Kazakhstani Catholics & Orthodox receive St. Andrew's relics

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, NOV. 30, 2010 (Zenit.org) - Benedict XVI's secretary of state is in Kazakhstan delivering relics of the Apostle St. Andrew to both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches there.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is on a six-day trip to the nation, coinciding with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) summit.

The journey also coincides with today's feast of St. Andrew, making the delivery of the relics particularly timely.

In a homily at the Orthodox Cathedral of the Assumption in Astana, the cardinal spoke of Kazakhstan as "a country in which there are ample possibilities for a peaceful and profitable religious coexistence. In this context, for us Christians the duty of reciprocal love is all the more urgent: We are called, in fact, to give witness to all, with words and works, that God is Love. [...] Propitious occasions are not lacking, dear friends, of mutual support and of deepening of friendship."

The Catholic Church is a tiny minority in Kazakhstan, which is some 47% Muslim and 44% Russian Orthodox.

Cardinal Bertone noted how he was fulfilling a "lofty task" given him by Benedict XVI "of handing you a fragment of the distinguished relics of the Apostle St. Andrew, which are venerated in Italy, in the city of Amalfi."

He explained: "This assignment, which I am honored to effect in the hands of His Eminence Metropolitan Alexander, comes in response to the devout request that his predecessor, Metropolitan Mefodji, and Archbishop Tomasz Peta, Catholic Metropolitan, jointly addressed to Pope Benedict XVI. The Pontiff, gladly desiring to meet the ardent request, decided to send to the two respective Churches two fragments of the precious relics. This choice has a profound significance, in as much as is underlines the common veneration of the apostles."

First called

The Holy Father's secretary of state went on to reflect about the figure of St. Andrew, "the first of the apostles to be called to follow Jesus."

Reliquary of St. Andrew in Amalfi

"Precisely on the basis of this fact," he recalled, "the Byzantine liturgy honors him with the name of Protoklitos (Πρωτόκλητος), which means precisely, the first called."

Cardinal Bertone noted how the apostles spread the "'good news' of salvation" and that faith comes from hearing the "Word of Christ, which still today the Church spreads to the ends of the earth."

Referring to the Pope's new postsynodal apostolic exhortation on sacred Scripture, the cardinal continued: "This Word is the indispensable food of the soul. It is said in the book of the prophet Amos that God will put hunger in the world, not hunger for bread, but to hear his word. This is a healthy hunger, because it makes us seek constantly and receive the Word of God, knowing that it must nourish us for the whole of life.

"Nothing in life can have consistency, nothing can really satisfy us if it is not nourished, penetrated, illumined, guided by the Word of the Lord. Moreover, an ever more profound commitment of radical adherence to this Word, together with the support of the Holy Spirit, constitute the strength to realize the aspiration of every Christian community and of every individual faithful to unity."

Forward in hope

Cardinal Bertone further reflected on an icon donated in 1964 to Pope Paul VI by Patriarch Athenagoras I, in which "the two Holy Apostles, Peter the Coryphaeus and Andrew the Protoklitos, embrace, in an eloquent language of love, beneath the glorious Christ."

"Andrew," he said, "was the first to follow the Lord, Peter was called to confirm his brothers in the faith. Their embrace under the gaze of Christ is an invitation to continue the path undertaken, toward that goal of unity that we intend to reach together. Nothing must discourage us, but we must go forward with hope, supported by the intercession of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, as well as by the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy, Mother of Christ and our Mother.

"Let us ask God with particular intensity for the precious gift of unity among all Christians, making our own the invocation that Jesus raised to the Father for his disciples."

Constantinople receives delegation, return of orphanage

Constantinople (AsiaNews) – Coming on the eve of the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the return of the Buyukada orphanage is extremely significant for Orthodox Christians and marks an important moment for Turkish Christians. A Vatican delegation led by Cardinal Kurt Koch attends the celebrations.

The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate celebrated its foremost feast day today, the day of Saint Andrew, the Apostle of Constantinople, but it also marked the successful end of a legal battle with the Turkish state over the Buyukada orphanage. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, after meeting with a delegation from the Holy See led by newly appointed Cardinal Kurt Koch, the new president of the Council for Christian Unity, expressed his emotions in an interview with AsiaNews.

“Today is a great day for our Great Mother Church. The orphanage on Princes Island (Buyukada) has been given back to us. What we inherited from our ancestors has also been returned to us. We could not tolerate the injustice done to us. We first turned to Turkey’s courts. Since we lost all of our cases, we turned to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which gave us justice,” the Patriarch said.

The implications of the return to the Patriarchate of the ‘Tapu’ (title deed) are of great significance. “The Turkish government did not appeal against the court’s ruling, starting instead the procedures to return us the orphanage,” Bartholomew said. “I want to stress the tapu by Turkish authorities is issued in the name of our Patriarchate, as Rum Patrikanesi. This means not only the return of the orphanage but also the official recognition of our Patriarchate as a legal person. This is a positive step.”

“Our struggle must teach us never to put down our spiritual tools and always trust Divine Providence, which knows when and how to overcome human obstacles and weaknesses,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said.

Ioannis Ktistakis, one of the lawyers that represented the Fener (the Patriarchate) in the case, spoke to AsiaNews about the case after the Ecumenical Patriarch received the tapu.

“We fought to re-establish civil rights in Turkey. Our struggle was first about rights, and only secondarily about a title deed. It was about re-establishing rights in this country as in any other country since the rights of a centuries-old institution like the Ecumenical Patriarchate had been violated.”

And also...

(VIS) - As is traditional for the Feast of St. Andrew, a Holy See delegation, led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has travelled to Istanbul to participate in the celebrations for the saint, patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Every year the patriarchate sends a delegation to Rome for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul Apostles, on 29 June.

This morning the Holy See delegation attended a divine liturgy presided by His Holiness Bartholomew I, at the Church of St. George at Fanar. At the end of the ceremony Cardinal Koch delivered a special Message to the patriarch from Benedict XVI.

"In a world characterised by increasing interdependence and solidarity", the Pope writes, "we are called to proclaim the truth of the Gospel with renewed conviction, and to present the risen Lord as the response to the most profound spiritual questions and aspirations of the men and women of today.

"In order to carry out this great enterprise", he adds, "we must continue along the path towards full communion, showing that we have already united our strengths for a shared witness of the Gospel before the people of our time. For this reason I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Holiness and to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the generous hospitality you offered to delegates of the European Episcopal Conferences who - on the island of Rhodes in October - met with representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Europe for the Catholic-Orthodox Forum on the theme: 'Relations between Church and State: theological and historical perspectives'".

Benedict XVI concludes his Message by assuring the patriarch of the interest with which he follows "your wise efforts for the good of Orthodoxy and for the promotion of Christian values in many international contexts".

St. Andrew the First-Called

Troparion - Tone 4

Andrew, first-called of the Apostles
and brother of the foremost disciple,
entreat the Master of all
to grant peace to the world
and to our souls great mercy.

Kontakion - Tone 2

Let us praise Andrew, the herald of God,
the namesake of courage,
the first-called of the Savior's disciples
and the brother of Peter.
As he once called to his brother, he now cries out to us:
"Come, for we have found the One whom the world desires!"

Touchstone on the Thought Police Formula

From Touchstone's Mere Comments...

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The "pro-gay" agenda is the default position so: Apple Pulls anti-gay app from iTunes store. As has been pointed out: first, mere toleration of a behavior, then, acceptance of it, then, required affirmation of it...followed by censorship for criticism of it, then punishment for criticism. (But it is a private company.) (Written from an Apple/Mac computer....)

Oh, the "anti-gay app" happens to be the Manhattan Declaration.

Two Estonian Churches wrestle with normalization

In the tremendously atheist country of Estonia two Orthodox Churches wrestle with one another for property, acknowledgement from the autonomous Churches, and with one another. One is connected to Moscow and the other, to some seen as the upstart, is connected to Constantinople. In giving witness to an areligious populace the obvious discord between two Orthodox bodies is a powerful impediment to spreading the good news. Add to this a flood of Protestant and Mormon missionaries and you see the need for a speedy resolution to the problem.

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(mospat.ru) - Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the DECR chairman, answered questions of the journalists during press conference held at the Department for External Church Relations on November 25. As to the relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, he said: “The achieved level of mutual understanding is rather high. Both sides are trying to enhance this level in order to move from competition and mistrust to mutual trust and the system of regular consultations. We believe that the present problems and differences should be resolved in peaceful fraternal dialogue between the two Churches. This dialogue is being maintained.”

Also discussed was the ecclesiastical problem in Estonia. Metropolitan Hilarion said that no substantial progress has been made in this sphere, though the agreements with the Estonian government reached in 2002 are a considerable step towards normalization of the situation.

“We hope the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Estonian State will make further steps. First of all, we consider it necessary to resolve, once and for all, the problem of property used by the Estonian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on a long-term rent basis. The Church is not a full owner of many objects, for instance, the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tallinn, or the Pühtica Convent, whereas the ecclesiastical structure in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is the full owner of the objects it uses. This situation is unacceptable from our point of view. We shall carry on a dialogue with the Estonian state authorities and with local authorities in the cities where the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has parishes and try to have these real estate objects to be transferred into ownership of the Church.”

Metropolitan Hilarion elaborated on the two forms of ownership. There are churches, which the Estonian state owns, and there are churches on the asset register of local authorities. The transfer of the latter into ownership of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate depends on local authorities of the cities. As to the former, it depends on the state authorities. “Estonian state authorities are prepared to consider this problem provided that the church structure of the Patriarchate of Constantinople would not raise objections as it has done up to now. So, we shall carry on a dialogue.”

Metropolitan Hilarion told the journalists of his recent visit to Estonia, his meetings with Metropolitan Korniliy of Tallinn and Estonia and representatives of state authorities, including the Tallinn mayor and leaders of some other cities, and expressed his opinion, saying: “A readiness seems to be there to make steps to normalize the situation.”

Eastern Christian New Media Awards: winners announced

For a list of the winners, see here. Thanks to all who voted for this blog and others.

Rome-Moscow meeting coming closer

Almost like clockwork, every 4 months another story comes out from an Orthodox or Catholic source on the possible meeting of the Patriarch of Moscow and the Pope of Rome. Often a reporter will put together an overly sanguine story that states that a meeting is just around the corner. Rome will then say they are always open to such an event and Moscow will say that no such meeting is planned and that there are many "difficulties" that must be overcome first (proselytism in Orthodox countries, expansion of Greek Catholics, etc.). Then, about a year ago, the Moscow Patriarchate took a different approach. Metropolitan Hilarion, cognizant that the theological and ecclesiological divide separating the two Churches was too vast to be bridged any time soon, put the emphasis on fighting secularism and defending traditional Christian morality. Now, knowing reunion is not a "just around the corner" reality, the two sides can work together while not becoming mired in constant denials of a "breakthrough."

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Moscow, November 26 (Interfax) - The meeting between the Moscow Patriarch and the Pope is getting nearer each day, the Russian Orthodox Church said.

"Each day brings us closer to this meeting between the Pope and Patriarch," head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, told journalists in Moscow.

"Right now we are not prepared to make known the date, nor are we engaged in any concrete preparations for the meeting, but we are certainly getting closer to it. It is a calendar and astronomical fact," he said.

The work carried out by the Russian Church with the Catholic Church is aimed "improving the general climate and achieving a higher level of mutual understanding," he added.

Violence escalates in church construction dispute

(Reuters) - Egypt's attorney general ordered the detention of 156 protesters involved in clashes with riot police after the authorities blocked construction of a church in a Cairo suburb, the official news agency MENA said on Thursday.

One Christian (latest reports now say two) was killed and dozens were wounded in Giza on Wednesday when about 3,000 Orthodox Copts hurled stones at police lines. Some officers threw them back and Muslims also lobbed rocks at the Christian protesters from behind the security cordon.

The attorney general decided to hold the 156 protesters for 15 days on suspicion of inciting the riots, MENA reported. It did not say whether they had been formally charged.

Some Christians demonstrated near the church and others near the Giza governor's office on Wednesday. Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt's 79 million people.

The Interior Ministry said at least 112 protesters had been detained in the Giza area, where the authorities had halted construction of the church although the Copts said they had an official permit.

Thirty lawyers tried to attend police questioning of 120 of the protestors late on Wednesday but were blocked from entering the public prosecutor's office in Giza, a rights group said.

Five lawyers who later managed to enter the building were told by the general prosecutor that they could attend the questioning but could not consult privately with the accused, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said in a statement.

"The prosecutors denied the lawyers' request to consult privately with the accused. They refused to put on record the lawyers' arguments questioning the validity of the proceedings and they also refused to put on record the injuries sustained by some of the accused," the group said.

Giza Governor Sayyed Abdel-Aziz said the Christians appeared to have misused a permit for a social center to build a church.

The Christians said they had the right permit and would continue to build the three-storey domed structure.

A holiday event

From the blog Deb on the Run. I found this hilarious.

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No pictures were taken today. We were just too busy. But, it was a joyous time together. Oldest daughter and her husband came and brought along a friend from school who couldn’t get home this weekend. My daughter’s in-laws also joined us. It was happy time around the table …especially because we celebrated our son’s 21st birthday today too.

My favorite moment though was when I was preparing the turkey and slathering it with oil. My 19 yr old came up behind me and said to the turkey in an accent…”Now you are Greek.”

The world lights candles to remember Holodomor

(RISU) - On November 27, to commemorate victims of the Holodomor and political repressions in Ukraine, everyone is invited to take part in the national event "Light a Candle for the Victims of the Holodomor."

At 4 p.m. people are asked to light candles in their homes in memory of those who perished during the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine and all those affected by the communist totalitarian regime in Ukraine in 1917-1991.

November 25-28, 11 countries will hold events to commemorate the victims of Holodomor of 1932-33.

Previously the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox Churches of the United States and Canada published a joint pastoral message calling the Ukrainians of the world to honor the 77th anniversary of the Holodomor, which was perpetuated by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet regime against the people of Ukraine in 1932-33. "We will pray together for the souls of the over 7 million victims of this man-made famine. We will raise our collective voice against such oppressive measures and suffering being used in the name of any ideology," reads the address.

The Holodomor, or Hunger plague, was a famine engineered by the Soviet Union as part of a series of actions, including mass executions, designed to destroy the Ukrainian nation. Census data reveal a shortfall of 11,000, 000 in the Ukrainian population by 1937. Before and during 1937 large numbers of Ukrainians would be executed in the Great Terror which, although all the Soviet Union was affected, had a specifically Ukrainian dimension.

Archbishop Seraphim of Ottawa arrested for sexual assault

(cbc.ca) - Archbishop Kenneth William Storheim, who has held positions in a number of Canadian communities with the Orthodox Church in America, has been arrested and charged in Winnipeg with two counts of sexual assault.

Storheim, 64, turned himself in to Winnipeg police at about 9:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday, police announced Thursday.

Storheim has been released from custody on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 10.

In October, CBC News reported he stepped down as head of the Canadian diocese of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) amid allegations of sexual abuse involving pre-teen boys.

In a statement released on the OCA website in October, church officials said Storheim was on a leave of absence as police in Canada investigated abuse claims.

The allegations are 25 years old, according to Const. Robert Carver of the Winnipeg Police Service, which was leading the investigation.

A warrant for Storheim's arrest was issued Nov. 16, police said.

Storheim flew to the city and turned himself in with a lawyer present, police said. He was most recently living in Edmonton.

Storheim was the rector of Holy Trinity Sobor [parish] in Winnipeg's North End from December 1984 to June 1987, according to an online biography on the church's website.

He has also held positions at churches in London, Ont., Saskatoon, North Carolina and Alberta.

In a September letter to his congregation announcing he was taking a three-month leave, Storheim suggested he was doing so for health reasons.

His Winnipeg defence lawyer, Jeff Ginden, said Thursday that Storheim has no plans to quit his job and will remain on a leave of absence as head of the church.

"He has faith in the system that justice will be done," Ginden said, adding Storheim knows little of the substance of the allegations against him.

"He hasn't been given the police report, he doesn't know what the disclosure is. All he knows is one thing — those things he's not responsible for," Ginden said.

"It's gonna be an anxious time," he said. "Obviously it's not a pleasant thing to be accused of things that you don't feel happened."

Group sought investigation for 2 years

Melanie Sakoda of a Chicago-based victims' organization called SNAP — Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests — told CBC News the group has been pushing for an investigation into complaints about Storheim for two years.

She said the church shouldn't have taken so long to act.

"It makes me frustrated and angry but not surprised. They have a habit of protecting the clergy rather than doing everything possible to make sure children are safe," she said.

Sakoda is glad charges have finally been laid and applauded "the brave victims that [came forward to] make this possible."

"Children deserve to be protected. They deserve to have a safe place to go to church."

Others seek information

Halifax-based lawyer John McKiggan specializes in historical sexual abuse cases, and said he's been getting calls from people seeking information about Storheim.

"I've been contacted by people looking for information about the archbishop, and that's not unusual," he said.

"Frequently, survivors of childhood abuse are really struggling to find out information about their rights."

Winnipeg police are asking anyone with information that might assist their investigators to contact the sex crimes unit at 204-986-6245.

Former Antiochian priest joins Old Calendarist group

Fr. Elias Yelovich, who was recently removed from the Antiochian Archdiocese for vocal disagreement with the recent actions of Met. Philip, has joined a non-canonical, Old Calendarist diocese. For more information on this story, please see here.

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(Milan-USA) - The Reverend Father Elias Yelovich was received into the Archdiocese of New York and New Jersey of the Autonomous Metropolia of Western Europe and the Americas yesterday, November 11/24 by Archbishop John at Holy Name Abbey, West Milford, NJ.

He will pastor a new mission in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, with the Entrance of the Holy Theotokos into the Temple as the parish feast. Fr Elias is 60 years old and was previously a priest of the Antiochian Archdiocese.

Many Years to Fr Elias and his new mission!

A prayer of Thanksgiving

From the Glory to God for All Things Akathist...

Life-giving and merciful Trinity, receive my thanksgiving for all Thy goodness. Make us worthy of Thy blessings, so that, when we have brought to fruit the talents Thou hast entrusted to us, we may enter into the joy of our Lord, forever exulting in the shout of victory: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! (thrice)

I was born a weak, defenseless child, but Thine angel spread his wings over my cradle to defend me. From birth until now Thy love has illumined my path, and has wondrously guided me towards the light of eternity; from birth until now the generous gifts of Thy providence have been marvelously showered upon me. I give Thee thanks, with all who have come to know Thee, who call upon Thy name.

Glory to Thee for calling me into being
Glory to Thee, showing me the beauty of the universe
Glory to Thee, spreading out before me heaven and earth
Like the pages in a book of eternal wisdom
Glory to Thee for Thine eternity in this fleeting world
Glory to Thee for Thy mercies, seen and unseen
Glory to Thee through every sigh of my sorrow
Glory to Thee for every step of my life's journey
For every moment of glory
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

North Texas priest attempts to put a hit on teenage boy

(CNN) -- A Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday.

The Rev. John M. Fiala was in the Dallas County, Texas, jail on Tuesday, charged with one count of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the jail's website. He also is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bail totals $700,000.

Fiala, 52, of Dallas, was out on bond on other sexual assault charges involving the youth, now 18, when he allegedly attempted to negotiate the boy's murder, said Tom Rhodes, the teen's attorney.

He was arrested last week after he offered an undercover agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety $5,000 to kill the teen, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Block.

"This guy," Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger said, "is an evil man."

A call to Rex Gunter, the defense attorney listed in jail records for Fiala, was not immediately returned Tuesday.

The youth met Fiala in 2007, according to Rhodes. The attorney said the priest started "grooming him," buying him gifts including a computer and a car. In early 2008, when the boy was 16, under the guise of providing private catechism lessons, Fiala "gained access to him and began to sexually abuse him once or twice a month, including on church grounds," Rhodes said.

At the time, Fiala was administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary in Rocksprings, Texas, which is in Edwards County. The alleged abuse occurred in two counties -- Edwards and Howard -- and included the youth's rape at gunpoint, the attorney said.

Fiala allegedly threatened to kill the youth if he told anyone -- threats he repeated in daily text messages, Rhodes said, and Fiala also threatened to kill himself, telling the teen they would "go to heaven together."

The teen, after struggling with the abuse, told a school counselor, who notified authorities, Rhodes said. He filed suit in April against Fiala, as well as the archdioceses of San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska -- where Fiala was before Texas -- and Fiala's religious order, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, the attorney said.

The suit claims that all three covered up Fiala's record of abuse. All three have denied doing so, according to the San Antonio, Texas, Express-News. When former San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez and the religious order learned of the police investigation into Fiala's relationship with the teen, he was removed from active ministry in October 2008, the newspaper reported.

In September, an Edwards County grand jury indicted Fiala on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault by threat, according to the Express-News. Fiala was arrested in Kansas by a fugitive task force and was extradited to Texas, where he posted bail on September 27, according to the newspaper. He then moved to Dallas County.

A grand jury in Howard County handed up an indictment last week on the two aggravated sexual assault charges, the Express-News said.

Meanwhile, "approximately a week ago, we got an anonymous phone call from someone saying, 'Look, I'm living in a building with this guy, and he's talking about killing this young man,' " Rhodes said. "Our response was, 'You need to call police.' "

Letsinger said he got a call November 11 from the neighbor. The man at first just told authorities they should "be looking at this guy," the sheriff said, but later said Fiala had offered him $5,000 to kill the teenager. The allegation surprised him, Letsinger said.
The Department of Public Safety and its Texas Ranger Division got involved, sending the undercover agent to speak with Fiala, Rhodes said. The conversation was caught on video and audiotape.

Rhodes said his client was relieved to hear of Fiala's arrest. He was attending college but had to withdraw and be spirited away somewhere safe because of the threats, he said.
"He's still very afraid, but he is hoping that this time Fiala will stay behind bars," Rhodes said.

A hearing on the lawsuit was held Monday, he said. The Omaha diocese had argued it should be sued in Nebraska rather than Texas. The judge rejected that argument, Rhodes said.

"I think he's cooked his goose now," Letsinger said of Fiala. "We know that pedophiles sometimes threaten their victims to keep them quiet. But this is kind of an older victim, and you wonder sometimes why they wouldn't come forward. ... I can see now the evil in this guy is pretty bad."

The Thanksgiving Akathist

Tonight I will be attending the famous and beloved Thanksgiving Akathist also often called the 'Glory to God for All Things' Akathist as it gets its name from the words of St. John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile (his last words in fact). The Akathist has been at times ascribed to Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov (a priest who died in a Soviet prison camp in 1940) as it was found in his possession after his death in samizdat form. Metropolitan Tryphon of Turkestan is said to have been the actual author of it around 1934 (shortly before his death).

In looking for a version to print out for the children (I like to talk with them a little before services like this so they have some understanding of what they are hearing) I noted there are quite a few versions available online. Here are three:

• From St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, TX - The most commonly referenced online.
• St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in McKinney, TX - This is another popular source.
• Antiochian Archdiocese - A version notable in that it also has the Akathist broken up so it can be read in pieces over the entire Nativity Fast.

Here is a sample from a recording made by St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Madison, WI (available on liturgica.com).

Give thanks... for Star Wars

"Physician of our souls and bodies, heal Thy servant..."

(Daylife) - A drug addict prays next to an Orthodox priest at the Spaso-Preobrazhenskiy rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in the village of Temnolesskaya, some 30 km (19 miles) from Stavropol, November 13, 2010. The centre was founded in 2004 and built by former drug addicts with the support of Orthodox church.

Waiting for relics of the Prophet, Forerunner, & Baptist John

(Daylife) - Bulgarian Orthodox priests attend a Divine Liturgy to mark the arrival of the box containing bones, believed to be the relics of St. John the Baptist, in Alexander Nevski cathedral in capital Sofia on November 12, 2010. The remains supposed to belong to St. John the Baptist were found by Archaelogists in the site of a 5th century monastery on Sveti Ivan Island in August this year.

Eastern Christian New Media Awards: final days

The Eastern Christian New Media Awards is in the final days of the voting phase. Please go vote if you haven't done so or spread the word if you already have.

Archbishop Yurij enthroned as archbishop of Winnipeg

November 22, 2010, Winnipeg, Manitoba (ucc.ca) - The Ukrainian Canadian Congress celebrated the enthronement of His Eminence Archbishop Yurij as Archbishop of Winnipeg and Central Eparchy, and Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada.

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of participants, including the Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Church, His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios who represented Patriarch Bartholomew, the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Canada, Archbishop Lawrence and dozens of bishops and clergy from Canada and the United States.

During his address, Metropolitan Yurij underscored his desire to bring the Ukrainian churches together as they once were.

Delivering greetings from both the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian World Congress on behalf of its president Eugene Czolij, UCC President Paul Grod personally congratulated His Excellency from the Ukrainian Canadian community and the Ukrainian Diaspora around the world. “During my address I called upon the leadership of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic churches to unite as one Ukrainian Apostolic church. I further thanked Archbishop Yurij for his leadership and support on a variety of important issues for our community among which was his work in ensuring the Canadian Council of Churches issued a statement encouraging the Parliament of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide against the Ukrainian people. We are very fortunate to have Archbishop Yurij with us as both a spiritual and community leader. He has incredible intellect, humility and a tremendous sense of humour. I look forward to working closely with His Eminence for many years to come.”

Egyptian security forces raid Coptic church, detain vehicles

(AINA) - A Standoff took place on November 22 between Copts and security forces, which stormed the Church of St. Mary and St. Michael, in Talbiya, Giza to stop the construction of the church. It was the second time in less than 10 days that security forces stormed the church premises to seal it off.

The siege began at midnight and lasted until six AM. Priests and parishioners had anticipated the visit from security. "All priests were inside the premises, and a great number of the parishioners were inside the church since 9.00 PM, praying," a witness said.

Security forces surrounded the church and prevented the builders from working, and confiscated four concrete mixing vehicles containing ready-mixed concrete, which were on their way to church. The concrete was spoiled, being kept for over 10 hours, costing a loss of 400.000 Egyptian pounds, reported Wagih Yacoub.

Nearly two thousand Copts came to the church as soon as they heard that security forces had stormed the church and are continuing their sit-ins and demonstrations in front of the church until the matter is resolved.

Protestors are adamant that they have all necessary construction permits, condemning the decision of the chief of the local authorities in Omraniya to stop work on the church, which is nearly complete except for the domes.

One of the building contractors told Ms. Hekmat Hanna, a reporter at the scene, that every now and then security comes to hamper our work because they do not want the church to "show." Also "for the police officers and district officials to come so late at night, shows that what they are doing is wrong."

Dr. Naguib Ghobrial, President of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights, issued a statement today calling for the dismissal of the chief of the local authorities in Omraniya, who issued the order. "The church has all the permits, and by this behavior the chief of the local authority is encouraging Islamists to fight with the Christians because of the Church and therefore causing sedition."

The crisis started on November 11 as the church was in its final finishing stages and the builders were completing the roof, when security forces stormed the church and wanted to close it down, under the pretext that the building is not in accordance with the drawings presented. Three days earlier, the authorities at Omraniya came under the pretext of completing the papers for the construction work and found that builders were building a second staircase, as well as toilets, which they considered to be in violation of the permit granted.

According to church authorities, it was the Civil Defense authorities who asked the church to erect a second staircase to relieve congestion inside the church in case of emergencies, and the necessary permit amendments were made.

More than one million Copts live in the Talbiya area, without a single church to serve them, having to travel for miles every Sunday with their children to the nearest church. Until now the building of the new church came to more than 7 million Egyptian pounds, all collected from donations of the local Copts.

Samira Ibrahim Shehata a volunteer worker at the church, who had been keeping guard at the Church premises since November 11, said, "I want to know why a hundred mosques can be built, and not one church can be built. I believe that State Security is the root of all evil."

It was also reported that the Governor of Giza is going to the church premises to negotiate with the thousands of Copts from Talbiya and Giza who are still continuing their sit-in in front of the church.

"What to do with leftovers" and other policy implications

From Pithless Thoughts, the below Orthograph.

Metropolitan Hilarion on the "Importance of Monasticism"

On November 18, 2010, the last day of the 4th International Theological Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church on Life in Christ: Christian Ethics, Ascetic Tradition of the Church and Modern Challenges, a round-table talk was held at the Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to discuss common Orthodox witness. Metropolitan Hilarion chaired the meeting and presented a paper on the Importance of Monasticism for Orthodoxy Today. I particularly liked these portions. The complete article can be found here.

Secondly, ascesis, not being an aim in itself, is at the same time an integral part and invariable companion of spiritual life as it affects equally the physical and spiritual spheres. The basic opposition in Christian ascetical tradition is not between body and spirit, not between the material and the immaterial as it is in various dualistic systems (Platonism, Manichaeism, some trends of Gnosticism, etc.) but between life according to the flesh (κατὰ σάρκα) and life according to the spirit (cf. Rom. 8:1-8off). While a life according to the flesh implies the imposition on oneself of some restrictions out of fear of punishment and is furnished with a system of bans (do not murder, to not commit adultery, do not desire… etc.), a life according to the spirit implies an inner urge for perfection in God motivated by the love of Him. In this context, every form of ascesis acquires a positive and creative meaning, not restricting one’s freedom according to the flesh but offering the ways of finding true freedom according to the spirit, tested by thousands of experiences...

In many respects it is much more difficult to live in the world. Monasticism is a ‘narrow path’ in the sense that one has to reject many things which belong to ordinary people by right. And monastics reject many external things for the sake of finding things internal. But I do not think that monasticism is higher than marriage or it is more conducive to the attainment of sanctity than marriage. Any path chosen by one, if one seeks God, is difficult because it is ‘a narrow door’. If one seeks to live according to the gospel, one will always encounter obstacles and will have to always surmount them. Monastic life, like a life in marriage, is given for one to realize one’s inner potential as fully as possible. It is given to find the Kingdom of God which can become a destiny for each of us after death, but we can partake of it by experience already here, on earth.

I found this passage from 1 Timothy to be relevant to many of the ideas he brought up in his paper:

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Russian Church clarifies condom policy

Moscow, November 23 (Interfax) - The Russian Orthodox Church has said the use of condoms is acceptable following a similar statement made by Pope Benedict XVI of the Catholic Church last week. I decided not to post on that because the media treatment of the issue was unnecessarily salacious and tendentious in its coverage. Any rational person could have read what he said and drawn out what he meant. Instead of covering it that way, most media outlets grabbed this story and tried to write a Dan Brown novel out of it. See this excellent Get Religion article if you want to read more.

"The Foundations of the Social Policy of the Russian Orthodox Church distinguishes between abortive and non-abortive contraception. Priests can allow people to use the latter," head of the synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said in an interview with Interfax-Religion.

However, Father Vsevolod added that it does not mean that the Church approves of "any egoistical decisions made by spouses not to have children."

Speaking about the use of condoms by people who are HIV-positive, Fr. Vsevolod called on these people to "seriously think whether they should have sex because infection can spread not only by direct sexual contact."

The British daily The Guardian reported on Monday, citing a statement by the Holy See, that Pope Benedict XVI intends to consider condom use by observant Catholics in certain situations. Excerpts from a collection the Pope's interviews were published earlier, and in one of those interviews the pope said condom use is justified in some situations.

The statement issued by the Vatican states that the pope agrees that condom use reduces the risk of contracting AIDS.

At the same time, the pope's treatment of the topic considers exceptional situations "in which a sexual act presents a true risk for another's life," Vatican Press Office Director Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement. "In such a case, the Pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality," rather, the use of the condom to lessen the danger of contagion may be "a first act of responsibility" and "a first step on the path toward a more human sexuality" rather than acting to put another's life at risk, Rev. Lombardi said in his statement.

Nevertheless, he said in his statement that the pope's comment neither "reforms nor changes" church teachings, which prohibits observant Catholics from using condoms.

Attempt to form breakaway Serbian diocese thwarted

(SOC-Kosovo) - Тhe following report contains information about the latest dramatic events in the Diocese of Raska-Prizren. On November 18, former Bishop Artemije and a group of his followers who proclaimed a schism with the Serbian Orthodox Church attempted to occupy some monasteries of the Diocese and establish a schismatic church on the canonical territory of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Thanks to the prompt reaction of the Holy Synod of Bishops which defrocked Bishop Artemije and demoted him to the level of an ordinary monk, and the decisiveness of the new Bishop of Raska-Prizren Diocese Teodosije, the renagade former Bishop and his followers were prevented in their attempts. Both occupied monasteries were freed and are now under the control of the Diocese. Monk Artemije and his followers left Kosovo territory in early hours of November 20. As Patriarch Irinej of SOC has officially pressed charges against Artemije Radosavljevic for a criminal attempt to usurp the Church property, Serbian police is expected to detain the former bishop. Monk Artemije also illegaly falsified the official stamp of the Diocese and began issuing official documents while he was trying to impose himself as a Bishop despite the Church law. The usurpers used force, harassed the diocesan clergy in the two usurped monasteries and disturbed public order. The schismatic group of the followers of Artemije Radosavljevic was not supported by the Serbian people and all the diocesan clergy and monks remained completely faithful to the new Bishop Teodosije...

Complete article here.

Reuniting those who temporarily fell away from the Church

(mospat.ru) - On November 21, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, administered the rite of reuniting those who temporarily fell away from the Orthodox Church by diverting into schisms and sects, at the church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted-in-Ordynka.

A visit to Aggieland

Whenever I am traveling I like to visit the local parishes as time permits. I was fortunate enough to have been able to watch Texas A&M defeat Nebraska in football and then visit St. Silouan the Athonite Antiochian Orthodox Mission in College Station, TX the following day.

My wife was in that area a few weeks ago and tried, without success, to find this parish. With this in mind I headed out a bit early knowing I wouldn't arrive without incident. I was right. After a few passes I found the small sign (not the sign to the right, mind) pointing towards a private drive behind a furniture store. That makes the area sound a bit urban. It's not. To wit, I passed a large flock of gazelles just down the road from the church.

I walked in and saw three men at the kliros and Fr. Gregory Gibson in the altar. As a father of 6, being early for any church service is a rarity. Being first is unheard of. People started ambling in after Liturgy had started. As a parent who has found that standing up front is a good way of keeping the kids engaged and makes being aware of unhappy looks from parishioners at child-noise an impossibility, I never really know who is there until it's time to go up to receive. This weekend the attendance was not too high, but I credit that to an exciting and long football game the previous night and the upcoming holiday later in the week.

We couldn't stay for coffee hour, but many did. I think I'll return the next time I'm in town. I should mention I had hoped to visit the local ROCOR parish, but couldn't get a hold of the priest in advance. As many will already know, if you show up at a ROCOR church and expect to be communed by the priest without giving him notice beforehand, the answer might well be no. That doesn't bother me at all, but I need to find a way to get to Vigil next time to make that happen.

Short-term gain, long-term loss

This is a two-fold cautionary tale. The first, that we shouldn't accept the words of the accusers simply because they make the accusation. The second, that the man who sought to extort money from the priest looked only to the short-term monetary gain and didn't think at all about the long-term loss to himself (both now in legal terms and after his repose in the next).

Can you imagine giving someone $160 US dollars (the rough equivalent) - not 50 cents or a 10 dollar bill - when he comes to you out of the blue only to have him steal your phone and threaten to announce you as a person that looked at child porn?

How do you defend against this? How do you get your reputation back?

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(guardian.co.uk) - A blackmailer who drove a Roman Catholic cleric to quit the priesthood in a bogus child pornography photo scam was jailed for five years yesterday. The judge at Swansea crown court told Michael Costello, 38, from Reading, that he had inflicted "colossal damage" on the priest. Father Michael Manning was so marked by his experience he quit his vocation. Manning had given Costello £100 when he claimed to be destitute, the court heard. But Costello stole the priest's BlackBerry phone and alleged it contained indecent images of children. He threatened "to go to the tabloids" with the groundless claims.

A new podcast on the Psalms "Let My Prayer Arise"

(AFR) - The Psalms have been called the “Hymn Book of the Church” and contain rich and prophetic references to Christ. In this podcast, Fr. Wilbur Ellsworth takes us through the Psalter and helps us to make them the prayer of our hearts.

A reminder to vote in the Awards, "Vote for Pedro!"

Pithless Thoughts encapsulates the feelings of many (and a few I think are all his own) in the below post. Please do go vote, visit some sites you've never visited before or listen to a Podcast you've never listened to before. That's the whole idea.

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Most of the Orthoblogosphere is by now aware of the "Eastern Christian New Media Awards" hosted by Josephus over at Byzantine, Texas. I've been notified this blog has been nominated and Josephus has asked that we bloggers mention the awards voting site so other people can go there to see who else is writing and doing interesting stuff on the internet that you might not be aware of yet.

So. Here's the "orthodilemma":

1. If I mention the nomination and the voting site, I can be seen as self-aware and not humble, which of course I want to avoid because I don't want to burst the bubble of all my deluded readers who think I'm humble (in all humility).

2. If I don't mention the nomination but mention the voting site people will go there and see that I was nominated and think I was being sneaky to get them there to see that I was there so they'll vote for me, which will make them think I'm not humble AND disingenuous (but stupid) too.

3. If I don't mention it at all, period, it's like "this guy's all over the 'net, surely he knows he's on there by now" and they'd be right, and by not mentioning it I'm trying to do the false humility and pretend I'm unaware, and people will think I'm pandering for the "humility vote" because I'm not campaigning for recognition like some others are.

4. If I put up the voting site and say "but I don't care if I win anything or not", that will be seen as duplicitous and falsely humble because if I REALLY didn't care I wouldn't have mentioned it at all.

5. If I put up the voting site and put up 4 disclaimers that will be seen as being overly analytical and falsely concerned about how humble it all looks because true humility isn't that self aware and doesn't really care what anyone thinks.

6. If I put up 5 disclaimers and then pull down the link to the voting site and nuke this post altogether as if I never wrote it, then it is truly falsely humble and I'll know that at least one person voted for me because I DIDN'T put anything up on my blog about it because he threatened to NOT vote for me if I did.

7. If I win by one vote then I will know I won on the basis of caving in to the threat to look falsely humble by not mentioning it in order to get that vote and I won by pretense.

8. If I don't win and say I didn't really care one way or the other then this whole post looks disingenuous because if I really didn't care I wouldn't have posted anything at all, especially about the threat of a "no vote" (see #'s 1-4).

9. If I do win because people read the blog and think its "AXIOS!" then I have to write another whole post like this one about whether or not to put the award in the sidebar, which is a lot of work.

10. If I don't win then I just looked really arrogant to have wasted half my morning writing all this for nothing when I could have been drawing a new Curmudgeophan cartoon instead.

So there, I did it, Josephus. And thanks to the readers who thought enough of the blog to take the time to click a couple links for it.

UK/IE Episcopal Assembly Pastoral Committee meets

The emboldened bit below should perk up a few ears. This is the sort of activity that many expected the US Episcopal Assembly to jump into, but beyond a trip to Constantinople to seek clarification on some points (the possibility of a separate assembly for Canada, the moving of Mexico to an assembly with Spanish speakers, etc.) little if anything has been made public if it is occurring. Even the Episcopal Assembly website seems to be stalled. I look forward to seeing what the British Isles hierarchs formulate because the work done by that body might be mimicked by North American hierarchs when they draw up their own declarations on things like regularizing marriages, handling converts, accepting priests, etc. We'll have to see if issues like the OCA's autocephaly, the complex episcopal situation in the Antiochian Archdiocese, or the current investigations of the activities of one of the Greek Archdiocesan monasteries will retard the process.

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(ROCOR-Sourozh) - On 16th November, the first working meeting of the Pastoral Committee of Pan-Orthodox Hierarchical Assembly in Great Britain and Ireland took place at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in London under the chairmanship of Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh. Representatives of each Christian Orthodox Church with parishes on the territory of the British Isles took part in the meeting.

The Committee was established at the meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Hierarchal Assembly on 21st June and is a working body of all Christian Orthodox Churches on the British Isles.

At the meeting, the Committee determined its specific principles of operation, which include ordinary working meetings and joint prayers, as well as permanent contact and consultations on the local Pan-Orthodox forum using modern electronic methods of communication. The Committee marked its modus operandi, which includes working out a Pan-Orthodox approach to such aspects of the Church life as Christian Orthodox Mission, reception of converts, practices about Holy Communion and Confession, mixed marriages; social service, youth activity, Church’s canonical discipline. The Committee is also in charge of the organization of special services with the participation of Hierarchs and clergy of all Christian Orthodox jurisdictions and other Pan-Orthodox events.

New acting abbot assigned to troubled NY monastery

Met. Evangelos (pictured left)

BOSTON (TNH) - The Ecumenical Patriarchate has appointed Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey as acting Abbot of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Patriarchal Monastery in Astoria until Dec. 1 when Holy and Sacred Synod will decide the fate of its leadership in the wake of charges by a nun there of misconduct and a mysterious bag of money and gold coins.

The story has received widespread attention in the Greek American community and without, after The National Herald’s reporting was picked up by mainstream media, particularly in New York City where television channels reported from outside St. Irene’s Church and Precinct 114 police station in Astoria, and the CBS national network covered it as well.

Rowan Williams in Rome, downplays priestesses issue

H/T: Ad Orientem

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A week and a half after losing five Anglican bishops to the Catholic Church, the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion reaffirmed his dedication to ecumenical relations between the two churches -- and his belief that female Anglican priests should not be an impediment to union. 

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams spoke Wednesday (Nov. 17) at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Vatican's ecumenical office. Dozens of senior Catholic leaders attended, including the church's No. 2 official, Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. There is a bit more to the story. Orthodox (see Metropolitan John of Pergamon seated next to Abp. Williams) and other groups also came to this anniversary event. I expect more news stories to filter through slowly in the days to come.

While reflecting on progress in Anglican-Catholic relations, Williams admitted to "intractable difficulties" in two areas: disputes over the authority of the pope, and a failure of the two churches "to recognize each other's ministries fully."

Catholics insist on an all-male priesthood, while several parts of the Anglican Communion -- including the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada -- ordain women.

Williams echoed a statement from his Nov. 2009 address to a Vatican ecumenical conference, when he asked rhetorically "in what way" the ordination of women priests could "compromise the purposes of the church."

The issue has provoked tension not only between Rome and Canterbury, but within the Church of England itself.

Earlier this month, five Church of England bishops announced plans to join the Catholic church under a Vatican program that permits them to retain many traditional Anglican forms of worship and governance in special Catholic dioceses. The Vatican designed the program to facilitate the conversion of Anglicans upset by their churches' growing acceptance of homosexuality and women priests.

In his speech on Wednesday, Williams did not refer to the bishops' conversion or to the Vatican's overture to Anglican converts. Williams is scheduled to meet Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday.

The koulla, sign of childish innocence

From the blog My Coptic Faith:

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The basic habit of a Coptic monk is made up of a leather belt worn under a long, black gown, a black skull cap and a black hood. When a monk is also a priest and is taking a liturgical service he changes into similar garments, but in white.

The hood worn by Coptic monks is called a koulla (Coptic), but it is now commonly referred to as qalansuwa (Arabic).

There are various ideas and traditions within the Coptic Church about where the idea for the hood comes from. One thought places the origins of the hood back to the garments of late antiquity in Egypt. In the early centuries of the first millennium AD it was not uncommon for children’s tunics to have a hood. The tradition says that the monks took the idea of the hood as a symbol of (childish) innocence. Some tunics at this time also had deep splits at the sides, which are said to have developed into the monastic scapular (a length of cloth suspended both front and back from the shoulders of the wearer), which is worn by monks and priests in both Eastern and Western Christian Churches. In the Eastern Churches, the hood was detached from the scapular.

Another story relates how St Anthony gave Coptic monks their distinctive black hoods. According to this tradition an angel asked St Anthony to wear the hood, shaped like a baby’s bonnet, to remind him to be simple and pure like a child. The devil, however, tried to pull the head covering off. St Anthony caught it, ripping it down the middle. Today the head covering is stitched down the centre where the material was torn in two, symbolizing the conflict between good and bad, the devil and God, which still continues in the world.

Another symbolic meaning that has been given to the hood, is based on the texts read during the ritual when a novice becomes a professional monk. The Hood is said to represent the Helmet of Salvation from the Spiritual Armour of St. Paul:

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-18).

These hoods are decorated with twelve small crosses placed in two groups of six, and one single cross. The grouped crosses represent the twelve disciples and reminding monks to follow their teachings. On the back of the hood is a single cross that symbolises Christ. Again it is said to be symbolically placed to remind the monks that they must leave everything earthly behind and only look to God.

A monk receives his hood during the rites involved with his first degree of profession (mikroskema) and he should never take it off.

The present model of hood was re-introduced in 1971 by Pope Shenouda III, after it had fallen into disuse for some two to three centuries. It was based on the model worn by Syrian Orthodox monks. There is no reliable information about the exact model before the 18th century.

Coptic nuns also wear a similar hood. These hoods are not normally seen as they are hidden by the nun’s veil. The history of the nun’s version is not known, but it is likely that it was only introduced for nuns in 1971.

Understanding being a Christian in the Middle East

An excellent article below. It clarifies terminology in an enlightening and succinct way. If you have the time (the article is rather long), I whole-heartedly recommend it.

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(telegraph.co.uk) - Two more Christians murdered in Iraq on Monday night and another three yesterday, as the community is driven to extinction.

And on the Today programme earlier this week there was yet another segment about this persecuted minority, perhaps suggesting that the media are waking up to what many Iraqis themselves call “genocide” (the word, incidentally, was coined in 1936 after a previous massacre of Iraqi Christians).

However the Left largely remains in denial about the situation faced by Middle Eastern Christians, despite widespread evidence by various human rights organisation. The Guardian had a piece on Friday in which the writer argued that this was part of a ‘clash of civilisations myth’:

One article in Foreign Policy went so far as to suggest the church attack might spell “the end of Christianity in the Middle East” altogether. Yet such generalisations play into the hands of radicals wanting to perpetuate the clash-of-civilisations myth. Though anti-Christian feeling may be rising on the extreme radical fringe of some Arab societies such as Iraq, this should not obscure the harmony that has long been a characteristic of other parts of the Arab world.

However, as Robert Fisk has suggested declining Christian numbers could also be largely due to demographics and favourable immigration conditions rather than increased persecution.

In fact, large parts of the Arab world remain tolerant and display deep inter-communal harmony. The fact that most of Iraq’s displaced Christians have fled not to the west but to other Arab states, notably Syria and Jordan, seems to illustrate this.

Moreover, at a broader societal level across the region, it seems wholly unjust to suggest Arab Muslims are suddenly turning on their Christian compatriots. A radical fringe in each state may share the extremist views of al-Qaida, but that does not mean they are accepted by mainstream society. Even Islamists such as Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood expressed their disgust at the Baghdad bombings, and called for Cairo to protect its churches. This issue varies across the region more than generalist commentators are allowing for.

Christian numbers may be diminishing and the radical fringe may sadly be gaining the upper hand in certain pockets such as Iraq, which the international community should rightly condemn. However, the Arab world in general remains a place where Christians and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries, and look certain to continue doing so. Perhaps we should be celebrating this fact rather than exaggerating the extent to which the whole region is suddenly becoming anti-Christian.

Yes, cynical old British media. There we are focusing on the one unfortunate incident where dozens of people happened to be slaughtered in a church, when we could have focused on literally dozens of Iraqi churches where no one was murdered by Islamists that weekend...

Complete article here.

Muslims set fire to the homes of Egyptian Christians

(WORLDmag.com) - Muslims set fire overnight to at least 10 houses belonging to Coptic Christians in a village in southern Egypt over rumors that a Christian resident had an affair with a Muslim girl, security officials said Tuesday.

The officials said security forces have sealed off the village of al-Nawahid in Qena province, some 290 miles south of Cairo, to prevent the violence from spreading to neighboring towns. They said several people were arrested.

The attacks started after locals spotted a young Copt and a Muslim girl together at night inside the village cemetery, the officials said. They added that both were put under police custody as authorities investigate.

Clashes between Christians and Muslims occasionally occur in southern Egypt, mostly over land or disputes over church construction. But sectarian tensions have also been on the rise recently in the capital.

Last year in Qena, a Coptic man was accused of kidnapping and raping a 12-year-old Muslim girl. The alleged assault led to widespread protests by the Muslim community and increased tensions between the two religious groups, which culminated in the murder of six Copts and one Muslim security guard at a church on Jan. 6.

Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million. Copts and Muslims generally live in peace, though tension and violence occasionally flares.

Human rights groups say attacks on Copts are on the rise, underscoring the government’s failure to address chronic sectarian strains in a society where religious radicalism is gaining ground.

The government insists Christians enjoy the same rights as Muslims.

More coverage of NY monastery story

For some background see here and here.

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(NY Post) - A nun at a Greek Orthodox church in Queens turned over to the NYPD $260,000 in cash and 100 gold coins mysteriously left behind by the head of the congregation shortly after he left the country, The Post has learned.

Metropolitan Paisios Loulourgas, the abbot of St. Irene's Church and Monastery in Astoria for more than 30 years, was summoned to Greece earlier this month to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Orthodox Church, according to parishioners.

When Loulourgas left, he told nuns to safeguard a bag, but didn't say what was inside, sources said.

Sister Christonymphi Fitzpatrick eventually opened it up, discovered the dough and panicked, the sources said.

On Nov. 6, she brought the stash to the 114th Precinct station house. Cops vouchered the money and still have it.

The sources said no criminality is suspected.

But the Orthodox Church is holding its own probe, according to the National Herald, a paper for Greek Americans.

The Herald reported that a three-person delegation from Istanbul had arrived in Astoria to investigate the situation -- and that Loulourgas was meeting with top church officials in Greece.

The delegation ordered that the chambers of Loulourgas, Fitzpatrick and Deputy Abbot Bishop Vikentios be sealed, the paper said.

The report added that Loulourgas has now left St. Irene's, citing health issues.

A female employee at the church would say only that Loulourgas had left "to talk to the patriarch."

A parishioner who has been going to the church for about 30 years said yesterday that Loulourgas "is very honest."

"He's extremely intelligent. It's like listening to God," said the man, who declined to give his name.

When asked about the cash, the parishioner said, "It's to build the monastery. That's what we believe."

Neither he nor the employee had been told that Loulourgas had resigned.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment.

And also...

(Greek Reporter) - The patriarchal delegation investigating the allegations around the scandal at the St. Irene Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery in Astoria, N.Y. has ordered the chambers of the abbot Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana, deputy abbot Bishop Vikentios of Apameia, and former nun Christonymphi Fitzpatrick to be sealed. The three-member delegation visited the premises of the Monastery that is located on Ditmars Blvd. on November 13th and conducted an investigation. The previous day the delegation visited the St. Markella Cathedral in Astoria, N.Y. This is the headquarters of the Hellenic Orthodox Traditionalist Church of America under the leadership of Metropolitan Pavlos Stratigeas. Its members reportedly met with an individual who belonged to the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery but left eight years ago over serious reasons. Metropolitan Pavlos reportedly received the members of the delegation in tears.