Bishop Hilarion's star is in ascendance

His Grace has quite a following (gifted musician, eloquent speaker, learned scholar). He was until now an outspoken voice of Orthodoxy to Western Europe. He now moves to the very influential position of mouth-piece to the Patriarchate itself.

Moscow, March 31, (Interfax) - Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria has been appointed head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations.

On Tuesday, the Holy Synod "unanimously approved Bishop Hilarion as chairman of the DECR, Patriarchate spokesman priest Vladimir Vigilyansky told reporters after the meeting.

"He will now being transferred to Moscow from abroad," the spokesman said.

Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, Patriarchate secretary for relations with other Orthodox Churches, and priest Georgy Ryabykh, acting secretary for liaison between the church and public, were appointed deputy chairmen of the Department for External Church Relations.

The Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, a former deputy chairman of the DECR, was appointed Patriarchate secretary for the church's institutions abroad.

Priest Antony Ilyin was put in charge of the church's relations with European international organizations.

Metropolitan Philip's reply to questions on recent changes

The forums are still a'flutter with unhappy and confused faithful trying to understand why "this was done to them." Expect more discussion both on and off the Antiochian website.

(Antiochian.org) - Protopresbyter Paul O'Callaghan and
The Council of Presbyters of the Diocese
of Wichita and Mid-America

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings and Blessings to you during this holy season of The Great Fast!

We have received and reviewed your letter dated March 17^th, 2009 in which you pose fifteen questions related to the February 24^th, 2009 decision of the Holy Synod of Antioch regarding the status of all bishops across the Holy See of Antioch. We will try our best to answer these questions as follows:

1. Are there any other diocesan bishops, outside our Archdiocese, that are affected by the Holy Synod's decision?

Answer: Yes. In the Patriarchate there are three bishops, the Bishop of Saydnaya, the Bishop of Qatana, and the Patriarchal Vicar. In addition, the Archdiocese of Akkar had the Bishop of Tartous and the Bishop of Marmarita & Al Hosn. The Bishop of Marmarita & Al Hosn was elected as Metropolitan for the Archdiocese of Western and Central Europe. The Bishop of Tartous was elected to succeed Metropolitan Paul Bendali in the Archdiocese of Akkar. He refused to have either diocesan or auxiliary bishops in his Archdiocese at this time.

2. There seems to be differences in tone and meaning between the Arabic original and the English translations of Articles 77 and 78. Can these be clarified?

Answer: The English translation was my best effort. If someone can produce a more accurate translation, this would be most welcome.

3. What were the intentions of the Holy Synod in formulating these amendments?

Answer: The intention was to have good order and consistency throughout the Holy See of Antioch by normalizing the status of all bishops.

4. Is the Pittsburgh Constitution binding, since it was duly approved and implemented by the legally binding decision made at special Archdiocesan Convention of July 2004?

Answer: The constitution is binding to the extent that it is consistent with the decisions of the Holy Synod of Antioch, which is the highest authority in the Church of Antioch. The Holy Synod has the prerogative to modify any decision that it had previously approved.

5. Since official Archdiocesan documents state that the provisions for self-rule, including those pertaining to the local synod of the Archdiocese, are irrevocable, as witnessed both by the Pittsburgh Constitution and the Patriarchal version of October 15, 2004, how can they be overturned by amendment of the Patriarchal by-laws?

Answer: We can find no language in any Constitution, or the original decision of the Holy Synod dated October 10, 2003 which indicates that the provisions of any constitution or by-laws are irrevocable.

6. Given that the granting of self-rule required that the Patriarchal Constitution be amended to reflect the self-ruled status of the North American Archdiocese, and that this constitution governs its by-laws, not vice versa, how could the Constitution be overturned by amendments of by-laws?

Answer: The Patriarchal Constitution was never amended to reflect self-rule status, so the February 24^th decision is consistent with the current in-force Patriarchal Constitution.

7. What was the need, and why the urgency, for a special meeting of the Holy Synod of Antioch? Were constitutional procedures followed for the calling of that meeting?

Answer: At the October 7^th, 2008 meeting of the Holy Synod in Damascus, His Beatitude appointed a special committee which included the Archbishops of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Akkar to study the question of the status of bishops across the See of Antioch, and to make a recommendation which would normalize that status. The meeting of February 24^th, 2009 was convened to hear this recommendation and to act on it. The Patriarch may convene a meeting of the Holy Synod at any time that he sees fit.

8. Given the fact that the mechanism of resolution for possible problems or disagreements is specified in our Constitution as belonging to the Local Synod of Bishops, with right of appeal to the Patriarch and the Holy Synod, why were these amendments necessary?

Answer: The February 24^th decision was not a result of any wrongdoing by any bishop. It was necessary to normalize the status of all bishops across the See of Antioch.

9. We are not aware of any study, investigation, or report containing information regarding concerns of disunity or other issues of disagreement within our Archdiocese. What was done by our bishops that precipitated the Holy Synod's decision? Did the Patriarch discuss these issues with our bishops when he visited in the fall of 2008?

Answer: Once again, our bishops did not do anything that precipitated this decision. It should not be viewed as a matter of discipline, since this was not the intention. To my knowledge, the Patriarch did not discuss this with our bishops during his visit in the Fall of 2008.

10. How can enthroned diocesan bishops be dethroned other than on specific canonical grounds?

Answer: To dethrone a bishop is to remove him from his episcopal throne. This has not been done. The status of the bishops has changed from diocesan bishop to auxiliary bishop.

11. If there is no local synod within our Archdiocese, in what way do we retain our status of Self-Rule?

Answer: Our Archdiocesan Synod remains in place. The February 24^th decision made no mention whatsoever of self-rule, or a change in status of the Archdiocesan Synod.

12. If Bishop BASIL, for example, is no longer Bishop of Wichita, what is his current title?

Answer: Our bishops will carry the title Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of (name of Diocese). As an example, Bishop BASIL carries the title Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America.

13. How are we to understand the status of bishops who were not only enthroned but also consecrated for specific dioceses, if they are no longer bishops of those dioceses?

Answer: They are Auxiliary Bishops who are overseeing a Diocese on behalf of The Metropolitan.

14. Are the dioceses which were created at the time of our becoming self-ruled now reduced to regions?

Answer: No. The dioceses remain intact and they retain their current names.

15. We understand that the decree was sent for approval to all the members of the Holy Synod. Did they all respond? What were their responses?

Answer: We are not privy to the individual responses from each member of the Holy Synod. Suffice it to say that the decision was approved by a majority of the Holy Synod.

Chalcedon's Christology lecture held in Los Angeles

(SOC-WAD) - Who do people say I AM? A symposium on Chalcedon's Christology in the postmodern world was held at the Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 19, 2009.. Two Orthodox Christian hierarchs offered the Orthodox response: His Eminence, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Armenian Church, Western Diocese; and His Grace, Bishop Maxim of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Western America.

(Holy Resurrection)- On March 19 Abbot Nicholas, hieromonk Maximos and hierodeacon Moses attended a symposium at Loyola Marymount University sponsored by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute. The event was titled, "Who do People Say I Am? Chalcedon's Christology in a Postmodern World. The main speakers were His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Western Diocese, and His Grace Bishop Maxim of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Diocese of Western America.

Romanian incest

Incest laws often surprise people. Westerners are amazed it is permitted at all and North African emigrants to America are often shocked that they are not permitted to marry their cousins when they go up to the courthouse to get their paperwork filled out. I remember in the 1950s text My Catholic Faith that an entire page is dedicated to listing who you can and can't marry - if memory serves it was a complete a tree with branches showing how close to you someone could be and marry them.

Romania (AP) – Surprising as it may seem, incest is not always a crime in Europe.

Three European Union nations — France, Spain and Portugal — do not prosecute consenting adults for incest, and Romania is considering following suit.

The shocking case of Austrian Josef Fritzl , found guilty this week of holding his daughter captive for 24 years and fathering her seven children, has focused new attention on incest — which is a crime in itself in Austria even if the acts are consensual. But in the Fritzl case it was in connection with rape, homicide and other charges that led to a sentence of life in a secure psychiatric ward.

Laws exempting parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters from prosecution for incestuous acts if they are not forced upon adult family members are decades old in France, Spain and Portugal.

In Romania, decriminalizing incest among consenting adults is being considered as part of a wide range of reforms to the country's criminal code. No date has been set yet for a parliament vote on the bill, and opposition to the proposal is fervent even among some lawmakers in the ruling coalition.

Currently all forms of incest in Romania are punishable by up to seven years in prison. But Romania's Justice Ministry suggests the new legislation would move the country — which joined the European Union two years ago — closer legally to some other EU members.

"Not everything that is immoral has to be illegal," said Justice Ministry legal expert Valerian Cioclei. "We cannot help these people by turning them into criminals and punishing them." Thereby ignoring the link between what people perceive to be the values of the people expressed in its laws.

Incest is defined as sexual intercourse between people too closely related to marry legally. In the United States, all 50 states and the District of Columbia prohibit even consensual incest, although a few states impose no criminal penalties for it, according to the Harvard Law Review.

Newspaper articles in Romania have criticized the planned legal change over consensual incest. The ministry, however, countered with a statement claiming that incest cannot be stopped with "criminal sanctions, but with medical and social measures, because incest is based on pathological factors."

Not all Romanians accept the Justice's Ministry's argument.

Anuta Popa, a 22-year-old woman in the western city of Cluj, said she doubted that incest ever happened by consent in her country, saying it was more likely that the man was drunk and violently attacked his sister or mother.

"Incest should not be legalized. If they want to have sex, better to say a prayer and remember that God sees them," she declared. "I would castrate them."

Iosif Damian, a 56-year-old cleaner, said he was unsure if consulting adults should be jailed for incest but added "I think it is shameful all the same."

"Or (if) they are ill and prison is not a solution, they need medical help," he said.

But one 27-year old chauffeur did not see any problem with the legal change.

"If brothers and sisters want to have fun, why should they be imprisoned? It is nobody's business what I do in my bedroom," Ionut Breazu of Cluj told the Associated Press. Vile. Ugh.

Challenges in countries where incest is a crime surface occasionally.

In Germany, the country's highest court last year rejected an appeal by a man who was sent to prison after fathering four children with his sister in a consensual relationship.

Opponents say that children born out of incest face an increased risk of genetic problems, especially inherited disorders of "recessive" conditions, or those caused by a double dose of a gene that carries a mutation — one from each parent. There are about 3,500 recessive conditions, most of them very rare.

"Everyone carries several of these recessive gene mutations, but since most of them are extremely rare, the chance of two unrelated people carrying a mutation in the same gene is low," said Jess Buxton, spokesman for the British Society of Human Genetics.

But he said sexual relationships between relatives more closely related than cousins carry increased risks to offspring because the adults share a greater proportion of their genetic material . Full siblings share 50 percent of their genetic material, as do parents and their children.

"The closer the biological relationship between two people, the higher the risk of passing on a recessive condition to their children," Buxton said.

And then there are the moral dilemmas over incest.

"It generates a confusion of roles," says Romanian psychologist Aurora Liceanu. "Imagine how can one explain to a child that his father is also his grandfather?"

Opposition also comes from the Romanian Orthodox Church, which counts some 85 percent of population among its worshippers and says incest "affects the moral and psychological health of human beings ... the sacred family institution, and public morality."

A Vatican spokesman declined to directly comment on the issue but pointed to Catholic Church doctrine, which bans incest among immediate relatives and says it "corrupts family relationships."

And sentiment appears strong against any form of incest even in the countries where it is legal among consenting adults. An IPSOS poll in France taken in January showed that 59 percent of the 931 respondents thought all forms of incest should be considered a criminal offense. No margin of error was published.

Yet around Europe, there is some acceptance of consensual incest among adults.

Irish homemaker Margaret Henry, 42, said society shouldn't be so concerned about it.

"(Why are they) arresting people for what they do in their own homes, as long as they're adults and they're not hurting each other?" she asked. The "not hurting anyone" philosophy has damaged more lives than I dare ponder.

That sentiment was shared by Hermann Koening, a 23-year-old graphic designer from Duesseldorf, Germany.

"Incest is a sin," Koening said while waiting at a Dublin bus stop. "But maybe it's wrong to make it a crime."

Master, bless!

H/T: Christ in our midst

The Birth of Freedom

Movie available here.

Update on the Monastery of Esphigmenou

I've covered this monastery a few times before (see here). Since the 1970's the group in the monastery have severed ties with the Ecumenical Patriarch and there has been a lively and at times violent back and forth between the monks and the Phanar. The monks threatened to blow the building up and set things on fire. There are even Youtube videos of fighting in the streets and wild finger pointing and yelling.

(Esphigmenou) - Last Thursday, March 15th, the State Council (III division Seven-member constitution) was about to discuss the annulment application that seven people had submitted, among them Methodios, the leader of the team which occupies the buildings of the Monastery of Esphigmenou in Mount Athos, against the decision of the Holy Community of Mount Athos, according to which, the new fraternity and administration of the Monastery had been determined in 2005.

The trial, in the end, did not have to take place because the applicants withdrew from the annulment application. This is due to their certainty that its holding would be futile for them, that there was no possibility in winning it. Indeed, last Monday, the Court reporter of the case, Mr. Tsimekas, had submitted his proposal, according to which a) the appealed decision of the Holy Community aims, among others, at the reinstatement of the smooth operation of the administrative system of Mount Athos b) the application was unacceptable due to lack of lawful interest, mainly in the person of Methodios, who, according to previous decisions of the Holy Community and the State Council, he is not even a monk of Mount Athos and he should have abandoned Mount Athos in 2003, c) all the annulment reasons that the applicants highlighted in relation to the competence of the Holly Community, the selection and the appointment of the persons with whom this common organ of the monks of Mount Athos manned the Monastery, are, either way, unfounded.

The result of this withdrawal is that pendency ceases to exist, the appointment of the new fraternity by the Holy Community is considered legal and is, from now on, unquestionable by anyone. This way, the pendency that had been created by the submission of the application typically ends, and the page on the reinstatement of the institutional operation of the Monastery of Esphigmenou and of Mount Athos in general, closes irrevocably.

A Sub-deacon's confession

I know this had made the rounds all over this month, but I'm reposting anyway as I enjoyed it so much.

Two years ago I was asked to hear the last confession of and bring communion to an old woman who was preparing to die. Once we had arrived at the house where she lived, the relatives who were accompanying me began finding excuses not to proceed. In shy voices, they said things like:

“You know, Father? she was a smoker.”

“Well,” I answered, “that is certainly not the greatest of sins.”

The thus comforted relatives then led me further, but some time later they stopped again.

“Father, she was for her entire life an atheist; she cursed the Church, and she couldn’t stand the site of priests.”
Well, now. This was a far more serious obstacle. Quite often, people who’ve begun to believe quite recently wish for anything whatsoever to save their loved ones. They do this more often than not in a clumsy manner; and their lingering doubts or belief-on-condition that’s led them away from the Church. But neophytes can be persistent. They are capable of biding their time, and when a non-believing relative ends up in an impossibly hopeless situation that makes the rendering of any resistance equally impossible, they run straight to the priest and convince him to receive, to christen and commune this poor dying soul. For such circumstances, there exists a special “Mute Confession” rite. The priest himself lists the sins, hoping against hope in that circumstance that the person who lost his ability to speak will nonetheless comprehend the subject of the priest’s words, hear them, understand their meaning and, perhaps, repent in his heart. The depths of Divine Compassion are truly endless. It is possible to agree on a Mute Confession, but only in those instances where the person presented to the confessor is in fact a believer and, when he was in good health, received confession regularly. And here we have an atheist – an atheist smoker, at that …

“Perhaps I should leave,” I said. “There’d be no point in observing such a formalistic offering of the Eucharist. After all, just one little sin …”

“No, no Father,” the family relative insisted, “She herself requested that a priest – and, specifically, that you – be summoned. She still has full possession of her mental faculties, and her memory is intact. Sheis, afterall, just about eighty years old. And you know, she never went to church, but she always sent along lists of the departed that were to be remembered – it’s just that the list was always of one and the same name. So, please, could we get started?

I entered her room. It turned out that the woman facing death’s door was a physician who had been well-known in the city. She was surrounded by a few relatives of the same vintage, and seated in an armchair stuffed to overflowing with pillows. It was obvious that only in such a position could she breathe and speak. The room itself radiated with clinical cleanliness and modesty of décor. The interior was a throw-back to a film inducing Soviet-era nostalgia – Nikita Mikhalkov’s “Five Evenings” perhaps. 1950’s vintage furniture radiated like new: a reading table lamp with a green lampshade, covered with a lace kerchief next to the earliest vintage Soviet television set, a KVN, looking for all the world as though it had just left the conveyor belt.

Greeting me, the aged atheist asked me to read the prayer before confession. I was more than a bit surprised at her evident familiarity with our rite that this request indicated. I then asked that we be left alone, but the old woman wanted to have her confession heard by everyone present. Such an unorthodox request made me profoundly uncomfortable, but I decided not to contradict the wishes of someone preparing to die. I decided that I could most likely cut off her confession if it began to stray into delicate matters not fit for public discussion. Having coughed enough to clear her lungs, she finally began:

“I was sub-deacon to Bishop George, the last bishop of Volsk.”

This information shocked me profoundly. My thoughts raced to the Blessed Marina, who allowed herself to be taken for a Monk, Marin; to the female Cavalier Durova, about whom a film, “The Hussar’s Ballad,” was made. But the old woman sensed what I was thinking and continued:

“Please don’t think I’ve lost my mind. I remember everything quite well. I was indeed sub-deacon to Bishop George (Sadovsky) in 1933 – 1936, when he served in Volsk.

This grandmother, it turns out, was in full control of her senses. What’s more, she had a tremendous memory. She remembered that when she was a 12-year old girl, she loved to attend church services. In the second half of the 1930’s, there was only one Orthodox Church in Volsk, which had previously belonged to the Old Believers who worshipped without priests. The Soviets had taken this church from them and given it to the Orthodox community following the closure of all the other churches in that city.

“I attended church during the winter in a fur hat with floppy ear flaps, and I looked very much like a boy. What’s more, my hair was closely cropped,” explained Ekaterina Mikhaylovna Ivantsova. “The women of the parish insisted that I take off my hat. They would say ‘You’re a boy. You can’t enter a church wearing a hat.’ And there were no real boys around. In order to serve an episcopal liturgy, it was necessary to find at least four sub-deacons who, in the old days, were always boys. And here there were only two old men and a nun from the already destroyed Vladimir Monastery. So His Grace chose me to be his fourth sub-deacon. I went up to the altar, carried out a candle, held his episcopal staff, and helped with vesting the bishop. Vladyka loved me very much and he always tried to give me whatever food he could during those years of famine. He always saved a big piece of blessed bread for me. Attending to him and being at church was, for me, always a great joy.

Ekaterina Mikhaylovna lived in those days in Nagibovk, and she would cross the city to attend services. She remembered that Vladyka suffered from serious problems with his legs. Now she understands that this was most likely due to trophic ulcers [трофическиеязвы]. He acquired this condition during his incarceration, and it was very difficult for him to stand during lengthy services. Someone made soft boots for him; and toward the end of an all-night vigil service, they would be soaked in blood.

“Vladyka George had beautiful vestments that the nuns of Belev had sent. He had served there previously. Just before Pentecost in 1936, I was supposed to bring green vestments that had just been sent. As I turned the corner to enter the church, a nun met me, weeping. She told me there would be no service today because Vladyka had been arrested.”

The burden of such torment on a twelve-year old girl was unbearable. She cried unceasingly for several days. She would climb a tree that stood in front of the city NKVD [precursor to the KGB] to see over the fence and occasionally catch site of Vladyka, when he was being led from an interrogation room. But then they sent him to Saratov.

“Nuns told me that a child’s prayer travels to God much faster. I prayed as best I could. I prayed with all my strength both day and night. Summer vacation came, and nothing stopped me from praying for entire days on end. Oh, how I prayed! But next month, news arrived in Volsk that Bishop George had been shot. And then,” the woman broke down in tears, “I lost my faith. I understood that a God who did not hear or did not wish to answer a child’s prayers could not exist. And so I have lived my entire life without faith. The emptiness that took its place in my soul was not simply the opposite of the Living God. It was offended by the now non-existent God. Offence at the Church and its clergy who, out of stupidity or ambition, deceive people. And when they opened the church in Volsk again during the War, I turned the other way whenever I passed by those open doors. And if I should hear the echoes of services being chanted, I would become ill for several days.”

Lord! What a monstrous mistake, I thought, how misguided! Bishop George lived until 1948. But the old woman continued:

“Recently I learned that all my prayers had indeed gone straight to God, and that Bishop George had not been shot. If I had known that then … I would have gone to him where he was in the camps, in exile. I would have lived nearby, cleaned his clothes, brought food to him … My life would have been completely different. And that is the great sin of my life, for which I now repent before dying. Forgive me, Father!”

Ekaterina Mikhaylovna died that evening. On the third day, I served her funeral service thinking about how surprising human fate can be, and how God is merciful, returning such lost souls to Him.

Father Mikhail Vorobyov, “Orthodox Faith” № 18 (374), 2008
Translated 22 March 2009, by Vladimir Berezansky, Jr.

Orthodoxy in Poland - synod held

I rarely get a chance to mention the Orthodox Church in Poland. An equally timely and possibly more interesting story can be found here.

(cerkiew.pl) - On the 10 March the meeting of the holy synod of bishops was held. The meeting was presided by the metropolitan Sawa, the head of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Bishops discussed life and problems of each of the diocese in Poland. Monastic life was also discussed. There are more than a 100 monks in Polish monasteries now.

Bishop of Piotrków, Paisjusz, who has been an auxiliary bishop in Łódź and Poznań diocese was appointed a bishop of Gorlice – an auxiliary bishop in Przemyśl and Nowy Sącz diocese.

There are 6 dioceses in Poland now - Warsaw-Bielsk, with metropolitan Sawa, the head of the church, and bishop auxiliary Miron of Hajnówka, a head of Orthodox Chaplainship, and auxiliary bishop Jerzy of Siemiatycze; Białystok and Gdańsk diocese with archbishop Jakub and bishop auxiliary Grzegorz, Lublin and Chełm diocese with archbishop Abel, Wrocław and Szczecin diocese with archbishop Jeremiasz, Łódź and Poznań diocese with archbishop Szymon and Przemyśl and Nowy Sącz diocese with archbishop Adam and bishop auxiliary Paisjusz of Gorlice.

The holy synod answered a request of Polish Central Bank to delegate priests and other employees of the church, who care for a church property, for a training organised by the bank on important financial and economical issues. Such a training has been already organized by the bank for a Roman-Catholic church priests and employees.

According to an invitation from the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew the Orthodox church in Poland delegated archbishop Jeremiasz and dr. Andrzej Kuźma for a meeting on “Pan-Orthodox Synod preparation”. To the international bioethics committee archbishop Jakub and father Artur Aleksiejuk were nominated.

The synod has also given awards on the occasion of Pascha 2009. These were among others mitras for 24 priests. Other reward was an order of st. Mary Magdalene, which was given for lay people, who occurred to be especially helpful for the Orthodox Church last year.

Newest addition is here!

Yesterday my wife gave birth to our son, Basil Elias. He was 8 pounds 15 ounces and measured 19½ inches long.

In addition to us, the future godmother and my wife's father were able to join us at different times during the laboring. Many thanks for all their help.

He is our sixth child and evens out the brood with three boys and three girls.

God grant him many years!

Metropolitan Iakovos on reproductive health bill in Illinois

H/T: Orthodoxy Today

To be read from the pulpit, Sunday, March 22, 2009; the Veneration of the Holy Cross. And to be disseminated to all parishioners through appropriate parish media. Available as PDF here.

March 19, 2009
Beloved Faithful
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago

Dearly Beloved,

As we pursue the struggle of repentance and holiness during this season of Great Lent with the renewal of our commitment to Christ our Lord, we have become aware of a threat to the freedom of our spiritual and religious lives in the State of Illinois, though such dangers are appearing more frequently throughout our nation.

The Illinois General Assembly is considering a bill (HB 2354; “Reproductive Health and Access Act”) that would affect all health care workers by removing their right to conscientious objection to abortion and related procedures, forcing them to participate in or provide abortions or face legal punishments. This bill would basically make the right to an abortion a fundamental human right in the State of Illinois.

Not only will this severely impact health care providers, especially the many excellent Catholic hospitals of our State where the sanctity of life is always respected and many Orthodox Christian doctors and nurses, but it will also contribute to the ever-increasing callousness of our society when it comes to all perception of life’s sanctity at all ages, from the pre-born children in the womb to the elderly.

In our nation, the right to conscientious objection on religious grounds has always been respected in times of war and for those who choose to refuse to participate in acts of capital punishment. It seems now that some Illinois lawmakers want to infringe on this hallmark of our democracy. It seems such lawmakers have forgotten the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (Matt 23:23) just as our Lord pointed out so long ago. This proposed law is unjust and violates the very principles of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Life of the world.

With Paternal Blessings,

Metropolitan IAKOVOS of Chicago

"Those people in the back" - a quandary

"I am the door. By me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture."

- John 10:9

At every parish where I have had the pleasure of attending services, there is always a small group of people who find their way all the way up to the church building but don't actually attend services. At one parish it was a group of male gypsies who talked on cellphones or smoked cigarettes. At another it was a few Protestant husbands who, though they never attended services, opened the parish doors for people as they filed in. At yet another parish the men stood in the narthex and chatted until it was time to receive and then got in line. Latin or Greek Catholic, Eastern or Oriental Orthodox I see the same small throng of men standing next to the front door, but not standing, sitting, or kneeling amongst the people.

If it were me (and I can only speak for myself here) this option would be an unsavory one. The boredom would be immediate. The anxiety of someone saying something rude would always be there. As it's not me I'm not capable of making an unbiased judgement, but I do wonder what can be done. Prayer comes to mind immediately. How does one approach this situation in a way that is tactful and respectful? Is it as simple as being the "priest's job"?

Archbishop Dmitri retiring

A surprise to no one who followed the path of then Abbot Jonah to Bishop of Fort Worth as Archbishop Dmitri's intended replacement to Metropolitan.

SYOSSET, NY (OCA Communications) - The following announcement from His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South was received at the OCA Chancery, today:

Diocese of the South
Orthodox Church in America
P.O. Box 191109
Dallas, Texas 75219
(214) 522-4149

March 22, 2009 Sunday of the Cross

To the Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of the South
Orthodox Church in America:

I would like to take this opportunity first, to ask for your prayers and forgiveness as we continue our journey to Pascha. May our Lord grant you a blessed and fruitful Lent and Holy Week.

In addition, please know that over the years your tireless efforts in service to Christ have been a tremendous source of inspiration and joy. We have labored together for 'the Truth that sets man free': in light of your personal dedication it may be said that, "I have (had) no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 4). With each conversion, with the start of each new mission I thank the Lord for "revealing Himself unto us," and for providing His humble servant an opportunity to be a steward of such a flock as we have in the Diocese of the South.

Overseeing a Diocese, however, is a temporary calling by nature. Thus, after fifty five years in the priesthood and forty years as a bishop of the Orthodox Church in America, I have asked for retirement from the active episcopacy, effective March 31, 2009. It is not a decision I make lightly. I feel confident that with our current Synod of Bishops as well as Diocesan leaders (both clergy and laymen) already in place, that the work of the Orthodox Church in the South will continue. Together we have helped to lay the foundation which is Christ, and now it is time for others to build upon our labors (1 Corinthians 3).

Again, I ask for your prayers. Be assured of my love and prayers for all of you.

In the love of Christ,

+ DMITRI
Archbishop of Dallas and the South

Condoms and the Moscow Patriarchate

Moscow, March 20, (Interfax) - The Russian Orthodox Church supports the position of Pope Benedict XVI rejecting condoms including in order to prevent HIV infection.

"It is incorrect to consider condoms as a panacea for AIDS," the deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told a round table in Moscow on Friday, commenting on the international row concerned with the pope's statement in Africa.

AIDS can be prevented not by contraceptives but by education and a righteous life, the priest said.

"If a person lives a sinful, aimless and senseless life, uses drugs and is lewd, some disease will kill him one day, neither a condom nor medicine will save him," Fr. Vsevolod added.

Currently some organizations speaking on AIDS are seeking to simultaneously preserve the ideal of sexual freedom and the fight against AIDS, he said. It is impossible to reconcile these things, he said.

Autism and the Divine Liturgy

I've been to this parish a few times. Very attractive nave, lots of church groups, informative Orthodox study blog.

Euless, TX (Star-Telegram) — Maria Kerbow’s young son, Gregory, was talking during the service at St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church a few years ago.

"A man started shushing him," said Kerbow, of Benbrook. "Gregory was actually being pretty good, but babbling a little bit. Then the man started lecturing me about parenting. "I said, 'I’m sorry. My son is autistic.’ "

In recent years, people have become more educated about autism and its accompanying communication, behavioral and social problems.

But sensitivity and education are especially crucial in places of worship, said Carolyn Garver, clinical director of the Autism Treatment Center in Dallas.

With that in mind, St. John the Baptist Philoptochos, a women’s philanthropic group at the Euless church, has produced a documentary about the challenges of families seeking to instill spirituality in their autistic children’s lives. The women hope to inspire faith communities to support families in the difficult task of parenting children who are different, said Kerbow, who suggested the project.

The result is Angels and Autism: Finding Faith for the Autistic Child...

Complete article here.

OCA News on the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh

(OCA News) - Even as the dioceses of the Antiochian Archdiocese are threatened with reduction, so too is one of the oldest of the dioceses in the OCA. The Archdiocese of Pittsburgh, created by in 1916, may be in its last days. On March 7th, the Archdiocesan Council sent the following letter to Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, locum tenens of W.PA, with a copy to Metropolitan Jonah, asking for clarification...

Complete article here.

Inter-Church strife in Australia

(Catholica) - Catholica is in receipt of an important news story that has been forwarded to us with the authority of the Eastern Catholic Bishops resident in Australia. Last Friday, 13 March, the Bishops and leaders representing the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches in Australia held a joint meeting in Sydney. They have endorsed a paper they had commissioned and have voiced a very strong complaint to the other Latin Church Australian Bishops and, through them, to the National Catholic Education Commission and the Catholic Education Offices and Catholic teachers of Australia concerning the religious education and treatment of Eastern Rite Catholic children in Australian Catholic schools. Catholica has been informed that Bishop Peter Stasiuk on behalf of the Eastern Catholic Bishops has been in touch with Archbishop Philip Wilson, President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, who, according to Bishop Peter, has accepted there is solid foundation to the complaint and undertaken to have the matter placed on the agenda of the full meeting of the ACBC in May and Archbishop Philip has also undertaken to have the matter forwarded to the National Catholic Education Commission.

This is a news story loaded with significant political implications not only for the Catholic Church in Australia but at the international level and, we submit, in realms entirely removed from the issues being addressed that are the focus of immediate complaint.

We publish in full the background paper here which has been passed to Archbishop Philip Wilson. It makes for very, very interesting reading in light of some of the recent conversations we have been having on Catholica...

Complete article here.

A glimpse of daylight for Ruthenia

(Economist) - For connoisseurs of obscurity, the Republic of Carpatho-Ruthenia takes some beating. Seventy years ago, on March 15th, it enjoyed its sole day of independence—declared in the morning amid the Nazis’ dismemberment of the then Czechoslovakia, snuffed out in the evening by an invasion from neighbouring Hungary. Its leader, Avhustyn [Augustin] Voloshyn, died in a Soviet jail in 1945; so did many others. Before the world had even noticed its existence, independent Ruthenia disappeared into first the Nazi, then the Soviet empires.

Ruthenians have had little joy since. A list of famous Ruthenes begins and pretty much ends with Andy Warhol: the artist did not himself speak Ruthene, though his parents did. He once said he had “come from nowhere”. Many Ruthenian activists feel that way, too.

A million-plus by the most generous count (but far fewer according to sceptics), Ruthenians are scattered through the Carpathian regions of Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine, with another bunch in former Yugoslavia. Some are Orthodox, but most are eastern-rite Catholics. That prompted savage suppression in the communist era.

Many doubt the Ruthene claim to any form of national identity. Even the placename is disputed. Czechs and Slovaks, looking east, tend to talk of “Sub-Carpathia”; Ukrainians, looking west, talk of “Trans-Carpathia”. Communist rulers denied Ruthenes existed at all. Ukraine recognised them as an ethnic minority only in 2007. The language—sometimes called Rusyn—is dismissed as a mere dialect of established Slavic tongues, even by some who speak it.

But the Ruthenian cause is stirring. In western Ukraine, Ruthenian revivalists have demanded self-determination. One group has even declared independence. Their self-proclaimed prime minister, Petr Getsko, told a Russian government newspaper in December that the “lion’s share” of Russian gas exports to Europe pass through pipelines across Ruthenia.

In Slovakia, self-declared Ruthenians are more numerous, but shun the separatist strivings across the border. Overshadowed by Slovakia’s much larger Hungarian and Roma (Gypsy) minorities, they would be happy with just a little more schooling and broadcasting in their fragile language.

Pushing the Gay Agenda in the Greek Archdiocese

(Orthodox Biz) - Globally, Orthodox Christianity is known to be highly conservative concerning what is frequently referred to as "traditional Christian morality." In Europe, for example, more progressive and liberal elements of society spare no effort in attacking the Church as a bastion of traditionalist repression, especially concerning homosexuality.

Ironically, however, in the United States an image seems to be growing of the Orthodox Church as more liberal towards sexual sins than, for example, the Evangelical denominations. Quite a few people, judging by chatter on the Internet, are getting the impression that Orthodoxy is similar to the Episcopal Church in respect to moral issues.

Part of this confusion stems from the book Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe by John Boswell. This book, published in 1994, asserted that certain Greek Orthodox medieval rituals were really ecclesiastical blessings of homosexual unions. Boswell especially singled out the Greek Orthodox Rite known as adelphopoiesis or "brother-making," as one such example...

Complete article here.

Patriarch Lubomyr on Kiev

KYIV (RISU) — The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar), answered the questions of readers of “Correspondent”. The most popular question pertained to the moving of the seat of the UGCC head to Kyiv in 2004. Patriarch Lubomyr noted: “We haven’t moved the seat of the UGCC head; we just returned to where we were in the past. RISU’s Ukrainian-language web page posted this story on 16 March 2009.

“The decision (to move the seat from Lviv to Kyiv) would be illogical if all Greek Catholics were located only in western Ukraine,” continued the patriarch. “I visited Donetsk as well as Sumy and Crimea, and could see that there are also Greek Catholics there. Greek Catholics may have been driven from those parts of Ukraine, but they returned.”

According to Patriarch Lubomyr, the Greek Catholic metropolitan was based in Kyiv before the beginning of the 19th century, but “when the Russian Empire occupied Ukraine, it steadily got rid of Greek Catholics on its lands.”
“However, when the Bolshevik regime took over, Greek Catholics for various reasons returned to the eastern, central and southern regions of Ukraine,” he added. “And it is our duty to serve them.”

The head of the UGCC also noted that Kyiv is the center of the country and all the big church organizations have their main representative offices there; it is only fitting for the UGCC to have its seat in the capital. “The Greek Catholic Church is not a western Ukrainian but an all-Ukrainian reality,” stressed Patriarch Lubomyr.

According to the UGCC Information Department, the magazine also published the patriarch’s answers to questions about the possibility of unification for the traditional Christian churches, politics in Ukraine, and the UGCC’s attitude towards yoga and Darwin.

Put down your cross and follow me...

(Jerusalem Post) - Ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's May visit to Israel, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch (pictured right), has said that it is not proper to come to the site wearing a cross.

The pope wears a cross in all public appearances and is slated to visit the Western Wall on May 12 after a meeting with Muslim religious leaders at the Dome of the Rock.

After the visit, which will include a meeting with Rabinovitch, the pope is slated to meet with Israel's two chief rabbis, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar.

"My position is that it is not fitting to enter the Western Wall area with religious symbols, including a cross," said Rabinovitch in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post Monday. "I feel the same way about a Jew putting on a tallit and phylacteries and going into a church."

Rabinovitch is responsible for religious decorum at the site.

"In coming days I intend to discuss the issue with the pope's people," Wadie Abunassar, media coordinator for the pope's visit to the Holy Land, said in response to reports that the pontiff would not remove his cross. "I cannot imagine the Holy Father removing his cross."

On a historic visit to the Holy Land in 2000, Pope John Paul II prayed at the Western Wall, stuffing a written prayer between the cracks. Pictures from the visit clearly show him wearing a golden cross while praying.

Despite this precedent, Rabinovitch maintains his position against the display of religious symbols. In recent years there have been at least two incidents in which Rabinovitch has barred access to the Western Wall by Christian clergy wearing crosses.

In November 2007, he refused to allow a group of Austrian bishops led by the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schonborn, access to the site after the clergymen refused to remove or hide their crosses.

At the time Rabinovitch told the Post that "crosses are a symbol that hurt Jewish feelings."

In May 2008, a group of Irish prelates from both Catholic and Protestant churches were prevented from visiting the Western Wall for the same reason.

Rabinovitch also opposes security arrangements that would prevent worshipers from reaching the Kotel for several hours before and during the pope's visit.

"Police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) authorities met with me and presented certain demands for security during the visit that include closing the Western Wall to people who want to pray," said Rabinovitch.

"For the past 42 years, no one has ever been prevented from praying at the Western Wall and, God willing, no one ever will. A solution needs to be reached that provides adequate security for the pope without infringing on the right of everyone to pray. The Western Wall belongs to everyone."

A senior Catholic church official said in response that the security arrangements for the pope were an internal Israeli affair that had nothing to do with the Church.

Before 1967, when the Western Wall was under Jordanian rule, Jews were forbidden to pray there. In the Six Day War, Israel conquered east Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, from Jordan and prayer was opened to all religions.

UN to Turkey: allow seminary to reopen immediately

(Emportal) - The United Nations' Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has called on Turkey to reopen the Greek Orthodox theological seminary on the island of Halki, to return confiscated properties and to promptly execute all judgements by the European Court of Human Rights relating to it.

"The Committee invited Turkey to promote adequate representation of the various ethnic groups in the Parliament and other elected bodies, as well as their participation in public bodies. It recommended that research be conducted with a view to effectively assessing and evaluating the incidence of racial discrimination in Turkey, with particular focus on discrimination based on national or ethnic origin, and that Turkey take targeted measures to eliminate such discrimination," a press release by the Committee in Geneva said on Tuesday.

The Committee noted its concern "at the particularly serious situation of the Greek minority" and called upon Turkey "to redress such discrimination and to urgently take the necessary measures to reopen the Greek Orthodox theological seminary in the island of Heybeliada (Halki), to return confiscated properties and to promptly execute all relevant judgements by the European Court of Human Rights in that respect."

Pointing out that no country was entirely free from racial discrimination, the Committee also urged Turkey "to investigate why there had been no complaints of discrimination and recommended that it verify that the lack of such complaints was not the result of lack of effective remedies, victims' lack of awareness of their rights, fear of reprisals, or lack of confidence in the police and judicial authorities, among others," a CERD press release added.

The Committee also "regretted the absence of a definition of racial discrimination in domestic law, which might impede the adequate application of relevant legislation. It was noted that some groups, such as the Roma and the Kurds, faced a more difficult socio-economic situation than the rest of the population.

The Committee was concerned that the application of restrictive criteria to determine the existence of ethnic groups (by following criteria established in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne), official recognition of some and refusal to recognize others, might give rise to differing treatment for various ethnic and other groups which might, in turn, lead to de facto discrimination.

It was further concerned by allegations of persisting hostile attitudes on the part of the general public, including attacks and threats, towards Roma, Kurds and persons belonging to non-Muslim minorities. Another concern was that Turkey maintained the geographical limitation to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, which reduced the protection, offered to refugees from non-European States and might subject them to discrimination.

In that connection, the Committee was also concerned at reports on deportation and refoulement (repatriation to danger zone) of refugees recognized under UNHCR's mandate, as well as of persons registered with UNHCR as asylum-seekers.

A remaining concern was that there were inadequate possibilities for children belonging to ethnic groups to learn their mother tongue," it also said.

God bless Texas

(Pew News) - A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a Texas law that requires public school students to observe a daily minute of silence in order to pray, reflect or otherwise remain quiet.

A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed a district court ruling, saying the law is constitutional because it expressly allows any silent use of that minute, whether religious or not.

David and Shannon Croft sued on behalf of their three children, who are enrolled in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.

The suburban Dallas couple contended that including the word "pray" in the mandatory moment of silence law was a way for lawmakers to advance religion in schools. Another family joined the Crofts in filing the lawsuit but chose to remain anonymous.

More from original Dallas Morning News article.

Of yokes and freedom

KYIV (RISU) —In an interview with “Ukraiinskyj Tyzhden’” (The Ukrainian Week), the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Patriarch Filaret shared his thoughts about church unification, the dialogue with Constantinople, and the new Moscow Patriarch. Patriarch Filaret is convinced that the only realistic model for the establishment of one local UOC church is unification. By this, the patriarch stressed that he means unification with the Moscow Patriarchate because the fate of the Autocephalous Church is decided over and above the decision of a few bishops. “When we unite, autocephaly will come automatically,” he noted.

“If the head of the UOC-MP wants one local church in Ukraine, he should separate from Moscow,” stated the patriarch.

Patriarch Filaret also told the interviewer about the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to Ukraine. “The universal patriarch has different goals. Our goal was to join the Constantinople Patriarchate for a short period and emerge as an autocephalous church. His goal was to make the Kyivan Patriarchate a part of the Constantinople Church and strengthen it thus, granting us autocephaly only in some unknown future. Whatever the Patriarchate, it makes no difference to us: to be released from one yoke is to get into another one.”

He added that the Constantinople Patriarchate offered surprisingly worse conditions for the UOC-KP than the Moscow Patriarchate. He also noted that he was ready to give up his patriarchal position for the sake of obtaining autocephaly.

A paper on the Armenian Church

Eastern Liturgy in the West: The Case of the Armenian Church by Fr. Michael Daniel Findikyan is a paper providing a wealth of insight on the Armenian Church and its people. It goes deeper than an adumbration of the liturgy, a history of the people, or a synopsis of the peculiarities of their devotions. I can only describe it as a cohesive journal of the thoughts of one priest trying to convey what his Church is, has to offer, and how history, language, and distance are affecting what people "should" get out of a life lived within his Church.

I am not a specialist in the field of inculturation, so what I offer you is not at all a scholarly address; I will not in any way claim to be comprehensive or definitive in my remarks. That leaves me free to ruminate and to reflect with you on the topic at hand without the obligation to be systematic, or even to tie up loose ends. I shall speak to the topic of inculturation as a student of the history of liturgy and as a representative of the Christian East, specifically as a priest of the Armenian Orthodox Church, and as a practitioner of the Armenian Rite. My hope is that my remarks will leave many threads for you to pick at during our discussion later.

Let our ruminations begin, therefore, with a bit of background for the purpose of contextualization. The Armenian Church is one of the so-called Oriental Orthodox Churches. Along with the Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian (”Jacobite“), and Malankara Orthodox Churches, the Armenian Church is distinguished from the other Orthodox Churches (Greek, Russian, and so on) by its Christology, that is, by its rejection of the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon and its particular formulation for understanding the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. In liturgical rite, history, and spirituality, however, the Oriental Orthodox Churches are actually quite distinct one from the other.1 Today the Armenian Rite is used or practiced by an estimated six million faithful of the Armenian Church, as well as approximately three hundred forty-four thousand members of the Armenian Catholic Church in communion with Rome.

What we call the Armenian Rite is a complete and integrated system of worship; a unique synthesis of liturgical usages and practices that expresses the instinctive, traditional response of the Armenian people to God’s providential activity in history. That history begins with the Bible, of course. Medieval Armenian historians have traditionally viewed the history of the Armenian people in direct continuity with the Bible.2 Since the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion in the early fourth century, Armenian historiographers have systematically and unapologetically interpreted their own unfolding history in light of their faith in Christ. Until the eighteenth century there simply is no such thing as Armenian secular history...

Complete article here.

My interview with the Orthodox Kids Pen Pal foundress

I've decided to add an interview component to the blog. The first such interview discusses the new and exciting Orthodox Kids Pen Pal program. Please feel free to re-post this interview.

BTX is Byzantine, TX and OM is Orthodox Mom.

---

BTX: Thanks for taking the time to talk about your new Orthodox Kids Pen Pal program.

Can you tell me a little about how this idea came to you?

OM: The thought first came to me after a conversation with my 5-year old son about being the only child in his class who makes the sign of the cross before he eats. I kept thinking I wish there was a way to help Orthodox children connect with each other. A way for them to have a friend that they can discuss things like making the sign of the cross, feast-day traditions and favorite saints with.

Some children are fortunate to live in large Orthodox communities. We love where we live but there are very few small children and that can be difficult--for both children and parents!


BTX: I've heard the response has been quite good. Were you surprised by the turn out?

OM: Thank God! Yes, I was very surprised! I was hoping to get at least 20 children signed up, that was my goal. Right now we have just under 100 children! We have kids from all over the states as well as countries such as Canada, Greece and even one family from China! It's amazing, I really feel like God has blessed this program and I pray he continues to bless it and the families participating.


BTX: I know you're still pairing children up, but has anything about the people signing up stood out in your mind? More boys or girls? A lot of one age group? A lot of entrants from one state or region?

OM: Like I said I really feel like God has His hand in this program. I was amazed, brought to tears really, by the way the children paired up so perfectly. One child, named Basil wanted a partner from Alaska and when I was looking to see who his partner could be I found a child from Alaska who's favorite saint is St. Basil. There were just so many of these "coincidences" that I am still utterly amazed.

As far as ages and locations, it's pretty much spread evenly across the board. The ages range from"scribble pals" as young as 18 months to kids as old as 17. We did get a pretty fair amount of children from Alaska which I think is pretty neat.


BTX: As someone who has signed up three of his own children I am quite excited to see who they get paired with and what sort of things they'll talk about. What sort of criteria did you use for putting children together?

OM: I tried my best to pair them up according to gender, age and interests.


BTX: You mentioned on your blog Adventures of an Orthodox Mom
(http://orthodoxmom.blogspot.com/) that you have some activities planned for the children. Any chance we could get a sneak preview of your plans?

OM: Actually I just posted a big surprise today. :)

Big Surprise!

Potamitis Publishing, which is an Orthodox Children's book publisher, has generously donated 12 books to give away (one per month) at random throughout the year to program participants. It's pretty exciting!

I have other activities in mind such as paper icon swaps, different icon swaps, ornament swaps during the Nativity Fast, etc. I have a lot of things stirring in my mind... :)


BTX: So how will this work after the first batch of kids are matched up? Do you plan to allow rolling submissions? Quarterly? Some time next year?

OM: As of this morning all the children are paired up! {Whew!} I am going to continue accepting submissions throughout the year and I plan to "partner up" on a quarterly basis. This time frame allows me to collect enough names to partner them up efficiently and keeps things running on a sort-of schedule.


BTX: Any plans to expand the program to its own website? How about getting the word out to Orthodox periodicals?

OM: I am definitely hoping to expand the program. I hope to get a flyer designed to fax/send to different churches and church affiliated organizations. Word of mouth seems to have been pretty effective thus far so I'm counting on that too! I'd love to connect as many children as possible, I just think it's wonderful.

I did recently buy a domain (www.orthodoxmom.com) and am still trying to decide what exactly to use it for. So who knows? It may become the home to the Orthodox Kid's Pen Pal Program!

I haven't looked into any Orthodox publications as of yet. I'd love to advertise that way but cost will be a major deciding factor in that.

Also, if anyone can help me out with a flyer that would be great! Believe it or not, I'm not that computer savvy. :)


BTX: I remember when I was a child how special it was to get a letter from a friend or family member. What do you think makes sending and receiving letters so special?

OM: I'm not sure. I know that there is nothing like holding a handwritten note in your hand; seeing the swirls and scribbles of someone else's penmanship. It's like there's a little bit of that person in each letter.

As much as I use e-mail and internet technology, it saddens me to see such a lack of handwritten letters nowadays. I try to do as much written correspondence as possible. Plus, everyone loves getting something in the mail! Though as an adult, bills don't count! My husband laughs every time I receive a card or letter--I make a cup of tea, get my letter opener and savor every word!

There's just something special in a letter. You know that someone cared enough to take time out to sit down and write something especially for you.


BTX: If parents want to sign their kids up for the program how would they do that? If they don't have Internet access could they send you a letter?

OM: Parent's can e-mail me at OrthodoxMama{at}gmail{dot}com. If they don't have internet access they can certainly send a letter or even give me a call.


BTX: Last question. What do you hope these kids get out of this experience?

OM: I hope that each child develops a wonderful friendship with their pal--their brother or sister in Christ. We Orthodox Christians have a very special bond that I think will naturally take a hold of the hearts of these children. I hope they will find someone to not only chat with about daily life and interests but someone that they could confide in.

These are tough times we're living in and I truly believe even more difficult days lie ahead, especially for young people. It's important to have these type of friendships. I had an Orthodox pen pal, a girl I met at Camp Nazareth, and it was a great thing, especially as a teenager.

I am hoping that these friendships will last throughout their lives...even into eternity. :)


BTX: Thanks again for your time!

OM: Thank you! Readers can go to Adventures of an Orthodox Mom and click on the Orthodox Kid's Pen Pal Program to view all the details!

Ordination to the diaconate

H/T: NLM

Diaconal ordination by His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX, the Catholic Patriarch of Armenians.

U.S. Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholics meet

(UOC USA) - For the fourth time in the last eight years the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in North America have met in a brotherly “Encounter” to discuss the relationship between the two Churches and the common concerns they share in shepherding the faithful entrusted to their spiritual care. The meeting took place in Clearwater, Florida on 12-13 March following separate meetings of the two groups of hierarchs just preceding the Encounter.

Taking part in the meeting from the Churches in the United States and Canada were: Metropolitans Constantine, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – USA; Stefan, Ukrainian Catholic Church – USA; Metropolitan John, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Canada; Metropolitan Lawrence, Ukrainian Catholic Church – Canada; Archbishops Antony, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – USA; Yurij – Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Canada; Bishops David, Ukrainian Catholic Church – Canada; Paul – Ukrainian Catholic Church – USA; Richard, Ukrainian Catholic Church – USA; John, Ukrainian Catholic Church – USA; Ken, Ukrainian Catholic Church – Canada; Andriy, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Canada; Daniel, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – USA; Bryan, Ukrainian Catholic Church, Canada. A guest participating in the Encounter was Archbishop Jeremiah, Ukrainian Orthodox Eparchy of Brazil and Latin America. Unable to attend this year’s meeting were: Bishop Robert – Ukrainian Catholic Church – USA; Bishops Stephen - Ukrainian Catholic Church – Canada and Ilarion, Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Canada.

Of primary concern to the hierarchs was the present state of ecclesiastical life in Ukraine in all jurisdictions and the fate of the Churches under the present unfortunate political divisions within the Ukrainian government and in Ukrainian society as a whole. In the minds of all the hierarchs present at the Encounter, Christian witness in Ukraine is not only endangered by the disarray in government and societal life, but damage is actually being done to the efforts toward ecclesiastical unity and the Christian service to those in Ukrainian society who are most in need.

The consensus of opinion of the Encounter participants, having heard from the Orthodox hierarchs about the recent visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to Kyiv, was that it was a positive event, which can result in consequences beneficial to all Christianity in Ukraine. The Catholic hierarchs shared their experiences in relationship to their brother hierarchs in Ukraine, in particular information about the progress of construction and program development at the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Sobor in Kyiv. The hierarchs are of one mind in the belief that the Church must reclaim its place as the moral conscience of the Ukrainian nation – a role denied to the hierarchs – or abandoned by some – during the long, dark night of communist subjugation. The Encounter participants agreed to explore the ways in which both the Churches of Constantinople and Rome can be encouraged to promote the stabilization and independence of ecclesiastical life in Ukraine, particularly in light of possible challenges to that independence that may result from political changes in the government and in the church of neighboring Russia.

Lengthy discussion was devoted to a thorough examination of Church life in both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches in North America. The hierarchs were greatly concerned about declining membership in so many parishes and the conditions, which seem to exacerbate this critical problem. The hierarchs will continue to discuss on a regular basis in upcoming meetings new possibilities for jointly conducting youth ministry, programs related to clergy education and welfare, adult education. They hope to share in a common outreach to their faithful in confronting the effects of the secularization of society on the life of both Churches and the threats to Christian life, which abound in the moral, ethical and social issues facing those societies and, indeed, Ukrainian community life in both Canada and the United States. The hierarchs concluded that there is an enormous need to devote much more prayer and time contemplating and focusing upon the manner in which the Church gives witness in an ever-changing society.

The Encounter participants repeatedly stressed that there is much more that unites, rather than divides us in fulfilling our responsibilities before God. They are convinced that the Holy Spirit is at work in their gatherings and that there is a need to closely examine the paths to a deeper ecclesiastical relationship between them, benefitting all the faithful entrusted to their care. To this end, they envision their meetings evolving into a permanent Eastern Christian Dialogue, which will enable such an examination and even provide a focus for the more general and long-established Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue.

The time spent together during this Encounter was deeply valued by all the hierarchal participants, who departed with a new sense of purpose and relationship in the Name of the Lord.

One way to sell missiles

Grand pan-Orthodox synod update

Constantinople (AsiaNews) - With the sending of letters of invitation to all the heads of the Orthodox Churches for the two preparatory meetings for the grand pan-Orthodox synod, scheduled for June and December of this year, Bartholomew has set in motion the decisions made at the recent pan-Orthodox meeting in October, held in Constantinople, and attended by deceased patriarch of Moscow Alexy as his last act in life.

Bartholomew has stepped up the pace for the convening of the grand synod, which has the objective of responding to all of the problems that have built up over the course of centuries, and continue to plague relations among the Orthodox Churches, with extensive repercussions for the dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics as well. The schism of 1054, with all of its grave consequences for the universal Church, also deprived the Orthodox Church of the necessary impetus and ability to be constantly present in the course of history.

In the recent past, a first initiative for the convening of a pan-Orthodox synod was undertaken by Patriarch Ioakim III in 1901 (pictured left). He wanted to smooth over the tensions among the autocephalous Orthodox Churches, in the conviction that only an Orthodox Church engaged in a constant and constructive inner dialogue could face the challenges of the contemporary world and act with one voice and one heart. This initiative did not succeed, in part because the Orthodox Churches, which had recently emerged from Ottoman rule, were seeking their identity in an exaggerated identification with the nation, and the full breadth of the Christian message was not instilled in their clergy.

After various mishaps, in 1961 a pan-Orthodox conference was convened in Rhodes, with significant pressure from patriarch Athenagoras, for the purpose of preparing an Orthodox synod. This conference was also followed by numerous obstacles, because as theologian Giorgos Tetsetis observes, the local Churches did not have a clear idea of what they wanted from the Synod.

Now, the letters sent for the two preparatory meetings to be held in June, in Cyprus, and in December, in a place to be determined, present the following topics:

1. The Orthodox diaspora, where the jurisdiction over the Orthodox flock beyond national borders will be defined. According to the canons now in effect, before the growth in the phenomenon of emigration the faithful outside of their home country belong to the ecumenical patriarchate.
   
2. The manner of recognizing the status of autocephalous Church.
3. The manner of recognizing the status of Church autonomy.
4. Dypticha, meaning the rules of mutual canonical recognition among the Orthodox Churches.
5. Establishing a common calendar for feasts. For example, some Churches celebrate the Nativity on December 25, others 10 days later.
6. Impediments and canonicity of the sacrament of matrimony.
7. The question of fasting in the contemporary world.
8. Relationships with the other Christian confessions.
9. The ecumenical movement.
10. The contribution of the Orthodox in affirming the Christian ideals of peace, fraternity, and freedom.

The first four questions were the cause of friction in 1993 and 1999 with the patriarch of Moscow, because of participation in the work of the autonomous Estonian Church, which Moscow does not recognize.

"It is time," says Fr. Tetsetis, a theologian for the ecumenical patriarchate, "that our Church finally realize that it is doing poorly as a whole. The Church needs an open and sincere dialogue. Because it is only then, with its rich tradition as a compass, that it will be able to emerge from its blind alley and together face its existential problems, which are becoming increasingly severe and complicated. It is only then that the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarch's initiative can be understood." According to the journalist Aris Viketos, the letter from Bartholomew is being well received in the Orthodox world.

Update on the status of Metropolitan Herman (OCA)

(OCA News) - In a recent press release announcing that the law enforcement has been called into the investigation of St. Tikhon's monastery and bookstore, Metropolitan Jonah said: "Evidence of financial mismanagement and possible wrongdoing discovered during the investigation has led to disciplinary actions against certain employees." No names or actions were cited, but OCANews.org has confirmed that during his recent visit at St. Tikhon's Monastery and Seminary last week, Metropolitan Jonah met with retired Metropolitan Herman. He informed +Herman at that time that the Synod had decided that +Herman was no longer blessed to serve at the monastery. Just as retired Metropolitan Theodosius is restricted to serving only in Canonsburg, PA; Metropolitan Herman is now only blessed to serve in Uniondale, some 22 miles from St. Tikhon's. (The retired Metropolitan had served there as a parish priest in the 1960's.) +Herman was also informed that he was no longer blessed wear his white klobuk. An official announcement of both decisions is expected in the near future.

In related news, it has been reported to OCANews.org that Metropolitan Herman's former Archdeacon , Alexei Klimitchev, has been suspended from all clerical duties. His photo and information have been removed from the OCA website. He had been earlier removed as the manager of St. Tikhon's bookstore at the end of 2008.

Follow-up on CT Catholic-bashing

Tip 'o the hat

I recently received an email asking what the "odd H/T thing" was on some of my posts. For those not familiar with the term, "Hat Tipping" is Internet cant for referencing back to the original poster. I use it liberally. Now would seem to be a good time to thank those who do the same for me. There are many of you. This is an equally good time to ask those that don't to do so. I ask not for my own self aggrandizement, but as someone who finds new blogs to read quite often through spidering from hat tips.