At the concluding Mass of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, His Holiness Pope Francis encourages us to be like Bartimaeus in today's Gospel and "entrust our blindness to the Lord" in order to be "a missionary Church that walks with her Lord through the streets of the world."

By Thaddeus Jones

Marking the conclusion of the XVIth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis presided over the Synod's closing Mass on Sunday, 27 October, in Saint Peter's Basilica. The Pope gave thanks to the Lord for the "journey we have made together" in the Synod on Synodality that began three years ago with local, regional and continental meetings, and culminated in month-long October meetings at the Vatican in 2023 and concluding in 2024.

In his final address at the Synod Assembly, His holiness Pope Francis presents the Synod's Final Document as a "threefold gift."

By Linda Bordoni

Addressing the Synod Assembly on Saturday evening, His Holiness Pope Francis highlighted how the Final Document, written over the course of the 2nd Session of the Synod on Sinodality that began on 2 October following a process of listening and dialogue, is the fruit of over three years of listening to the People of God. It reveals, he noted, a shared path forward toward a "synodal Church" that embodies the Gospel not merely through words but through every act and interaction.

This XVIth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod will officially conclude on Sunday, 27 October, with the celebration of Holy Mass in St. Peter's Basilica presided over by Pope Francis.

On Saturday, October 13/26, 2024, The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the repatriation of the holy relic of our Holy Father, Savva the Sanctified.

On this feast, the Church of Jerusalem commemorates that after the lifting of anathemas between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, the meeting of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras with Pope John Paul VI in the Holy Land, and the beginning of the Theological Dialogue between the Churches, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem asked the Roman Catholic Church for the relic of Saint Savva, which the Crusaders had taken to Venice. It was given back to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and returned to Jerusalem on November 13th/26th 1965.

After the exhibition veneration in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for one week, the holy relic was placed again in the Holy Monastery, which the Holy One founded and remains there as a treasure and a source of strength and healing for those who live in ascesis therein and its pilgrims.

On Saturday, October 26th, 2024, His Beatitude Cardinal Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the yearly celebrations for the Feast of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, the main patroness of the Diocese, by presiding over a Solemn Mass, and procession, at the Shrine of Our Lady, in Deir Rafat.

In the face of adversity, over 2,000 Christians came together at the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Palestine in a spirit of devotion and prayer. Among the assembly were clergy, religious men and women, Seimnarists, Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulcher, the Knights of Malta, students from the Christian schools of Jerusalem, and faithful from various parishes of the diocese. In one voice they lifted their burdened hearts to heaven, praying for the Church and the people of the land, asking Our Lady to shield the Holy Land from all harm and renew their hearts with courage, faith, and love.  

His Beatitude Youssef ABSI elected member from the Eastern Catholic Churches

Vatican, 23 October 2024

During the 15th General Congregation of the Synod of Bishops, the new members of the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod were elected.

Compared to the current Instruction, which regulates the work of the Assembly, the Holy Father made a change that brings the total number of members to 17, twelve of whom were elected in the afternoon from among the diocesan / eparchial bishops or equivalent who are members of this Assembly: 1 from the Eastern Catholic Churches, 1 from Oceania, 2 respectively from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

On Monday, October 22nd, 2024, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches. concluded his pontifical visit with Detroit as his final destination, marking the culmination of his official travels. Upon his arrival with his delegation, His Holiness engaged in a series of meetings with various community bodies and institutions. On Wednesday, October 24th, parishioners were invited to meet and receive his pontifical blessing following the “Hrashapar” ceremony at Detroit’s Sourp Sarkis Church.

Dear Excellencies, 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,  

May the Lord give you peace! 

As we do every year, we have returned here, at the feet of the Patroness of our diocese, the Queen of Palestine, to pray first and foremost for our Church, for our Holy Land and for all the peoples who inhabit it. And as so often, we must bring our pain and weariness to the feet of the Virgin. Once again, we are forced to express all our tiredness with this war, which has worn us all down, as never before. I will not repeat what I have said far too often about the war. Never in the last few decades have we seen so much violence and hatred. It is becoming difficult to see a light in this long night of suffering. 

On Friday, October 25, 2024, at the Pro-Cathedral, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the yearly Mass in honor of the accomplishments and dedication of the Charitable Society of St. Vincent in their service to the local community. Concelebrating was Fr. Amjad Sabbara, the parish priest of Jerusalem, along with several other priests. The Mass was attended by representatives from the Italian and Belgian consulates, as well as members of the Society of St. Vincent in Jerusalem

In his homily, His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa reflected on the life and legacy of Saint Vincent, highlighting his remarkable qualities of love and determination. He noted the profound changes St. Vincent brought to the Church and society at the time, particularly regarding caring for the poor and creating new opportunities for lay women to dedicate themselves in service of God and the other through daily life; as back then their roles were largely confined to contemplative life.

On the evening of Wednesday, October 23, 2024, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon at the Wednesday meeting, from St Mary's Church in Zamalek. The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels, the official website of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and the C.O.C channel of the Church’s media center online.

Before the start of the meeting, His Holiness opened the “Trinity” Center for Youth Service, which is an educational, qualifying and developmental center for youth. It relies on modern methods that suit the needs of the current age, and provides various services to the youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in several spiritual, social, cultural, and technological fields.

Then he prayed the raising of incense of vespers. A number of the church’s bishops, Father Sergius Sergius (the Deputy General of the Patriarchate in Cairo), the church’s priests, and a number of other priests participated with him.

The 2024–2025 academic year at the Armenian Theological Seminary commenced with a special ceremony on Monday, October 14, 2024, with the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches. The Seminary community convened in the “Prapion Doumanian” hall, where returning students presented a brief artistic program and new students were warmly welcomed to their new home.

Mark 10:46-52

We are now at the gates of Jerusalem, and what we read today (Mark 10:46-52) is the last of the miracles reported by the evangelist Mark. It is the last, and it is also an indicative miracle with deep symbolic meaning.

The protagonist is a blind man and, strangely enough, Mark mentions the name of this blind man: Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46).

This is the only case in which we know the name of a person whom Jesus heals, and this is no coincidence.

By mentioning the name, the evangelist wants to establish a connection between Bartimaeus and the other people in the Gospel whose names are known, namely the disciples. Bartimaeus is in fact the figure of the disciple, the one who follows Jesus on his way to Jerusalem.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, was warmly received by the Armenian community of Waukegan at the entrance of The St. Paul Armenian Apostolic Church, led by the pastor, Rev. Fr. Daron Stepanian.

On Sunday, October 20, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over the Divine Liturgy at All Saints’ Church in Chicago, assisted by the Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, HE Arch. Anoushavan Tanielian, and the Prelate of Canada, HE Arch. Papken Tcharian. His Holiness delivered a sermon based on John 6:35, which states, “I am the bread of life,” emphasizing the significance of spiritual nourishment over mere physical sustenance. He stated that through participation in the Holy Liturgy, where Christ offers His body for the forgiveness of sins, believers may partake of this spiritual “Christ-bread” and remain steadfast in the values communicated in the Bible.

His Holiness Pope Francis reiterates his appeal for peace in the world, saying the fatality statistics coming from Ukraine are “terrible" and that Palestine is suffering "inhumane attacks."

By Kielce Gussie

At the end of his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis once again made an appeal for peace in the world.

The Pope explained he had received statistics on the number of deaths in Ukraine, calling it “terrible.”

During the 105th Annual Meeting of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) held in Montreal (October 17-20, 2024), Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family with the representatives of the UAECNE presented the medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East to the leadership of the AMAA, the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches of France, the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches of Eurasia, and the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, and his pontifical delegation arrived in Chicago and were warmly received by the Armenian community at All Saints’ Armenian Apostolic Church. During the visit, His Holiness engaged with the youth, bodies of the church, and sister organizations.

The Armenian community in Wisconsin warmly welcomed His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, during his visit to Racine’s Sourp Hagop Church on Thursday, October 17, 2024. The faithful participated in the “Hrashapar” ceremony, followed by a heartfelt message from His Holiness. He quoted Psalm 121:1, emphasizing that the church is not merely a building, but the house of God. He reminded the faithful that their gatherings within the church hold deep spiritual significance. The Catholicos stressed that while the physical church was built by the hands of the Armenian people, it was God who called them to this mission. Within this sacred space, Armenian values, traditions, and ideals have been formed and nurtured.

On October 18, 2024, 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, inaugurated the second conference of the Syriac Scouts of Syria at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma, Damascus.

Most Reverend Excellencies, 
Most Reverend Father Custos, 
Dear brothers and sisters, 
may the Lord give you peace! 

(opening greetings) 

Yesterday, we had the immense joy of witnessing the canonization, alongside others, of the martyrs of Damascus. Today, we gather to give thanks to the Lord for their powerful testimony, now officially recognized and declared by the authority of the Church as a model for all, through the proclamation of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. 

His Holiness Pope Francis presides at the Canonization Mass for 14 new Saints, including 11 martyrs killed in Syria for refusing to renounce their faith, and upholds their Christian witness by noting they lived Jesus’ way of service.

By Linda Bordoni

Father Manuel Ruiz López and his seven companions, the brothers Francis, Mooti, and Raphael Massabki, Father Joseph Allamano, Sister Marie Leonie Paradis, and Sister Elena Guerra, canonized by His Holiness Pope Francis on Sunday, each exemplified heroic virtue and bore witness to holiness within their unique vocations.

As the Pope noted in his homily at the Canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square on World Mission Sunday, “These new saints lived Jesus’ way: service.”