By: Henrique Abreu

HOLY LAND - The Holy Land is the only historical place where the momentous Divine Presence manifested in the flesh. The land where we can experience the 5th Gospel, as Pope Benedict XVI once said. Our salvation history is there, in the land of Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles.

By Fady Noun

The devotion began on Sunday and will end on 14 September, feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. A restless Church is preparing for hard times after exhausting itself trying to get a new government put in place. Amid the divisions among the Churches of the East, Maronites feel alone. The rifts between Christian forces have drained the patriarch.

By Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org:

Lebanon is currently going through an era that has never been likened in any country in the world. It is a period of time stained with blood shed in explosions, as well as with people being deprived of electricity, water, gasoline, medicine, bread and the Internet. The country's largest hospitals have announced their upcoming closure due to fuel oil shortages, which endangers the lives of those in need of dialysis or chemotherapy, as well as those with chronic illnesses or in need of emergency interventions.

By Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader:

Praise the Lord, one of the benefits of the “safe summer” this year, is the return of "physical" conferences that we longed for, after having held hundreds of virtual conferences that we are accustomed to, of course, which lack real participation and interaction among the participants. Accordingly, the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) held, a few days ago, the first "physical" conference after restrictions have been eased in the wake of the spread of Corona virus. The conference, patronized by Minister of Culture Ali Al-Ayed was titled, "Fratelli Tutti" (You Are All Brothers).

By V. Rev. Fr. Barouyr Shernezian

Prior to my short trip to the States, I visited His Holiness in his office to receive his blessings. I was privileged and honored to be presented with his new book entitled “Turning to God”; a diary depicting the events during the coronavirus pandemic. It was the best opportunity for me to read the book on my way to the States and write a review.

By Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader:

This message, issued by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue , has been released one month after the visit carried out by Pope Francis to fraternal Iraq, where he held a special symbolic prayer at the Chaldean town of Ur with representatives of the various religions in Iraq…

By Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader:

In his address Urbi et Orbi ('to the city [of Rome] and to the world') which he generally makes on his election as head of the Catholic Church, on Christmas day, and on Easter day, His Holiness Pope Francis touched on several general humanitarian issues that pertain to the human family in general, with particular reference to the pandemic which is still burdening the world.

By Frieda Haddad Abs

Should we come to consider the church calendars showing the date of the feasts that we celebrate, both according to the Eastern as well as well as according to the Western Church Traditions, we will find out that they all show a period of 18 to 19 weeks revolving around the celebration of Easter. And should we take a closer look, we would realize that the date of the celebration of the Feast of Easter changes from one year to another.

By Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org:

Lent is the 40-day period that precedes the grand feast marking Lord Jesus Christ’s rising from the dead following His crucifixion. It is a remarkably historic event that gave life to believers and turned over a new leaf in the future of humanity by introducing the concept of eternal life in the Kingdom of God in the presence of the Prince of Peace.

On the last day of his mandate, and before he hands over his responsibilities to a new Secretary General and take on another mission in his home country as presiding bishop for Church of Norway, Rev. Dr Olav Fyske Tveit, the outgoing general secretary of the World Council of Churches, has stated, in an interview with the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, that Christians in the Middle East convey an exceptional message as inhabitants of the cradle of Christianity and the Holy land.

“They woke him and said to him: Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

Amid the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and the increase of cases around the world, Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, president of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon and president of the MECC on behalf of the Evangelical family, addressed a spiritual letter entitled “Does Jesus really not care that we are perishing?”, which was published in the July issue of the MECC magazine "Al-Muntada". In the letter, Rev. Badr reminded us of the Gospel of Mark and compared the tragic current health situation to the great windstorm which arose on a fishing boat in the middle of the sea, as happened with Jesus and his disciples

Last week, I was asked to attend an event about youths and their role in the middle east and to be honest, I cared very little about the topic. Not only the event discussed a topic which seemed irrelevant when compared to what is at stake in the region, it was on my precious day off. On that fateful day, I drowsily woke up early and grudgingly went to the meeting as I cursed the heavens.

The Turkish court ruling, on Thursday, July 10, and the decree issued by the Turkish president on changing the status quo of historical Hagia Sophia (which means holy wisdom), officially inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, received rampant reactions worldwide. There are undeniable historical facts, and there are rights that must not be overlooked when dealing with a major event that totally transcends what has been claimed as a “local issue”, particularly based on the fact that Hagia Sophia is a “global issue”.

Judge Abbas Al-Halabi

As the culmination of Pope Francis’ visit to the United Arab Emirates, and at the occasion UAE proclaiming this year the year of tolerance, and as the result of the Pope’s meeting with the Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the "Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Coexistence" was issued, with an introduction and a conclusion.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Zohbi

With objectivity and honesty, much can be said regarding the "Document of Human Fraternity" signed by Pope Francis and the Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi (February 4, 2019). It was a historic event in every sense of the word, and it opened doors for the creation of another future of peace, openness, love and cooperation, not only between Catholicism and Islam but between all human components.

Ziad El Sayegh

 “History shows that religious extremism, national extremism and also intolerance have produced in the world, be it in the East or West, what might be referred to as signs of a “third world war being fought piecemeal”