In his Message for Lent 2023, His Holiness Pope Francis highlights the relationship between the Lenten journey and the synodal journey, which are both rooted in tradition and open to newness.

By Christopher Wells

Personal and ecclesial “transfiguration” is the goal of the ascetical journey of Lent, and similarly of the synodal process, writes His Holiness Pope Francis in his Message for Lent 2023.

The message, signed on the Solemnity of the Conversion of St Paul and released on Friday, bears the title “Lenten Penance and the Synodal Journey.”

Fourth Day - Antioch - Tokaçlı - Sarılar

With a heart full of sorrow, and with great emotionality, the delegation of the Greek orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East began this Friday February 17, 2023 with a visit to Antioch. The delegation members were accompanied by the reverend, Father Pavlus Orduluoglu, and the president of the City’s organization, Mr. Fadi Hurigil.

The delegation witnessed, with their own eyes, the destruction that occurred as a result of the devastating earthquake, and in particular, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was completely destroyed along with all the endowments around it.

Right there,

In front of the church where the historical throne of Saint Peter the Apostle is located,

as well as the spiritual and historical legacy of the great city of God Antioch,

Words faltered to describe the horror of the great affliction.

and with prayer, full all hope;

and with throats, trembling with pain.

On February 17, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, arrived to Saint Mary Church in Istanbul where he offered a prayer of thanksgiving and prayed the special service for the Virgin Mary.

‏His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II was welcomed by His Eminence Mor Philoxenus Yusuf Cetin, Patriarchal Vicar in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, as well as the Priests, Deacons and faithful of St. Mary Church in Istanbul.

‏His Eminence welcomed His Holiness and the accompanying delegation and thanked His Holiness for his presence among his flock at these difficult times.

On Wednesday, 2nd/15th February 2023, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple at the Holy Monastery of Sayda Naya at the Christian Quarter, northeast of the Patriarchate.

On this feast the Church commemorates and honours and celebrates the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple when he was forty days old, still breastfeeding. He was brought by his parents to the Temple of Solomon with the offering of “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons”. There, Saint Simeon the God-receiver having been informed by the Holy Spirit, received the Lord in his arms and recognized Him and exclaimed, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

On February 15, 2023, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, expressed his sympathy for those affected by the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey, during his Sermon at the weekly Wednesday meeting, which hosted the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” organized by the Council of Churches of Egypt starting Wednesday 15 February 2023. His Holiness called on to pray for those affected in all forms by this disaster. Also for solutions to the war that has been going on for nearly a year, and that God gives wisdom to the leaders.

The weekly Wednesday Sermon of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, which was held at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbaseya this evening, hosted the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, organized by the Council of Churches of Egypt, under the slogan: “Learn to do good; Seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17)

The first day, February 15, 2023 was attended by representatives of member churches of the Council of Churches of Egypt. The Co-Secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Fr Bishoy Helmy, delivered a speech, followed by a speech by Fr Refaat Fikry, Co-Secretary of the Evangelical Church. Fr Yeshoa Yacoub, Secretary-General of the Council delivered a speech, followed by a recitation of biblical texts and some church hymns were sung.

Until now Rector of Antonine University in Baabda, Lebanon, Father Michel Jalakh previously served as Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches.

By Vatican News

Lebanese Maronite priest Father Michel Jalakh, O.A.M., until now rector of the Antonine University in Baabda, Lebanon, has been appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis as the new Secretary of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches.

Born on 27 August 1966 in Baouchrieh, Father Jalakh made his first religious profession in the Antonian Maronite Order on 15 August 1983, and was ordained a priest on 21st April 1991.

Jusqu'ici recteur de l'Université Antonine de Baabda, au Liban, le Père Michel Jalakh était aussi était secrétaire général du Conseil des Eglises du Moyen-Orient.

Le Père Michel Jalakh, O.A.M., Prêtre Maronite libanais, jusqu'à présent recteur de l'Université Antonine de Baabda, au Liban, a été nommé ce mercredi 15 février par Sa Sainteté le Pape François comme nouveau secrétaire du Dicastère pour les Eglises Orientales.

Né le 27 août 1966 à Baouchrieh (Liban), il a fait sa première profession religieuse dans l'Ordre Antonien Maronite le 15 août 1983 et a été ordonné prêtre le 21 avril 1991.

Delegates of the Churches in the Middle East begin their Continental Synodal Assembly in Beirut, running until 18 February 2023.

By Vatican News staff reporter

Delegates representing seven Catholic Churches (Coptic, Syriac, Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, Armenian and Latin) from the Holy Land, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Armenia, are gathered in Beirut  this week for the Continental Synodal Assembly for the Middle East.

The meeting was officially opened on Monday, 13 February, by Father Khalid Alwan, General Secretary of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East (CPCO) and General Coordinator of the Synodal Assembly, after a special Prayer for the victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.  

On Saturday, January 29/February 11, 2023, the commemoration of the three Hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, was celebrated at the Patriarchate with a transfer, normally celebrated on January 30 of each year.

On this day, the Church jointly honours the three Hierarchs according to the arrangement since the 11th century. Then some of the faithful appointed especially honourable as superior Basil the Great, called Basileitai, others Gregory the Theologian, called Grigoreitai, and others John the Chrysostom called Ioannitai.

In order to resolve the division, the Church established a common celebration and Bishop John Mavropous composed a common Canon in honour of the Three Hierarchs. On this day, the Three Hierarchs are especially honoured by educational institutions, because they were patrons of Education and they established the relationship of Christianity to the ancient Greek classical philosophy.

The Antiochian Patriarchal delegation arrived at Adana International Airport, where they were received by the Priests of the Parish of Antioch, the Rev. Fr. Can Delüler and Pavlus Orduluoğlu, and Mr. Can Arap (President of the Mersin Association) and Cem Altıniş (Member of the Mersin Parish Council).

It is noteworthy that His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, appointed this delegation and assigned it to visit our Antiochian Parishes in Turkey, damaged by the earthquake.

After receiving the delegation at Adana airport, the Patriarchal delegation headed to Mersin on February 14, 2023, where the faithful received them with great joy and condolence, stressing the apostolic blessing of His Beatitude John X, Greek orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, which was conveyed to them by the patriarchal delegation.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27

With the grace of service and the joy of giving… In compliance with the directives of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, to provide all support and assistance to the people affected by the earthquake, the teams of the St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee EPDC in Jaramana and Irbeen centers in rural Damascus prepared a variety of winter clothes, medicines and medical materials, with the great assistance and generosity of the people of the local community, to be delivered to the beneficiaries of the affected brothers and sisters.

In the areas afflicted by the earthquake, and through vigorous efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the disaster following the directives of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the level of faith in actions is rising among GOPA-DERD's team, the only official charitable arm of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.

In Aleppo, in response to the urgent needs of the affected people, who are temporarily residing in shelters within schools, GOPA-DERD's team provided family hygiene kits and food items for families in Salim Melko Jerbaqa School in Al-Haydariya district, and Queen Zenobia School in Al-Izaa’a area.

To their Eminences our brothers in Christ the Archbishops,

Members of our Syriac Orthodox Holy Synod of Antioch.

May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023, we visited our spiritual children in the city of Aleppo which was greatly affected by the earthquake and several hundreds lost their lives. We inspected the damage and observed the scale of the destruction. Our churches and schools were damaged, several buildings collapsed and many lost their houses. We also visited refuge centers in churches and elsewhere, where a large number of people are sheltered because their houses were destroyed or are still not safe.

Immediately after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning on February 6, ACT members began to conduct rapid needs assessments in Syria and Turkey.  They also began to provide life-saving aid including food, medicine, and warm blankets, mattresses and pyjamas to families who lost everything to the devastating quake even as search and rescue efforts continue to free survivors from the rubble.

“People are staying out of their homes,” reports Samer Laham of the Middle East Council of Churches.  “They are afraid of aftershocks destroying the buildings that are still standing.”

Sara Savva of The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East- Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERD) continues, “Lots of buildings have not yet collapsed, but they are not stable.  Families are sleeping in the streets, in cars if they have them, with friends and family, or in shelters.”

Faith-based and humanitarian groups across the world were setting in motion appeals for aid and prayers as response expands in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on 6 February.

Churches in Syria are cooperating with the Middle East Council of Churches in relief efforts. The Middle East Council of Churches launched a relief appeal the same day the quake struck.

The Middle East Council of Churches continues to call on the international community and the international ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, and is also urging the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria to allow access to all materials.

Churches in Syria have started to provide direct relief to the affected people.

Following the instructions of the His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development continues its relief and emergency response work in the areas affected by the earthquake.

In continuation of the emergency response efforts, assuming the relief role and social responsibility, and with the close follow-up of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, GOPA-DERD, affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, continues to work on the ground to reduce the effects of the earthquake disaster. In Hama, the team carried out a field visit to the 'youth union' hall's sheltering center, carrying out a quick response to the needs of the affected families by distributing food kits, and securing diapers and baby milk for some of the families in the center, in addition to purchasing and installing lighting requirements for the hall.

J. Herbert Nelson calls on support for victims of devastating earthquake

Office of the General Assembly - February 7, 2023

LOUISVILLE

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joins our partners in the Middle East in calling on the U.S. government to lift its sanctions on Syria so that a speedy and effective humanitarian response can be mounted immediately in response to the devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6. The earthquakes that rocked Southern Turkey and Northern Syria resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries and hundreds of destroyed buildings. In Northern Syria, already suffering from years of war and U.S.-imposed sanctions, the earthquake has had devastating effects. 

On February 8, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, arrived to Aleppo to visit the victims of the earthquake that struck the city two days ago.

His Holiness was received by His Eminence Mor Boutros Kassis, Archbishop of Aleppo and Environs and was accompanied by his Eminence Archbishop Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director.

GOPA-DERD Team Continues Implementing Relief and Emergency Response work in the Areas Affected by the Earthquake in Syria

In Hama, GOPA-DERD’s team, affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, visited the National Hospital and the affected area in the Al-Arba’een neighborhood, and provided meals to the civil defense personnel and those working to remove rubble in this area, as well as to the injured, their families, and the medical staff in the hospital. The team also carried out field visits to conduct a needs assessment for the affected people displaced from Aleppo and Latakia to Kfarbo area in Hama, to provide the necessary aid in terms of food items, drinks, blankets and clothes, in addition to distributing food kits to the affected families in Suqaylabiyah and its countryside.