
NEWS
Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
Damascus, July 19, 2025
For days now, before the eyes of the entire world, violence has been afflicting our people in Swayda. For days, attempts at resolution and calming the situation have been ongoing, to no avail. What is happening in Suwayda disgraces humanity.
Since the outbreak of the recent events, Patriarch JOHN X has been closely monitoring the situation on the ground through direct and continuous communication with Metropolitan Antonios Saad, Archbishop of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal al-Arab. His Beatitude is also following the situation through contacts with all local authorities and communities in the area and its surroundings, foremost among them the Sheikh al-Aql of the Druze community in Lebanon.
His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II celebrated the Holy Qurobo and the Funeral Service of the Thrice Blessed Archbishop Mor Gregorius Saliba Shemoun
On July 20, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches celebrated the Holy Qurobo and the Funeral Service of the Thrice Blessed Archbishop Mor Gregorius Saliba Shemoun, at the Lady of the Light Cathedral in Erbil.
Decisions of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
The Holy Synod of Jerusalem was convened at the Patriarchate in Jerusalem on Monday, July 21, 2025 (West), in its session chaired by His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Jordan, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, in the presence of the honorable members of the Holy Synod. His Beatitude discussed with the members of the Holy Synod several issues pertaining to the Patriarchate’s administrative, ecclesiastical, and pastoral affairs, which serve the Patriarchate, its monasteries, shrines, churches, clergy, and people.
Patriarchs of Jerusalem in a Solidarity Visit: His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — “You Are Not Alone!”
Amid the ruins of war and the pain of long days, the Holy Family Latin Parish in Gaza continues to stand firm—offering a living witness to faith and Christian resilience. The presence of their shepherd among them became a source of comfort and strength, as on the morning of Friday, July 18, 2025, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and honorary President of the Middel East Council of Churches, paid a joint solidarity visit to Gaza at the head of an ecclesial delegation, bearing a message of pastoral communion from the Churches of the Holy Land and reaffirming their spiritual and human closeness to the people of Gaza.
Cardinal Pizzaballa has long been committed to visiting the Holy Family Parish in Gaza twice a year. Yet this most recent visit became, in itself, a miracle and a door of hope amid the ongoing conflict. The Cardinal remained with the parish community for three days, during which he closely followed their spiritual and material needs and worked earnestly to address them. He listened with deep paternal compassion to the stories and concerns of his parishioners.
The 16th Sunday Mass in Gaza: Transcript of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa's Homily
Dear brothers and Sisters,
I am happy to be again among you in these tragic days. It was important to be here with Patriarch Theophilos, to show the unity of the Church and the solidarity of all the Churches in the world with you. The other Churches of Jerusalem are a bit jealous of Patriarch Theophilos and me, because they all wanted to be here. This is to say that everyone is present here with you in spirit and ready to support. Allow me to reiterate again that we as Christians, don’t think only about Christians. Our heart is open to all. It is important to stress that. We are thankful for all what we have been able to do for you here, but we are also concerned for all what is happening in all Gaza.
You are not forgotten. You are in the hearts of all Churches and Christians of the world. When I get back to Jerusalem, I can assure you that we will do all what is possible to stop this senseless war. We will work on it, and in the end, we will succeed.
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV calls His Beatitude Patriarch Pizzaballa to express closeness after Gaza parish attack
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has called His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem enters Gaza to visit the Holy Family Catholic Church after the Israeli strike that killed 3 people and injured several others taking refuge there.
By Devin Watkins
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, made a visit on Friday to the only Catholic parish in Gaza, along with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and honorary President of the Middel East Council of Churches.
His Holiness Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza during phone call with [Israeli] PM Netanyahu
In the wake of the Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak by phone, with the Pope reaffirming the urgent need to protect places of worship and achieve a ceasefire.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Amid the ongoing turmoil in the Holy Land, Pope Leo XIV and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Friday.
Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for the Syriac Orthodox Church Announces the Passing away of the late Patriarchal Advisor, Archbishop Mor Gregorios Saliba Shamoun, of blessed memory
"So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house". (Luke 1:23)
With hearts that find solace in the Lord’s victory over death and in the promise of resurrection and eternal life, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, announces the passing of His Eminence Mor Gregorios Saliba Shamoun, Patriarchal Advisor, who departed this life on Friday, July 18, 2025, having completed his days of service with faithfulness and love.
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III and His Beatitude Cardinal Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa in Gaza: The Church’s Humanitarian Presence Amid Catastrophe Is a Sacred Duty
Jerusalem – July 18, 2025
His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and honorary President of the Middel East Council of Churches, and His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, commenced this morning a pastoral and humanitarian visit to the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a high-ranking Christian delegation. The visit aims to closely follow the condition of their faithful, who have been enduring a relentless humanitarian catastrophe for over twenty-one months, and to directly oversee the relief efforts provided by the churches to support the steadfastness of those in Gaza who have lost their homes, safety, and access to medicine. This visit stands as a living embodiment of the unity of the Church in the face of the deepening human suffering in the Strip.
His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, is likewise undertaking a visit to Gaza, joining his brother in Christ, Patriarch Theophilos III, in a powerful expression of ecclesial unity and fraternal solidarity in the face of the deepening human suffering in the Strip.
Press Release from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
PRESS Communiqué
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
18 July 2025
Jerusalem – Gaza
Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III
head Ecclesiastical Delegation to Gaza Following Strike on Church Compound
In the aftermath of the grievous strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, entered Gaza this morning as part of an ecclesiastical delegation, expressing the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza.
Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem following the strike that targeted the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza
Jerusalem Patriarchate
July 17, 2025
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its deepest condemnation and denunciation of the strike that targeted the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. This strike caused extensive damage and casualties to the parish complex, endangering the lives of innocent people, especially those with special needs and displaced persons seeking safe shelter within the church.
Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 people with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war.
The bombing destroyed large parts of the complex, and those with special needs were forced to evacuate the area, some of whom were unable to receive the respirators they rely on for survival, posing a direct threat to their lives…
Meditation of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa for the XVI Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Luke 10:38-42
In salvation history, something new happens every time the Lord enters a person’s home and life.
It can happen that an ordinary man or woman becomes a leader (like Moses, for example), that a barren woman becomes pregnant (like Sarah), that a dead person is resurrected (like Lazarus), that the story, in short, takes a completely different turn...
When this happens, we usually find ourselves on the brink of despair: a people long enslaved and exhausted, a barren couple without hope, enemies who humiliate and leave no escape. This happens so that it becomes clear that it is God who works salvation. And it is also clear that God intervenes gratuitously, without asking for anything in return. He chooses a people, a family, a person precisely because of their poverty, their need for salvation, because he loves them…
What is the story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel?
What is the story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel? [1]
Mount Carmel has been a place of Prayer and closeness to God since the time of the prophet Elijah in the 10th century before Christ (cf. 1 Kings 18:41ff). It was also the site where Elijah’s Prayer brought an end to the drought and famine that had befallen [Israel]. Because of this, the Carmelites consider Elijah one of their spiritual fathers.
The spiritual tradition continued with Christian hermits living on the mountain in persistent Prayer. In the 12th century, the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was officially founded.
In the 13th century, during a time of persecution, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite Prior, on July 16, 1251, giving him the Brown Scapular. She promised: “This is a privilege for you and the order: whoever dies wearing the Scapular will be saved.”
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV calls for Prayers for peace and those suffering due to war
At the conclusion of the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV asked everyone to pray for all those who are suffering and in need due to war, while recalling Saturday's beatification in Barcelona of Marist Brother Licarion May, who was killed in the early 1900s out of hatred for the faith.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
Following the catechesis of Sunday's Angelus, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV called on everyone to pray for peace and to remember all who are suffering due to violence and war and find themselves in need.
The words echoed what he had expressed earlier in his homily during the Mass over which he presided on Sunday morning at the parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova when he spoke about the wounded man in the parable of the Good Samaritan and how violence and poverty destroy dreams and lives.
The Feast of the Holy, Glorious, and all-praised Twelve Apostles at the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem
On Sunday, 30 June / 13 July 2025, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostles at the Patriarchal Holy Monastery dedicated to them. This monastery is located near the city of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias, at the place where the Lord appeared to His disciples, as recorded by the Evangelist John and read in the 10th Matins Gospel: “After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing…” (John 21:1–3)
At this beautiful seaside Holy Monastery, His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over Great Vespers on the eve of the feast and led the festive Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on the day itself. Concelebrating with Him were their Eminences Metropolitans Kyriakos of Nazareth and Makarios of Ptolemais, the Elder Chief Secretary Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, and the Secretary of the Holy Synod Archimandrite Christodoulos, together with priests from the surrounding areas, Archdeacon Mark, Hierodeacon Prodromos, and the faithful of the region.
Statement issued by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem during a solidarity visit to Taybeh town
We, the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem, are here today in Taybeh in solidarity with the local community following an intensifying trend of systemic and targeted attacks against them and their presence. We ask for the prayers, attention, and action of the world, particularly that of Christians globally.
On Monday, 7 July 2025, radical [Israelis] from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of Saint George, which dates back to the 5th century. Taybeh is the last remaining all-Christian town in the West Bank. These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community first and foremost, but also to the historic and religious heritage of our ancestors and holy sites. In the face of such threats, the greatest act of bravery is to continue to call this your home. We stand with you, we support your resilience, and you have our prayers.
We give thanks for the local residents and firefighters for extinguishing the fire before our holy sites were destroyed, but we join voices with the local priests - Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Melkite Greek Catholic - issuing a clear plea for support in the face of repeated, systematic attacks from these radicals, which are only growing more frequent.
In recent months, the radicals have led their cattle to graze on the farms of Christians on the east side of Taybeh - the agricultural area - rendering them inaccessible at best but at worst damaging the olive groves that families depend on. Last month, several homes were attacked by these radicals, lighting fires and erecting a billboard that said, translated into English, “there is no future for you here”.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II Inaugurates the World Service Week for Youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church Worldwide
On Saturday, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, inaugurated the fifth Service Week for the youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church from around the world at Karma House in King Mariout.
The opening ceremony included a documentary showcasing the history of the Logos Gatherings from 2018 until now. Afterwards, the youth engaged in a discussion with His Holiness, discussing topics related to service, the work of the apostles, and comparisons between the past and the present.
His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III celebrates the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul at the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem
On Saturday, the 29th of June/12th of July 2025, the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the commemoration of the Holy, Glorious, and Chief of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.
Their sacred memory was honoured in the Church dedicated to their names, which celebrates its patronal feast, located within the Holy Monastery at the city of Capernaum—a place frequently mentioned in the Holy Gospels, now lying in ruins upon the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias.
In honour of these two foremost Apostles, the Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Their Eminences Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Metropolitan Makarios of Ptolemais, and the Elder Chief Secretary, His Eminence Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, together with Archimandrite Christodoulos, priests from the neighbouring regions, including the Russian-speaking priest of Capernaum, Fr Mark, Archdeacon Fr Mark, and Hierodeacon Prodromos.
The Stones Speak: Excavations Reshaping the History of the Holy Sepulchre
Jerusalem – Beneath the incense-filled vaults of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most intricate and profound archaeological operations in the Holy Land is unfolding. What began in 2022 as a restoration project for the church’s deteriorating floor has become a journey into the deep layers of sacred history. Led by Prof. Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University of Rome, and coordinated by the three main Christian communities— the Franciscans (Custody of the Holy Land), the Greek Orthodox, and the Armenians—in collaboration with the Antiquities Authority, this project seeks to preserve the past while protecting the present.
Restoration That Sparked Revelation
The current archaeological project stems from urgent conservation work launched in 2016, when engineers detected alarming signs of structural degradation in both the Edicule (the Tomb of Christ) and the church as a whole—including the flooring, plumbing, and ventilation systems. The urgency was both spiritual and structural.