We pray for our Holy Universal Pontiff, Benedict XVI, Pope of Rome

In 2006, the Pope dropped the use of the Title of the "Patriarch of Rome and All West" to emphasized the very fact that he is not only the Head of the Latin Rite or the Western Church but the Catholic Church as a whole.

Pope: Eastern Churches embody "Spiritual richness"

Let me quote some words from His Holiness Pope Benedict, which like the other Popes, has served as the Protector of the Traditions been preserved by the Eastern Rite, here are some of his words as follows:

"In our day too, the Church in America is called to embrace, incorporate and cultivate the rich patrimony of faith and culture present in America’s many immigrant groups, including not only those of your own rites, but also the swelling numbers of Hispanic, Asian and African Catholics. The demanding pastoral task of fostering a communion of cultures within your local Churches must be considered of particular importance in the exercise of your ministry at the service of unity (cf. Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops, 63). This diaconia of communion entails more than simply respecting linguistic diversity, promoting sound traditions, and providing much-needed social programs and services. It also calls for a commitment to ongoing preaching, catechesis and pastoral activity aimed at inspiring in all the faithful a deeper sense of their communion in the apostolic faith and their responsibility for the Church’s mission in the United States. Nor can the significance of this challenge be underestimated: the immense promise and the vibrant energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped for the renewal of the Church’s life and the rebuilding of the fabric of American society."

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For those who have noticed he have said it on the visiting Eastern Rite Catholic Bishops of the United States, at the same time it has coincided with a slight uproar because of the Comments of the Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Church on regards of Celibacy. Nevertheless it is important here that His Holiness Pope Benedict deeply stress the importance of Eastern Church on regards of Spirituality

May the Good lord grant His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI many years

Pope Benedict XVI with His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church 

Pope Benedict XVI with His Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church

Pope Benedict XVI with His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church

Pope Benedict XVI with His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church

Pope Benedict XVI with His Beatitude Ignace Joseph III Younan, Patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church

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A Defence of using Vernacular in the Sacred Liturgy from a Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch during Vatican II Sessions

"Christ offered the first Eucharistic Sacrifice in a language which could be understood by all who heard him, namely, Aramaic. … Never could the idea have come to them [the Apostles] that in a Christian gathering the celebrant should read the texts of Holy Scripture, sing psalms, preach or break bread, and at the same time use a language different from that of the community gathered there … because this language [Latin] was spoken by the faithful of that time, Greek was abandoned in favor of Latin. … Why, then, should the Roman Church cease to apply the same principle today?"

His Beatitude Cardinal Maximos IV Sayegh

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One friend of mine told me before ( He is not anymore my friend, he is a Latin Traddie) that Eastern Catholic Hierarchs has nothing to do during the Sessions of the Vatican II Ecumenical Councils and should interfered on issues involving the Latin Rite. Well by these we can see totally how Eastern Rite Catholic Hierarchs championed reforms and even influencing the Sacred Liturgy of the West. Ooppsss it has nothing to do with that celebrated  Archbishop Annibale Bugnini or those Modernist and Freemasons Boo boo but the very old Traditions of the East being introduced in the Latin Rite, namely Concelebration and the use of the Vernacular. Seemingly there are some case of Latin Rite Traddies who are denouncing using the Vernacular in the Pauline Mass but attending Eastern Rite Divine Liturgies in Vernacular, look at this One sided Foolishness. Anyways i will thank Hierarchs like His Beatitude Maximos, who even defeated in a Debate the famous Traditionalist Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani after he has lost the time to make a rebuttal, well can you beat that, so will you say Latin is the OFFICIAL Liturgical Language of the Whole Church if you have Church Slavonic, Arabic, Greek, Malayalam, Armenians and others to be named eh  :P

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EPISCOPAL ORDINATION OF IGNATIUS GHATTAS, MELKITE GREEK CATHOLIC

 

 

 

Compilation of Video clips of the Episcopal Ordination of His Grace Ignatius Ghattas of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton, New York and a special commentary given by the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), it was dated February 23, 1990. Because of difficulties finding collections of Photo, i could only post one Picture of His Grace, the 3rd Eparch to be Enthroned after it was named a Patriarchal Exarchate in 1966 and fully Elevated into a Eparchy in 1976. He became only Bishop for 2 years and 6 months after he died unexpectedly in 1992.

Here below is one known Photo of His Grace Most. Rev. Ignatius Ghattas, Eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of Annunciation in Boston)

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Dedication of the Church and Consecration of the Altar in the Byzantine Rite, Melkite Greek Catholic Church

The Dedication and Consecration of the Altar and of the whole Church was presided by His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch and all East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and this is a separate ceremony and after this a Divine Liturgy was celebrated by him, Concelebrated by Most. Rev. Beatitude Ibrahim Michael Ibrahim, BS, Eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Saint-Sauveur  de Montreal 

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GREETINGS OF HIS BEATITUDE GREGORIOS III LAHAM, PATRIARCH OF THE MELKITE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR THE ENTHRONEMENT OF THE NEW MAJOR ARCHBISHOP OF KYIV-GALICIA OF THE UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH, HIS BEATITUDE SVIATOSLAV SHEVCHUK KYIV, UKRAINE - MARCH 27, 2011

Prot. 173/2011D Damascus, 23/3/2011

Your Beatitude, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč of Ukraine!

Blessed be the new Pastor whom the Holy Spirit has given to the Church of Christ in this holy land of Ukraine!
Dear brother, Sviatoslav, I have the joy and honour of offering you, Your Beatitude, my fraternal good wishes on the occasion of your consecration as Major Archbishop, Head and Father of the beloved sister Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
I offer you these good wishes in my own name and in that of the Holy Synod of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch and All the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem. With me on this auspicious occasion, are two bishops from our Holy Synod (Archbishop Michael Abras and Metropolitan Emeritus John Haddad) and our Patriarchate’s Economos General, the Secretary of the Liturgical Commission, Rev. Fr. Elias Shatawi.
Today these greetings and good wishes reach you, through us, from Jerusalem, the Mother Church of all Churches, and from the Holy Land, where our Lord Jesus Christ was born and from the Middle East, cradle of Christianity.
I greet you in the name of the Church of the East, Church of the Arabs, and in the name of my colleagues, the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches, who constitute the Council of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs.
Personally, I am very happy at how the ecclesial, brotherly communion between our two (Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Melkite Greek Catholic) Churches has developed, largely due to a long-standing friendship (of more than twenty years) with our dear brother and friend, His Most Eminent Beatitude Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, that great hero of the Christian East, its tradition, heritage and ecumenical mission! He will always be known as a Father of this Church of yours and a great defender of the ecumenical mission of the Eastern Catholic Churches, that are in full communion with the Church of Rome that presides in charity and with the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, (who showed his love for the Christian East by holding the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops), while remaining faithful to the Eastern tradition and maintaining cordial relations with the Orthodox Churches that are our sisters, ever present in all ecumenical work.
We have come to strengthen our brotherly communion with this Church that we love and respect, through you, dear brother, Your Beatitude, Sviatoslav! I think that the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are both called to play a very significant role in ecumenical work, since they are the two largest Churches of the Byzantine rite (Greek and Slavonic) in communion with Rome.
We shall remain in contact with each other, since we ought to integrate our efforts for that greatest service to the Church and to the world, which is to realise Christ’s prayer, “That they may be one...that the world may believe.”
Axios! Eis polla eti, Sevasmiotate! Makariotate, mnohaya lita!

Gregorios III
Patriarch of Antioch and All the East
Of Alexandria and of Jerusalem

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Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchal Divine Liturgy in St Paul outside the Walls,, Rome

Notice that they celebrated in one of the Four Major Basilicas in Rome, and it is in 2008, the year of St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, for the Melkite Pilgrimage and the Patriarch of Antioch and of all east, of Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III Laham

Because the Church has no Iconostasis, it is required that there should be a Icon of the Christo Pantocrator and the Theotokos and plus the Patron Saints icon, if there are any, and it is also applicable for other Eastern Catholic Churches under the Byzantine Rite, though it is likely the most required are the Icons of Christo Pantocrator and the Most Holy Theotokos.

It is the Preparation Prayers of the Divine Liturgy thats is being documented in the Video and notice the beginning at the benediction of one Hierarch using a Gospel Book to make the Sign of the Cross.

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