The End of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Patriarchs of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East

The Fourteenth Meeting of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in the Middle East; His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, 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, and 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 the delegation accompanying each of them. was concluded on Friday the 10th of May’s evening at the Papal Residence in Cairo.

During the meeting, several files of common interest were discussed, most notably the topic of Christian presence in the Middle East, relations between Church families, and the Ecumenical Councils.

At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was issued containing what was agreed upon between the three Orthodox Churches.

In this concluding statement, the Heads of the three Churches congratulated His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election for a new presidential term.

While the statement expressed deep concern about the conflicts and tensions that the world is witnessing in various regions, especially the Middle East, it also expressed that the Churches join peace lovers in their condemnation of violence in all its forms, calling on the international community to take appropriate action to immediately end the aggression against Gaza, and to begin meaningful and credible negotiations to reach a lasting solution to the Palestinian-[Israeli] conflict. The statement added: “Only complete justice can ensure the restoration of comprehensive, true and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

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This news was originally publsihed on the Facebook Page of the Coptic Orthodox Church.