Watford bans parents from watching own children at parks

Amusingly, the town motto "Audentior" comes from Virgil: Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito (Yield thou not to adversity, but press on the more bravely).

October 28, 2009 (Daily Mail) - Parents are being banned from playing with their children in council recreation areas because they have not been vetted by police.

Mothers and fathers are being forced to watch their children from outside perimeter fences because of fears they could be paedophiles.

Watford Council was branded a 'disgrace' yesterday after excluding parents from two fenced-off adventure playgrounds unless they first undergo criminal record checks.

Children as young as five will instead be supervised by council 'play rangers' who have been cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Councillors insist they are merely following Government regulations and cannot allow adults to walk around playgrounds 'unchecked'.

But furious parents attacked the move and threatened to boycott the playgrounds.

Concerns were raised last night that other councils around the country are adopting similar policies amid confusion over Government rules and increasing hysteria over child protection.

It comes amid an escalating row over the Government's new anti-paedophile database, which will contain the names of more than 11million adults cleared to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Mother-of-five Marcella Bergin, 35, from Watford, who has been visiting the play areas for many years, said: 'It's like they are branding all parents potential paedophiles, which is disgraceful.

'Ninety-nine per cent of people are great parents and certainly not child abusers.'
Mother-of-eight Jenny Abbasi, 41, whose children also use the playgrounds, said the new rules were 'a disgrace'.

Miss Abbasi, from Garston, Hertfordshire, said: 'I have been using the playgrounds for 18 years and it's a sad day when parents cannot be involved with the enjoyment of their children.'

The rules were imposed at Harwoods and Harebreaks adventure recreation grounds from this week.

Activities on the half-acre sites include a skateboard half-pipe, a zip line and rope swings.

Play rangers patrol both parks - which are for children aged five to 15 - and are fully qualified with CRB checks.

Parents already have to 'register' their child on arrival so staff have their contact details in the event of an accident. But now only those who have been selected for CRB vetting by the council can enter the sites.

Mayor Dorothy Thornhill argued the council was merely enforcing government policy at the play areas.

'Sadly, in today's climate, you can't have adults walking around unchecked in a children's playground and the adventure playground is not a meeting place for adults,' she said. Heaven forbid.

But the Tories claimed the row showed the Government's ' heavy- handed' approach to safeguarding was 'completely out of control'.

YES - North America

The Youth Equipped to Serve (YES) program is a part of FOCUS North America - The Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve.

Ecumenical Patriarch meets with SCOBA

NEW YORK (SCOBA) – His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave an audience yesterday Tuesday, Oct. 27, to the Orthodox Primates of the USA, most of whom were present the previous evening for the Ninth Annual Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community. Present at the audience were Archbishop Demetrios of America (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Philip (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Christopher (Serbian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Nicholas (Carpatho- Russian Diocese); Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox Church in America), Metropolitan Constantine (Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA); Bishop Ilia (Albanian Orthodox Diocese) and Archpriest Alexander Abramov (Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA). Archbishop Demetrios welcomed His All Holiness on behalf of the Primates.

The remarks of His All Holiness follow:

“We bring to you the greeting, the blessing, and the love of the Apostolic, Patriarchal and Ecumenical Throne of the First-Called Andrew, and we express as well our appreciation to the Most Reverend Chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, for bringing you together today so that we may have this opportunity for fellowship in the Holy Spirit and for a dialogue of love.

“For nearly fifty years, the Standing Conference has served as a place for the Primates of the various jurisdictions that are present in North America to gather and discuss common concerns and issues. Also, through the many agencies that have been formed under your aegis, you have been able to activate pan-Orthodox ministries that extend beyond the confines of your particular Churches, so that your united effort might be brought to bear in common interests

“The success of SCOBA has always been based in the true sense of cooperation, of synergy, between the Orthodox ecclesiastical entities here in North America. You have been successful at providing a common witness to all the Orthodox Faithful, even as you have maintained your ties to the Mother Churches and sought to establish yourselves in the countries and culture within which you live.

“Nevertheless, SCOBA has always been an organization that lacks authorization from the Mother Churches, being a self-started and volunteer body. This reality reflects both strengths and weaknesses – strengths in that SCOBA was free to find creative solutions to issues and problems, without seeking approval from a higher authority – and weaknesses, because without authorization from the Mother Churches, there has been no methodology to effectuate decisions and policies that prepare for the future.

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An exhibition of iconoclasm

The Iconoclast theologian John the Grammarian and an Iconoclast bishop whitewash an image of Christ, from a 9th century Psalter. (H/T: Counterlight's Peculiars)

Moscow, October 28, (Interfax) – The Moscow House of Icon opens an exposition of Soviet leaflets and posters on anti-religious theme.

Visitors will have a chance to watch documentaries from video archives showing destruction of churches in tragic years of “atheistic five-year plans,” the museum workers told Interfax-Religion.

The exhibition will represent icons damaged by atheistic fighters in 1920s, including the Icon of Our Lady of the Sign dated by the 18th century, the surface with the Mother of God’s face is cut with stars.

Another icon shows a piece of the Last Judgment composition dated by the 17th century. Moscow Region farmers used this icon as a bail in the cowshed for fifty years.

The House of Icon opened in Moscow on September 18 on the initiative of a patron of arts to promote Orthodox icon painting and study its history.

Igumen Sergius elected Abbot of St. Tikhon's Monastery

October 26, 2009 (OCA Communications [PDF]) - It is with great joy and thanksgiving to God that I tell of a historic moment in the life of the Monastery of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. On the night of October 24th, 2009, I was elected Abbot of St. Tikhon's Monastery, America's oldest Orthodox monastery. This is the first time in 47 years that the Abbot was elected by the Brotherhood from within the fathers of the monastic community.

The date for the installation as the Abbot of St. Tikhon’s Monastery is set for Saturday, January 23rd, 2010. We invite everyone to come to celebrate with us and participate in this monumental event which is important not only for the Monastery, but also for the entire American Orthodox Church, which the monastery is the flagship of and spiritual front runner.

This historic change will enable our Brotherhood to grow in a new and unprecedented direction, operating as a Stavropegial, self-determining, autonomous Monastery, directly and exclusively under the hierarchical authority of the Metropolitan. The Bishop of Eastern Pennsylvania, his Grace, Bishop Tikhon, will no longer function in a hierarchical capacity but as a primary adviser to the Abbot and community and will remain a very important part of the Monastery Brotherhood.

Historically, we see that no monastery has ever flourished without this kind of self-administration and autonomy that St. Tikhon's Monastery now possesses and that whenever these were restored, monastic life possessed the potential for authenticity, and enabled it to become a vital and life-giving leaven for the entire Church in the country in which it resided. It is with trust in God and with complete transparency to all that we ask for your support and your prayers as we move forward into a bright and new future. Be assured of our prayers and tireless labor for Christ and His Holy Body, the Church.

UN Prayer Service for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

NEW YORK (patriarchate.org) – Last evening, Monday, October 26, His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Ninth Annual Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community, at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral, the traditional site when the service is hosted by an Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch was accompanied to the Service by Metropolitan Geron Athanasios of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea, and clergy and lay leaders of the Church of Constantinople.

This Service is sponsored annually by the Joint Commission of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) and the Standing Conference of the Oriental Orthodox Churches of America (SCOOCH).

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America welcomed His All Holiness and the assembled Hierarchs, Clergy, Ambassadors and Dignitaries of the UN Diplomatic Corps and laity to the Cathedral which was filled to overflowing. Over 70 clergy of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches were in attendance. The Choir of St. Vladimir’s Seminary provided the processional and recessional hymns, while the Choir of Holy Cross Seminary chanted a traditional Vespers Service in English.

Archbishop Demetrios led the Members of the SCOBA, including Bishop Antoun representing the Antiochian Archdiocese, Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Christopher of the Serbian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Jonah of the OCA, Bishop Ilia of the Albanian Diocese and Archpriest Alexander Abramov of the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA. The Metropolitans of the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as well as other Hierarchs were also in attendance.

His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church and Chairman of SCOOCH led the following Hierarchs of the SCOOCH delegation: Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Zecharius of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldho of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Ambassador to the UN for the Vatican, led a very large showing of the UN diplomatic corps, which included the Ambassadors of Orthodox countries and those countries where the families of the Christian Churches represented by SCOBA and SCOOCH exist locally.

Greetings from Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon were delivered by Under-Secretary-General Vijay Nambiar, Chef de Cabinet, with special words of welcome to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The address was delivered by the President of the Brookings Institution, former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. In his remarks, Talbott highlighted the pioneering work of His All Holiness for ecological responsibility in the faith community. He also commented on the recently concluded work of the Eighth Religion, Science and Environment Symposium that His All Holiness convened last week in New Orleans on behalf of the Mississippi River.

In his response, His All Holiness stressed both environmental responsibility and dedication to religious freedom that are integral to the message of the Gospel. He also spoke of service to the world:

[W]e Orthodox Christians are called to offer service to humanity without expectation of anything in return, and also, to be examples for others to do the same. Christ tells us to do good, to practice virtue, to practice virtuous works, to love our enemies—not just to love our friends. Christ also calls us to be teachers and guides through example, to serve God’s created order—whether we serve as priest or lay person or diplomat.

In concluding his remarks, His All Holiness noted the progress made in the process of unity between the Christian families of Churches:

The theological dialogue between our two Christian families – that is the Orthodox Church and the Ancient Oriental Churches, has formally ended the misunderstandings of the past. It is not theology that divides us. Rather, we are united in our commitment to address the pastoral, liturgical and ecclesiastical issues on which we may ever build our unity in Christ more and more. The dialogue must continue, and we must continue to seek opportunities for mutual exchange. As our knowledge grows, our love will grow as well.

After the Service concluded, a reception for over 600 was held in the Social Hall of the Cathedral.

More information about His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the environmental work of the Church and the Apostolic Visit to the United States may be found at: www.usvisit2009.org and www.patriarchate.org.

Patriarch Filaret (UOC-KP) visiting the US

H/T: ROCOR United

October 26, 2009 (Daily Herald) - For the first time in nearly 20 years, John Jaresko dusted off his robes to serve as a subdeacon during a service at the St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Sunday.

It was, after all, the chance of a lifetime for Jaresko, 40, and for the church.

Patriarch Filaret, the leader of nearly 15 million Ukrainian Christians worldwide, visited the Bloomingdale church and officiated Sunday's liturgy, his second and final ceremony since his arrival Friday night.

"It's a wonderful experience," said Jaresko, president of the St. Andrew church board. "I grew up in the church and served with many archbishops in the metropolitan area. Now to serve with the Patriarch, it's a huge honor."

Patriarch Filaret visited the United States to both meet with his faithful and promote the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which today still remains under the Russian orthodox umbrella. The religious leader also designated the Bloomingdale church as the U.S. administrative center for the Kyivan Patriarchate.

"It's huge," said church parish secretary Taras Konowal. "Many don't get to see him in person. He has a really deep and unbelievable effect on people."

Some were moved to tears as Patriarch Filaret blessed a large, just-completed mosaic on the church's facade. Jaresko and the church's pastor, Victor Poliarny, greeted him with the traditional bread and salt given to people of importance.

Even though Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, church members say their church still lacks recognition from Moscow.

Patriarch Filaret hopes to change that and has brought his message to the United States.

His national tour will take him to Washington D.C. for visits with congressional and Ukrainian embassy officials.

He will also visit a church in Ohio before returning to Ukraine. As the country's religious leaders push the struggle forward, Jaresko said a victory in this fight would help the country feel truly independent.

"As individuals, they never believed they'd see a free Ukraine," he said of parishioners. "It's emotional in that this is the next step. With the independent country, now you have your independent church."

Video available in complete article article and below (auto-started so I removed it from the main page).

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East and West saddened by Lutheran same-sex marriages

STOCKHOLM, October 26, 2009 (Directions to Orthodox [from Life Site News]) - Representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in Sweden are joining conservative Lutherans in denouncing the recent decision by the Lutheran Church of Sweden to conduct homosexual "marriage" ceremonies, reports the Catholic News Agency.

In a joint statement Catholic and Orthodox church officials expressed "sadness" upon learning "about the decision by the synod of the Church of Sweden," which is the largest religious organization in the country.

"In our churches and communities, we will not unite homosexual couples since it is in complete contradiction with the tradition of the church and our vision of creation," the statement added. It also stated that the decision "is a swing away not only from Christian tradition but also from the point of view on the nature of marriage which is typical of all religions."

They noted that although dialogue with the Lutherans would continue, "this decision of the Church of Sweden widens the gap."

The views of the Catholic and Orthodox representatives were echoed by more conservative Lutherans, such as Bishop Hans Stiglund, a northern prelate.

"In my way of looking at it marriage is defined as a relation between man and woman with no room for a relation between partners of the same sex," he said.

Three out of four Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church, which is state supported and controlled. The decision to permit homosexual "marriages" was made by representatives affiliated with the nation's political parties, who are elected to a national assembly. It was approved by a vote of 176-62 with 11 absences.

Although Church officials have been "blessing" unions between homosexuals for years, the new decision allows them to call the union a "marriage." Ministers who object in conscience will not be required to carry out the ceremony.

Andrew Brown of the liberal Guardian newspaper expressed reservations about the decision, noting that the Swedish church has now gone beyond the bounds of even the ultraliberal Anglican Church.

"Outside the Swedish church, this decision is bound to lead to strain ecumenically," wrote Brown in a recent editorial. "The Swedish Lutheran church shares its priesthood in theory with the Church of England, for instance. But no English priest would be permitted to marry a gay couple and few would want to. They are not even allowed to have services of blessing. And, as the details of the story emerge, it will come to seem an object lesson in how not to disestablish."

While the leader of the Swedish Lutheran Church, Archbishop Anders Wejryd, supported the decision, even he seemed uneasy about it.

"For my part, the right decision was taken, but I can empathize with the many who believe this has gone too fast," he said in a press conference.

Third Annual Diocesan Bell Ringing Exposition in Ann Arbor

(ROCOR Chicago) - With the blessing of Bishop Peter of Cleveland, Administrator of the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America, the Third Annual Diocesan Bell Ringing Exposition took place at St. Vladimir parish in Ann Arbor, MI October 24-25, 2009. The weekend began on Saturday afternoon with a bell ringing clinic led by Reader Alexander Kallaur. Reader Alexander has many years of experience ringing the bells in the large bell tower of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY and his presence added much value for all involved. Each of the gathered teams was able to practice their ringing technique under the watchful eye of Reader Alexander and receive specific instructions and suggestions on their approach to the Russian style of bell ringing. At the evening service on Saturday night many of the teams had the opportunity to practice their rings in the context of the Divine Services, the context in which the bells are meant to be rung. Both the parish set of bells were rung, as well as a set of bells struck in Voronezh, Russia and sent from Blagovest Bells in California specifically for the weekend’s activities.

On Sunday again the various teams of ringers had the opportunity to ring the bells in the context of the Divine Services, and the ringing was frankly spectacular. The parish church’s parishioners and neighbors have rarely been privy to such beautiful ringing! Following the Divine Liturgy and a light meal the teams gathered at the parish bell tower to commence the competition portion of the exposition. The rings of the various teams were judged by the parish Deacon, Fr. John Feloniuk, the parish Starosta, Karl (Mercurius) Meyer, and Reader Alexander Kallaur. After the first round of rings two teams stood out as exemplary and these two teams advanced to the final round. After the ringing of the final round the judges were virtually deadlocked, and only after much deliberation was the team from St. Vladimir Parish of Angelina Noll, Ksenia Kashchenko, and Gabriella Meyer judged to be the winners. We congratulate the winning team and all the participants in the weekend’s activities and hope, with God’s help, that events such as these will increase the number of bells and bell ringers in our diocese. Finally, we thank all who made the weekend such a success, laboring anonymously for the glory of God.

Pictures of the weekend’s activities can be found here:

http://stvladimirchurch.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album243

ACROD offering "Orthodoxy 101" in November

The Carpatho-Russian Archdiocese has really ramped up their Internet presence this year. If you looked at their website last year and compared it to today you would think two different groups were being mistaken for one another.

JOHNSTOWN, PA (ACROD) - The Diocesan Apostolate For Christian Education is pleased to announce that a seven-week on-line introductory class on Orthodox Christianity, Orthodoxy 101, will begin on Monday November 16, 2009. The class, led by Fr. Peter Paproski, will be broadcast live each week from St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Stratford Connecticut. The class will begin at 7:00 pm and will last approximately 90 minutes.. Those faithful living in the greater Bridgeport, Connecticut region are cordially invited to attend the class in person.

Topics to be discussed will include, Salvation History, Holy Tradition, Church History, Doctrine and Dogma, Prayer, Ethics and Morality and discovering one's vocation in life. Time will be allowed at the end of each session for a question and answer period based on questions raised in person or via email or instant messaging. Audio recordings of each session will be archived for later study.

There is no charge for participating, however, those who wish to participate must register on-line to enter the class room and access the broadcast link. Audio recordings of each session will be archived for later study.

For more information and to register, please click here.

How monasticism has avoided fundamentalism

From OrthoCuban...

Yesterday I asked the question about why the early Christian monks did not fall into the trap of the modern separatist fundamentalists. After all, if you read Church history, the monastic movement started from some of the same concerns the Anabaptists had about the purity of the Church and the failure of Christians to practice, or at least try to live, a life of increasing Christian perfection. So, the monastic movement could have easily fallen into the same trap. And, when the monastic movement started the Church was not yet approved by the empire, so it would have been rather easy for them to leave without the rest of the Church being able to do much about it. (The previous sentence is for those who buy into imperial conspiracy theories.)

Perhaps I should emphasize that my question is why the monastic movement did not fall into that trap. You see, the reality is that individual Christians are quite sinful and prone to behavior and thoughts that do not match their stated beliefs. So, yes, there are monks that are proud and separatist and arrogant, etc. You can read stories about their getting into fights on Mount Athos over who gets possession of the monastery. Even worse, there are monks who periodically get into fistfights at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre thereby violating their very vows. And, worst of all, there are monks who have begun to believe that only the monastics are the saviors and preservers of Orthodoxy, based on some historical events in the history of the Church. Those monks often cause division and are dangerous to the Church.

But, having cited individual examples, the question remains. How did the monastic movement avoid separating itself out of the Church? After all, the vast majority of monks do not fit the description above, anymore than the vast majority of Christians are separatists fundamentalists. Well there are several reasons, but the one I consider most important would be their life of prayer and introspection.

As they went out into the desert–for it was into the Middle Eastern desert that they went–the early monastics wished to avoid the lax and “sinful” life of their city brethren. And, so they began a process of prayer and introspection. I am convinced that it was at that time that the Holy Spirit did some significant work. You see, there is a funny thing about introspection. You never know what you will find when you look inside yourself. Long before the advent of modern psychology, the monks found that inside themselves was an absolutely twisted mess of impulses, desires, and plain old sin. I suspect that they had expected to find some sin. But when you read the Desert Fathers, you become aware that they found sinful impulses far beyond anything that they had expected.

And, that was their salvation. You see, as they realized how sinful they truly were, they began to realize that they were no different than their city brethren. They may not have acted out on their impulses, but they realized that they had each and every impulse that they had seen in their city brethren, and maybe more. You actually catch a glimpse of this type of thinking in a very modern detective series, the Father Brown series by G. K. Chesterton. There were 52 Father Brown stories. In one of them Father Brown has identified the murderer and is asked how he was able to figure it out. His answer was, “You see it was I who killed all those people…I mean that I thought and thought about how a man might come to be like that until I realized that I really was like that in everything but actual final consent to the action.”

Yes, the monks realized that they were like any common murderer in everything but their final consent to the action. And, when they realized that, they were kept from going in the direction of so many modern separatist fundamentalists. They became incredibly forgiving and loving people. In fact, we have records of bishops complaining about the Desert Fathers because they were so willing to forgive that they were supposedly interfering with proper church discipline. And, we have stories of Desert Fathers actually taking on someone else’s punishment, not because they were imitating Christ, but because they were convinced that they deserved the punishment, given their inmost thoughts. But, in taking on that punishment and letting the other go free, they actually did imitate the sinless Christ. Interesting, right?

And, here is what we need to learn. We will only grow in holiness as we really and truly learn that we are worse than any of the people in prison. It is only when we really strip off our masks that we can see ourselves for what we are. The funny thing is that when done in the power of the Holy Spirit it does not lead to depression but to deepening our ability to follow God and our knowledge of God.

“Not turned-off cell phones in church – 100 prostrations"

H/T: Again & Again

The Ecumenical Patriarchate and human life

The AOI has a hard hitting editorial on Constantinople's rather laissez faire attitude on abortion on the one side and the "grand super-governmental, trans-national solutions" direction the Ecumenical Patriarchate is backing. I highly recommend reading and reflection. It is interesting to note that at the same time the AOI has brought this issue to the forefront, the Moscow Patriarchate has, over the last year in particular, made several unequivocally pro-life statements through it's External Church Relations department, in talks with Rome aimed at working together to defend the family, and from its bishops in interviews available online. Moscow is, of course, not alone. The OCA in the person of Met. Jonah has made made his stance clear as has the Antiochian archdiocese.

Reading Andrew Estocin’s fine essay, “Constantinople’s Moral Oversight,” I was reminded once again of the long running institutional silence — a scandal really — from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese on sanctity of life issues. But that attitude of indifference comes down from the top — the Phanar.

Here is a direct quotation from a July 20, 1990, article, “SF Shows Off Its Ecumenical Spirit,” in the San Francisco Chronicle. Metropolitan Bartholomais of Chalcedon is the current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew...

Complete article here.

"The End Times" lecture held in Fort Worth, TX

St. Barbara's (OCA) in Fort Worth, TX hosted a lecture on "The End Times" given by Archpriest Dimitri Cozby. It was much less about dragons, fire, seals, and horsemen than was expected by many and a lot more about Mark 13, personal and private eschatology, and submission. If a CD or DVD is made available I'll post an update.

Bulgarian hierarch affirms desire for unity

H/T: Principium Unitatis

OCT. 22, 2009 (Zenit.org) - A Bulgarian Orthodox prelate told Benedict XVI of his desire for unity, and his commitment to accelerate communion with the Catholic Church.

At the end of Wednesday’s general audience, Bishop Tichon, head of the diocese for Central and Western Europe of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, stated to the Pope, “We must find unity as soon as possible and finally celebrate together,” L’Osservatore Romano reported.

“People don’t understand our divisions and our discussions,” the bishop stated. He affirmed that he will “not spare any efforts” to work for the quick restoration of “communion between Catholics and Orthodox.”
Bishop Tichon said that “the theological dialogue that is going forward in these days in Cyprus is certainly important, but we should not be afraid to say that we must find as soon as possible the way to celebrate together.”

“A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together,” he added.

The prelate told the Pontiff that “this aspiration is a feeling that arose from the works of the assembly” of his diocese, held in Rome, in which all the priests and two delegates from every Bulgarian Orthodox parish took part.

“We have come to the Pope to express our desire for unity and also because he is the Bishop of Rome, the city that hosted our assembly,” he stated.

Abp. Hovnan lectures at St. Mark Coptic Church in LA

(Armenian WD) - Upon the invitation of His Grace Bishop Serapion of the Diocese of Los Angeles, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, delivered a lecture on "The Priest and Contemporary Challenges," during the Southern California Coptic Clergy Assembly at St. Mark Coptic Church in Los Angeles, On October 15, 2009.

Prior to the lecture, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian offered the invocation and blessed the tables at the luncheon. Several dozen Coptic Clergy and Diocesan representatives, including the Very Rev. Fr. Dajad Dz. V. Yardemian, Vicar General of the Western Diocese participated in the lecture. His Grace Bishop Serapion in his welcoming remarks thanked His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian for accepting the invitation to lecture during the Coptic Clergy Assembly in Los Angeles, and praised him for his dedication to the mission of the Church.

In his lecture, the Primate addressed the challenging issues of the contemporary societies in the light of the Holy Bible, such as materialism, war, sexual perversions, prostitution, divorce, child abuse, drug addictions, abortion, etc. His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian called on all Clergymen to be vigilant in their dealings with the issues of today's society and seek guidance from the Holy Bible for answers to these difficult questions.

A Q&A session was held following the lecture segment of the program, wherein the Primate answered all the questions raised by the participating Coptic Clergy regarding various issues discussed in the lecture.

Ordination of His Grace Savvas of Burundi and Rwanda

(OBL News) - On Sunday 11th October 2009, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa ordained His Grace Savvas of Burundi and Rwanda in the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Savvas the Sanctified in Alexandria.

His Grace is the first Bishop of the newly established Diocese, which has two countries in its jurisdiction; two of the most suffering on the African continent and on the planet, as His Beatitude emphasized in his address saying that “this fact leads the steps of the Alexandrian Church to support the indigenous population even more and to offer its philanthropy through the establishment of this Diocese”. He went on to praise the service of the new hierarch to this day in the ancient Patriarchate in which he has held various successful positions.

In his reply. His Grace Savvas expressed his gratitude for the great honour bestowed on him by His Beatitude, thanked clergy and lay people who came to his assistance as a priest, and promised to give of himself in the “missionary spiritual field of this much-suffering African area”.

Participating in the Ordination of His Grace were His Eminence Kyrillos of Rhodes, His Eminence Nicholas of Ermopolis and His Eminence Dimitrios of Irinopolis, together with His Grace Gabriel of Mareotis, His Grace Spyridon of Kanopos and His Grace Gennadios of Nilopolis. Also present was His Eminence Emmanuel of Khartoum.

Present also were the Honourable Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Ioannis Diakofotakis, the Archon Logothetis of the Patriarchate Mr. Spyridon Kamalakis, the Chairman of Brotherhood of Officers Professor Theodoros Panagopoulos, representatives of Greek societies, as well as a group of pilgrims from his birthplace of the new Bishop, the island of Halki, led by Mayor Eleni Panagi.

OCA delegation visits Uzhhorod seminary

(RISU) UZHHOROD — With the blessing of Bishop Tykhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, on October 21, 2009, a delegation of the American Orthodox Autocephalous Church (USA) came to St. Cyril and Methodius’ Uzhhorod Ukrainian Theological Academy. RISU was informed by the press service of the academy that the delegation was received by its rector, Protopriest Viktor Bed, on the blessing of Metropolitan Volodymyr of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.

The meeting dealt with questions of establishing international cooperation in the area of scholarly-educational activities, the modernization of the educational process, and the government of the higher education of the Bologna Process for creating one European educational space.

Glorification of Theodosius of Balta

(orthodox.org.ua) On October 20, during the metropolitan's journey the Diocese of Odesa, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church visited the city of Balta, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the rite of glorification among the saints of the Righteous Theodosius of Balta († March 9, 1845).

Concelebrating to His Beatitude were: Metropolitan Agathangel of Odesa and Izmayil, Archbishop Ionafan of Tulchin and Bratslav, Archbishop Varfolomiy of Rivne and Ostroh, Archbishop Ioann of Kherson and Tavria, Schema-Bishop Alipiy, Bishop Petru of Hâncu, Vicar of the Metropolis of Chisinau, Bishop Alexy of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (Vicar of the Diocese of Odesa), Bishop Alexander of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi (Secretary for the Primate of the UOC), the diocesan clergy.

After the Lesser Entrance at the Divine Liturgy the last memorial office (Litia) was said for the reposed righteous man.

Then His Eminence Metropolitan Agathangel announced the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC of April 18, 2008 (Journal №29) on glorification among the saints of the Righteous Theodosius of Balta.

Archbishop Ionafan read out the life of this ascetic of piety, following which His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr gave a kiss of veneration to the reliquary with the honourable relics of the Righteous Theodosius of Balta, to the chanting of troparion and songs of praise to the new-ly glorified saint. The same did the hierarchs, clergy and laymen present at the church.

As a keepsake of the memorable event the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was gifted with the Icon of the God-pleaser with a piece of his relics.

Archbishop Hilarion meets with Cypriot Church hierarchs

(mospat.ru) On 22 October 2009, the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk met with His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus. Taking part in the meeting that took place in Paphos, Cyprus, was Metropolitan Isaiah (Kykkotis) of Tamassos.

They discussed a wide range of the problems of mutual interest in the atmosphere of fraternal understanding.

Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk thanked the Primate of the Church of Cyprus for his care for the Russian-speaking flock living in Cyprus. Having noted that the need in spiritual care for the Russian-speaking population is increasing, he suggested that, following the established practice, the future clergymen of the Church of Cyprus should be sent to the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church to learn the Russian language and the traditions of the Russian Orthodoxy.

The DECR MP Chairman informed the Primate of the Church of Cyprus that the Russian Orthodox Education Centre in Larnaka was willing to give icons of the Russian saints to the churches and monasteries in Cyprus as a gift. His Beatitude Chrysostomos thanked him for the initiative and noted that veneration of the Russian saints is widely spread among the Cypriots.

They also discussed prospects of the opening of the metochion (In Eastern Orthodoxy, a metochion [Russian: подворье, podvorie] is an ecclesiastical embassy church, usually from one autocephalous or autonomous church to another.) of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus at the Moscow Patriarchate and the metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Cyprus.

The necessity was underscored of cooperation between the two Churches on the level of their representations to the European institutions, especially while discussing human rights.

Opinions were exchanged on the problems on the agenda of the Interorthodox Pre-Council Commission to take place in Chambesy, Switzerland, on 10-17 December 2009.

Archbishop Hilarion presented the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus a panagia made in the workshops of the Moscow Patriarchate.

On "Melkite" icons

From Notes on Arab Orthodoxy...

The following article is about Orthodox and Greek Catholic iconography in the Middle East is taken from the November/December 1971 Saudi Aramco World, of all places. Actually, though, being Saudis, they like to throw their money around, so if you send them a request, they'll subscribe you to their magazine for free. It's worth it just for their photography, though sometimes they'll also have a good article.

Arabs and Icons

by Karen Lewis

When most people think of icons they think of delicate Greek triptychs or the fabulous jeweled icons of Russia locked deep in the vaults of the Kremlin. Yet for almost three centuries, Arab artists, usually members of Christian religious orders, made icons in the Middle East. Icon is a Greek word meaning 'image' but on the basis of funeral portraits found in Fayyoum, Egypt, scholars have suggested that the iconic form itself may be Middle Eastern.

The Arab icons are called "Melkite" icons because they were painted by Arab artisans who belonged to the Greek Orthodox or Greek Catholic Church. Virgil Candea, a Rumanian scholar, first used the term when he was consultant for an exhibition of icons from Lebanese and Syrian collections produced by the Sursock Museum of Beirut in May 1969. His source was the derisive expression "Melkite" used by heretic Nestorian Christians to refer to communities which remained loyal to the Byzantine State Church after the early theological disputes over the nature of Christ. In the 18th century, after reuniting with the Roman Catholic Church, Greek Catholics used the term to distinguish themselves from their former Greek Orthodox brethren.

According to Sylvia Agemian, the discovery of the Melkite icons is very important scholastically. Mrs. Agemian, a researcher at the Sursock Museum and possibly the only specialist in Melkite icons in the Middle East, says: "For the first time it is being recognized that there were schools of iconographers in the Middle East which followed the Byzantine or Greek iconic tradition with the addition of Islamic elements."

Icons are an integral part of the religious life of Eastern Orthodox Christians. Like statuary and Gothic carvings they are seen as holy objects to be venerated, not merely appreciated as decoration. Yet just as decoration they are unique. Icons—original icons—are images painted onto a gold veneer applied to a smooth coat of plaster on a wooden board. Usually they were placed on a screen in front of the altar for the congregation to contemplate during the services.
Because the first icon was thought to be the image of Christ left on St. Veronica's veil which she had given him to wipe his face with when he was carrying the cross to Calvary, the early Church decided that portrayal of the divine could not be left to the imagination of the individual artist. Up to the 17th century, traditional Byzantine icon painters were forced to follow instructions in a church manual which decreed that holy persons must be as other-worldly as possible. To achieve this the artist imposed geometric molding on the body to make his subjects appear almost fleshless, and minimized any hint of the sensual by swathing them in heavy draperies. Since the saints were blessed with the Beatific Vision and therefore exuded an inner holy light, the artist painted fine white lines on the saint's cheekbones and hands to suggest the light.

As part of the formula to emphasize holiness, the artist also gave his saints heads that were disproportionately large, and formally molded beards and hair. Even colors were specified by the church guide. The Virgin's maphorion, a veil which covered the head and shoulders of all female saints, was always an ochre red to symbolize the tragic fate of her son.

If they appeared, mountains and buildings were highly stylized, bearing almost no relation to reality. But they didn't appear often. On orthodox icons divine persons were pictured against a background of gold with no terrestrial elements other than those associated with the particular saint: books for the Evangelists and Patriarchs, swords for martial saints such as St. George.

Melkite artists probably learned the form of the icon from icons brought to the Middle East by Byzantine Greek and Russian patriarchs and pilgrims, and from Greek artists who lived and worked in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. But the Melkite craftsmen also knew the Cretan works of the 14th and 17th centuries. On an icon of the Archangel Michael, which he did in 1726, the artist Hanna al-Kudsi, who worked in Syria and Lebanon during the first half of the 18th century, put an inscription saying it was based on an earlier Cretan icon. Melkite icons, however, differ from their Greek and Russian counterparts more in detail and treatment of subjects than in form. General traits like decoration, the faces and bodies of the subjects, the frequency of certain themes and, of course, Arabic inscriptions, distinguish the Melkite icon.

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On the makeshift nature of English liturgical texts

From Leitourgeia kai Qurbana...

Last Saturday, it being Great Vespers for the Feast of St. Luke, there were Old Testament readings appointed for the service. I normally leave those to other people so as to save my voice, but I got asked to do one of them anyway since we were short some people we might otherwise have had. “Just read off of the printout of the liturgical guide?” I asked. Yes, I was told, since the parish doesn’t own a Prophetologion.

Well, long story short, nobody owns an English-language Prophetologion, because it doesn’t exist. There’s Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash)’s draft version online, and I’m increasingly coming to the conclusion that if I were to be involved in starting a mission I would argue passionately for the use of his translations, but obviously an electronic version just isn’t quite the same thing as actually having a printed liturgical book. Besides which, Fr. Ephrem has done the exactly right thing of translating liturgical texts as a self-referential whole, being aware of biblical references, internal references to other liturgical texts, and so on and so forth — and while this is exactly right, it also renders his liturgical texts somewhat difficult to use unless you’re using them exclusively.

Which gets us to the broader question of English language liturgical books, and the practical situation in various parishes.

The situation at All Saints is interesting, and I expect reasonably common — we use Nassar as the spine, but not everything is in there, and there has been cobbling together of things from various sources over the years. This effort has been by necessity a real “do it yourself” matter by many people, for reasons I won’t go into here but I’m going to assume can be guessed by a sufficient number of people in similar situations. As a result, we use one translation for the proper texts for weekday services, a different translation for Great Vespers, Sunday Matins and Sunday Divine Liturgy, and still another translation for some of our Lenten texts. Sometimes we use the HTM Psalter; sometimes we use the KJV/NKJV variants that are used in the Antiochian service books. For the epistle reading, we have the Holy Cross Apostolos, which we bring out during services, but we insert a sheet with the NKJV text into the book so that the reader is actually reading from that and the book itself is really for show. In other words, we have a fundamental disunity of English translations, thereby achieving a fundamental disunity in the texts themselves. It used to be worse; our Divine Liturgy music used to be a patchwork of things from all over the place, so that there was no textual consistency whatsoever within the service — “Thee/thou” in one section and “You who” in the next. I am also told that for awhile we were trying to use the Orthodox Study Bible liturgically, but since it’s not arranged as a liturgical book (i. e., no prokeimena etc.), that was a non-starter from a practical standpoint.

These are the moments when I see an excellent argument for sticking with ecclesiastical Greek or Church Slavonic.

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St. Sergius the Builder

H/T: The Ochlophobist

A new children's book, 'A Pocketful of Seeds'

From Adventures of an Orthodox Mom...

A while ago I had the blessing of spending quite a bit of quiet time venerating the holy relics of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, or Papouli, as many refer to him. Needless to say, after that time I requested his intercessions even more incessantly.

Several weeks later we took a road trip to North Carolina. As my children slept peacefully in the back and my husband grew lost in his own thoughts, my mind stirred with story ideas. I had such an overwhelming desire to write a story about Elder Joseph. I prayed that he would plant a seed in my heart that would blossom forth into a story about his life and works.

Indeed a story was born during our 5-hour trek on I-95. Although the story is not about his life or works, I believe that Papouli undeniably sowed that seed in my heart and I like to think he would be pleased with the outcome.

I am delighted to present my first children's book, A Pocketful of Seeds, which will be available beginning December 1st. Pre-sale orders available. Contact Sylvia{at}OrthodoxMom{dot}com for details.

ACROD launches "The Good News" video program

You can watch the video here. Alas, they don't make it possible to embed the video. The new website is really expansive - I keep finding new things to pore over so do go take a look if you haven't already.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrives in New Orleans

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Gates "thrown open" to Anglicans

It is interesting, and not at all unexpected, that, as the Anglican Communion continues to break up into an every more stultified ecclesiological construction, the East and West will do their best to catch as many souls as they can. The simple truth is that you cannot build a Church on the infirm ground of popular morality and expect to have anything to show for it because as soon as you set a pillar in place public opinion changes and the drafting tools have to come out again. People should not seek to change the Church to conform to their opinions, but should seek to be changed by the Church and its transformative message.

October 20, 2009 (Telegraph) - This is astonishing news. Pope Benedict XVI has created an entirely new Church structure for disaffected Anglicans that will allow them to worship together – using elements of Anglican liturgy – under the pastoral supervision of their own specially appointed bishop or senior priest.

The Pope is now offering Anglicans worldwide “corporate reunion” on terms that will delight Anglo-Catholics. In theory, they can have their own married priests, parishes and bishops – and they will be free of liturgical interference by liberal Catholic bishops who are unsympathetic to their conservative stance.

There is even the possibility that married Anglican laymen could be accepted for ordination on a case-by-case basis – a remarkable concession.

Both Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Rowan Williams are surprised by this dramatic move. Cardinal Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was in Lambeth Palace only yesterday to spell out to Dr Williams what it means. This decision has, in effect, been taken over their heads – though there is no suggestion that Archbishop Nichols does not fully support this historic move.

Incidentally, I suspect that Rome waited until Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s retirement before unveiling this plan: the cardinal is an old-style ecumenist who represents the old way of doing things. His allies in Rome, and many former participants in Anglican-Catholic dialogue, are dismayed by today’s news, which clears away the wreckage of the ARCIC process.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is unlikely to be pleased, though he was vigorously concealing any displeasure at a press conference this morning. (There was a lot of spin about this decision “arising out of dialogue”.) The truth is that Rome has given up on the Anglican Communion. With one announcement, the Pope has given conservative Anglicans a protected route to union with Rome – and promised that, even once they are members of the Catholic Church, they will be offered a permanent structure that allows them to retain an Anglican ethos.

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Influx of Traditional Anglicans into Roman Church imminent?

Vatican City, Oct 19, 2009 / 06:41 pm (CNA) - Several Italian newspapers speculated on Monday that the Vatican may welcome a large number of members from the Traditional Anglican Communion into the Catholic Church tomorrow. The group previously separated from the Anglican Communion due to issues such as the ordinations of both women and sexually active homosexuals.

According to Giacomo Galeazzi from the Italian daily La Stampa, the press conference to be held tomorrow at the Vatican press office by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, Secretary of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, will be the occasion in which the reception of the Anglican group, which claims to have some 500,000 members –among clergy and laity- will be officially announced.

“The news story, already anticipated by some Australian media, could be finally confirmed during the press briefing that was announced this afternoon by the Vatican press office,” Galeazzi wrote.

Galeazzi also claimed that the Traditionalist Anglicans have already signed a document of adherence to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and have symbolically deposited it at a Marian shrine in England.

“Once reunited with Rome, they may keep most of the Liturgical celebrations according to their tradition, which is closer to the Tridentine Mass,” La Stampa explained, adding that they would also “keep their married clergy but not married bishops.”

The Italian Vatican reporter also noted that since the Anglican priestly ordination is not valid, those who want to remain priests within the Catholic Church would have to be ordained, most likely after passing a theological exam.

The move by the Traditionalists could have a significant impact on other Anglicans who still remain within the communion, but are extremely frustrated not only with the ordination of women as Anglican priests and bishops, but especially with the decision of the American Episcopalians – members of the Anglican communion- to ordain sexually active homosexuals as priests and bishops.

The ordination of Eugene Robinson as the first actively homosexual bishop in 2004, sparked an unprecedented division inside the Anglican Communion.

According to Galeazzi, the group of Anglicans that could be received into the Catholic Church tomorrow may be erected as a personal prelature, which has the same canonical status held by Opus Dei.

News from around the OCA and AOCAN

From OCANews...

Houston, TX

Initial reports from the weekend meeting of the Local Synod and Board of Trustees of the Antiochian Archdiocese indicate at least two major decisions were taken:

- The Board of Trustees agreed to an internal audit of the Archdiocese. Without the suggested complete audit of every parish in North America as was bandied about (threatened?).

- The Synod agreed that Bishop Demetri (Khoury) has been officially “re-retired”, and will reside in Miami. To the delight of many readers I expect.

Finally, the proposed “Manual of Hierarchical Responsibilities” was not presented to the Synod. Rather, a committee was formed under the leadership of Bishop Joseph to review it before final submission.

Formal announcement of these and other decisions is expected on the Archdiocesan website Antiochian.org later this week.

New York, NY

Plans for the consecration of Fr. Michael Dahulich as the OCA Bishop of New York remain under consideration. A suggestion put forth at last week’s Diocesan Council meeting to split the installation between the Second Street Cathedral in New York City, and SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Jersey City, based on parking concerns, were not approved. Moreover, it now appears that a process that took only four weeks to nominate a candidate, and two weeks to elect, will now wait 8 months before he is consecrated. The date of May 8th now seems likely as it will allow Fr. Michael, the current Dean of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, to complete the school year before assuming his new position. St. Tikhon's will have huge shoes to fill. 

Chicago, IL

Papers, including Archbishop Job’s Address, of the recent OCA Midwest Diocesan Assembly are now available on the Diocesan website at www.Midwestdiocese.org. In his speech the Archbishop commented on the situation in the OCA:

“But does this mean that the crisis is over? The answer is no! The effects and consequences go on – millions of dollars in lawsuits, ongoing investigations and processes in discernment in order to keep the ship known as the OCA not only afloat, but headed in the right direction. Much has been accomplished. The Metropolitan Council is functioning with an effectiveness and sense of responsibility never seen before. The same can be said of the Holy Synod. In the opinion of this observer, a sense of brotherly love and support among the hierarchs for the last year now exists as never before in my experience. ....So my beloved brothers and sisters, good things are happening; and the good things that are accomplished in and for the Orthodox Church in America provide good effects for the Diocese of the Midwest.”

In its meeting the Archdiocese agreed to establish a six person committee, to be chosen by the Diocesan Council in December, to begin a review of episcopal selection processes used in the OCA in recent years, so as to be able to report back to the Council with specific recommendations at its Spring 2010 meeting. Archbishop Job has announced a desire to retire in Spring 2011.

Santa Rosa, CA

At the Diocesan Assembly of the Diocese of San Francisco and the West, held last week in Santa Rosa, in speaking of the OCA, Bp. Benjamin reported that Seattle is the front-runner to host the next All American Council in 2011. Aside from the fact that the Council has only been held West of the Mississippi once ( St. Louis, 1988), the choice of Seattle will enable more Alaskan clergy to attend. He also indicated that a candidate for bishop of Alaska would be put forward “ soon”. Bishop Benjamin is currently the Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Alaska. The Council location was mentioned as a possibility by Metropolitan Jonah in his Conversations podcast a few months back.

In related news, the Diocese of Alaska will hold its Diocesan Assembly in Anchorage October 20 & 21, 2009. Among the agenda items of the first plenary session will be a discussion of the "episcopal search".

Fond Du Lac, WI

Signing an historic ‘covenant’ between Nashotah House and St. Vladimir’s Seminary, traditional Anglicans and leaders in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) have pledged themselves to work towards unity. Speaking to an audience of more than one hundred and fifty people, ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) Archbishop Robert Duncan stated that signing the conference’s inter-seminary covenant, committing Nashotah House and St. Vladimir’s seminaries to mutual prayer and fellowship, “lays the groundwork of something very much larger”, that is, “serious dialogue” with the OCA. This caused a LOT of furor among some groups and hope to others. 

Metropolitan Jonah stated: “The Orthodox Church has this central vision of being united in Christ by the Spirit to the Father and we cannot bear not to be united to one another. This is really about our identity as Christians, it’s not about labels, institutes, it’s about the living reality of our communion in Christ by the Holy Spirit... (this) must be made manifest by our communion in the Chalice... of our eternal life.” “That’s the goal of our dialogue, absolute unity,” said the Metropolitan, and this will be “actualized through repentance, a mutual striving towards God and the will of God.” Future discussions have been set between the two bodies, although no details have been made public.

Orthodox-Catholic meeting notes from Cyprus

(mospat.ru) - On 17 October 2009, a plenary session of the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church began its work on Cyprus. Taking part in the session is a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

The participants will discuss the document on the role of the Pope of Rome in the first millennium prepared by the Joint Commission Coordinating Committee in October 2008. The Russian Orthodox Church presented its critical remarks to the Organizing Committee before the session.


On Sunday, October 18, the ordained Orthodox members of the Commission celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Nicosia. His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostom of Cyprus officiated in concelebration with the representatives of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, and Georgia, the Churches of Greece, Poland, and of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Laymen, who represented the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Albanian Orthodox Church, we praying at the service also attended by the Catholic participants in the session.

At the repast after the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostom and Archbishop Hilarion had a talk.

Later in the day the Commission members visited the Nicosia metochion of the famous Kykkos monastery where they were greeted by its abbot Metropolitan Nicephorus.

The Joint International Commission for the Theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church will work till October 23.

AOI covers Ecumenical Patriarch and the Diaspora

From AOI...

Hellenes Abroad News, one of the primary voices of the Greek lobby, reports that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will meet with SCOBA during his visit to the United States, which kicks off tomorrow. The article makes a startling assertion:

Under the leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the worldwide Orthodox Church has moved significantly in the past year toward a canonical normalization of the Churches that exist in the so-called “Diaspora.” This opportunity for the Members of SCOBA to meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch comes at a fortuitous time in the process.

Considering that the newly constituted U.S. episcopal assembly is not scheduled to gather for its first meeting until May 2010, this is what we “barbarians” in America’s so-called “diaspora” refer to as jumping the gun.

Recall, to cite just one example, Antiochian Metropolitan Philip’s critique of Constantinople’s interpretation of Canon 28.

Met. Philip argues that Constantinople’s interpretation of the canon is historically untenable, interferes with good order, hobbles efforts at jurisdictional unity and, most important, retards Orthodox missionary work in the United States.

Ever notice how the communication organs of the Greek lobby seem to have been modeled on the techniques of Newspeak that were used so effectively at the Ministry of Truth?

The Byzantine "Altar"

Images from an enjoyable article and set of comments that are to be found here.

"Multiplier of Wheat" commemorated today

This unusual icon was commissioned by Elder Ambrose of Optina, and reflects the profound, childlike faith he had in the Mother of God. The Elder himself gave the icon its title (Sporitel’nitsa Khlebov-also translated as “Multiplier of Breads” or “She Who Ripens the Grain”), which conveys an image of the Mother of God as helping those in need to obtain their “daily bread”.

The icon was sent to Saint Ambrose in 1890 by Abbess Ilaria of the Bolkhov Convent. Its original composition depicts the Mistress of Creation seated upon clouds, her arms outstretched in supplication; below is a harvested field on which are several sheaves of wheat.

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Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk interviewed by the NCR

H/T: AOI

(NCR) - Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk is a rising star in the Russian Orthodox Church. Only 43 and an accomplished scholar, liturgist and composer, earlier this year he was appointed head of the Church’s external relations (effectively their foreign minister), replacing Metropolitan Kirill, who was elected Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox in January.

In mid-September, Archbishop Hilarion made his first visit to Rome in his new capacity. In an extensive e-mail interview Oct. 5, the archbishop discusses that visit, recent speculation that Catholic-Orthodox union could be imminent, and the challenges in furthering the current dialogue.


How happy have you been with your visit to Rome, and what has it achieved in terms of furthering Catholic-Orthodox unity?

It was my first official visit to Rome as chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Affairs, and I am satisfied with its results. First, it was a very eventful visit. For the few days I spent in Rome, I met with Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and leaders of various units of the Roman Curia.

In addition, I met with the president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, Archbishop Beniamino Stella, and leaders of the famous Catholic lay movement, the Community of St. Egidio.

All the meetings were held in a very constructive spirit, which testifies to a real interest the both sides have in the fruitful development of bilateral dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.

In the course of my talks with Roman Catholic leaders, emphasis was made on the importance of common witness that the Orthodox and the Catholics bear to traditional Christian values in the face of the secular world, since the positions held by the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches on such burning issues of today as family, motherhood, population crisis, euthanasia and many others, coincide.

The meetings with Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal [Walter] Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, focused on the problems and prospects of theological dialogue between the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches.

The next plenary session of the Joint Orthodox-Catholic Commission for Theological Dialogue will take place this [month] in Cyprus, in which a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church will participate, as well.

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UOC-MP meets with OCA representative in Ukraine

(UOC-MP) - On October 12 at the residence of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine met with V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, deputy head of the Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations of the OCA.

In the course of the talks the aspects of the closer cooperation between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in America were discussed. Taking part in the meeting were Secretary for the Primate of the UOC Bishop Alexander (Drabynko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi and the co-worker of the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC archpriest Valery Kravets.

Orthodox church consecrated in Beijing

(mospat.ru) - An Orthodox church was consecrated in the territory of the Russian embassy in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on 13 October 2009. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the consecration was celebrated by Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate secretariat for Russian Orthodox Church institutions abroad.

According to a report from the Parish of the Assumption to the DECR communication service, the celebration was attended by the embassy official and staff as well as representatives of the Russian trade representation in China, their family members and Orthodox believers residing in Beijing.

The Church of the Assumption was built in the territory of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Beijing in 1903 with the blessing of the head of the 18th Mission, Bishop Innokenty (Figurovsky) of Beijing. Earlier there was a Church of the Assumption in the North Town Residence in Beijing on the spot where the first Orthodox church to appear in China, St. Nicholas’s, used to be. It was built by the Albasians, a Russian group who had settled there in 1685, and was destroyed by an earthquake in August 1730.

The restored church, dedicated to the Assumption, was consecrated in August 1732. That church existed for 168 years and was destroyed, just as other facilities in the Russian Orthodox Mission, during the Boxer Rebellion in June 1900. In 1904, a Church of All Saints was built on the same spot. It was destroyed in 1957. At present, this historic place in the Russian embassy’s park is marked with a reverence cross, which was erected in April 2007.

The reconstructed Church of the Assumption was originally to serve as a temporary refectory church. Built with compositional laconism and simplicity, it was a truly temporary church, although it managed to survive other, more architecturally sophisticated church buildings in the Russian Orthodox Mission in Beijing. The use of simple architectural forms pointed to a desire to build in the first place a stone prayer house for current needs, without waiting for the construction of churches in classical Orthodox architectural style.

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More on OCA visit to the Church of Georgia

(st-catherine.ru) - On Monday, October 12, 2009, His Beatitude, the Most Blessed JONAH of All America and Canada arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia for his first official visit to the Georgian Orthodox Church which will continue until Sunday, October 18, 2009. Accompanying His Beatititude in the official delegation were: Archimandrite Zacchaeus, OCA Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Alexander Garklavs, OCA Chancellor Protodeacon Kirill Sokolov, His Beatititude’s Archdeacon. To everyone’s great joy, Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, the Ecumenical officer of the OCA also joined the official delegation later that evening.

Upon arrival, His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH was met by His Holiness and Beatitude, ILIA II Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia who warmly greeted the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America who expressed his joy in being able to welcome the Metropolitan in Tbilisi.

The Metropolitan, together with the delegation accompanying him were taken to the Patriarchate for a formal reception by His Holiness. Afterwards, the guests of the Georgian Church had the possibility to join Patriarch ILIA in celebrating the first year anniversary of the University of the Patriarchate where His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH also was able to congratulate the faculty and students on this important milestone in their history.

Later that evening, after a brotherly dinner with hierarchs of the Georgian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH and the other members of the delegation went back to their hotel for rest after a long day’s journey, giving thanks to the Lord for the blessing of being able to share in fellowship with their Georgian brothers.

In clear words, what Pres. Obama really thinks

Washington D.C., Oct 12, 2009 / 11:35 am (CNA) - This past Saturday evening, Barack Obama became the first U.S. President to make an appearance at the Human Rights Campaign, the largest pro-gay “marriage” organization in the country. President Obama delivered an impassioned speech in which he criticized the concept of the traditional family and announced that his administration will work to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA.)

Speaking at the black-tie event, President Obama assessed the progress made by the gay agenda, saying, "despite the real gains that we’ve made, there’s still laws to change and there’s still hearts to open."

"There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones, good and decent people, who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; who would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted. And that’s painful and it’s heartbreaking," he lamented.

The president then asserted that homosexual couples "have demonstrated before the world that different kinds of families can show the same compassion in a time of need," and praised the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for "helping to elect candidates who share your values; standing against those who would enshrine discrimination into our Constitution; advocating on behalf of those living with HIV/AIDS; and fighting for progress in our capital and across America."

"This fight,” the president said, “continues now. And I’m here with a simple message: I’m here with you in that fight."

"We have made progress and we will make more. And I think it’s important to remember that there is not a single issue that my administration deals with on a daily basis that does not touch on the lives of the LGBT community,” the U.S. leader added.

Obama then promised the audience that "you will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. You will see a nation that’s valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union — a union in which gay Americans are an important part."

During his speech, the President revealed that he met recently at the Oval Office with Dennis and Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew, a homosexual college student, was killed in Wyoming 11 years ago. He said he promised them “that we were going to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill — a bill named for her son." "I can announce that after more than a decade, this bill is set to pass and I will sign it into law," he said to cheers and applause.

"Together," he stated, “we will have moved closer to that day when no one has to be afraid to be gay in America. When no one has to fear walking down the street holding the hand of the person they love."

After listing his administration's achievement on LGBT issues, Obama announced that “we are moving ahead on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell." "I’m working with the Pentagon, its leadership, and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the House to make this happen. I will end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That’s my commitment to you."

The president then turned to the issue of legalizing same-sex marriages, saying, "I support ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country."

"I believe strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away and passing laws that extend equal rights to gay couples. I’ve required all agencies in the federal government to extend as many federal benefits as possible to LGBT families as the current law allows. And I’ve called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and to pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act."

Without naming names, the president criticized pro-family groups for trying to introduce and pass legislation to protect marriage that defines it as being between one man and one woman. These groups are pushing "divisive and deceptive efforts to feed people’s lingering fears for political and ideological gain," Obama charged.

"If we are honest with ourselves we’ll admit that there are too many who do not yet know in their lives or feel in their hearts the urgency of this struggle. That’s why I continue to speak about the importance of equality for LGBT families, and not just in front of gay audiences. That’s why Michelle and I have invited LGBT families to the White House to participate in events like the Easter Egg Roll, because we want to send a message."

“That’s the promise of America, HRC. That’s the promise we’re called to fulfill. Day by day, law by law, changing mind by mind, that is the promise we are fulfilling,” President Obama said, finishing his speech.