News from the Orient - March 14, 2025

This week's news from the Eastern Churches:

Churches call for calm in Syria 

As the country suffers from a wave of violence, the Patriarchs of Syria’s main Churches – Greek Orthodox, Melkite, and Syriac Orthodox – have launched an urgent appeal in favour of reconciliation. In early March, clashes broke out between Alawite militias and interim government forces in coastal towns. Retaliatory attacks were carried out on Alawite civilians. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 1,300 Alawite civilians, 270 combatants and around ten Christians were killed in these massacres.

First Saturday of Lent in Jerusalem 

On the first Saturday of Lent, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre was the setting for a solemn procession of the heads of the Churches. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, opened the procession, followed by His Beatitude Theophilus III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, and other bishops of the Eastern Churches. In the evening, the ancient Church was filled with the sound of the Office of Readings, recited by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Tribute to Father Jean Ducruet in Beirut

As Saint-Joseph University in Beirut celebrates its 150th anniversary, a tribute evening was held on Monday 10 March in honour of Father Jean Ducruet, rector of the institution during the Lebanese civil war. A concert and a documentary retraced his work and the challenges faced by the university in the 70s and 80s. Located on the front line, the institution was able to innovate by opening several sites across the country. It was a message of hope for the participants, and a clear parallel was drawn with the current difficulties in Lebanon.