Vatican City: This week’s edition of News from the Orient, a collaborative production with L’Œuvre d’Orient, highlights significant developments across Eastern Catholic and Orthodox communities—from sacred ordinations to commemorative relics and global celebrations of heritage.
The Feast of the Ascension was marked with joyful ordinations in Eastern Churches across the globe. In Kerala, India, Bishop Mathew, previously the Auxiliary Bishop of the Syro-Malankara Patriarchate, was officially appointed to shepherd the Eparchy of Mavelikara. Meanwhile, in Arba Minch, Ethiopia, the Spiritan community celebrated the ordination of two new priests, strengthening the local Church’s missionary presence. In France, the Chaldean Catholic diaspora rejoiced as Jérôme Zeren was ordained to the priesthood by Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako, serving as a bridge between East and West in the heart of Europe.
A moment of solemn reverence unfolded on June 1 as Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, announced that the relics of Cardinal Iuliu Hossu would soon be enshrined within St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Hossu, one of seven Romanian Greek-Catholic bishops martyred under communist persecution, stands as a towering witness of faith and resistance. The announcement was made during a Divine Liturgy attended by over a thousand Romanian faithful, bishops of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, Apostolic Nuncio Giampiero Gloder, and a host of Eastern and Western Church dignitaries. The enshrinement honors not only Hossu's personal sanctity but the suffering and resilience of an entire Church under totalitarian oppression.
On June 1, Coptic Christians around the globe came together in prayer and celebration for Global Coptic Day, an annual observance commemorating the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt—an event rich with theological and historical symbolism for Copts. The day is an opportunity to reflect on the deep spiritual roots of the Coptic Orthodox Church, known for its enduring legacy of martyrdom, monastic devotion, theological richness, and iconic art. From Egypt to North America, Europe to Australia, churches hosted special liturgies, exhibitions, and public events to honor the heritage of one of Christianity’s most ancient traditions.
This week’s events underscore the vitality, resilience, and global presence of the Eastern Churches—united in faith, diverse in culture, and steadfast in their witness to the Gospel in modern times.