His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, declared during the Holy Mass he presided over on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Saydnaya Monastery, Syria, that the sessions of the Holy Synod will be officially initiated during which many topics will be raised. One of the most important topics is that the Holy Synod is heading towards canonizing two the Priest and Martyr Father Nicholas Khacha, and his son, the Priest and Martyr Father Habib Khasha.

AFTER NINE MONTHS OF AZERBAIJAN’S

…blockade of food and medicine from reaching Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh)

…psychological warfare against innocent citizens

…repeated military attacks

…killing people going about their daily work

…political game-playing on the world stage

…hostage taking and torturing

…disinformation and “fake news”

The Christian Conference of Asia recently issued an official statement calling for the immediate lifting of the Artsakh blockade by Azerbaijan, noting that the blockade is a great humanitarian crisis that cannot be tolerated on moral and legal grounds.

Christian Conference of Asia expressed its support for Artsakh's right to self-determination in line with the statements made by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Conference of European Churches (CEC), and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

The statement issued can be found below:

18-08-23 - CCA Statement on Nagorno-Karabakh blockade (PDF)

On Sunday morning the 17th of September 2023, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered a speech on the ON channel, one of the channels of the United Media Services Company, which owns the channels (ON – DMC – Al Hayat – CBC), as part of the weekly Sunday sermon program.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II addressed the readings of today’s Mass, which is the first Sunday of the month of Thoout (the first of the Coptic months), and the subject of the Gospel, which is “John the Baptist” in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 7. His Holiness pointed out the wisdom of John the Baptist because he knew his specific path in life…

Jerusalem – The Media Office – The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem - September 15th, 2023

the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Jerusalem, His Eminence Hosam Naoum, presided over the Eucharist at St. Paul’s Church in Al Ashrafieh – Amman Jordan, on Sunday morning September 3rd 2023. Rev’d George Kopti, and his wife Mary, Rev’d Jamil Monir Khader, and his wife Sandy, members of the vestry, and members of the parish attended the service. In the service, Bishop Naoum confirmed a group of adolescents from the congregation of St. Paul’s Church, and from St. Luke’s Church – Marka, and the Savior Church - Zarqa. Rev’d Kopti welcomed Archbishop Naoum and all who were present.

In his sermon, Bishop Naoum addressed the confirmands highlighting the importance of love, living by the commandments, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He said: “Go into the world accompanied by the prayers of your parents, loved ones, Godparents, parish, rector, and bishop. May you bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your lives, so that all may know that you are the disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Mt 18:21-35

At the heart of the parable recounted in today's Gospel passage (Mt 18:21-35) is a great gesture of gratuitousness: a master has a servant who owes him an enormous sum of money; he realizes that this man will never be able to repay him back everything and, the moment the servant pleads with him, he frees him from the burden of this debt, and makes him live.

He does not beg for long, he does not bargain over the amount of the debt, he does not simply give him a discount, he does not postpone the day of repayment, but he forgives him everything. He does far more than the debtor would have reasonably dared to hope.

To settle such a large debt, there would have been no other way than to sell the servant, with his wife, children, and all that they owned (Matt 18:25): for the servant owed his life and owed his master everything.

The servant, on the other hand, does not ask that his debt be forgiven, but that he be given more time: he clearly does not dare to ask for such a great gift. But perhaps therein lies the problem, for the servant still has the illusion that he can pay back what he owes: " ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full." (Mt 18:26).

“War and Peace: Aspects of Security from the Perspective of Families”

On September 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, participated in the panel entitled: “War and Peace: Aspects of Security from the Perspective of Families”, at the 5th Budapest Summit on Demography, which was held in Budapest.

The panel was moderated by Dr. Gladden Pappin, President of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, and included the following speakers: Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau, President of the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN), Mr. Robert C. Castel, Security Policy Expert, and Mr. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the Hungarian Minister of Defence.

The Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), joined National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA member communions and faith-based organization heads in appealing to President Joe Biden to end the soft genocide occurring among the people of Artsakh. A copy of the letter was sent to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.

Upon the invitation of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia and with the participation of the spiritual leaders and the representatives of the highest bodies of the three Armenian political parties, a special consultative meeting was held at the Catholicosate in Antelias, with the sole agenda of supporting the people of Artsakh.

The attendees were the following: Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church and MECC President for the Catholic Family His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros XXI, Acting President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and MECC President for the Evangelical Family Reverend Paul Haidostian, representatives of the highest bodies of Armenian political parties, Hagop Der Khatchadourian (ARF), Dr. Avedis Dakessian (ADL) and Dr. Vazken Hamalian (SDHP), co-chairmen of the Central Committee of the Holy See of Cilicia, Stepan Der-Bedrossian and Krikor Mahserejian, and coordinator of the pan-Armenian conferences of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Shahan Kandaharian.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, spoke On Tuesday September 12 2023, at the opening ceremony of “Bethlehem Reborn Palestine – The Wonders of the Nativity” exhibition held at the Ecumenical Center of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

“The exhibition shows the renovation of the church building itself and the beauty of the mosaics, the columns, and the different types of tiles and crafted wood. It is of crucial importance that this unique architectural structure be carefully and faithfully preserved, but the basilica is more than a building of historical or artistic interest, and Bethlehem is more than just another city.” With these words His Beatitude started his opening speech as one of the key speakers at this monumental event.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, witnessed the closing day of the Logos Leadership Program (L.L.P), which took place at the Papal Residence in Cairo today, Saturday September 9th, 2023.

The closing day activities began with the presentation of five projects that the program participants worked on preparing after dividing them into five teams.

The five projects were diverse and were designed in practical way that can be used during the coming period to serve the Mother Church in Egypt and the world.

During the presentation of their projects, the five teams demonstrated the great benefits they gained during the Logos Leadership Programme.

Jerusalem – The Media Office – The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem - September 10th, 2023

On the occasion of the beginning of the new school year, the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Jerusalem, His Eminence Hosam Naoum, visited the Ahliyya and Mutran School on Thursday, August 31st, 2023, where he was welcomed by Dr. Alice Abboud, the General Director of the school, and the staff of the school, in the presence of Her Excellency Mrs. Haifa Najjar, and some members of the board of Directors. His Eminence Bishop Naoum congratulated the students, and the academic and administrative faculties on their achievements and excellence, and wished them a safe and prosperous year.

On Monday, August 29/September 11, 2023, the Commemoration of the Beheading of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist John was held by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On this day, the Church, drawing from the Gospels, remembers that John the Forerunner was “the greatest among those born of women”, in accordance with the word of the Lord (Luke 7:28), preaching a baptism of repentance in the wilderness of Judea and also baptized the Lord into the Jordan River, (Mark 1, 2-11).

This one scolded Herod because he lived with Herodias, his brother’s wife. Herod imprisoned him, but he was afraid to kill him because the crowd revered John. However, on one of the days, “he made a dinner for his birthday”, to which dinner he invited a magnate and a thousand princes. At this dinner, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced and Herod liked her so much that he promised to give her up to half of his kingdom.

On September 6, 2023, during the Suryoyo Youth Gathering – Syria (SYGG), a “Questions and Answers” session was organized with His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church.

The youth were given the opportunity to personally ask their spiritual father questions they have about the Church and other topics.

His Holiness answered the questions of the youth about the theology and liturgy of our church, as well as social matters and educational questions that are related to the difficult conditions that the youth are living in.

Mt 18:15-20

In today's passage, (Mt 18:15-20) the act of listening is revealed again as the central idea.

So far, Sunday’s Liturgy has continiously revealed to us the fundamental act of listening to the Word of God, the Word of life. As we have seen, the Word consoles and encourages, but also corrects by speaking the truth, deeply transforming the perspective and the heart of the listener.

In today’s passage, the verb listening returns three times (Mt 18:15,16,17), however, it no longer refers to listening to the Word of God. But listenining to the word of one’s brother, within the community of Jesus' disciples.

The context is one of fragility and sin.

Matthew seems to be saying that the Christian community, like any other community, knows the experience of sin, of fragile and wounded relationships, of relationship problems, the struggle to meet and understand each other: this is a normal part of any coexistence between people.

Mt 16:21-27

Today's Word is a harsh word to behold.

During the past few Sundays, we got used to hearing words of consolation, confirmation, and encouragement. We would expect God to always speak in this way, with words that pave the way.

In today's Gospel (Mt 16:21-27), which is a continuation of last Sunday's Gospel passage, new and different words resound, words that are not easy to accept, such as suffering and death. Also, Jesus rebukes Peter for being an obstacle to him and expresses that one must be willing to deny thyself and lose one's life.

The Word of the Lord also has a bitter taste at times.

On September 4, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, officially inaugurated the Suryoyo Youth General Gathering in Syria (SYGG-Syria 2023) at Mor Aphrem Monastery in Maarat Saydnaya – Syria.

On Monday 4 September, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, held two meetings at the Papal Residence in Cairo, Egypt, with the aim of checking on the conditions of his Sudanese children who came to Egypt due to the tense conditions in Sudan.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II received a number of Priests from the Dioceses of Khartoum and Omdurman, and was reassured by them about their conditions and the conditions of our Sudanese families in Egypt. His Holiness answered their questions and inquiries in a fatherly spirit, and the fathers thanked His Holiness for his love and care for them and for the Sudanese families in Egypt.

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, addressed his Pontifical Message on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, emphasizing the importance of lifting the blockade and supporting its right to self-determination. As a God-given right and a major principle of international law, independence is inviolable for any nation.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia marked Artsakh Independence Day on Sunday, September 3rd, 2023, in Antelias and Bikfaya, Lebanon, with a Requiem Service during the Divine Liturgy for the souls of all those who have fallen on the road to independence, presided over by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I. At St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, V. Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian conducted the Liturgy and delivered a sermon on the occasion.

On August 30, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, received His Beatitude Joseph Absi, Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Touma - Damascus, Syria.

Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary, were also present.