Archbishop Boulos Yaziji and Archbishop Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim

A Statement Issued by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East

On the occasion of the 11th year on the abduction of the two Archbishops Boulos Yazigi and Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim, we publish below the joint statement issued by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East:

Joint Statement

‏Eleven Years Since the Kidnapping of the Archbishops of Aleppo

Beloved Brethren and Spiritual Children,

Eleven years have passed since the calamity of Aleppo. Eleven years have passed, but this calamity did not turn into a mere memory and remembrance,since it is deeply present in us, in the heart of every Christian and Easterner.

Eleven years, and we still recall that moment today as an absence laced with bitterness, mixed with gall, spiced with Oriental myrrh, and mingled with the leaven of hope. Eleven years, and we still recall the kidnapping of our brothers Archbishops of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi on April 22, 2013.

Through the media, the Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, addressed the faithful community with a message entitled “Recovering Our Spirit". Based on Matthew 28:5, he invited all, as we celebrate the victory of our Lord over death, to joyfully and faithfully recover our exalted Christian spirit, be filled with expectancy before the Risen Lord, and to serve Him and all people fervently and with humility. 

Residents in and around Aleppo live life on the brink of disaster

by Emily Enders Odom, Mission Communications | Special to Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Bernadette thought that she had seen the worst of it.

For well over a decade, she and her family had unflinchingly withstood Syria’s ever-worsening humanitarian and economic crisis, the country’s ongoing localized hostilities and its collapsing infrastructure.

But then — following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February 2023 — the longtime school supervisor’s own home began crumbling beneath her very feet.

19/10/2023 

“The angels of peace are weeping bitterly” (Isaiah 33:7)

As fellow Shepherds we add our voices to those of our Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches of Jerusalem.

 We care deeply for every human life, whether [Israeli] or Palestinian, created in the image and likeness of God. We weep for all victims and offer our deepest condolences to all who have been bereaved or injured.

 In less than two weeks tragically more than 1,500 [Israelis] and 3,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 1,000 children, as well as medical and UN personnel and journalists. We condemn unequivocally the indiscriminate killing of all civilians both [Israelis] and Palestinians.

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the highest decision-making body of the WCC, convened in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 15th to the 18th. This is the first time the Central Committee has met in person since the beginning of the pandemic.

The plenary focused primarily on preparing for the 11th WCC Assembly, which will take place in September of this year, in Karlsruhe, Germany, under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

His Holiness Pope Francis reminds the faithful that The Tenth World Meeting of Families is scheduled to take place in Rome this week.

By Linda Bordoni

His Holiness Pope Francis on Sunday reminded Catholics that the Tenth World Meeting of Families (#WMOF22) will kick off in Rome on Wednesday, 22 June.

WMOF is the acronym for World Meeting of Families, created by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1994.

Organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, the theme for this year’s edition is “Family Love: A Vocation and Path to Holiness”.

On June 17, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, visited the camp of the elementary students of the Patriarchal Center for Religious Education, at St. Vincent Center in Saydnaya. The camp’s theme is inspired by the verse from I Corinthians 10: 23: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient”.

Sunday 6/19 June 2022, the last Sunday of the Pentecostarion period was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem as the Sunday of All Saints, namely of all the Holy Patriarchs of the Old Testament, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Preachers, Evangelists, Ascetics of the fruit of the Grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, which was sent down on the day of the Holy Pentecost.

This feast was celebrated at the chapel dedicated to All Saints in the Holy Monastery of Sayda Naya.

On Saturday afternoon, 5/18 June 2022, His Beatitude Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Patriarch Theophilos III, was invited to bless a concert at the Notre-Dame hotel, which consisted of most of the great spiritual compositions of the great composer Sergei Rachmaninov.

The musical concert was held for the centenary anniversary of the founding of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) and the one-hundred and fiftieth anniversary since the birth of the great composer Sergei Rachmaninov.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Excellencies and priests,

May the Lord give you peace!

The celebration of this Solemnity, which takes place every year here at the Holy Sepulcher, brings us back to the heart of the Church's mission and the priestly life of each of us.

This year, the Gospel passage, rich in many insights for reflection and prayer, helps us again to understand the meaning of the Eucharist, this Mystery of Faith, and its relation to our lives.

ERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM – To mark the feast day of St Anthony of Padua, special patron and protector of the Custody of the Holy Land as well as patron saint of the Antonian Charitable Society, a home for the elderly located in Bethlehem, the faithful of the Holy Land attended several Masses and celebrations in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Bethlehem.

St Anthony of Padua was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, in a noble family whose wealth allowed him to study at a time when illiteracy was common. At the age of fifteen, he joined the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross of Coimbra, a Catholic religious order that followed the Rule St Augustine. Soon attracted by the lifestyle of Franciscan friars, whom he met while in Coimbra, he decided to join them after learning of the death of five friars beheaded in Morocco for attempting to promote Christianity in the country. Inspired by their martyrdom, he joined a hermitage in Olivais and changed his name from Fernando to Anthony (a dedication to St Anthony the Great, an Egyptian monk).

The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was convened, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, during a session led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos III, with attendance from the members of the Holy Synod.

Several issues related to ecclesiastical and pastoral administrative affairs of the holy places were among the matters discussed.

On June 15, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, visited the Melqart Pharmaceutical Factory accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Andrey Nikolaevich, Russian Deputy Minister of Health.

Continuing his catechesis on the value of old age at the General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis invites the elderly to overcome the temptation to stand aside, because the Lord never discards them, but rather restores their strength to serve.

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

During the Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis continues his catechesis series on the elderly, reflecting on the account of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law in the Gospel of Mark

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and on behalf of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, three young priests participated in the Oriental Orthodox Churches’ study visit to the Vatican organized by the Pontifical Council for the Christian Unity, from May 30th to June 6th, 2022.

The program was launched in 2020 but was shortly interrupted due to the pandemic.

On June 15, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, presided over the evening prayer at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma – Damascus.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Cyril Babi, Patriarchal Vicar for the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Damascus, Mor Yacoub Babawi, Patriarchal Vicar for Monks Affairs and the Administration of Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary in Maarat Saydnaya, Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, and Armenian Orthodox Archbishop of Damascus Armash Nalbandian, were present at the evening prayer.

On June 15, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, celebrated the Holy Qurobo for the feast of the Syriac Martyrs of Sayfo, on the altar of the Martyrs of Sayfo, at Mor Aphrem Monastery in Maarat Saydnaya.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered his weekly sermon in the meeting of Wednesday 15 June 2022, from St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria; in the presents of a number of church’s pontiffs, the sermon was also broadcast on Christian satellite channels, Official Website of Coptic Orthodox Church and C.O.C channel of the Church’s media center on the Internet.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II started a new educational series entitled “The Concept of Marriage Union”, where he dealt with the first of its episodes today about “Intellectual Union” through the fifth chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, which is read in the wreath prayers (the Sacred Mystery of Marriage).

On June 15, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, congratulated the seminarians of Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary in Maarat Saydnaya, on the occasion of the end of the academic year.

On Sunday, June 12th, 2022, under the auspices of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian celebrated Divine Liturgy and performed the ordination of three Seminarians—Yervant Yeghyayan, Antranig Minassian and Serge Keosherian—­as deacons, who were led to the alter by V. Rev. Fr. Kevork Karageozian.