A community of Christians in northern Iraq might be forgiven if they feel forgotten by the world. Their numbers, already small, are dwindling. Their religious rituals might feel foreign to most Catholics in the West.

"Sometimes we think that we have nothing to offer, that we are few in numbers, and dwindling," said Syriac Catholic Archbishop Nathanael Nizar Wadih Semaan of Adiabene, northern Iraq.

But Archbishop Nizar, as he is known, was in Rome this week for a pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year of Hope, and he heard something that has confirmed that he and his flock are a vital part of the Church. That message came from the newly-elected Pope Leo XIV.

"He made us feel proud," Archbishop Semaan told Aid to the Church in Need after a papal audience during the Jubilee for Eastern Churches on May 14. "He reminded us that we have a rich liturgy and a deep spirituality. He told us we should not only preserve it like a treasure but also share it with the world. That was very moving."

His Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, is one of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that, together with the Latin, or Roman, Catholic Church, make up the universal Catholic Church. Many of the Eastern Catholic Churches have their origins in lands where Aid to the Church in Need supports the kinds of projects that address the very thing that Pope Leo spoke about Wednesday.

"I thank God for those Christians -- Eastern and Latin alike -- who, above all in the Middle East, persevere and remain in their homelands, resisting the temptation to abandon them," the Pope said. "Christians must be given the opportunity, and not just in words, to remain in their native lands with all the rights needed for a secure existence. Please, let us strive for this!"

ACN spoke to six Eastern rite project partners from different regions, to get their impressions, and they all agree that "the Pope didn't only address us, he gave us a mission."

"The Pope ignited a new flame in our hearts. He reminded us that yes, we do have something that we can share with the world, with responsibility and joy," Archbishop Nizar said. "He told us: 'You are the light of the world.' We know that resurrection, and light, come after suffering. In the Middle East, we are experiencing a cross, but it will be followed by light."

The pope also referred to Eastern Catholics who have emigrated from their ancestral lands and struggle to maintain their identity in the melting pot of the West. Archbishop Nizar, too, is aware of the challenges and opportunities that the Syriac Catholic diaspora has.

"Wherever we are based -- in France, Germany, America, or Australia -- our communities are a shining light," he said. "We are witnesses of Christ in our daily lives. We have to take that light with us."

Hope and strength to begin again

Bishop Boutros Marayati, the Armenian Catholic prelate of Aleppo, Syria, shared with ACN how the Holy Father's words led to an inner renewal.

"We left the meeting full of hope and spiritual joy. The Pope is aware of what our Churches in the East are going through. He is close to us."

ACN also spoke to the auxiliary bishop of the Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria, Anba Hani Nassif Wasef Bakhoum Kiroulos, who said: "This meeting really was a blessing. His Holiness focused on the importance of our heritage and the present situation of the eastern Churches, which he described as the Church of Martyrs. He asked the faithful not to abandon their country, and to preserve this heritage."

"He said that the Church needs the Eastern Churches," Bishop Kiroulos continued. "It was a deeply historical and spiritual event, which reflects the Pope's vision of peace and unity, that we should preserve our traditions and pray for a true peace, a peace based on forgiveness and the courage to begin a new chapter."

A voice that sounds in the East and in the West

The world's youngest bishop, 42-year-old Jules Boutros of the Syriac Catholic community in Lebanon, highlighted the personal tone of the Pope's message. "It was like listening to a father who is addressing his children in a language they understand: the language of the heart. The most beautiful thing was that he personally promised to follow up on our needs through the Dicastery for Eastern Churches. This is concrete hope, which is a consolation for us."

The pope said there is a need to promote greater awareness among Latin Catholics of the Eastern Churches and said he would ask the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches to help him define principles, norms, and guidelines whereby Latin Bishops can "concretely support Eastern Catholics in the diaspora in their efforts to preserve their living traditions and thus, by their distinctive witness, to enrich the communities in which they live."

Apparently, Pope Leo believes so strongly in the value of Eastern Christian traditions in the Church that he quoted his namesake during his speech, Pope Leo XIII, who wrote in an 1894 document, "Any Latin-Rite missionary [who] draws any Eastern-Rite Catholic to the Latin Rite" ought to be "dismissed and removed from his office."

For Bishop Jules, this reminder stresses not only Leo XIV's support for the Eastern Churches' identity and traditions, "but also his wish that they grow, both in the East and in the West, without being absorbed or dissolved into their surrounding societies."

Speaking to ACN, Bishop Jules also pointed out the deep appreciation that the Pope expressed for the Eastern Churches and the spiritual and liturgical traditions of the East, by quoting from the works of three Eastern Church fathers: Ephrem the Syrian, Isaac of Nineveh, and Symeon the New Theologian. "In doing so, he embraced a wide range of traditions, making everyone feel included," he explained.

The impact of the Pope's words was not limited to the faithful of Eastern Churches: "I have friends who are priests in America and in Europe who wrote to me, or came to me after the speech," said Bishop Jules. "Not only did he fill us with joy, but he also touched the hearts of many in the Latin Church, who rediscovered and gained admiration for our traditions. This is something new, that we had not seen before."

A Pope of peace

Also present in Rome was the Greek Catholic Bishop of Odesa, Ukraine, Mykhaylo Bubniy, who shared his impressions with ACN, highlighting how the Pope opened his audience by using the traditional greeting of the Eastern faithful: "Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!"

"The Pope addressed each one of us personally. It was a lovely experience. He listens, he understands, and he wants to build a world of truth and justice," said Bishop Mykhaylo. "He made special mention to those who are affected by war, such as in Ukraine and Syria, as well as all those who suffer because of conflicts. Leo XIV is the Pope of peace. His very first words were: 'The peace of Christ be with you, the peace of the risen Christ.' We hope that in this new pontificate, peace might prevail among people, in the world, and between countries. He said that we should cleanse our words of lies."

The Ukrainian bishop added that Leo XIV was invited to visit Ukraine, "but now, he needs time to begin his service as Pontiff, to understand what lies ahead. He accepted the invitation and will do everything possible to make the trip."

The Eastern Church in Africa

In his speech, Leo XIV also mentioned Tigray, the Ethiopian region which was swept by terrible violence during the devastating war of 2020 to 2022. Tesfaselassie Medhin, the Ethiopian Catholic Bishop of Adigrat, an eparchy which covers Tigray and Afar, said he was grateful that one of Pope Leo's first speeches was to the Eastern Churches.

"The essence of the speech was gratitude, an appreciation of the heritage of the Eastern Churches, their spirituality and liturgy, and keeping alive the diversity and the unity of the Christian Churches," said Bishop Tesfaselassie. "The Holy Father also encouraged the persecuted and suffering Churches and spoke about how they are a source of hope to the rest. When I greeted him, I thanked him for his prayers for Tigray, and I passed on greetings from the faithful of Adigrat, assuring him of our prayers for his ministry. He thanked me for that."

In 2024, ACN contributed more than $14 million in grants to support 565 projects with the Eastern Catholic Churches. In addition to this, ACN also granted $3.3 million to inter-ritual projects (i.e., projects with either more than one Eastern Catholic Church or projects involving an Eastern Catholic Church and the Latin Church).

The Eastern Catholic Churches supported by ACN in 2024 include: The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Melkite Catholic Church, the Chaldean Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Ethiopian Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, the Coptic Catholic Church, and several Greek Catholic Churches in Eastern Europe.