February 28, 2025

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, received today at the Papal Residence in Cairo a delegation from the Romanian Orthodox Church. The delegation came to Egypt on a pilgrimage and to visit its tourist landmarks, including several sites along the Holy Family’s journey in Egypt.

The delegation included bishops from the Romanian Orthodox Church:

● His Grace Bishop Nicodim, Bishop of Severin and Strehaia.

● His Grace Bishop Andrei, Bishop of Covasna and Harghita.

● His Grace Bishop Gerontie, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Deva and Hunedoara.

● His Grace Bishop Nestor, Bishop of Deva and Hunedoara.

Additionally, the delegation included a group of priests, monks, young men, and women from the mentioned dioceses.

A Holy See Press Office communiqué on Thursday evening confirms that His Holiness Pope Francis’ clinical condition continues to show improvement. Additional days of clinical stability are needed before the prognosis can be lifted.
A Holy See Press Office communiqué on Thursday evening confirms that Pope Francis’ clinical condition continues to show improvement. Additional days of clinical stability are needed before the prognosis can be lifted.
Vatican News 
The Holy Father's clinical condition is confirmed to be improving again today.

We extend our apostolic benediction, benevolent prayers and greetings to our brethren, their Eminences the Metropolitans, and our spiritual children: Very Reverend Corepiscopoi, Reverend priests, monks, nuns and deacons and the entire blessed Syriac Orthodox people throughout the world. May the divine providence embrace them through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and St. Peter, Chief of the Apostles, and all the Martyrs and Saints. Amen.

God is with us in times of trouble

“Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You”

(Psalms 139: 10 - 12)

The Book of Psalms is a source of comfort for believers during tribulation, suffering, and pain, as well as a wellspring of joy and hope in times of praising and thanksgiving to the Lord for His redemptive work. Psalm 139 beautifully captures the sentiment that God is present among us and guiding us, even in the most challenging moments of life, "Even there, Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me" (Psalm 139: 10-11). These verses convey profound spiritual messages regarding the significance of hope and trust in God's promises, emphasizing that He will never forsake His children, particularly in the context of the challenges they encounter in the contemporary world, such as wars, persecution, political transitions, social unrest, and moral crises. His steadfast promises and benevolent guidance are the bedrock that enables us to persevere through even the most arduous circumstances, as the psalmist assures us, saying, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23: 4). The Lord God will never leave us in the darkness; instead, He will be present in the depths of our pain to give us victory with the right hand of His power.

Lk 6, 39-42

In his "Sermon on the Plain," the evangelist Luke includes these words of Jesus about blind leaders (Lk 6:39-42), which Matthew places in a different section of his Gospel rather than in the parallel Sermon on the Mount. 

Let us try to retrace Jesus' discourse. 

At the beginning he lays out the beatitudes (Lk 6:20-25), that is, the proclamation of a new world, where there are no longer those who dominate and those who suffer, those who command and those who submit; there are no longer those who are first and those who are last. It is the proclamation of a world where the traditional categories that divide the world in two, where some are considered great, and others small - disappear.  

The discourse continues by announcing a new way of relating to one another, which can only be rooted in mutual love, forgiveness, and mercy: "Love your enemies... Be merciful... Do not judge..." (Lk 6:27-38). Only love has the power to eliminate distinctions, placing everyone on the same level: every person is equally worthy of love and respect. 

The inauguration of a place of worship and pilgrimage four years after the papal visit sends a message. Both Christians and Muslims worry about the pontiff’s health. A country’s cultural lasting heritage is a treasure that supports the economy. For the patriarch, the secular nature of the state remains a key issue; in the meantime, he appeals for an end to wars and extremist ideologies

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – The imminent inauguration of a Church in Ur of the Chaldeans, four years after the visit of Pope Francis, is a “message” and a sign of “openness”, this according to His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches.

The site, he hopes, will become a place of pilgrimage for Iraqis and believers from all over the world, Christians and Muslims, for Abraham “is their common father,” the prelate told AsiaNews.

His Holiness Pope Francis continues to show signs of improvement, with his kidney issues subsiding. A recent CT scan confirmed a normal progression of his lung inflammation, and his blood tests returned good results. In the afternoon, he resumed his work. However, his prognosis remains guarded.

By Vatican News

On Wednesday evening, the Holy See Press Office provided the following update on Pope Francis' health: 

"The Holy Father's condition has shown a slight further improvement over the past 24 hours. The mild kidney insufficiency observed in recent days has subsided. A chest CT scan carried out last night showed a normal progression of the lung inflammation. Blood tests conducted today confirmed the improvement seen yesterday.

As he did everyday from the beginning of this terrible war, His Holiness Pope Francis has called us once again to show his closeness, to pray for us and to give us his blessing.

As the Parish of the Holy Family of Gaza, which belongs to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, we rejoice to hear his voice. This is always comforting. Knowing that despite his delicate state of health, he continues to think and pray for everyone, for Peace in Gaza and thanking us, at the same time, for our constant prayers, gives us great joy even in the midst of so many trials.

Merciful God, the source of life and healing, we lift our prayer for HH Pope Francis. We ask you Lord to touch him with your healing hands and to give him health and strength, to alleviate his suffering. Be with your servant during his physical weakness and surround him with your divine providence, so that he may retain his wellbeing and continue his ministry with a spirit filled with peace and hope. We ask you Lord to bless his body and soul and to make him a living witness of your love and mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ our Healer we pray. Amen

Gaza's Holy Family parish sends a video to His Holiness Pope Francis, wishing him a speedy recovery as he is being treated for pneumonia in hospital.

By Francesca Merlo

For over a year, a relationship of mutual support has united Pope Francis and the Holy Family parish in Gaza. Since the outbreak of war, the Pope has called the parish and its community every evening at 7pm, checking in on their well-being amidst the [Israeli] offensive. Now, as he battles double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, the parishioners are returning that same closeness, sending him a short albeit heartfelt video message of prayer and encouragement.

The Holy See Press Office’s Tuesday evening update on the His Holiness Pope Francis’s health says he has not suffered acute respiratory episodes, and his hemodynamic parameters remain stable. The prognosis remains guarded.

Vatican News 
“The Holy Father's clinical condition remains critical but stable. There have been no acute respiratory episodes, and hemodynamic parameters continue to be stable.

In the evening, he underwent a scheduled CT scan to radiologically monitor the bilateral pneumonia. The prognosis remains cautious.

In the morning, after receiving the Eucharist, he resumed work activities.”

In his Message for Lent 2025, His Holiness Pope Francis invites the faithful to “journey together in hope," and to take the opportunity of the upcoming Lenten Season to ask ourselves whether we are truly willing to heed God's call to change our lives.

By Lisa Zengarini

The central theme of His Holiness Pope Francis’ Lenten Message is encapsulated in the phrase "Let us journey together in hope," which ties into the broader theme of the Jubilee Year -"Pilgrims of Hope."

The Pope's reflection focuses on conversion and unfolds in three key dimensions: the importance of journeying, journeying together, and journeying with hope.

By the mercy of God Almighty
John X
the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
To
My brethren, the pastors of the Holy Church of Antioch
And my sons and daughters wherever they are across this Apostolic See

Dear spiritual brethren and children,

During Great Lent, each of us invokes the Lord of Salvation, the Master of Life and Death, and cries to Him from the depths of our soul: Lord, have mercy!

During Great and Holy Lent, the soul goes to the Bridegroom, to the heavenly Bridegroom, with whom it rises from the dead and seeks the dawn of resurrection. In Great Lent, the soul accompanies its Bridegroom, Christ our God. It accompanies Him and calls upon Him as it treads the path of repentance, a path crowned with suffering but adorned with the resurrection from an empty tomb.

The Holy See Press Office provides an update on His Holiness Pope Francis’s health: no new episodes of asthma-like respiratory distress; a slight reduction in oxygen flow and levels; and improved test results. His mild kidney insufficiency is not a cause for concern. Pope Francis has resumed work and, in the evening, called the parish in Gaza.

By Vatican News

On Sunday evening, the Holy See Press Office provided the following update on Pope Francis' health: 

The Holy Father's clinical condition, despite its severity, has shown a slight improvement.

February 23, 2025

In a humanitarian gesture that reflects love, appreciation, and the strong relationship between the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and His Holiness Pope Francis—as well as the cooperation and dialogue between the two largest religious institutions in the Christian and Islamic worlds—

Today, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, expressed his wishes for Pope Francis' speedy recovery through his official Facebook account, as the Pope faces a critical health condition.

He stated:

"I pray to God to grant my dear brother, Pope Francis, a swift recovery and to bless him with health and well-being so that he may continue his mission of serving humanity."

The relationship between Al-Azhar, the leading Sunni Islamic institution in the Muslim world, and the Vatican, the spiritual center of the Catholic Church, is among the most significant interfaith relations globally. Over the years, this relationship has experienced phases of cooperation, tension, and reconciliation, reflecting the nature of interfaith dynamics in the modern world.

This morning Bishop Sean Semple and His Eminence Bishop Hosam Elias Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, and the Primate of the Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, worshipped at Christ Church (Anglican) at Jabal Ali- Dubai where Fr Jim Young presided and preached at the service.

Later in the day, Archbishop Naoum and Bishop Semple joined the Church of Pakistan worship at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Dubai, hosted by Fr prem Mitra. Bishop Azad Marshall also officiated in the bilingual (English and Urdu) Service of Holy Communion. Archbishop Naoum Presided and preached at the Service.

His Holiness Pope Francis is alert and oxygen is still being administered. His blood values are improving thanks to transfusions. There is an initial slight renal insufficiency. He attended Mass today.

Vatican News

The Holy See Press Office provided the following medical update on Pope Francis on Sunday evening:

The condition of the Holy Father remains critical, but since yesterday evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises.

He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with beneficial effects, and his hemoglobin levels have risen.  

The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mark in Alexandria witnessed the ordination of 12 new priests today (Saturday), by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark to serve in the churches of Alexandria.

His Holiness prayed the Divine Liturgy of Preparation Saturday 21 February 2025 for Great Lent morning, accompanied by the General Bishops overseeing the pastoral sectors of Alexandria, Hegumen Abraam Emil (the General Deputy of the Patriarchate in Alexandria), and several priests from Alexandria.

His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, was speaking at a showing of the film “Via Dolorosa,” which narrates the path of sorrows from the place where Christianity was born and where its presence is now severely threatened.

The film, shown at the United Nations in Geneva on 18 February, details the Christian presence in Palestine, narrated through the eyes of its Christians and capturing important moments that have shaped their history, identity, and resilience. 

Patriarch Theophilos said, “We proudly commend this blessed work” of Amira Hanania, the film’s director, “as well as the granted auspices of the World Council of Churches and the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine, as well as all the other international organizations that lent their name and support.”

On January 27 and 28, 2025, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches held an online meeting to evaluate the past 20 years of the commission’s work.

His Eminence Cardinal Czerny spends time during his mission in Lebanon to visit a refugee camp in Kfardlakos, Tripoli. The strip of land has tents and small structures giving minimal shelter to Syrian refugees Caritas serves with humanitarian aid as well as with a mobile health clinic.