports that shed light on this visit, especially its first day.

“We have come to shake the world with the joyful cry of Christ is Risen”

Latakia, May 25, 2024

Latakia, through its land, its people, its plains and mountains, its sea and sky, have welcomed its righteous son, 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.

Upon these words and at the invitation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Shepherd of Latakia and its dependencies, His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios (Fahd); His Beatitude Patriarch ), His Beatitude Patriarch John X arrived in the city of Latakia for a pastoral visit that marks important milestones of rebirth in the history of the diocese.

At the sound of ringing bells, while carrying church flags and welcoming banners, adding to that the music played by the scouts, the whole city of Latakia welcomed His Beatitude Patriarch John X in a popular march decorated with hymns and songs that embraced the joy of the Resurrection.

After the reception, His Beatitude held a thanksgiving prayer in St. George’s Cathedral with the participation of the bishops: Athanasios Fahd (Latakia), Basilios Mansour (Akkar); Silouan Oner (Great Britain); Nicolas Baalbaki (Hama); Efrem Maalouli (Aleppo and Alexandretta), Gregory Khoury (Homs); Antoninos Saad (Houran) and their Graces Bishops: Romanos Al-Hannat, Moussa Al-Khoury, Dimitri Sharbak, Youhanna Batash, Arsanios Dahdal, Moussa Al Khasi and a group of clergymen.

During his Regina Coeli address on the Solemnity of Pentecost, His Holiness Pope Francis urges faithful to ask themselves how well they listen to the Holy Spirit, and offers suggestions on how to better do so, including meditating on the Gospel daily and staying close to the Lord in Prayer.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

May we be docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit, His Holiness Pope Francis prayed this Solemnity of Pentecost during his noon Regina Coeli address in the Vatican.

As he addressed the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square from his window of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope recalled that today we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles.

From Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Monday, May 7/20, 2024, the feast of the appearance of the sign of the Cross in the heavens was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this Feast, the whole Church and especially the Church of Jerusalem remembers that in the year 351 AD, on the day of Pentecost when Cyril was the Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Cross appeared in the sky, illuminated by the rays of the sun and was seen from the Mount of Olives as far as to the Horrendous Golgotha.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem of all ages saw this with surprise and joy and rushed out of their houses.

This wonderful event is described by Archbishop Cyril of Jerusalem in his letter to King Constantius, son of Constantine the Great.

Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

In the Gospel passage of this Pentecost Sunday (Jn 15:26-27.16:12-15), Jesus speaks to us about the work of the Holy Spirit, how the Spirit acts in us and for us.

Jesus calls the Spirit by the term ‘Paraclete’ (Jn 15:26), and it is important to understand the meaning of this term.

Paraclete means ‘The One who is called on to be near’, and it is a legal term, that of a figure who, in ancient times, appeared in trials and had a significant role in favor of the accused. In fact, in ancient trials, the accused could not have anyone speak on his behalf to defend him, as is the case today. The accused had to defend himself.

But he could have someone, a paraclete in fact, someone he trusted, whom he called to be close, who proposed the words to be said, supported him, and accompanied him.

His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, addresses Fr. Ibrahim Nino, Director of the Media Office, about his pastoral visit to Gaza, which took place from May 15th to the 19th, 2024. 

I entered Gaza during the week of Pentecost, in which we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For sure, it was a great blessing to be with the parishioners of Gaza. I was among my people who are currently enduring much suffering from the war and the destruction it has left. I brought with me the promise of a new life, and I was very surprised that they were the ones who taught me a lesson I will never forget: their steadfast faith, carried with heartwarming smiles, left a mark on me and my life.  

I saw hope and optimism in their eyes. They told me, “We will stay here. As long as the church stands with us, we are not afraid.”  I was really impressed by their attitude. 

Damascus, May 19, 2024

With the blessing and presence of 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, the Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women (the second Sunday after Easter) was held in the Church of the Holy Cross in Al-Qassaa.

On Sunday, April 29 / May 12, 2024, the Sunday of Thomas was celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this Feast, the event of the appearance of the Lord on the 8th day since the Resurrection was celebrated when Thomas was also with the other Disciples and he recognized the Lord and confessed the Lord and said: “My Lord and my God” (John, 20,28).

Damascus, May 12, 2024

With the blessing and presence of 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, the Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of Thomas the Apostle was celebrated in the Church of Saint Ananias the Apostle - Al Midan, in the presence of Their Eminences Bishops Arsenios (Dahdal) and Moussa (Al Khasi) as well as a many Priests and the faithful parishioners.