Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Reverend Abba Tesfaldet Tekie Tsada as Visitator for Eritrean Faithful of the Alexandrian Rite in the United States of America and Canada.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be celebrated January 18 to 25, 2022 (). Inaugurated in 1908 at the initiative of the Rev. Paul Wattson, an Episcopalian priest from the United States who would later join the Catholic Church, the event is now celebrated all around the world.

This year’s theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him” (Mt 2:2), was prepared by the Middle East Council of Churches (from Beirut, Lebanon). The theme speaks to the world’s need for solidarity and transformation in facing current political, economic, and social challenges, as well as the injustices highlighted and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) have uploaded online resources to aid Christians in participating in this celebration of solidarity:

• CCC Resources: https://www.weekofprayer.ca/2022-wpcu-resources
• Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Resources: http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/settimana-di-preghiera-per-l-unita/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2022.html

Pope Francis is calling on all Catholics to participate in this celebration: “We Christians, in the diversity of our confessions and traditions, are also pilgrims on our way to full unity, and we come closer to our goal the more we keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, our only Lord” (). We are invited to pray for the unity of all Christians, reflect on scripture, participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and share fellowship.

About the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada. It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948.

30 November 2021 – Ottawa – Earlier this month, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Joint Ad Hoc Committee on Palliative Care launched its much-anticipated toolkit for parishes. The free-of-cost resource is entitled Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care. The toolkit seeks to offer support and formation for parishioners with faith communities to assist them when faced with the illness and death of loved ones, particularly through the lens of palliative care, faith and Compassionate Communities.

The release of this project took place via webinar on November 15 and 16, 2021, and was enthusiastically received by over 300 participants. The public now has free and open access to all high-quality and easy-to-use instructional material at cccb.ca The toolkit is available in both French and English. All material, including video files, social media images and posters for promotions, are available for direct download.

Four years ago, the CCCB Joint Ad hoc Committee on Palliative Care was formed as a response to the increasing complexities surrounding end-of-life matters in Canada, and brought together various partners expert in that field. The partners included Pallium Canada, Dominican University College, Catholic Health Alliance of Canada, Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute, and the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Canada.

Link to access Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative care

For more information about this resource, contact the Office for Family and Life at ofl@cccb.ca.

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OTTAWA, November 10, 2021 – The Catholic Bishops of Canada are pleased to announce that 25-30 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors, and youth will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican from December 17-20, 2021, accompanied by a small group of Canadian Bishops.

“The journey towards healing and reconciliation is a long one, but we believe this will be a significant milestone in the Catholic Church’s commitment to renewing, strengthening and reconciling relationships with Indigenous Peoples across the land,” said CCCB President, the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson. “With this delegation, we hope to walk together in a new way, to listen with humility, and to discern the next steps that the Church can take to support residential school survivors, their families, and their communities.”

The delegation has been planned through ongoing dialogue with the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and other Indigenous leaders. While specific travel plans and itineraries are being coordinated with the delegates directly, representatives from the Vatican have confirmed that the Holy Father will participate in private meetings with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegates respectively to hear their personal stories of the lasting legacy of residential schools. Delegates will also have the opportunity to speak with the Holy Father about their hopes and expectations for his eventual pilgrimage to Canada.

In addition to this group of delegates, additional Indigenous Peoples have been invited to participate in the journey, including for a final audience with the Holy Father. Centred around the principles of mutual trust, respect, and a shared desire to move forward for a more hopeful future, the Canadian Bishops and Indigenous Partners have agreed upon the theme, “Indigenous Peoples and the Church: Walking Together Toward Healing and Reconciliation”.

Collectively, the delegation includes participants from across the country, representing multiple faith and linguistic backgrounds. Every delegate brings their own perspective on the history of colonialism and residential schools.

Travel and hospitality costs for the delegation will be covered by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Mental health workers will travel with the group, in recognition of the painful sentiments that may be experienced by many delegates.

Additional information on media accreditation and availabilities will be communicated in short order. Information about the delegates themselves will also be shared in the coming weeks, subject to their consent.

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OTTAWA, October 27, 2021 – The Catholic Bishops of Canada are grateful that Pope Francis has accepted their invitation to visit Canada on a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation. The Holy Father’s full statement on the matter can be found here.

In anticipation of this visit, the planned delegation of Indigenous survivors, Elders, knowledge keepers and youth will travel to the Holy See, where they will have the opportunity to speak to Pope Francis about the timing, focus, and themes in preparation for his future pilgrimage to Canada.

“The Bishops of Canada have been engaged in meaningful discussions with Indigenous Peoples, especially those affected by Residential Schools who have shared stories about the suffering and challenges that they continue to experience,” said CCCB President, the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson. “We pray that Pope Francis’ visit to Canada will be a significant milestone in the journey toward reconciliation and healing.”

The Canadian Bishops recently pledged to work with the Holy See and Indigenous partners on the possibility of a pastoral visit to Canada by the Pope. Following this pledge and informed by three years of ongoing dialogue between the Canadian Bishops, the Holy See, and Indigenous Peoples, the President and former-President of the CCCB met in Rome with the Secretary of State of the Holy See to discuss next steps on the reconciliation journey earlier this month and in preparation for the delegation.

This delegation to the Holy See will take place from December 17-20, 2021, and is being planned in close collaboration with National Indigenous Organizations and other partners.

“We will invite the delegation of Indigenous survivors, Elders, knowledge keepers, and youth who will meet with Pope Francis to open their hearts to the Holy Father and share both their suffering as well as their hopes and desires for his eventual visit to Canada,” added Bishop Poisson.

Additional details about Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to Canada, as well as the Rome delegation will be announced by the CCCB as details are confirmed.

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About the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national assembly of the Bishops of Canada. It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948.

The annual Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada will be held on  25 and 26 September 2021. This annual charitable initiative assists the Bishops in their ministry of accompanying, teaching, guiding, sanctifying and caring for the Church in Canada.

As part of their episcopal ministry, the Bishops will continue to work together on relations with Indigenous peoples, important doctrinal and ethical questions; ecumenical initiatives and interreligious dialogue; international relations; evangelization, faith education and catechesis; questions of social justice; responsible ministry, and the development of a culture of life and family.

In order to promote the collection and the collective work of the Bishops through their Episcopal Conference as well as the Regional Episcopal Assemblies, the CCCB is making the promotional materials available on its website:

• Message from the CCCB President to pastors and collaborators in pastoral ministry;
• Two short texts intended to be adapted or printed in parish bulletins on 19 and 26 September, or distributed by other means of communication such as websites and emails;
• Suggested prayers of the faithful for the weekends of 19 and 26 September.

On Saturday 11 September 2021, His Holiness Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Bawai Soro from the pastoral governance of the Mar Addai Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Canada, having served as its Eparchial Bishop for the past four years. At the same time, the Holy Father appointed the Most Reverend Robert Saeed Jarjis as the new Eparchial Bishop of the same ecclesiastical circumscription. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Jarjis was the Titular Bishop of Arsamosata and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archeparchy of Baghdad. Until the new Eparchial Bishop takes canonical possession of the Eparchy, Bishop Soro will remain as Apostolic Administrator.

The Mar Addai Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Canada has 10 parishes and missions, with a population of 40,000 served by 10 diocesan priests and two deacons. Established in June 2011, the Eparchy is the only Chaldean diocese in Canada and includes all the country’s Chaldean Catholics.

Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Most Reverend Ivan Jurkovic as the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada. At the time of his appointment, Archbishop Jurkovic was the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva and Other International Organizations, the Permanent Observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Representative of the Holy See to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). He replaces the former Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, who ended his mission on 10 December 2020 upon his appointment as the Apostolic Nuncio to Albania.

Archbishop Jurkovic was born on 10 June, 1952 in Banja Loka, Kocevje, Slovenia. He was ordained to the priesthood on 29 June 1977 for the Archdiocese of Ljubljana (Slovenia). After he obtained a Doctorate in Canon Law, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 May, 1984 serving in the diplomatic missions of the Holy See in Korea, Columbia, the Russian Federation, and at the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.

Following his episcopal ordination on 6 October, 2001, Archbishop Jurkovic served as Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus (2001-2004), Ukraine (2004-2011), as well as the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan concurrently (2011-2016).