On Monday, January 12, 2025, the three-day general meeting of the Latin Patriarchate priests began. The meeting is chaired by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with the participation of General Patriarchal Vicar Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Iyad Twal, and  Patriarchal Vicar for Nazareth Bishop Rafic Nahra.

At the opening session, Patriarch Pizzaballa delivered an address during which he emphasized the importance of thanking the Lord for all His gifts and of jointly reflecting on the numerous challenges facing the different regions of dioceses. He stressed that prayer is the basic cornerstone of the priestly journey, as it is not constrained to seeking merely human solutions, but rather opens the heart to the hope of the Lord’s healing and consolation.

During the meeting, the patriarchal vicars also presented briefings on the most significant pastoral and ecclesial developments in the various areas of their dioceses.

The schedule of the gathering includes a lecture by Bishop Nahra on the “Spiritual Life and Priestly Fraternity", as well as two lectures by Bishop William Shomali on “Clericalism and Priestly Vocations” and “The Priests' Vocation in Schools and Christian Education.”

The gathering also features dialogue sessions within working groups among the priests, interspersed with prayers and spiritual reflections. The gathering will conclude sessions on Wednesday, December 14, with a review of the outcome of the discussions and the recommendations of the participating groups, as well as the election of the Council of Priests in Jordan.