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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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CWN - At the conclusion of his April 13 general audience, Pope Francis appealed for prayers for his upcoming trip to the Greek island of Lesbos.
Lesbos, he said, is a place “where many refugees have passed in recent months. I will go, together with my brothers Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and of All Greece, to express my closeness and solidarity to the refugees and citizens of Lesbos, and all the Greek people, who are very generous in their welcoming.”
“I ask you to please accompany me with prayer, invoking the light and strength of the Holy Spirit and the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary,” the Pope added.
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CWN - The Catholic bishops of Russia have issued a letter commemorating the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s appointment of Latin-rite bishops in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan following seven decades of Communist oppression.
On April 13, 1991, the Pontiff established the Apostolic Administration of European Russia (now the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow), the Apostolic Administration of Siberia (now the Diocese of the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk), the Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan (now the Diocese of Karaganda), and the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, Belarus.
In their letter, Russia’s bishops invited the faithful to make a novena of thanksgiving “so that joy and gratitude do not leave our hearts.” They also recalled the violent persecution of the Church in the former Soviet Union.
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CWN - The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will make a two-part apostolic journey to the Caucasus region.
From June 24 to 26, the Pontiff will visit Armenia, a nation of 3.0 million. Only 6% of its people are Catholic, while 93% are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which ceased to be in full communion with the Holy See following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451.
From September 30 to October 2, Pope Francis will visit Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million, is 84% Eastern Orthodox, 10% Muslim, and 2% Catholic, while Azerbaijan, a nation of 9.6 million with fewer than 1,000 Catholics, is 93% Muslim and 3% Eastern Orthodox.
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CWN - The head of the Syrian Orthodox Church said that 21 Christians were slain by the Islamic State in Al-Qaryatayn when the central Syrian town was under its control.
ISIS took control of the town in August 2015; it was retaken by Syrian government forces on April 3.
According to Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, “some died whilst trying to escape while the others were killed for breaking the terms of their ‘dhimmi contracts,’ which require them to submit to the rule of Islam,” the BBC reported.
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CWN - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders in Armenia and Azerbaijan to work for peace in the conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, a self-governing Armenian area within Azerbaijan’s borders.
“I trust in God’s help for an early cessation of fire and reconciliation of the sides,” he said. “On my part, I am ready to do all that is possible for me to help the good cause of settling the conflict.”
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CWN - The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has announced that Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens “will visit the island of Lesbos in the near future in order to meet with and support the refugees there.”
Lesbos is a Greek island located off the coast of Turkey. Under an agreement recently reached between the EU and Turkey, migrants arriving in Greece are being returned to Turkey.
“This measure and initiative of the religious leaders will encourage and strengthen the thousands of suffering refugees, while inspiring the implementation of appropriate actions for the protection of the afflicted Christian communities as well as the proper response to the critical refugee situation,” the patriarchate explained in its annoucement.
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