MEETING OF THE PRESS OFFICERS & SPOKESPERSONS of the European Bishops’ Conferences Cyprus 24-26 May 2023
The Meeting of the Press Officers and Spokespersons of the Europeans Bishops’ conference was Held in Nicosia, 24-26 May 2023, under the title: “The Church and The Challenge of The Artificial Intelligence.”
Participants from different European Countries participated in this event, including Cyprus. They discussed different challenges the Church is facing today, and planned to continue their discussion on the same subject in the next meeting.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS, The message to the Holy Father
A first communion in Asomatos…
April 30, 2023. The first communion of Emilia in Archangel Mikael church in Asomatos...
30 Απριλίου 2023. Η πρώτη κοινωνία της Αιμιλίας στην εκκλησία του Aρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ στον Ασώματο...
April 28, 2023. Elias Liatsos Deacon… Axios
By the Holy Grace, and the hand imposition of H.E. Archbishop Selim Sfeir, the sub-deacon Elias Liatsos was ordained Deacon on the altars of the Maronite Diocese of Cyprus on April 28, 2023.
Holy Thursday, 12.4.2012
Holy Thursday, 12.4.2012
Holy Thursday
1 Cor 11/23-32;Luc 22/1-23
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I want to meditate with you, on this Easter night, on the mystery of God’s love to us, through the following four points:
- It is the Thursday of the Sacraments, during which our Lord culminates His life on the Eve of His passion, offering Himself for us, through the Eucharistic Gifts that is the bread and wine. He established the mystery of Holy Eucharist, which summarizes the path of humanity towards this hour, during which He saves mankind from sin and liberates it with His death and resurrection. Through Holy Eucharist we thank and praise Him for the life and salvation He gave us. In this way, we glorify the Father through the spirit that makes us participate in this symposium of the bread of life.
- It is the Thursday of the washing of the feet, which clearly shows, that Jesus Christ, the King of Kings leaned towards our sinful humanity. Let us remember that He himself leaned during His incarnation and was born in a place full of humility. He, himself entered Jerusalem riding a donkey and was welcomed by the pure and the righteous. And on this night, he completes the ceremony of the washing, in order to give an example to His disciples, to all of us, that love is expressed with service and the most prominent should be the first servant. In this mystery of His love we were baptized Christians to serve humanity.
- It is the Thursday during which our Lord established priesthood. He is Himself the priest of the New Testament. All baptized participate in His priesthood through baptism. Some are called to serve the community through the priesthood of the altar, celebrating the Holy Eucharist and the other mysteries. The presence of priests in the world shows God’s mercy towards humanity. Because of the presence of priests in human societies, the faith within the community is testified. Jesus continues to invite young people to follow Him. My youth, open your hearts to hear His voice and accept Him.
- It is the Thursday during which we renew our faith in front of this huge mystery of His love towards us. Let us be honest with ourselves, let us be consistent to our baptism and Christian mission. Let us search deep inside to realize what kind of faith we live: Is it a temporary faith? Is it faith received from the family and society without any personal or deep commitment? Is it a faith in which we exercise some external religious ceremonies without considering that we adore the Living God who loves us and requests from us only to love Him? Let us renew our faith, let us apologize in front of the generosity of His love. Let us meet the challenges of faith in today’s world, because life in Christ today, tomorrow and for ever is the greatest and most beautiful gift ever. To Him be Glory for Ever. Amen
Nicosia, 12 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
12/04/2012
Holy Friday, 13.4.2012
Holy Friday
1 Peter 4/12-19; John 6/48-59
I want to meditate with you on the Passion of Christ focusing on the following five points:
- It is the Passion of Christ in all its being. The very fact of the Incarnation, that is, God the Father sending His only begotten Son to become Emmanuel, is the same Passion. The Son leaves everything behind, His Glory, the Kingdom of His Father and dwells with people, with sinners, simply because He loved us and wanted to free us from slavery.
- It is the Passion of His body, His Holy and Immaculate body, His body which represents human nature, but that, which is perfect whereas ours is imperfect. He invites us to perfection and bears all His passions for our salvation and our renewal.
- It is the Passion of His soul, the Passion of the One who came to fulfill the will of His Father, the Father who was in direct communication with Him day and night. During the day He used to meet the Father through the people and their passions, and at night in prayer and silence He was in union and communion with Him.
- It is the Passion of humanity. Jesus carries through His personal passions, the passions of all humanity, of all history, even those arising from the rejection of God. He carries in His Passion the sickness and the sick, the remote and the near, those who search for Him in purity to meet Him, to know Him and to become His disciples.
- The Passion of salvation. It is the Passion that brings salvation, not the Passion just for the Passion, but for the salvation of men. It is the Passion that leads us to the dynamism of life and resurrection. Let us thank Him for His Passions, let us present ours in front of His cross and let us bear His in our bodies so as to become His disciples. Amen.
Nicosia, 13 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
13/04/2012
Easter Sunday, 15.4.2012
Sunday of Easter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Al Masyhou Qam,
On this morning of the Resurrection I want to focus an and meditate with you, on four points highlighting the importance of the resurrection that we celebrate today:
- God raised His Son from the dead on the third day. It is the essence of our Christian Faith which is practically based on this confession and this announcement. God the creator of the universe, God who is the God of life and the Lord of death, God who through His plan of salvation wished to send His only begotten Son to our humanity, and became man, God who wanted to give life back to humans as they were in eternal death, has raised His Son from the dead, His Son who is true man and true God and new life is given through Him. This time, the human being is liberated from eternal death, and is filled with eternal life that is realized through His resurrection. It is the foundation of our Christian faith.
- Jesus is no longer in the tomb. The tomb is empty, He is not there. In fact, He has returned to His father and lives with us, at the same time. His kingdom is that of His father, but also the heart of man. He says in His Gospel: “The kingdom of God is within you.” In order to see it, to feel it, to leap of its hope, our eyes and heart should look at the sky but also at the depth of our being. We have to live the presence of the resurrected and living Christ in the depth of our hearts otherwise faith becomes an external religious action tasteless and without fruits.
- The theological and spiritual space of His encounter is the Eucharistic banquet. We know that the Holy Eucharist of every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. And today’s feast is a strong time that reminds us of the historical time of Jesus in which the Pascal Mystery was realized. But it is every Sunday that the Church celebrates in depth, the resurrection. In other words, we have to celebrate this every week rather than every year, that is once a year, or occasionally. How beautiful it is, to meet Jesus every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist and to celebrate His resurrection, having children, young people and families grow in this deep and living faith.
- The human space of the resurrection is each person that God puts to our path every day of our lives. It is exactly here that the confession of the resurrection is realized. It relates to living the values of the Gospel, the values of hope, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, brotherhood so as to build together a human society where God is the Lord of the Lords, and where His love dominates the hearts and thoughts. It relates to destroying the walls of hatred, divisions, prejudices and injustices. It relates to be set free and believe in human freedom. It relates to rediscover among us the beauty and richness of our land, of our island, where the first communities have born witness of the risen Christ. It is the place where many cultures managed to live together, despite challenges and difficulties. The world needs examples, witnesses of the resurrection through unity and love, through truth and light.
I wish to all of you Happy Easter, where everyone assumes responsibility of transmitting the faith in the living Christ, source of our hope, to Him be glory for ever, Amen.
Nicosia, 15th April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
15/04/2012
Second Sunday after Easter, Sunday of Thomas, 22.4.2012
2nd Sunday after Easter
2 Cor 5/11-21; John 20/26-31
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
«Peace be with you»
It is the first word addressed by Jesus to His disciples and to the whole world after His resurrection from the dead. Humanity accepts the gift of peace. It is the reconciliation that was realized with His death and resurrection, between man and God the Father. It is the fruit of the offer of Christ Himself, realized on the cross. This peace has transformed the doubt of Thomas to a living and deep faith, I would say more personal, when he confesses in front of Jesus, saying: « My Lord and my God» In this way, all those who believe and confess: « You are Christ, the Son of the Living God» will have eternal life.
We received the peace of Christ through our baptism. This peace is renewed in the Holy Eucharist, in prayer and in the personal relationship with the Lord. This inner peace is manifested spontaneously and naturally in the public sphere, in order to build a human society based on peace among men. It relates to the building of the culture of peace, the culture of reconciliation and of forgiveness. During this hour, everything is transformed, the doubts, the hostilities, the divisions, the conflicts and all kinds of evil, to a brotherly love and family spirit experienced in this multicultural human family, so rich in diversity but united in the love of God and the respect of others.
Let us built our lives based on the peace of Christ. Let us live the peace in our society here where we live and in our wider region which is lacking peace, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of peace and Saint George who defeated evil with his faith.
Amen.
Nicosia, 22 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
22/04/2012
Archbishop’s Teaching: Sunday of the Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, 29.4.2012
Sunday of the disciple of Emmaus, 29.4.2012 - Homely of the Archbishop
3rd Sunday after Easter 2 Tim 2/8-13; luck 24/13-35
One of them, who was called Cleopas asked Him: “Are you the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there, these last few days?” (Luke 24:18)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
But what happened in those days? It is the question asked by the disciples of Emmaus, but it is also the question asked by each one of us in his life as disciple and baptized. It is the question motivated by faith but also by sorrow, by love but also by despair. It is the question that indicates the conflict that exists inside a human person, a search for truth and a march towards truth. The sorrow of those two disciples was caused by the fact that they were hoping for a Messiah with worldly power as all the kings of the world, whereas He announced that His kingdom was not of this world. They followed Him like so many others, but at the hour of the cross, this hour so difficult to be handled, they abandoned Him, and returned sorrowful and disappointed to their villages, to their old way of life, to their past, being aware of the happening but without understanding the meaning of it. Jesus marches with them and as pedagogue, brother, knower and examiner of their hearts, He helps them to open their hearts to the truth, and ultimately to His own truth as Lord and Resurrected. That knowledge, that light, that transformation, that joy that prevailed in their hearts, took flesh in the breaking of bread that is in Holy Eucharist, and they urged Him strongly: «Stay with us, for it is nearly evening, the day is almost over. So He entered the village to stay with them.” (Luke 24:29).
Dear brothers and sisters, it is right here, in the Holy Eucharist that we encounter the Risen Christ. It is here that we proclaim His death and resurrection, and from here that we are called to witness our faith in Him, to live following His example in the world, in integrity, in a spirit of brotherhood, of love and peace. Today’s world needs witnesses of the resurrection that will announce the good news to everyone. Christian life is a plan of life and all life marches in that spirit, otherwise all consistency and authenticity is lost. In front of this divided world, in front of sorrow and the pain of humanity, only the truth of the risen Christ consoles people. Christ is our strength, Christ is our joy, Christ is our peace, He has risen and we are the witnesses. Amen.
Nicosia, 29 April 2012
† Youssef Soueif Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
29/04/2012
Martha and Mary (Luke 10 : 38-42)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Canonization of Blessed Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlos Acutis.
Today in the holy city of Rome, our beloved Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV will solemnly elevate for the whole Church two new saints, Giorgio Frassati and Carlos Acutis. Both of these young men died very young, yet in their brief journey, they show that living for Christ takes nothing away from life but fills it with meaning and joy.
The saints are the experts in listening. Like Mary of Bethany, the saints are attentive to the voice of Christ. They hear Him in the reading of the Gospel, they hear Him in the voice of the Church’s teaching, they hear Him in the voices of the poor and the immigrant, they hear Him in the silence of the Blessed Sacrament. The saints don’t just hear Jesus, they listen to Him. This work of listening is to discover the voice of Christ in those right beside us, in our families and our place of work. It's also about trying to hear the voice of Christ in our contemporaries, some of whom are far from the Church. Even in their estrangement, they are creatures of Logos, of reason, and can be unwitting transmitters of the truth. We need to have hearts and ears capable of hearing Christ speaking from the most unlikely places.
Poor Martha in her busy kitchen of Bethany could hear Christ speaking in the other room, but she was so distracted, she couldn’t listen. She got focused on her problems, her difficulties and her failures. She was listening to herself and only hearing Jesus from a distance.
The Divine Logos created the human body as a custom designed parable: we have two ears and one mouth. God is showing us that we have to do twice as much listening as we do speaking and listening is twice as hard as talking.
May our Blessed Mother, who’s beautiful birthday we shall celebrate tomorrow (for us Maronites, we think of our Lady of Mankee!) on September 8th, intercede for all of us to be betters listeners!
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus