On the second day of His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit to Lisbon for the 2023 World Youth Day, he meets with members of the “Scholas Occurrentes” community at its Portuguese headquarters in Cascais, and puts the finishing touch to a multi-coloured wall mural symbolising the beauty of unity in diversity.

By Linda Bordoni

Paulo, Mariana and Aledje were amongst the protagonists on Thursday at an event attended by Pope Francis and members of Scholas Occurrentes, at its Portuguese headquarters in Cascais, south of Lisbon.

On Wednesday, July 20 / August 2, 2023, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of the Prophet Elijah of Thesbes, so named from his hometown Thesbes or Thisbes of the city of Gilead.

During this Feast, the Church recalls to its memory the things about the prophet Elijah as described in the Old Testament, mainly in the books of the Kings, but also in the New Testament, in the Gospels through the words of the Lord and in the Catholic Epistle of Saint James the Brother of God.

The prophet Elijah, as from his zeal for God, was called a zealot, and because of his faith he was heard and performed many miracles through God, such as the absence of rain for three years and the falling of rain again, the burning of the stones and firewood of the altar on Mount Carmel, the resurrection of the daughter of the Sumanite woman, the crossing of the Jordan river and the throwing of his fleece to his disciple Elisha, through which he parted the waters of the Jordan and walked as if on dry land and also received double his teacher’s grace.

Mt 17: 1-9

The act of Listening is highlighted throughout The Gospel of Matthew as an essential and central aspect to the experience of faith.  

This is portrayed by the borrowing of Old Testament Scriptures, which he does so often to indicate that the Gospel is first and foremost a Word heard: A Word so deeply heard that it can be fulfilled in a definitive way.

He also proposes that listening is an attitude that defines the believer’s journey.

Consider, for example, the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said that those who hear His Words and put it into practice their house is built on rock (Mt 7:24).

Or the parabolic discourse (Mt 13), which the Liturgy has offered us in its entirety the past few Sundays: Every parable, after all, is built around the theme of listening, of opening one's heart to receive and cherish the seed of the Word, which is the real treasure. The precious pearl.

The 37th World Youth Day gets underway with Mass celebrated by the His Beatitude Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, providing hundreds of thousands of young people their first opportunity to share their faith journey.

By Francesca Merlo - Lisbon, Portugal

In a flurry of excitement and joy, the first day of World Youth Day came to a close with music playing late into the evening.

The opening Mass, held in Lisbon's Edward VII Park on Tuesday, August 1st, brought together pilgrims from all corners of the world.

Adanna and Francis, brimming with enthusiasm, likened their feelings to being in the presence of the Pope as they handed me a green and white beaded bracelet, reminiscent of the flag of Nigeria, their home.

Matt. 13: 44-52 

With today's passage (Mt 13:44-52), we conclude our listening to the thirteenth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, counting seven parables told by Jesus, in which He refers to the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

Today we listen to the last three: that of the treasure, the pearl and the net, to finally arrive at the passage where Jesus describes the Kingdom disciple (Mt 13:52), a kind of conclusion to the parabolic discourse, to tell what happens to those who have accepted, to those who have "understood" (Mt 13:51) the parables.

His Holiness Pope Francis renews his Prayers for the victims of the devastating port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, just days before the three-year anniversary of the disaster. The Pope also prays that the nation may also overcome its current crisis.

By Thaddeus Jones

Speaking at the conclusion of Sunday's Angelus, His Holiness Pope Francis renewed his prayers for the people of Lebanon who are still recovering after a devastating explosion at the port of Beirut that took place almost three years ago on 4 August 2020. 

Phoenix, 27 July 2023

Your Beatitude, Our father in Christ, Patriarch YOUHANNA X,

Your Graces,

Beloved clergy,

Esteemed members of the Board of Trustees of our God Protected Archdiocese,

Heads of Departments,

Members of the Order of St. Ignatius,

Members of the Antiochian Women,

Phoenix, Arizona, 27 July 2023

I come to you from Damascus, a city that, centuries ago, inherited the glory of Antioch. I come with Paschal joy in my heart, a joy that overcomes all sorrow and pain. I carry this joy to you from the light of the Resurrection that I saw on the faces of your brothers and sisters who are struggling to survive in Antioch, the Great City of God. I celebrated the feast of Pascha with them in Antioch, standing upon the ruins of the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral destroyed by the earthquake. However, the earthquake did not destroy the resolve of the Antiochians or their vibrant Church. This Church still defies the cruelty of history and insists on survival by building what was destroyed. This Church bears witness to the sweetness of Christ and to the Antiochian Orthodox heritage.

I come to you from Damascus, from the Street called Straight, where Saul was baptized and after his conversion was named Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. I bring to you the blessings of the Mariamite Cathedral, Our Lady of Saydnaya Convent, and the Protomartyr and Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla Convent in the town of Maaloula.

Phoenix - Arizona, July 27, 2023

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, met the graduates from the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology - University of Balamand, Lebanon, in the presence of Archdiocesan Metropolitan His Eminence Saba Esber. During the meeting, His Beatitude Patriarch John X stressed Balamand’s role in graduating pastors of the Church. This was a paternal conversation that tackled general issues of the ecclesiastical and daily life in the homeland and abroad. His Beatitude listened to the facts and concerns of pastoral care and suggested ways to improve it. The Reverend fathers listened to His Beatitude Patriarch John X as he talked about the challenges that the Antiochian Church faces with all its educational and relief institutions.

The President of the Finances and Patriarchal Commissioner His Eminence Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias with a group of Holy Sepulchre Fathers visited the Cemetery of Holy Zion, in order to explain to the relatives of those buried there, that the excavations carried out there by the German Archaeological company have received the approval of the Patriarchate for the support the rights of the Christians on Holy Zion.

From Secretariat-General

“Women are the first building block of the Christian family”

Phoenix - Arizona, July 26, 2023

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, emphasized the importance of family and the role of women in building the Christian family. His Beatitude the Patriarch spoke during a meeting for the "Antiochian Ladies", an organization of the Archdiocese of New York and All North America. Archdiocesan His Eminence Metropolitan Saba Esber and the Bishops were also present at the meeting.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of August, which is dedicated to the upcoming World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, and invites young people to set aside fear and embark on a joyful journey to bear witness to Christ in our world.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His holiness Pope Francis' monthly Prayer intention for August is for the World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

“You are the future of the Antiochian Church in this land”

As part of his Pastoral tour in the Archdiocese of New York and the All North America, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, met with the youth of the Archdiocese, and delivered to them a word in which he said “You are the future of the Antiochian Church in this land”.

As part of his pastoral visit, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox family, presided over the Divine Liturgy in Phoenix - Arizona, on Wednesday 26 July 2023. It was within the Annual Conference of the Archdiocese of New York and All North America, which was launched on Tuesday 25 July 2023. His Beatitude Patriarch John X was assisted in the Divine Liturgy by Archdiocesan His Eminence Metropolitan Saba Esber, as well as Priests.

July 21-24, 2023

“The woman said to him: Sir, give me this water so that I will not thirst nor come here to draw water” (John 4:15).

With the blessings of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, the meeting of the ladies of the Diocese of Damascus and its countryside was launched at the Patriarchal Monastery Saint George Al-Homeyra with the title: “Your Presence Gives Me Life” and different subjects.

On Friday, July 8 / 21, 2023, the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Procopius was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this feast, the Church commemorates from the Synaxarion that Saint Procopius came from the city of Aelia Capitolina, which is the later Jerusalem, and martyred during the reign of Diocletian around 290 in Caesarea in Palestine. He used to be a persecutor of Christians but was called by the Lord through a vision, a crystal cross and a voice saying to him “I am the crucified Jesus, the Son of God”.

XVI Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Mt. 13:24-43 

We continue listening to chapter 13 of Matthew, which offers us, after that of the sower, three more parables: that of the wheat and the weeds, that of the mustard seed, and that of the leaven.

All three begin with the same incipit: "The Kingdom of heaven is like ..." (Mt 13:24,31,33), and it seems to me that they answer a single question: how does the Kingdom of heaven come, how does it manifest itself? But also: how does evil act, how does it try to hinder the growth of the Kingdom?

Hidden among the images of the parable, just as the seed is hidden in the soil, the Gospel offers us several answers.

The first is that the Kingdom, when it grows, does not wipe out evil: the good seed is sown in the ground, destined to bear good fruit. But in the same soil other seeds are sown, which instead only take up space but bear no fruit.

A video clip circulating on social media revealed on Thursday 20/7/20, Israeli radicals lying on a “couch” inside the lands belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on the Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and they attack the Patriarchate employee refusing to leave the land, and they bid him and the patriarchate of insults, and they claim to be right without others with this Orthodox land.

The Patriarchate issued a statement shortly after the wide circulation of this video on social media, in which it said that this painful video revealed little of what its property has been exposed to in general, since many years of frenzied attacks by radicas, and exposed a small part of the ongoing suffering, war and battles between the Patriarchate and the far right-wing groups with the aim of protecting its property and rights in the face of the radical tendencies and provocative attacks of these groups.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church of Cilicia, H.E. Arch. Kegham Katcherian, Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Greece, celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias.

The Feast of Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the five major feasts (Daghavar) of the Armenian Church, and it holds a special place in the hearts of Armenians. After celebrating the feast with a solemn Divine Liturgy, a centuries-old pre-Christian festival called Vartavar, integrated with the Transfiguration by St. Gregory the Illuminator, is held outside of all churches and wherever Armenians can meet, where participants release doves and engage in water games.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem successfully regained its’ full rights to a plot of land in Abu Tor neighborhood in Jerusalem, for about 80 million shekels. Thus, the Patriarchate was able to completely liberate the land from all the restrictions that were hindering its ownership, which arose as a result of old lease agreements and reservations made by the Israeli government in response to judicial decisions issued in previous eras.

The Patriarchate with the guidance and follow-up of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, was able to restore the strategic piece of land in Jerusalem after more than a decade of continuous effort, given the value of this religious heritage and archaeological land.