From the Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Sunday of the 11th / 24th of March 2024 was celebrated by the Patriarchate as the first Sunday of Lent and as the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, as a memory of the restoration of the holy icons after more than a hundred years of unholy and impious persecution against them.

This feast was celebrated as a triumph of the icons due to their return to the Holy Churches by the Patriarch of Constantinople Methodios and the Empress Theodora and her son Michael. Empress Theodora asked God for forgiveness for her husband, Emperor Theophilos the fighter of the icons, through a litany. Since then, the Church unwaveringly and undisturbedly honours the holy icons as a certification and confirmation of the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

From the Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Sunday of the 11th / 24th of March 2024 was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem as the first Sunday of Lent and as the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, as a memory of the restoration of the holy icons after more than a hundred years of unholy and impious persecution against them.

This feast was celebrated as a triumph of the icons due to their return to the Holy Churches by the Patriarch of Constantinople Methodios and the Empress Theodora and her son Michael. Empress Theodora asked God for forgiveness for her husband, Emperor Theophilos the fighter of the icons, through a litany. Since then, the Church unwaveringly and undisturbedly honours the holy icons as a certification and confirmation of the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

JERUSALEM - On Sunday, March 24th, 2024, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over the Palm Sunday celebrations, with the participation of Mgr. William Shomali, Patriarchal General Vicar, Fr. Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, and many bishops, priests and faithful.

The celebrations began at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where His Beatitude blessed the palm and olive branches and led a procession around the tomb, remembering Christ's royal entry into Jerusalem before the beginning of Holy Week, while the Gospel of the Passion according to the Evangelist Mark was read.

At noon, the faithful gathered at Betphage Monastery to start the traditional procession to the Monastery of St. Anne. Indeed, small in numbers compared to previous years, but with faith and unity, many people from Jerusalem and Galilee, different monastic orders and a few pilgrims who came to show solidarity and pray with the people of the Holy City, prayers were raised in the streets for peace and the cessation of war, while raising the voice of praise to Jesus Christ the true King and victor over the darkness.

At eleven o’clock this morning, in the Church of Virgin Mary and Saint Mark the Apostle in the Parkview area of ​​Johannesburg, Funeral Prayers were held for the three monks who were martyred following a criminal incident on Tuesday inside their Monastery, the Monastery of Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Samuel the Confessor in South Africa. They are:

– The Monk Hegumen Takla El-Samuely

– The Monk Mina Ava Markos

– The Monk Yostos Ava Markos

The Funeral Prayers were prayed by His Eminence Metropolitan Antonious Markos, Metropolitan of South Africa and the delegation appointed by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to attend the prayer: His Grace Bishop Boules, (General Bishop of Evangelism in Africa), His Grace Bishop Joseph (Bishop of Namibia and its affiliated regions), and Father Elisha Rezk, (priest of St. Mark’s Church in Washington).

“But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses” (2 Cor. 6:4)

Today, three monks were subjected to a criminal attack in our Coptic monastery of Saint Mark the Apostle and Saint Samuel the Confessor in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The attack resulted in the martyrdom of the three monks:-The Monk Hegumen Takla El-Samuely (deputy of the diocese of South Africa)-The Monk Yostos Ava Markos-The Monk Mina Ava Markos…

On Tuesday the 12th of March 2024, the prayers of the Liturgy for the Sanctification of the Holy Myron Oil were held, followed by the Liturgy of the Galileon Oil, and the prayers concluded with the Eucharist for the Day of the Sanctification of the Holy Myron and the Galileon, and the chapters of whose readings are for this event.His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, arrived at nine in the morning of March 12 at the Cathedral of the Monastery of Saint Bishoy in Wadi Natroun, accompanied by the Metropolitans and Bishops. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, began the first step of the Holy Myron Ritual, which is the “Liturgy for the Sanctification of the Holy Myron Oil,” where the eight vessels containing the Holy Myron Oil were placed inside the altar, before beginning prayers in preparation for sanctification.

The Chrismation Liturgy, as well as the Galileon Sanctification Liturgy, is distinguished by the fact that they have a ritual arrangement that follows the same pattern as the usual Divine Liturgy, with some differences represented in the texts of the prayers and requests, which focus on requests for the sanctification of the oil. In the Chrismation Liturgy, the Book of Song of Solomon is read along with the readings of the Pauline Epistle, the Catholic Epistle, the Praxis, the Psalm, and the Gospel.Among the prayers, there is a unique ritual that is performed only during the consecration of the Chrism. It is the ritual of the session that took place inside the altar, during which His Holiness carried the book of Masagogy, meaning (the teaching of faith), and walked around with it three times, along with a number of the church’s bishops.

From the Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Sunday, February 26/March 10, 2024, the commemoration of the Holy Martyr Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza, was celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the Holy Monastery named after him in the currently afflicted city of Gaza.

On this Feast, the whole Church, especially that of Jerusalem, remembers that Saint Porphyrios, originally from Thessalonica, came to the Holy Land and was ordained a Priest and then Bishop of Gaza. At the imperial command, he destroyed the last stronghold of the national idolatry in Gaza and consecrated a Holy Church along with the Christian presence in Gaza through the centuries.

Today's Gospel passage (Jn. 3:14-21) is a wonderful summary and gives us a deeper interpretation of the Lenten journey we have been on.

Two keys of analysis have accompanied us in the past Sundays.

The first is the one of revelation: During Easter, God fully reveals himself. It is right there, in his death and resurrection, that we find the ultimate revelation of his face. And we can finally fulfill our longing to have a relationship with Him.

The second, which we encountered last Sunday, is the one of reversal: the revelation of how God operates in a contradicting the human way and reason. We saw how God overturned the tables.

From the Secretariat-General of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Following the order of the Triodion, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem dedicated Saturday, February 25/March 9, 2024, as a day of prayer for the repose of souls.

To this end, on Friday afternoon, in the Monastic and Patriarchal Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, the Canon for the departed was chanted and a memorial prayer was recited, led by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, with the Prayer for the repose of the Holy Sepulchre Patriarchs of Jerusalem, High Priests, Priests, monks and nuns who have been sleeping in the Lord for centuries.

The Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon joyfully reinstated the cherished tradition of inviting His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and MECC Honorary President, to preside over the Mid-Lent sunrise service (Arevakal) at St. Nichan Cathedral on March 6th, 2024.

Members of the Cilician Brotherhood and the seminarians accompanied His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, while Armenian high school students and members of the Diocesan executive council joined the faithful.

John 2:13-25

Last Sunday, we went up to Mount Tabor, where Jesus revealed His face as the beloved Son (Mark 9:2-10). We saw that the disciples Peter, James, and John were with him, as well as Moses, and Elijah, who appeared before them. Those two prophets who, during their lives, also participated in an epiphany, a transfiguration: they went up a mountain, where God made himself present, but without ever seeing him face to face, but rather only from behind, after the Lord had passed over.

However, on Mount Tabor, God reveals his face, and he does so in Jesus. In His story, and especially in His Passover, God makes himself known.

Today this process of the unveiling of this revelation takes a further step.

We are at the beginning of John's Gospel (John 2:13-25), where we find an episode that the Synoptics put immediately after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem instead of at the end of their narrative.

The episode is the so-called cleansing of the temple.

In a new interview with Vatican News, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem repeats his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling on both sides to make compromises.

By Federico Piana and Joseph Tulloch

“A ceasefire in Gaza is more urgent than ever.”That's the latest appeal for peace launched by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Speaking to Vatican News' Federico Piana, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stressed that a ceasefire is possible: “All that’s missing is the will to make it happen.”

In the course of the interview, the Patriarch also touched on the “fragile” situation of Gaza’s Christians, and the role the Church might play in peace negotiations.

On March 3rd, 2024, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, celebrated the Holy Qurobo at Saint Mary Church in Guatemala. The Holy Qurobo was attended by the faithful from the Syrian Community in Guatemala.

TAYBEH - On Friday, March 1st, 2024, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a Mass at Christ the Redeemer Church, during which he appointed members of the General Secretariat, and members of the committees for the Christian Youth in Palestine, in the presence of the founder of the Christian Youth in Palestine, His Beatitude Former Patriarch Michel Sabbah, and several priests, religious sisters, youth, as well as the faithful. 

In his homily, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa addressed his words to the youth of Palestine, saying: “Now is the most urgent time to cling to prayer and hope,” adding: “Today you renew your promise before God to continue serving the Church and the youth, and therefore you must pray without ceasing until your hearts become like the heart of Jesus, shining with true light".

“Together to rebuild the Cathedral of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Antioch”

Balamand - Lebanon, March 1, 2024.

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, received a delegation from Antioch, including Archimandrite Paulus Orduloglu, his Vicar in Antioch, Mr. Fadi Hurigil, the president of the association, and architect Buse Ceren Gul, at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Balamand. His Beatitude Patriarch John X was briefed by the delegation on the general situation and on the reconstruction and relief efforts in Antioch and the surrounding areas following the earthquake on February 6, 2023. His Beatitude the Patriarch closely examined the progress regarding the removal of debris and the reconstruction of the Cathedral of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Antioch, including plans and permits. His Beatitude Patriarch John X emphasized that the Cathedral of the Apostles has been and will remain the historical heart of the Church of Antioch and All the East, and that its reconstruction is entrusted for the Christian presence deeply rooted in the East.

Residents in and around Aleppo live life on the brink of disaster

by Emily Enders Odom, Mission Communications | Special to Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Bernadette thought that she had seen the worst of it.

For well over a decade, she and her family had unflinchingly withstood Syria’s ever-worsening humanitarian and economic crisis, the country’s ongoing localized hostilities and its collapsing infrastructure.

But then — following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February 2023 — the longtime school supervisor’s own home began crumbling beneath her very feet.

“How many conflicts and massacres have we witnessed, always tragic and always pointless?” the Pope asks. “Let us all take up the cry for peace."

By Joseph Tulloch

The dire geopolitical situation in Armenia, the importance of collaboration with the country’s Orthodox Church, and the need for bishops to be close to their flocks.

These were the themes at the centre of Pope Francis’ address to the Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church on Wednesday morning.

As the Pope is recovering from a cold, his speech was read aloud by Msgr. Filippo Ciampanelli, an official at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

A 'tragic and pointless' war

Last year, more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were forced to flee the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave after a military offensive carried out by neighbouring Azerbaijan. There are fears that another attack may follow.

JUBEIHA - From Friday, February 23rd, until Sunday, February 25th, 2024, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, spent three days with the parishioners of Jubeiha, during which he learned more about the life of the parish and the area in general.

The visit began with the welcoming of H.B. Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the delegation accompanying him by Fr. Samer Madanat, parish priest of Jubeiha, Fr. Giacomo Dainotti, assistant priest, Deacon Basel Brancy, the sisters of the parish, as well as the Pastoral Council, heads of the Pastoral Activities, and the Scouts, at the entrance of the church. He blessed the faithful with the Holy Water, before presiding over a Mass at the church of Saint Paul the Apostle.

“I come to you with a great desire and passion to learn more about the reality of the parish of Jubeiha,” said H.B. Card. Pizzaballa, in his homily. “My main goal is to listen to your needs and to learn about the various pastoral activities that I always hear about so that I can bear witness to God’s work among you.” Commenting on the Gospel, he urged the parish to maintain the bonds of love between the family, saying: “God consecrated the family unit to reflect the image of His eternal love for humanity. Hence this love must always be present and apparent in your families. Despite the challenges, that may face the family unit, in our day and age, you must not forget the presence of God among you. That’s how you can overcome all challenges. Let us pray by asking God to protect the families of this parish so that you can be a source of light in your communities”.

Pan-Armenian fundraising for the Center for the Preservation of Artsakh’s cultural heritage was initiated on February 20th, 2024 and will continue until March 23rd, 2024. The center was established in response to Azerbaijan’s occupation of Artsakh and the destruction of its centuries-old cultural and spiritual heritage.

In an address on this occasion conveyed by HE Arch. Shahan Sarkissian, the director of the Cilicia Library, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, expresses the support of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia for this initiative, emphasizing the Holy See's advocacy for Artsakh and its people. His Holiness also underscores the cultural foundation's significance in preserving identity and urges material support to contribute practically to the revival of Artsakh's culture.

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with His Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Chief Advisor to His Majesty the King of Jordan for Religious and Cultural Affairs, opened on Sunday, February 18, 2024 the Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, within the Orthodox Center project in Dibeen in Jerash Governorate, Jordan.

The opening of the new church was attended by Her Highness Princess Maryam Ghazi and the Patriarchal Representative of Amman His Eminence Archbishop Christophoros of Kyriakopolis, who said that the opening of the church coincides with the Kingdom’s celebrations of the silver jubilee of His Majesty the King of Jordan, King Abdullah II, stressing that Jordan is a living example of religious coexistence, and a haven for safety, security and stability.

Archbishop Christophoros continued that “the church will meet the needs of young people, and will be a place for holding conferences, meeting intellectually and culturally, and serving the local community.” He also expressed his thanks for the generous donation made by Mr. Issa Nassif Odeh to complete the construction of the church.