On Tuesday May 16, 2023’s morning, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, prayed in the Church of Saint Joseph of Arimathea, in the New Residence of Milan Diocese.

This is the first liturgy to be prayed in this new Church.

Sharing in the Liturgy alongside His Grace Anba Antonio (bishop of Milan) were: His Grace Anba Yolyos (General Bishop of Old Cairo and the Bishopric of Services), His Grace Anba Luka (Bishop of Southern France and the French sector of Switzerland), the Monk Father Kyrillos Anba Bishoy (Director of the Office of His Holiness the Pope), the monks and priests of the diocese of Milan, around 500 deacons from the diocese, and a number of the Coptic congregation in Milan.

May 18, 2023

Ascension of the Lord, Year A

Mt. 28: 16-20

The Evangelist Matthew does not record the account of the Ascension of the Risen Lord and concludes his Gospel account with the verses that we heard today. Rather than highlighting the departure of Jesus, Matthew, on the contrary, underlines His permanent presence among His disciples, in the emerging Church. None of the verbs of which Jesus is subject speaks of departure, of detachment. On the contrary, all action of the Risen One speak of relationship, they tell the closeness of Jesus with his disciples.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, met with over 80 young Kuwaiti Armenians on Friday evening, May 12th, within the framework of his pontifical visit to Kuwait, to listen to their concerns, share his thoughts on the role of youth in the revitalization process of the Armenian Diaspora and reiterate his support for active youth involvement in the decision-making process of their community.

GALILEE - On Monday, May 15th, 2023, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited the seminarians of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in the Galilee to listen to their impressions and experiences of the ending academic year.

The visit began with a meeting with the formators and seminarians, during which the Patriarch commented on the results of the recent symposium of the Middle Eastern Churches in Cyprus, as well as the continental phase of the synod requested by His Holiness Pope Francis. He also reviewed the intense work of the past year and recalled the challenges and sufferings of the Church of Jerusalem, which are an integral part of the priestly mission.

On Friday morning, May 12th, 2023, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Kuwait, where the Catholicos addressed the faithful, including ambassadors, and officials, with his pontifical speech.

His Holiness expressed his immense joy in visiting Kuwait and meeting with the Armenian community, whom he highly commended for its positive and encouraging atmosphere. His Holiness praised the pontifical vicar V. Rev. Fr. Bedros Manouelian for his work and granted him the right to wear an episcopal mitre, and expressed commendation to Rev. Fr. Ardag Keheyayan for his life-long service.

On the commemoration by the Palestinians of the "Al-Nakba", the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issue a statement stressing the importance of consolidating the values of justice, peace, love, compassion and mutual respect…

You can find the full text of the statement which was originally published on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On Monday 15 May 2023’s morning, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, met with congregation of the Diocese of Milan, Italy, in his first meeting in the Diocese since his arrival during the late hours of Sunday evening.

At the beginning of the meeting held in the Monastery of Anba Shenouda the Archimandrite, in Milan, His Holiness expressed his joy over visiting the Diocese, giving thanks to His Grace Bishop Antonio, (Bishop of Milan), for his efforts in arranging the visit. He added: “Indeed, this visit came to you after the days of joy and love we lived in Rome, and we continue our joy with you.”

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II reflected on the verse: “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20).

Within the framework of the activities related to the Year of the Armenian Diaspora II, on Thursday evening, May 11th, 2023, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, met with the Kuwaiti Armenian community organizations at St. Nerses Shnorhali atrium, conveyed his guidance and recommendations, and listened to their future plans, suggestions, and worries.

Representatives from eleven European countries affirm their support for His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, the Head of Iraq’s Chaldean Church, amid a social media campaign against him.

By Joseph Tulloch

Eleven different European countries, together with the European Union, released a statement on Sunday evening affirming their support for Iraq’s Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako. 

The Patriarch – who heads the country's Chaldean Church, and was made a Cardinal by His Holiness Pope Francis in 2018 – is facing criticism over comments concerning political representation for Iraq’s ancient Christian minority.

On Thursday, May 11th, 2023, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, accompanied by the Pontifical delegation, visited the Armenian school of Kuwait and the Arekag Kindergarten, where he was warmly received by the principals, administration, Board of Trustees, teachers, and students.

In honor of His Holiness’ visit, the Kuwaiti Armenian school students welcomed the Catholicos with a special ceremony including songs, poetry reciting, and a presentation of their school.

 Jn 14:15-21 

“If you love me” (Jn 14:15)

The Gospel passage of this Sixth Sunday of Easter opens with this affirmation (14:15-21).

The rest of the passage seems to depend on this initial hypothetical proposition, it all comes down to this, whether we love the Lord Jesus or not.

Loving Him is the fundamental premise, the door that opens to all the consequences that the successive verses describe. 

The first is that if we love Him, we keep His commandments.

This means that obedience to the Law, which was impossible for the person marked by sin, is now possible for redeemed humanity, for the one who lives in love. Man, alone, by his power, is incapable of obeying: the entire history of Israel is there to prove it, because sin corrodes trust, and therefore relationships…

On Tuesday evening, May 9th, 2023, an Ecumenical thanksgiving service was conducted in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Kuwait (Church), presided by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and organized by Heads of Churches in Kuwait.

Present were Heads and faithful from Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Coptic Catholic, Evangelical, Latin, Maronite, and Armenian Churches.

On behalf of the His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Eminence Metropolitan Ghattas Hazim delivered the opening remarks. Subsequently, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I conveyed his speech, where he expressed gratitude for the freedom of religion in Kuwait…

On May 14, 2023, 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 at St. Mary Church in Manchester.

The National Evangelical Church of Beirut, the first Arabic-speaking Evangelical Church in the Middle East, celebrated its 175th anniversary with a special ceremony on Sunday, 14 May, 2023, in the presence of local and international Ecumenical Church Leaders.

On this occasion, representing the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East UAECNE, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, brought a message of encouragement from the Union to this historic church, known to many Armenian Evangelicals as the “Anglo-American Church”.

“For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” (I Corinthians 3.9)

On May 13, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, consecrated St. Mary Church in Manchester.

Sunday, May 1/14, 2023, was celebrated by the Patriarchate as the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman at the Samaria Well of Jacob in Nablus.

On this Sunday, the Church celebrates the fact that the Evangelist John (John 4, 5-29) reports, that a woman from the county of Sychar in Samaria came to Jacob’s Well to draw water and there she had a conversation with the Lord, in which the Lord revealed to her the things of her life and that “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him should worship Him in spirit” and that “He who speaks to her is the Messiah”.

The Samaritan woman named Foteini believed in Christ and martyred for Him with her entire family of daughters, sons, and brothers.

On May 13, 2023, 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 at the Bolton Stadium in Manchester. The Holy Qurobo was attended by over 1500 faithful.

On May 12, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, attended an official reception held in his honor Manchester.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, began his Pastoral visit to the diocese of Turin and Rome this evening with a Prayer on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Holy Pentecost in the Basilica of Saint John in the Lateran in Rome.

The evening Prayer witnessed a large popular presence from the people of the diocese, and the sides of the cathedral were filled with them. After the evening Prayer, His Grace Bishop Bernaba, Bishop of Turin and Rome, delivered a speech of thanks in which he thanked His Holiness the Pope, expressing his welcome for His Holiness’ visit, and described: There are people who are made by history, and there are people who make history, and His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, since his enthronement on the See of St. Mark, makes history and wanders doing good, love and peace, until he was named “the Pope of Love.”

On May 11, 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 Manchester for an Apostolic visit to consecrate St. Mary Church.