Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presides over a celebratory liturgy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025. / Credit: L'Œuvre d'OrientACI MENA, May 27, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).To mark the World Day of Eastern Christians, held every year on the sixth Sunday of Easter and organized by the association L'Œuvre d'Orient, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presided over the Divine Liturgy in the Chaldean rite at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, May 25. The celebration brought together bishops and faithful from various backgrounds. According to Vatican News, the World Day of Eastern Christians is for prayer, encounter, and communion between Eastern and Latin Christians.On the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris presided over by Cardinal Louis Raph...
Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presides over a celebratory liturgy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025. / Credit: L'Œuvre d'Orient
ACI MENA, May 27, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).
To mark the World Day of Eastern Christians, held every year on the sixth Sunday of Easter and organized by the association L'Œuvre d'Orient, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presided over the Divine Liturgy in the Chaldean rite at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, May 25.
The celebration brought together bishops and faithful from various backgrounds. According to Vatican News, the World Day of Eastern Christians is for prayer, encounter, and communion between Eastern and Latin Christians.
On the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris presided over by Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Credit: Leila Tahan
This year's liturgy was distinguished by the blessing of eight icons painted by both French and Middle Eastern artists depicting the first saints from the early centuries of Christianity.
These icons were anointed with chrism and will be placed on Wednesday in the newly dedicated St. George Chapel — a space within the cathedral set aside for Eastern Christians.
In his opening remarks, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris described icons in the Eastern tradition as "true windows into eternity, a faithful witness to the faith of the entire Church. They are not mere pictures but an entryway into God's holiness. To pray before them is a profound spiritual act."
Ulrich expressed his hope that many Eastern Christians would come to St. George Chapel to pray, noting that the diocese had decided to consecrate it upon the cathedral's reopening.
Expressing his deep admiration for the cathedral's restoration, Sako said that the East "formed the roots of Christianity, while the West, through its missionaries, became its beating heart."
He added: "The dedication of this chapel for Eastern Christians is of great significance, as it reveals the Church's universality and unity. It is a source of pride for us. We are deeply grateful to the Church in France, which stood with us during the horrors we endured under ISIS."
Artist Neemat Badwi writes the St. Ignatius of Antioch icon in Aleppo, Syria. Credit: Neemat Badwi
Speaking to ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, Syrian artist Neemat Badwi explained that the eight icons portray early Eastern saints according to the Churches and regions they are associated with. These include Andrew of Constantinople, James of Jerusalem, Mark of Alexandria, Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, Thomas of India, Addai and Mari of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Iraq, Frumentius of Ethiopia, and Ignatius of Antioch. It was the icon of Ignatius that L'Œuvre d'Orient commissioned Badwi to create.
St. Ignatius of Antioch icon by Syrian artist Neemat Badwi. Credit: Neemat Badwi
Badwi mentioned that he did not copy the icon from an earlier model but created an entirely new design. The work took him nearly three months to complete. He delivered the icons last month after arriving in Paris from Aleppo, accompanied by his brother, artist Bashir Badwi. Both were in the city to attend the conference titled "In Flesh and Gold" at the Louvre's Michelangelo Gallery, which focused on the art and restoration of sacred icons.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.
Cardinal Robert McElroy gives his first homily as the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Washington at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on March 11, 2025. / Credit: Patrick Ruddy/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 6, 2025 / 16:30 pm (CNA).The Archdiocese of Washington has announced plans to "cut spending, reduce its workforce, and restructure departments" to combat "crippling economic challenges."In a June 5 letter sent to archdiocesan staff members, Cardinal Robert McElroy indicated that the archdiocese has had an annual operating deficit of $10 million for the past five years, leading the archdiocese "to draw from financial reserves to cover shortfalls."The cardinal archbishop of Washington said "our situation has only been exacerbated by the present economic uncertainty that is impacting so many, both locally and globally." "I have come to the painful realization that the only way forward is to take drastic measures to achieve a balanced budge...
null / Credit: Mark Van Scyoc/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 6, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).The U.S. Department of State (DOS) plans to destroy a reserve of artificial contraceptives that was previously set aside for distribution in developing countries through foreign aid programs.The stockpile, including birth control pills, condoms, and long-term implantable contraceptives, is worth more than $12 million.A senior State Department official confirmed to CNA that officials had concerns that some of the nongovernmental organizations previously contracted to distribute contraceptives may have participated in programs that performed coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.According to the official, the DOS is destroying the products to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which bans taxpayer funding of organizations that promote abortion and forced sterilization abroad.Destroying the products will cost DOS about $16...
Seven Dominican brothers were ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, who leads the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia. The newest Dominican priests are Louis Mary Bethea, Gregory Marie Santy, Bertrand Marie Hebert, Basil Mary Burroughs, Titus Mary Sanchez, Nicodemus Maria Thomas, and Linus Mary Martz, pictured here with the archbishop at their ordination at the the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2025. / Credit: Jeffrey BrunoWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 6, 2025 / 17:57 pm (CNA).On Wednesday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., seven Dominican brothers were ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, who leads the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia."We are overjoyed at the ordination of seven of our brothers to the priesthood of Jesus Christ," Father Allen Moran, OP, prior provincial of the Dominican Friars of the Province of...
Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presides over a celebratory liturgy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025. / Credit: L'Œuvre d'Orient
