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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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In Memoriam
His Beatitude Ignatios IV (Hazim)
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
On learning of the passing to the heavenly Father of His Beatitude Ignatios IV (Hazim) on 5 December 2012, His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III (Laham) immediately sent by telegram the following message to the Orthodox Holy Synod in Beirut:
With a deep feeling of pain and sadness we received the news of the death of our brother, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatios IV, of Antioch and All the East of the Greek Orthodox Church.
On hearing the news we could not refrain from tears; our pen and tongue alike unable to express our sorrow.
In our name, and that of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in the East and the diaspora, and also speaking as President of the Assembly of Catholic Hierarchy in Syria, we offer our sincere condolences to our beloved sister Church, through its Holy Synod.
We ask Christ, risen from the dead, to receive our brother in his heavenly dwelling-place together with all the children of the resurrection, the righteous and the saints.
Eternal memory!
With my sincere condolences and prayer
Gregorios III
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
of Alexandria and of Jerusalem
for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
On Saturday 8 December 2012 His Beatitude Gregorios III went to St Nicholas’ Cathedral in Beirut, to offer his condolences to the Locum tenens, Metropolitan Saba Esper, and participated in a service with Orthodox bishops around the coffin in which the Patriarch’s venerable remains were exposed.
On Sunday 9 December 2012, he went to the funeral of the late Patriarch in the same St Nicholas’ Cathedral, together with five Melkite Greek Catholic bishops, their Excellencies Salim Bustros, Ibrahim Nehmeh, George Haddad, Elias Rahhal, Michael Abrass and Archimandrites Nicholas Hakim, Superior of the Patriarchal Residence in Ain Traz, and Naim Gharbi, Rector of the Major Seminary of Saint Anna in Rabweh, seminarians and some priests from Beirut.
After the funeral in Beirut the body of the late Patriarch was transported to Damascus in a special convoy.
His Beatitude, accompanied by Mgr. Joseph Absi Vicar General in Damascus, and Mgr. Boulos Borkhosh, Metropolitan of Bosra and Arab Mountain (Houran, Syria) and some priests also went to Damascus for the funeral on Monday 10 December 2012 at 2p.m., in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition.
His Beatitude gave some accounts and interviews as follows in brief:
“We pay affectionate homage to a Syrian national, religious and world figure, a man of vision, sagacity, wisdom and a clear, vibrant voice in ecclesial and national dialogue.
“We share in the mourning of our sister Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.
“Personally, I have lost a brother and friend whom I have known since 1964 (some 48 years): as priest, bishop, and (since 2000) Patriarch. He is a patron in heaven, where he re-joins his brother and friend the late Patriarch Maximos V (Hakim). They were real friends and companions.
“May God send our dear sister Church of Antioch, a good successor to this venerable predecessor!”
Source: Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate, Rabweh
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CWN - Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch, honored as the third-ranking prelate within Eastern Orthodoxy after the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Alexandria, has died at the age of 91.
Born in Syria as Habib Hazim, he was consecrated a bishop in 1961 and was enthroned as patriarch in 1979. The patriarchate, which is one of 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches and is based in Damascus, has 750,000 members, principally in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, including 250 parishes and missions in the United States and Canada.
Patriarch Ignatius IV promoted frequent Holy Communion and, in the words of L’Osservatore Romano, “launched numerous appeals for peace in Syria and, alongside the Catholic bishops and Muslim religious leaders, was deeply committed to encouraging reconciliation in the region.”
There are four other Patriarchs of Antioch. The heads of the Syriac Catholic Church, the Maronite Catholic Church, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church are all in full communion with the Holy See and follow the Antiochene, Maronite, and Byzantine liturgical traditions respectively. The head of the Syrian Orthodox Church ceased to be in full communion with the Holy See following the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and is the head of one of the six Oriental Orthodox churches.
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Taking stock of the historic vote in the UN
to grant observer status to the Palestinian state
Patriarch Gregorios III says,
“The Palestinian case is my Arab Christian and Muslim cause”
Rabweh - Patriarch Gregorios III greatly appreciated the UN resolution granting observer status to the Palestinian state. He said: “Thank God, who waits but never forgets.” He also thanked the countries that voted for the resolution, whilst censuring countries voting against it, some of which seek to be in the defending vanguard of nations’ freedom and dignity.
“As Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem,” added Laham, “Palestine is part of my patriarchal territory. I was bishop and patriarchal vicar there in Jerusalem for twenty-six years, so I am overjoyed on this historic day, because Palestine is my Arab Christian and Muslim cause. I’d like to congratulate beloved Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his courage, determination, consistency and reasoning- power. I’d like to congratulate the Palestinian nation and I hope that they will reunite around this recognition and work together for a better future. I repeat that resolving this Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to peace, democracy and independence in the whole region, even to the Syrian crisis. The problem of emigration, especially Christian emigration, is directly related to resolving this conflict. I reiterate my position: there can be no peace in the Middle East without peace in Jerusalem; no peace in the world without the peace of Jerusalem, and without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I should like to take this opportunity to invite Palestinians to dialogue. We hope this stage will be the preliminary to further stages. We should like to thank the international community for their decision and attitude, and we should like this purely legal measure to be imbued with the Spirit. Reconciliation is the spiritual guarantee for the letter of the law not to kill. (cf. 2 Corinthians 3: 6) What has happened today is not just a gift, but rather a right; plain justice and a step in the right direction. This is the real road map. We repeat our gratitude for the courage of the Palestinian President, who clearly demonstrated the existence of the state of Israel. In return, Israelis have to understand this bold, dignified message from President Abbas.
“We are persuaded that halting settlements in Palestinian territories would be an effective contribution towards negotiations, which should begin forthwith. The duty of the international community, especially the group of four, is to accompany this process to establish Palestinian rights.”
Source: Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate, Rabweh
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Vatican City, (VIS) - Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, is leading a delegation sent by the Holy See to Istanbul to participate in celebrations marking the Feast of St. Andrew, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Holy See and the Patriarchate exchange regular annual visits for the feast days of their respective patrons.
The Holy See delegation to this year's celebration is made up of Cardinal Koch; Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Fr. Andrea Palmieri, an official of the same dicastery, and Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, apostolic nuncio to Turkey. The group attended a divine liturgy celebrated by Bartholomew I in the patriarchal church of Fanar, then met with the Patriarch and the synodal commission which oversees relations with the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Koch gave Bartholomew I a gift and a message from the Holy Father which was read out at the end of the divine liturgy. He then met with representatives of the local Catholic community and the ecumenical council of the apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in Istanbul.
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Uniontown, PA - Sister Alphonsa Danovich went peacefully home to the Lord early in the morning of Monday, November 23, 2012.
She had been a member of the Uniontown Province of the Sisters of St. Basil at Mount St. Macrina for 61 years.
Relatives and friends will be received at the Monastery Chapel on Friday, November 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Parastas Service will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. The Funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by the Metropolitan Archbishop William Skurla on Saturday, December 1 at 10:30 a.m. in the Monastery Chapel. Internment will follow in the Dormition Section of Mount Macrina Cemetery.
KEZMARSKY FUNERAL HOME, Uniontown, is in charge of arrangements.
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6-9 November 2012
Patriarch Gregorios III visited Great Britain in the context of a European tour to promote the work of the Liqaa dialogue centre in Lebanon.
Arriving on 6 November from Paris, where he had given a talk on the Liqaa Center at St Julien-le-Pauvre on 5 November, His Beatitude went directly to Heythrop College, University of London to speak on the topic The Melkite Church: living with and for others, with particular reference to Muslim-Christian dialogue and the work of the Liqaa Center, Lebanon.
Al-Liqa’ Center was first was founded in Palestine in 1983 with Muslim and Christian university professors when His Beatitude was Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem; in 2011 the Liqaa Center was founded in Lebanon, thanks largely to the generosity of His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said of Oman, and began its activities in 2012.
The Director of the Centre for Eastern Christianity at Heythrop College, Mr Anthony O’Mahony, who introduced His Beatitude to the audience, later expressed a lively interest in following up His Beatitude’s invitation to Heythrop College to plan joint conferences with the Liqaa Center and to arrange student exchanges in future years.
His Beatitude’s talk included a presentation of himself and his role, the history and current role of the Melkite Church as “Church of the Arabs, Church of Islam” and the role of the centre as a place for meeting, dialogue and interfaith activities. Afterwards Patriarch Gregorios III answered questions on a wide range of topics from the audience, which numbered about one hundred persons from a variety of academic and ecclesial backgrounds. These exchanges on the current situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria, were reported in the Catholic weekly newspaper The Tablet, by Liz Dodd, who attended the talk and discussion.