News from the Orient – January 24, 2025

This week’s News from the Orient:

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

From January 18 to 25, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place, emphasizing the importance of dialogue between Churches.

The global event holds special significance for Eastern Churches, in its call for fraternity while honoring their rich spiritual and liturgical traditions that enrich Christianity.

In Ukraine, marked by divisions among Orthodox Churches since the war, a significant moment occurred on January 18 at an interfaith prayer at the Greek Catholic Cathedral in Kyiv.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, reminded attendees that “unity in faith in the Resurrection is the source of our hope.”

Holy Land Pilgrims

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, are inviting Christians to return on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Standing in front of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday, January 18, they issued the invitation in a video published by Terra Santa News.

Patriarch Pizzaballa assured that the situation is “safe” due to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and encouraged support for local Christian families whose livelihoods depend on pilgrims.

Fr. Patton called on Christians to be “pilgrims of hope” during this jubilee year.

Timkat 2025

From January 18 to 20, Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians of the Ge’ez Rite celebrated Timkat.

This major liturgical feast commemorates Christ’s baptism and the Epiphany. During the celebration, replicas of the Tablets of the Law from each Ge’ez church, called Tabot, are carried in procession, wrapped in cloth, and placed on priests’ heads, who are adorned in colorful attire.

The procession leads to a body of water, which is blessed and sprinkled on the faithful, with some immersing themselves to renew their baptismal vows.

Accompanied by traditional songs and dances, the event gathers thousands of pilgrims annually. Timkat has been listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2019.