Byzantine, Texas

( Holy Etchmiadzin ) - On September 30, the Supreme Spiritual Council convened a meeting in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Following discussion on the process aimed at normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations and the associated ongoing discussions, the Supreme Spiritual Council made the following statement: The Supreme Spiritual Council welcomes the process to establish diplomatic ties free of preconditions between Armenia and Turkey and the process to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations, for the sake of regional security, preservation of peace and the development of regional cooperation. The Supreme Spiritual Council positively assesses the pan-Armenian discussions currently taking place surrounding this process. The Supreme Spiritual Council considers as natural and understandable the concerns of Armenians living in Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora, within the context of the...

( Mospat ) - An official delegation of the Georgian Orthodox Church came to Moscow on 29 September 2009 at the invitation of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the blessing of His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya II of All Georgia. The delegation included Metropolitan Gerasim of Zugdidi and Tsaishi, head of the Georgian Patriarchate’s foreign department, Archimandrite David Chincharauli, head of the Patriarchal staff, and Archpriest George Kharazashvili, head of the Georgian Patriarchate’s protocol department. On September 30, they met with Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the department for external church relations. DECR vice-chairman Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR acting secretary for inter-Orthodox relations Rev. Igor Yakimchuk, and Deacon Dionisy Kazansev of the DECR secretariat for inter-Orthodox relations joined the meeting. The talk was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The questions under discussion included both bilateral relations...

( Archons ) - His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, National Commander Dr. Anthony Limberakis, members of the National Council together with Archons, scholars and legal experts gathered together at New York's Fordham University for a symposium that examined the core issues threatening the Mother Church of Constantinople from the perspective of international law. The Sept. 16 conference "Religious Freedom in Turkey: The Case of the Ecumenical Patriarchate," featured discussion about efforts to end the persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Mr. George Demacopoulos, Fordham University associate professor of theology and co-founding director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Program, spoke in depth of the seizure of property by the Turkish governments; the closure of Patriarchal seminaries while its prelates are taunted by extremists who demonstrate outside the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and His All Holiness, who is denied of his title as "Ecumenical" P...

Kirkuk, Iraq, Sep 29th ( CNA ) - In advance of next year’s special synod for the Middle East, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako has said the event could be “a new Pentecost.” He also said the Eastern Churches must use the event to rediscover their identity and mission and to evangelize both Christians and Muslims. The synod, which is themed “The Catholic Church in the Middle East: communion and testimony,” will take place from October 10 to 24, 2010. In a Sunday commentary on Energy Publisher, Archbishop Sako expressed his gratitude towards Pope Benedict for convening the synod, adding that the Eastern Churches must “contribute fully” and play a leading role. The Churches must put their commitment and testimony into action, he added, reporting that the majority of the churches have not yet followed the guidelines of the Second Vatican Council. The Eastern Churches should be open to “the Spirit of Renewal” and should “leave the past behind, from a very rigid ...

The Romeiko Ensemble   (great video available here ) was founded in 1993 in Philadelphia (USA) and performs the Classical Music of Constantinople (Istanbul), namely the rich musical heritage of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. In Byzantine times (330-1453), the Palace Court as well as the Great Church of Hagia Sophia sponsored master composers, such as Ioannes Kladas, Ioannes Koukouzelis, Xenos Koronis, Manuel Chrysafis along with others, who set to music verses from the Septuagint Psalter, Byzantine liturgical lyrics (hymns) or texts of syllables which have no meaning (kratema). Chant was performed in the Great Church a capella by male choirs under the direction of the domestikos. By contrast, in the Palace Court secular music was accompanied by instruments. Byzantine music was transmitted orally via a master/apprentice relationship as well as through a neumatic notational system (parasemantiki) that describes the melodic movement through microtonal intervals (Byzantin...

( Reuters ) - The Serbian Orthodox Church’s Bishop Grigorije of the diocese of Zahumlje and Herzegovina is not only a prominent figure in the Church who’s seen as a possible candidate for Patriarch. He is also a major vinter whose operations have earned praise and good money for quality wines. His Tvrdos Monastery, located in Trebinja in southern Bosnia, produces 500,000 bottles of wine per year and exports it to Serbia, Montenegro and even further afield to Germany, the United States, Switzerland and other countries. “It is a very good business, but it is very difficult,” he said during the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God late last month. “It is good, but it is very difficult because we have wine from Italy, France, Spain.” The Trvdos Monastery also has a minority partnership with a Serbian-American investor who owns 440 hectares of Trebinje land, of which 200 are now vineyards, an unusual tie up between the Church and profit-seeking investor (click here to see that st...

( Armenian WD ) - The magnificent St. James Cathedral in the Armenian Quarter of the Holy City of Jerusalem as well as the Armenian section of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem need urgent renovations and structural improvements. These priceless icons of Christianity are under care of the Brotherhood of St. James of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. So far, thanks to the efforts of Ms. Anoush Berberian, $8,040.00 have been raised in the greater Los Angeles area for the renovation projects of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is extremely important to all of us to realize the magnitude and monumental importance of these amazing Christian Churches which by the Grace of God have remained under the custody of the Armenian Church for the last several centuries. The Office of the Western Diocese has setup a fund to receive and transfer donations immediately to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem from our faithful community throughout the Diocese. Please make your checks payable to ...

H/T: AOI ( WCC ) - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I will open the meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order, which will take place in Kolympari, Crete, Greece, from 7 to 14 October 2009. At this plenary meeting, the 120 members of the commission, which is seen as Christianity's most representative theological forum, will address the question of Christian unity from new perspectives. Participants at the Crete gathering will not only address issues that have traditionally divided Christian denominations, but also matters that have become divisive in more recent times even within churches, such as questions of moral discernment. This new approach will be rooted in a reflection on how churches relate to their sources of theological authority, and developed through case studies illustrating how churches use these references to make moral decisions. WCC president from Europe Dr Mary Tanner will encourage participants to engage in what she af...

Quite a blessing to the Dallas / Fort Worth area. The funding for this effort was a pan-Orthodox endeavor with significant local Greek and Antiochian Orthodox financial backing. September 25th, Dallas, TX ( DOSOCA ) - The Nativity of our Lord Monastery closed on a 12 acre site located one hour east of Dallas in Kemp, TX today. The new woman's monastery was blessed last year to be established by Archbishop Dmitri. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah traveled to Dallas last summer to be the main speaker at a benefit banquet for the monastery.

( GOARCH ) - The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Holy Archdiocese of America convened for its regular Fall Session in the Synodal Chamber of the Holy Archdiocese in New York on September 22-23, 2009. All the Members of the Holy Synod were present and participated in the meeting under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios. The Holy Eparchial Synod discussed many issues among them the following: 1. Liturgical Issues: The Holy Eparchial Synod continued the work on the text for the Service of Reception into the Orthodox Church through Chrismation of Christians from other Denominations. The Synod also discussed the participation of children in the Divine Liturgy, which is of vital importance and recommended to have special Divine Liturgies for children, whenever it is possible. 2. Canonical Issues: The Synod continued its work on the texts: a) Regulations for the Holy Eparchial Synod, b) Regulations for Spiritual Courts, and c) Reasons for Ecclesiastical divorce. The Synod...

H/T: This Side of Glory Very very moving.

( DECR ) - Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, during his official visit to Rome, met on 18 September 2009 with Pope Benedict XVI of Rome at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. During their an hour-long talk, they discussed a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. Archbishop Hilarion stressed the importance of the Orthodox and Catholic common witness to traditional Christian values in face of the secular world. He pointed to the identity of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches’ views on such themes as family, motherhood, population crisis, euthanasia and many other ethical issues. The DECR chairman pointed to essential differences existing on these issues between the Orthodox and Catholics, on one hand, and various Protestant communities, on the other. In this situation the Orthodox-Catholic cooperation in elaborating a commo...

New York, NY ( SCOBA ) - A Special Session of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) met on September 25, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., hosted by the Chairman of SCOBA, Archbishop Demetrios of America, at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in Manhattan. The session was attended by the following Members of SCOBA: Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Philip, Vice-Chairman (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Christopher, Secretary (Serbian Orthodox Church), Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Joseph (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox Church in America) Archbishop Antony (proxy, Ukrainian Orthodox Church) and Archpriest Alexander Abramov (Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA). Also present were the General Secretary and members of the SCOBA Study and Planning Commission representing the SCOBA membe...

I've returned from a week-long vacation above the Mason-Dixon line. It was refreshing and an unadulteratedly joyous time. Apologies for the sporadic posting. I expect I have a lot of catch-up posting to do.

SYOSSET, NY ( OCA Communications ) - The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America and the OCA's Metropolitan Council completed the first day of their fall sessions Tuesday, September 22, 2009. The day opened with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, at which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah. presided. In his sermon, Metropolitan Jonah cautioned all gathered against surrendering to the passions, the most destructive of which are spiritual in nature -- resentment, gossip, fear, and retribution. He stressed that the faithful, meeting together in love, render service to Christ and for the good of all involved. Following the Divine Liturgy, members of the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council met in joint session to begin a discussion on conciliarity. Many issues were addressed in an open dialogue. It was stressed that the ecclesiastical structure of the Orthodox Church in America was motivated by an intentional effort to recover an ancient paradigm of the concilar p...

( Georgian Times ) - On Thursday Patriarch Kyril of the Russian Orthodox Church, in deference to the good relations he enjoys with the Georgian Orthodox Church under Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, declined to accept the request of Abkhazian clergy to recognize a new Abkhazian Orthodox Church under self-styled Patriarch Father Vissarion Aplia. Earlier in the week, Father Vissarion had formally declared the Sukhum-Abkhazian Diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church extinct and requested recognition of his new “Abkhazian see” from the Moscow-based Patriarch Kyril, citing the existence of an ancient church that was eliminated when Russia subjugated the Transcaucasus in 1814. On Monday, Archbishop of Volokolamsk Hilarion Alfeyev, the Russian Orthodox Church’s Foreign Relations Department leader, declared in response to the request that a “change of political borders does not necessarily mean that the Church’s canonical borders should also change. That is the basis of our exter...

H/T: ROCOR Unity KURSK, September 23 ( RIA Novosti ) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Wednesday led a procession through the city of Kursk, 300 miles south of Moscow, to celebrate the arrival of a miracle-working icon from the United States. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia carried the icon, called the Kursk Root Icon of Our Lady of the Sign, through the streets, where it was welcomed by over 30,000 people - almost 10% of the city's population. The icon was brought to Russia on September 12 and was kept in central Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral before its departure for Kursk. In early October it will be returned to the United States. Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida said over 150,000 believers came to pray before the icon while it was in Moscow. "It is one of the most venerated miracle-working icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. It was discovered in the 13th century, and our ancestors always turned to it in hard times," he sai...

KYIV ( RISU ) — On September 21, 2009, at a press conference, the head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) Bishop Yevstratii (Zoria) said that in the first half of October a meeting will be held of the work teams of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate and the UOC-KP for the renewal of the dialogue on the possibility of unification. According to the bishop, the negotiations between the representatives of the two work teams will begin as a “distance dialogue of the heads as it is usually done in all diplomatic relations.”

From The Children of God : Really! What's up with the incorrect perspective in these icons?! Did the artist not know how to properly draw in linear perspective? That's what those of us with Western eyes think the first time we look at an Orthodox icon - at least those of us with art degrees. Or maybe you've looked at an icon and thought that it looked a little "off" but couldn't put your finger on why. That's reverse perspective. Western art uses linear perspective to create realistic spaces on a two dimensional surface. Linear perspective is a "form of perspective in drawing and painting in which parallel lines are represented as converging so as to give the illusion of depth and distance."[1] The point at which these parallel lines intersect is called the vanishing point. The vanishing point is anchored on the horizon line. It is a very mathematical and geometrical way to depict space, distance and relative size. Giotto, in the 13th centu...

From Ruskij Sion : As reported: "From 25-30 September 2009, London's Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile will host a meeting of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, led by Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, Major-Archbishop of Kyiv, and assisted by leading hierarchs from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from Ukraine and across the world, including Bishop David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton, Canada, and Bishop Paul Chomnycky, Eparch of Stamford, Connecticut. Also present will be Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, who on Sunday 27th September will be officially installed as Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Exarchate for Great Britain." The Permanent Synod forms the standing Patriarchal Council for Cardinal Husar. This meeting is especially important as it is preparing for the Synod of the whole hierarchy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is due to take place in Kyiv in the autumn and looks set to be the largest gathering of the Ukrainian hierarc...

KYIV-JERUSALEM ( RISU ) — On September 17, 2009, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate departed for Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, which will continue till September 21. In the course of the visit a meeting with Patriarch Theophilus III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine is planned. The program of the visit of Metropolitan Volodymyr schedules the liturgical service at the Holy Sepulcher, which the primate conducted on the night of September 18-19. Furthermore, on September 20 Metropolitan Volodymyr will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Magdalene Monastery and on September 21, the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, on the Mount of Tabor. Several groups of pilgrims from Ukraine also will stay in Jerusalem together with the metropolitan on these days. On September 18 the primate of the UOC-MP visited the Russian St. Alexander Metochion in Jerusalem. It is here where the Judgment Gate is situated, through which the Savior was led to G...

SYOSSET, NY ( OCA Communications ) - On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting at its regular Fall Session at the OCA Chancery, elected Archpriest Michael Dahulich Bishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. OCA Holy Synod of Bishops elects Archpriest Michael Dahulich Bishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New JerseyArchpriest Michael Dahulich was born in Johnson City, NY, on August 29, 1950. From the age of 10 until he graduated from college and went to seminary, he served as an altar boy under the tutelage of his pastor, Fr. Stephen Dutko, who was the inspiration for his vocation. He graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1967. Two years later he graduated from Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY, and began studies at Christ the Saviour Seminary in Johnstown, PA. He completed his theological studies there in December 1972. While in seminary, Michael met Deborah Sandak. They ...

( Antiochian ) - This summer, the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies has launched The Chrysostom Bible , a new biblical commentary series for preaching and teaching. "The Chrysostom Bible," writes series editor, Fr. Paul Tarazi, "is not so much in honor of John Chrysostom as it is to continue and promote his legacy as an interpreter of the biblical texts for preaching and teaching God's congregation." In the first volume of the series, Genesis: A Commentary , Fr. Tarazi explains that Genesis sets the tone, defines the vocabulary, and introduces the plot of the biblical story. "In a sense," he writes, "[Genesis is] the institutional or constitutional scriptural book...first and foremost a literary story that has a beginning and an end beyond which one may not venture backward nor creatively push forward." Additional volumes in the series will be released later this year, including commentaries on Philippians and Roman...

Moscow, September 21, ( Interfax ) - During a talk with Pope Benedict XVI, Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk pointed out the status of Orthodox believers in Western Ukraine where three Orthodox dioceses had been almost eliminated as a result of coercive actions of Greek Catholics in late 1980s and early 1990s (Greek Catholic Patriarch Lubomyr pictured right) . The communication service of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations reports that Archbishop Hilarion "stated the need to take practical steps to improve the situation in Western Ukraine," within the territories of Lvov, Ternopol and Invano-Frankovsk Dioceses. During an hour meeting held Friday in the Pope's residence in Castel Gandolfo, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral relations between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. Archbishop Hilarion highlighted the importance ...

Moscow, September 18, ( Interfax ) – Orthodox and Greek-Catholics problems in Ukraine remain the most difficult question in the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman-Catholic Church, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk believes. “Accepting deep historical and political roots of the problem,” the Archbishop urged the Catholic part to “spare no efforts to withdraw this question from agenda of the bilateral relations,” the Moscow Patriarchate official website has reported on Friday. The parties also agreed that it was necessary to renew constructive negotiations with participation of all concerned. Besides, Archbishop Hilarion, who is visiting Rome, met with the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Speaking to Cardinal Bertone, the Moscow Patriarchate official noted that while the Russian Church unlike Vatican is not a subject of international law, it actively works abroa...

VATICAN CITY ( CNS ) - Pope Benedict XVI met with a key official of the Russian Orthodox Church amid signs of a significant improvement in relations. The Vatican provided no details of the pope's encounter Sept. 18 with Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion, president of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations. The private meeting took place at the pope's summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Archbishop Hilarion was in Rome for five days of meetings and talks with Vatican officials and Catholic groups, at the invitation of Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's chief ecumenist. Speaking to Vatican Radio Sept. 17, Cardinal Kasper said the church's relations with the Russian Orthodox had improved appreciably under Pope Benedict, and that the Moscow patriarchate was expected to participate in a major dialogue session with the Vatican in mid-October. "Pope Benedict is highly regarded by the Russian Orthodox Church for his moral posi...

( NCR ) - Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow may have gotten a little ahead of himself in his comments on Catholic-Orthodox unity, given in a recent interview which we reported on here . However, his hopeful tone, and his conviction that progress is being made towards unity, are well founded. The Vatican is taking a more measured line than the Catholic archbishop of Moscow, and is stressing that, as well as resolving outstanding theological problems, plenty of trust still needs to be built up between the two Churches before unity can be considered. However, it concedes that clear progress is being made. If proof were needed of this improvement, one need look no further than a speech given by Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, effectively the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign minister, at this evening’s prayers at the Sant’Egidio community in Rome. Archbishop Hilarion, 43, is on a five-day visit to Rome, and will be received by Pope Benedict XVI tomorrow in private audience. Lik...

( Vatican Youtube ) On September 18th, Pope Benedict XVI received in audience Archbishop Hilarion, president of the Department for External Church Affairs of the Patriarchate of Moscow.The Orthodox Archbishop is currently visiting the Vatican at the invitation of Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.This Pontifical Council underlined that the visit will confirm the ties of friendship between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, with a view to closer collaboration and to favor the presence of the Church in the lives of the peoples of Europe and the world.

On September 4th, 5th, and 6th the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church held its annual "Diocesan Days" in Jackson, CA. Audio and pictures from the event are available here . The audio is in Serbian and in English.

( OBL News ) - A polyarchieratic-concelebrating liturgy (quite a word, meaning concelebrated by many hierarchs) has been served today, in the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, where Patriarch Pavle is hospitalized, on the occasion of the day of beheading of St John the Baptist. The liturgy was served by Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije, with West European Bishop Konstantin and Hvostan Bishop Atanasije. Amfilohijhe said the life of the patriarch is filled with feats and virtues, but also with sufferings and challenges. He was orphaned in his early childhood, he lived through wars and also served in the crucified Kosovo as a bishop, where he bore the cross of his nation. Patriarch Pavle is the 44th patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church and has been serving at this office for 19 years. Today he is 95 and has been for two years attended to by a team of doctors at the Military Medical Academy, who are sending regular reports on his health condition to the Holy...

Beirut ( AsiaNews ) – The growth of fundamentalism in the Middle East and the concerns it is generating among Christians, the importance of Islamic-Christian dialogue, the status of Eastern Catholic Patriarchs in the Universal Church and the Ecclesiastic jurisdiction in Kuwait and the Gulf States are the four main issues the seven Eastern Catholic Patriarchs will discuss tomorrow with Benedict XVI at their request. Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Armenian Catholicos Bédros XIX and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan arrived in Rome yesterday; Melkite Patriarch Gregory III, Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel Delly, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal and Coptic Patriarch Antonios Naguib will join them today. The Patriarchs’ observations are contained in a note to be delivered to the Pope. In their meeting, they plan to talk in great detail with the Holy Father first of all about issues relating to the place of their Churches in the Universal Church as well as...

( OCANews ) - News From Orthodox America Washington, DC At their Diocesan Council meeting held last Friday, September 11th, the OCA’s Diocese of Washington elected Fr. Raymond Velencia as the clergy delegate to the Metropolitan Council. The pastor of St. Matthew’s parish in Columbia, MD, Fr. Velencia attracted national attention two years ago when he sent a letter to the Synod, Metropolitan Council and OCANews.org (read that story here ) concerning a former parishoner, Ms. Kristine Koumentakos. While the OCA has been dismissed from the subsequent lawsuit brought by Ms. Koumentakos, litigation involving Fr. Velencia continues. Ms. Rosalle Luster, a member of the Diocesan Council, was elected as the lay delegate. Crestwood, NY On Tuesday, September 15th, the “International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations” (IFUOCN), a foundation sponsored by the Russian Patriarchate, announced in Moscow that St. Vladimir’s Seminary had been recognized with an award “For...

( Georgia Daily ) - Orthodox church leaders in Abkhazia yesterday declared itself no longer part of the Georgian Orthodox Church and announced their intention to re-establish an independent Abkhazian Church, an action that both the Georgian Church and the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church rejected out of hand. That the Georgian Church should do so is entirely understandable, but the Moscow Patriarchate’s reasons are more complicated, reflecting both Kirill’s efforts to serve as a peacemaker between Russia and Georgia and Orthodox concerns that recognizing an independent Abkhazian church could set a dangerous precedent for Moscow in Ukraine. I f the Patriarchate were to do so, he and other Russian churchmen insist, that would undercut the Church’s teaching that canonical and political borders need not correspond and open the way for Ukrainians interested in creating a separate national church to demand that the Moscow Patriarchate cede its control over bishoprics an...