Through the media, the Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, addressed the faithful community with a message entitled “Recovering Our Spirit". Based on Matthew 28:5, he invited all, as we celebrate the victory of our Lord over death, to joyfully and faithfully recover our exalted Christian spirit, be filled with expectancy before the Risen Lord, and to serve Him and all people fervently and with humility. 

Jn. 20:19-31

The Liturgy of the Word for the Second Sunday of Easter (Jn. 20:19-31) takes us back to the Upper Room, where the Risen One appears among his own.

Jesus joins his disciples at the place where they have taken refuge and locked themselves away. It is the very evening of the day when Mary of Magdala, with Peter and the beloved disciple, made the discovery of the empty tomb. Also, Mary, having remained at the tomb, met the Lord, and rushed to inform the disciples (Jn. 20:1-18).

I would like to emphasize a few aspects of this encounter, between the Risen One and His own in the Upper Room.

The first is peace.

When the Risen One meets his own, he first gives them peace: "Peace be with you!" (Jn 20:19,21). Eight days later, he will say the same thing (Jn 20:26), when he returns to meet Thomas, who was not present at the first meeting…

During his Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis examines the second cardinal virtue of justice, noting that being righteous leads us toward God, and that justice is fundamental for peaceful coexistence in society.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"Without justice, there is no peace."

His Holiness Pope Francis made this point during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday in a cloudy St. Peter's Square.

This week, the Pope continued his catechetical series on vices and virtues. After months dedicated to the vices, he recently transitioned to discussing virtue, so far focusing on prudence, then patience, and now, justice.

Samandag, 2nd of April, 2024.

The Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack (Khalil), the Patriarchal Delegate to the Faithful of the Parishes of Antioch and the Iskenderun district, Jack Khalil, Dean of the Saint John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand in Lebanon and President of the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME), delivered a speech during his meeting with the youth in Samandag, titled "Antiochian Identity from the Days of the Apostles until the Present Days." The Great Compline Prayer was held in the hall of Our Lady Church in Samandag. During the day, the Rt. Reverend Archimandrite Jack (Khalil) made a series of Pastoral visits to families in the area, conveying to them the love and Prayers 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.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his Prayer intention for the month of April 2024, and invites everyone to pray for the role of women.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis' monthly Prayer intention this April is for "the role of women."

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.

In The Pope Video for April, the Holy Father insists on the steps today’s society needs to take, and asks Christians to join him in prayer “that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.”

Damascus - Syria, March 31, 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 celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Second Sunday of Lent (Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas) at Our Lady of Saidnaya Patriarchal Monastery, with the participation of Their Eminences Bishops: Romanos (Al Hannat), Moussa (Al-Khoury), and Moses (Al Khossi), along with several Priests and Deacons.

On March 31, 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, offered congratulatory greetings to His Beatitude Patriarch Joseph Absi, Greek-Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, on the occasion of the Feast of Resurrection at the Greek Catholic Patriarchate Headquarters in Bab Sharqi - Damascus, Syria.

He was accompanied by Their Eminences Archbishops: Mor Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Assistant, Mor Andrawos Bahhi, Patriarchal Vicar for Youth Affairs and Christian Education, and Mor Augeen Al-Khoury Nemat, Patriarchal Secretary.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, presided over and conducted the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, March 31st, 2024, to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral at the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.

During his Homily, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I referenced John 16:33, emphasizing Christ’s victory over evil, sin, and death through His resurrection, urging the faithful to draw strength from this triumph in confronting today’s challenges.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May the Lord give you peace!

We have finally arrived at the long-awaited day. The Easter of the Lord and our Easter! We have also arrived at the Tomb of Christ, like Mary of Magdala, like the Apostles John and Peter, to bow before this mystery of His resurrection, and to welcome this extraordinary gift that is His life in us. Throughout the week, we celebrated beautiful and ancient liturgies, which sought to physically retrace the human experience of Jesus in the same Places. And especially in this same Place where He was buried. And now that all these beautiful liturgies are coming to an end, we ought to ask ourselves what we learnt and how did the many meaningful gestures which have accompanied us during these days impacted us. In this terrible time, marked by so much violence in our Land and throughout the world, are we still able to accept the proclamation of life, love and light that Easter brings?

The Gospel speaks of the night and darkness that are no longer frightening, for they are about to yield to the light of the looming morning. It speaks of a mighty stone, which was overturned and no longer closing anything; of disciples that run; of cloths - signs of death -that no longer bind anyone; of eyes that see; of hearts that believe; and of Scripture that has been revealed to full understanding. It is a Gospel full of momentum and life. It is a word of life that still reaches us today and touches our hearts…

Jdeidat Artouz - Syria, March 30, 2024

Under the blessings and guidance of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Counci of Churches for the Orthodox Family, and as part of the ongoing series of activities aimed at promoting the values of the Christian family, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, held the second workshop titled "The Family: Joy of Life" at the Church of Saint George in Jdeidat Artouz. This workshop was dedicated to the Parishioners of Churches in the Southern rural areas of Damascus. It included a series of seminars and activities focusing on the role of the family, the challenges it faces, and the principles and values upon which it is built. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of communal life within the family unit.

Thirty-four families from Jdeidat, Qatana, Sahnaya, Al-Zabadani, and Bloudan participated in this daylong event. The workshop concluded with a lecture delivered by Dr. Maher Ammari titled "The Family: Awareness, Joy, and Responsibility."

You can find in the video message to the Parishioners of Gaza. from His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Eminence Mgr William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, Parish Priest Of Gaza, and Fr. Davide Meli, Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On the occasion of Easter 2024, His Eminence Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and The Holy Land (ELCJHL), delivered a message, which you can listen to it in the following video.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, delivered his weekly sermon at the Wednesday meeting on March 20th 2024, from the Church of St. Anba Anthony at the Papal Residence in Cairo, without a public presence. The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels, the Official Website of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the COC channel of the Church’s Media Center on the Internet.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II began a new series of sermons under the title “Ways of Providing Love and Support” by linking them to the Sundays of Holy Lent. H.H. pointed out the characteristics of love as follows:1- It is the essence of God’s nature and being.

2- It is the highest human emotion.

3- It is the path of holiness and continues with man on earth and continues with him even when he is in heaven.“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”‭‭(I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬)

4- Acquiring it constitutes a person’s credit in heaven.“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”‭‭(I John‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬)

Damascus, March 24, 2024

With the blessing and presence of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Counci of Churches for the Orthodox Family, His Eminence Bishop Moussa (Al-Khoury) officiated the Annunciation Divine Liturgy in Barzeh, attended by several Priests and with the presence of His Grace Bishop Romanos (Al-Hannat).

During the Sermon, His Beatitude Patriarch John X greeted everyone on the occasion of the Annunciation, which marks the beginning of the plan of salvation. His Beatitude also emphasized that the family is the nucleus of God's work and the cornerstone of society.

Damascus, March 24, 2024

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Counci of Churches for the Orthodox Family, celebrated the Sunday of Orthodoxy Liturgy at the Mariamiyah Patriarchal Cathedral, with the participation of Bishops: Their Grace Bishop Romanos (Al-Hannat), Moussa (Al-Khoury), and Ioannis (Batach), along with many Priests and Deacons. During the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Patriarch John X ordained Deacon Kyrillos Qubbajeh as a Priest of the Lord, and Brother Fadi Abu Sbeiha as a Deacon, bearing the name Nektarios. At the end of the Liturgy, His Beatitude Patriarch John X congratulated the newly ordained, invoking holiness upon them and their families.

Damascus, March 23, 2024

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Counci of Churches for the Orthodox Family, received His Beatitude Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholics, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolas Antiba. Also present at the meeting was His Eminence Bishop Moussa Al-Khoury, which was held at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Damascus.

On March 23, 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, received his brother in Christ His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, at the Patriarchal Residence in Atchaneh, Lebanon.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I was accompanied by His Eminence Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer at the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate, and Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian.