Dear brothers and sisters,

Dear Mr. President Mahmoud Abbas, and representatives of the State of Palestine,

Dear Representative of His Majesty, King Abdallah II of Jordan,

Your Excellencies, Consuls General and members of the diplomatic corps,

May the Lord give you peace!

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy.” (Is. 9,2-3).

Once again we meet each other here in Bethlehem, in this Holy Place, to thank, praise and celebrate the wonderful event of the Savior’s birth. Once again, with the prophet Isaiah, we proclaim to the whole world that a great light has appeared before our eyes and that a great joy has filled our hearts, “for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” (Titus 2:11): Jesus Christ the Redeemer.

On December 21, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, hosted the annual Christmas Retreat for the Clergy in Damascus.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude Joseph Absi, Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and His Excellency Cardinal Mario Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus, also participated in the retreat.

The Christian Hierarchs, priests, monks, and nuns participated in the retreat which was held at St. Georges Patriarchal Cathedral in Bab Touma, Syria.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, congratulated the Christian Churches that will celebrate Christmas this Sunday. This was at the start of the weekly meeting of His Holiness on Wednesday 21 December 2022, and H.H. said: I would like to congratulate our Christian brethren from Christian Churches that will celebrate Christ this Sunday, the 25th of December, according to the Western Calendar”. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II then added: “Our Christmas celebration is one celebration all over the world, but the difference between the Eastern and Western Calendars makes a difference of 13 days between them.

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, extend our greetings to Christians around the world with the same spirit of awe and wonder experienced by those present in Bethlehem at the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As St. John the Evangelist would later proclaim, the birth of Christ was the glorious manifestation of God Incarnate, the Word-Made-Flesh, full of grace and truth. It revealed to humanity the deep and abiding love of God for all his people: that the Almighty would deign to be born among them, both fully human and fully divine.

In this act of compassion, Christ joined in the world’s suffering, enduring with the Holy Family the many struggles of life under occupation. These included threats of violence, forced registration, family displacement, and existence as refugees in a foreign land.

T H E O D O R O S II’

BY THE GRACE OF GOD POPE AND PATRIARCH

OF ALEXANDRIA, THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT AND ALL AFRICA

TO THE PLENITUDE OF

THE APOSTOLIC AND PATRIARCHAL THRONE OF THE

APOSTOLIC AND PATRIARCHAL THRONE OF ALEXANDRIA

GRACE AND MERCY AND PEACE

FROM OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST

BORN IN BETHLEHEM

“Christ is born, glorify Him. Christ from heaven. Let us go to meet Him”

My dear and blessed brothers and sisters,

With these beautiful words, the hymnographer presents the great Mystery of the Lord’s Birth. God the great and incomprehensible becomes a visible and palpable man. Christ descends from heaven and is born on earth.

You can find below the Christmas Message 2022 issued by His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church

By the Mercy of the Almighty God
John X
Patriarch of Antioch and all the East

My brothers, shepherds of the Holy Church of Antioch
My sons and daughters, wherever present in this Holy See,

"Glorify, my soul, the king born in a cave." The hymnologist addresses himself and the soul of each of us in this splendid season, the season of the Nativity of Christ. It is a call to every soul to contemplate the greatness of a Heavenly King who preferred the coldness of the cave to the lavish couches of kings. He is the unique King

“Let Heaven greatly rejoice, let earth make merry;

the Lamb of God is born upon the earth for our sake,

and He granteth the whole world His divine redemption”.

(Sessional Hymn, Christmas Matins)

Today, the human race everywhere rejoices and is glad. The whole creation rejoices. The whole world celebrates, because “the unheard has been heard”, the things hushed up for centuries have been revealed. What are these unheard things, for which “the world that has heard them is dancing?” It is the joyful news that God’s promises have been fulfilled. That the visions of the prophets have been openly revealed, and the expectations of the nations have been fulfilled.

On December 20, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, inaugurated the “Christmas Market 2022” in the garden of the Syriac Martyrs in Damascus, Syria.

St. Aphrem Patriarchal Syriac Scouts performed on the musical instruments the different special melodies for Christmas. Then St. Ephrem Patriarchal Choir performed a group of Syriac hymns and folk songs on the occasion of Christmas.

The long-standing tradition of exchanging Christmas greeting by Heads of Churches in Jerusalem with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was carried out on Monday January 10, in the main hall in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The first to arrive were the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, led by The Custos His Paternity Father Francesco Patton, who was warmly greeted by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos and the Bishops attending. During the meeting, His Beatitude thanked the Franciscan Brotherhood for their visit and emphasized the importance of the ongoing collaboration between the churches caring for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the joint insistence for the autonomous status of the Holy Places, which “have been the foundation of our resolve confronting the challenges we are facing,” which only led to further deepening the cooperation between the two Brotherhoods.

On Monday, December 6/18, 2022, the Feast of Holy Father Nikolaos, Bishop of Myron of Lycia, was celebrated by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem,.

During this Feast, the Church remembers that St. Nikolaos was the Bishop of Myra of Lycia who “gained the high places through humility, the rich through poverty” throughout his life, and especially as Bishop of Myra of Lycia, he defended the “one essence” of our Lord Jesus Christ with the Father, worthy of God’s gift to work miracles, by which he helped many, especially the seafarers.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the University of Balamand Dr. Elias Warrak, have launched the 1,000 pine trees planting project at the University of Balamand’s main campus - Koura, Lebanon, as part of the UOB Christmas Village.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, the relics of Saint Jacob of Nisibis were brought out of the Cilicia Museum and placed in St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Lebanon, during the Vespers service on Friday, December 16th, 2022, which was led by His Eminence Arch. Shahan Sarkissian.  

On Saturday, the 4th/17th of December 2022, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of the Holy Glorious Great Martyr Barbara in her chapel, located in the southeast wing of the Church of the Holy Monastery of Saint Nikolaos, on the south side and very close to the Patriarchate.

On this holiday, the Church remembers that Saint Barbara lived in the time of Maximian in Nicomedia and confessed Christ, was tortured and beheaded by her own father Dioscorus in the year 290 AD.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One True God, Amen

We, Patriarchs, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East,

Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East,

Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch,

Cardinal Mar Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldeans in Iraq and the World,

And Mar Awa III Royel, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq and the World,

We thank God for granting us to gather in His holy name as brothers and church shepherds together in this official meeting of the Patriarchs of the Syriac heritage churches, at the invitation of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.

In our meeting, we discussed, through research and study, issues of common interest…

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Patriarch of Jerusalem and all of Palestine, joined the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, on Wednesday 14 December, to attend the annual Christmas reception hosted by His Majesty King Abdullah II, King of Jordan.

During the reception His Beatitude gave the following speech: 

Your Majesty,

Your Royal Highnesses,

Esteemed Members of the Government,

Beloved Leaders of our Religious Communities

Your Eminences,

Your Graces,

Reverend Fathers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We greet you, Your Majesty, in this festive season, in which our region has the privilege of holding the festival of the light of justice, even in a world, and in a time, when there is deep confusion and despair…

On December 16, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, inaugurated the First Meeting of the Patriarchs of the Syriac Churches, at the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Residence in Atchaneh, Lebanon.

The Heads of the Syriac Churches: His Beatitude Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Holiness Patriarch Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and His Beatitude Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Mar Raphael Louis Sako, also participated in the meeting.

JERUSALEM - On December 13th, 2022, the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL) organized a conference for the launching of two new offices: the Safeguarding Office & the Professional Legal Office, which aim to provide support and advice to the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

The conference, which included opening speeches by His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Mgr Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy Land, was meant to present the purpose of these offices to the religious congregations and institutes of the Holy Land.

In this Advent season, which prepares us for Christmas, we, as Pastors of our communities, feel the need to express some concerns, about the political and social life of our communities, that occupy our hearts at this time.

A new government is going to be formed in Israel, which we hope will bring political stability. However, we want to express our concerns about the political context in which this government is being formed and about the gradual deterioration of the general social and political situation in the Holy Land.

Certain statements made by members who are part of the governmental coalition are very divisive toward the Arab or otherwise non-Jewish community. They are contrary to the spirit of peaceful and constructive coexistence among the various communities that make up our society. Such statements favor those in this country who want division. Create distrust and resentment. The lay the groundwork for further violence. Violence in language inevitably, sooner or later, turns into physical violence as well.

On December 12th, 2022, in the city of Bethlehem, the director of the Caritas Baby Hospital, Mr. Issa Bandak, the Dorothy Sisters working there as well as members of the staff welcomed to the hospital's chapel His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to exchange Christmas greetings for the Advent season. 

After a reading of the Gospel, the Patriarch said a few words to thank the work done by the hospital, and to remind all to look with love, in order to see differently, during this time of waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ.