(ANS– Baku) – From 8 to 11 July 2023, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is visiting Azerbaijan. The main reason for his first visit to the country is to have talks with the President of the Republic, Ilham Aliyev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Minister of Culture, Adil Karimli, and with the Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Fund, Anar Alekperov, on mutual cooperation between the Holy See and Azerbaijan. The Cardinal is also open to dialogue regarding possible ways and forms of consolidating peaceful coexistence and cooperation in the Caucasus.

(ANS – Madrid) – “Escuelas Salesianas”, the network that brings together all 141 schools of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Spain, continues its commitment to the formation of those who carry out educational work, with a wide range of formation courses designed and organised for teaching teams.

(ANS – Aleppo) – The earthquake that occurred in the early hours of 6 February in northern Turkey, which also hit northern Syria hard, found Aleppo a weakened city and a society exhausted by war. The emergency has once again put the Syrian people to the test, but once again they have shown their solidarity in the general emergency. The Salesians in Aleppo opened the doors of the Don Bosco House and hundreds of people found security, companionship, relief and faith there. Five months after the earthquake, the superior of the Salesian Adolescent Jesus" province of the Middle East (MOR), Venezuelan Fr Alejandro León, reflects on what he experienced in this period, with a look of hope because of the wave of solidarity, internal and external, that the country has experienced, and continues to need.

(ANS – Vatican City) – The list of participants at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was presented on Friday 7 July 2023 by the Holy See Press Office. The first session will be held in the Vatican from 4 to 29 October 2023. Among them there are several Salesians and members of the Salesian Family, called to give their contribution in terms of reflection, discernment and proposal on the theme “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission”.

(ANS – Madrid) – Yesterday, Sunday 9 July, Pope Francis announced the creation of 21 new Cardinals, including the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the Spanish Salesian Fr Ángel Fernández Artime. Due to this appointment, the Superiors of the two Salesian Provinces of Spain – St James the Greater (SSM), based in Madrid, and Mary Help of Christians (SMX), based in Seville – on behalf of all the Salesians they represent, wish to express as follows: