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…they integrate a tryzub (тризуб or trident) into the parish murals.
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| The people and clergy at the first Archdiocesan Conference at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire from 26th to 28th May 2014. The objective of the Conference was to put the finishing touches to the preparation stage for the arrival of our first resident bishop, including a provisional archdiocesan structure to facilitate the very best practice in our ongoing Church life. May God bless! |
(HTS) - Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary's newly-accredited Certificate in Pastoral Studies is a two-year, on-campus program consisting of courses selected from the Bachelor of Theology. The Certificate in Pastoral Studies provides a theological, liturgical, and pastoral foundation for men who have an earnest desire to serve the Church as well as for those who are already serving. The program is 68 credits, and includes surveys of Holy Scripture, Liturgics, Theology, and Church History. Language courses and more specialized theological courses are not included. See the complete list here. All classes will be taught in English.
Application requirements and tuition are the same as for the Bachelor of Theology. The program is not yet registered with SEVIS, but an application is underway. An announcement will be posted when approval is given. International students may apply at that time. All classes must be completed on-campus, and a distance study option is not provided. Those who wish to study theology through distance education may consider HTOS' Certificate of Theological Studies.
Anyone interested in the new program may contact Rev. Dn. Ephraim Willmarth at ejwillmarth@hts.edu or (315) 858-0945. Applications to the new Certificate program are accepted until August 15, 2014.
Another powerful, professional, and spiritually edifying video from ROCOR-EAD.
(YouTube) - FOUNTAIN OF IMMORTALITY - A SPIRITUAL MEDITATION FROM THE HOLY FATHERS ON THE DIVINE LITURGY
Produced by the Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese in collaboration with St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary.
Author and Producer: Reader Alexander Koranda
Editor: Reader Peter S. Lukianov
Narrator: John D. Sutko
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Athens (OCP) - With the blessings of Pope Tawadros II a high level delegation of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and All Africa made a historic visit to the holy monastic republic of Mount Athos on 25th of May 2014. Archimandrite Ephrem President of the Vatopedi monastery “burning Bush” in northern Greece and Mount Athos received the delegation of the Coptic Orthodox bishops.
The Coptic delegation was led by Bishop Anba Paulose of Athens and all Greece and included Bishop Julius of Ancient Egypt, Bishop Anba of the Eastern headquarters, Bishop Makary of South Shubra, and other prelates.
Detailed discussions on Coptic Monasticism and Eastern Orthodox monastic traditions took place. Also the current situation of the life of Coptic Christians in Egypt were also discussed. Special greetings to Pope Tawadros was sent by the abbots in Mount Athos.
The Delegation also met with Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece who is the primate of the Church of Greece. The Coptic delegation communicated greetings of love from Pope Tawadross to the Church of Greece and in return a special message of greetings was conveyed by Archbishop Ieronymos to Pope Tawadros II.
Terry Mattingly's blog has a recent post entitled "The quest for safe, generic, ‘ceremonial’ prayers" of which an excerpt is available below. This is a pet topic of mine I've posted on a few times (e.g. here and here). I would be remiss if I didn't point to my favorite article on the topic by Fr. John Parker in Touchstone called, appropriately, "Benediction Fiction."
Available on Amazon for Kindle from Mount Thabor Publishing here and here.
"Do you see this shared celebration and joy of ours, which the Lord bestowed on those who believe in Him with His resurrection and ascension? It sprang from affliction. Do you see this life, or rather, this immortality? It shone upon us through death. Do you see the heavenly height to which Christ ascended when He was taken up, and the sublime glory with which He was glorified according to the flesh? He attained to this by means of humility and dishonour. As the apostle says of Him, "He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:8-11).
"If, then, God highly exalted His Christ because He humbled Himself, suffered dishonour, was tempted and endured a shameful Cross and death for our sake, how will He save, glorify and raise us up if we neither choose humility, nor show love to our fellows, nor gain our souls by enduring temptation (cf. Luke 21:19), nor follow the saving Guide through the "strait gate" and along the "narrow way" leading to eternal life (Matt. 7:14)? To this we were called, says Peter, the chief apostle, "Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps" (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21).
"But why is it that God's Christ went through such sufferings? Why did God highly exalt Him on that account, and why does He call us to share in His Son's sufferings?"
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(Assyrian Church) - His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV arrived in Moscow, Russia on 26 May 2014. The Catholicos-Patriarch is visiting Russia at the invitation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness Kirill I. The delegation of the Assyrian Church of the East includes H.B. Mar Aprem (Metropolitan of India), H.B. Mar Gewargis Sliwa (Metropolitan of Iraq and Russia), H.G. Mar Iskhaq Yosip (Bishop of Northern Iraq and Russia) and H.G. Mar Awa Royel (Bishop of California).
His Holiness was welcomed at the airport by the Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate, the DECR’s secretary for inter-Christian relations and other DECR staff members. After departing from the airport the delegation proceeded to St Mary’s Church of the Assyrian Church of the East in Moscow where His Holiness conducted prayers and met with church faithful.
The visit, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the beginning of mass migrations of Assyrians to the Russian Empire, will see His Holiness meet with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and high-level representatives of the Russian Federation. The Catholicos-Patriarch will also pay pastoral visits to Assyrian communities in Moscow, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don.
His Holiness has made three visits to Russia, including in 1988, when he took part in the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the establishment of Christianity in Russia.
Glory to God for All Things has a post well worth reading entitled "Naked And Unashamed."
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(pravoslavie.ru) - Orthodox and Oriental Churches in the Swiss canton of Zürich wish to be recognized within the framework of public law. The intention to regulate official relations was expressed by priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Zürich Fr. Shnork Demirjian, reports Kipa/Apic.
Opening of the Union of Orthodox and Oriental Churches is scheduled for September. This is the first step on the way towards national recognition. The solemn opening act will take place at the Greek Orthodox Church of Zürich.
According to Priest Shnork Demirjian, there are around 200,000 Orthodox Christians and Christians of ancient Oriental traditions in the canton. There is no precise statistical information at the present time.
There is the parish of Resurrection of Christ in Zürich, belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church. It was founded in 1936 by Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky). Since 1945 it has been in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
The aspiration to be recognized by the state is explained, first of all, by an increase in the number of Orthodox Christians in the Zürich canton. Legal recognition is also necessary for ministry in government institutions, for example, as chaplains in hospitals, and to strengthen inter-confessional relations.
Dr. Andreas Müller from the Zürich justice informed that last year an application for procedures of state recognition had been received from Orthodox churches.
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(ACN) - The Orthodox Church in Russia is one of the few institutions trying to help inmates in the country's prison system. ACN has been supporting its work by helping to fund the construction of prison chapels and the provision of religious literature. Father Igor, who is responsible for the prison chaplaincy service in Nizhny Novgorod, has personally baptized almost 400 prisoners since 1998.
It all started in a very modest way. "When we began providing our pastoral ministry in the prison, all we had was a tiny room in the laundry area where we could pray. We bought some paint and painted the walls. Later, the prisoners with artistic ability decorated the walls with icons. I heard confessions in an adjacent room.”
“Very soon I was able to observe many changes in people's souls. Half a year later, there was a group of them who came, as a matter of course, to morning and evening prayer. And on Sundays, when I came to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy, they had already prepared themselves during the week with fasting and prayer, for confession and the reception of Holy Communion."
What saddened Father Igor was the fact that many people who actually possessed talents and gifts which they could have used for the good of society had fallen on evil ways and used their gifts and their intelligence for the wrong ends. He believes it is due to the spiritual emptiness in many people's souls. For many of them, their time in prison, with the help of this pastoral support, is a chance to find their way back to the right path.
Many of the former inmates whom Father Igor has supported over the years have since served their time and been released. He still keeps in touch with many of them today. He has married them and baptized their children, and many of them continue to come, Sunday after Sunday, to church. And a few of them, who have managed to become successful and build up a new professional life for themselves, now also support the work of the Church financially and have themselves become true benefactors.
As Father Igor explains, "In actual fact, many people who have been sent to prison are well disposed towards the Church. In my experience, they think a lot about their sins and about the meaning of life. People whose lives run smoothly often think they don't need God."
Surprising though that may sound at first, it is exactly what Jesus tells us in the Gospel: "It is not the healthy who need the physician, but the sick."
(RISU) - The chief foreign spokesman of the Russian Orthodox Church has expressed some misgivings that Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will be meeting Pope Francis during the Pontiff’s visit to the Holy Land.
Metropolitan Hilarion said that because Patriarch Bartholomew had not consulted with other Orthodox leaders before scheduling his meeting with the Pope, he would be acting on his own behalf, not as a representative of the world’s Orthodox faithful. Although the Patriarch of Constantinople is traditionally recognized as the “first among equals” in the Orthodox hierarchy, the Russian Orthodox argues that he exercises that primacy only when other Orthodox patriarchs explicitly authorize him to do so. In the absence of such a mandate, Metropolitan Hilarion said, Patriarch Bartholomew will be representing only his own particular church, the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
With the events going on in Jerusalem right now, there are a lot of things being discussed related to ecumenism. The below is a link to the Latin Church's position on the ubiquitous term "Sister Churches."
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Complete article here.(antiochian.org) - Our baptism brought us into the Body of Christ, and placed our feet on the path of salvation, which is the Church. But it is up to us to walk the path. We cannot be the Body of Christ together unless each of us is continually seeking the kingdom and an ever-increasing union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The 2013 Orthodox Institute explored the Kingdom in its corporate dimension, the Church. The 2014 event, entitled "Theosis: Your Life with God" will complement the previous event by exploring the personal dimension. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the history and implications of this particularly life-giving Orthodox theology. More importantly, participants will learn from those who have journeyed before us—the saints, and how we can walk the path today.
There will be an in-depth courses on the Jesus Prayer, fasting, and on how to nurture children on their spiritual walk. Our two keynote speakers are Fr. Anthony Coniaris, author, publisher, pastor, and renowned homilist, and Dr. Kyriacos Markides, noted author and sociologist who journeyed the world to find a truly Christian mysticism (see the articles below). We are pleased to announce that among the others slated to present are: Fr. David Hester of St. Tikhon's Seminary, and two Ancient Faith Radio podcasters: Fr. John Oliver of Hearts and Minds, and Martha Condra of Wheat, Wine and Oil.
Opening Address by Fr. Anthony Coniaris
The 2014 Orthodox Institute Opening Address will be by Fr. Anthony Coniaris. In 1966, Fr. Anthony Coniaris wrote Eastern Orthodoxy: A Way of Life, and founded Light and Life Publishers in order to fill the need for educational books for Orthodox faithful. Fr. Coniaris has been a prolific writer--his work Introducing the Orthodox Church has been used extensively for catechumen classes, while Making Christ Real in the Orthodox Christian Home is a perennial best seller. Between his own works and the other titles Light and Life offers, he has "made Orthodoxy real" for the faithful and evangelized countless inquirers.
A renowned homilist, Fr. Coniaris typically uses stories to illustrate theology, as well as quotes from other writers. He has dealt with practical issues of theology as well as spiritual aspects of our faith. He was one of the early Orthodox writers who brought theosis from the seminary classroom to the faithful, encouraging the Orthodox to have a personal relationship with God. The Light and Life mission statement reflects this: "Our mission at Light and Life is to increase the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Church . . . "
In 2002 Fr. Coniaris was honored by The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese with the Three Hierarch Medal for his extensive 40-year ministry, which included a great deal of charity work as well. Presently, he is pastor emeritus at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis. At age 88 he continues to write and was pleased to accept our invitation. Fr. Coniaris' son-in-law, Mr. Dan Christopulos will present the address, "Theosis: Achieving Your Potential in Christ," on his behalf. We plan to have Fr. Coniaris dialogue with us via Skype afterwards...
Chicago, IL (OCA-DMW) — The 20th Annual Symposium sponsored by Orthodox Christian Synergy will be held at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, 5701 North Redwood Dr., Chicago, on Saturday, October 18, 2014.
The featured speaker will be His Grace, Bishop Anthony of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. He will speak on “Thy Kingdom Come: Binding the Strong Man and Winning Back the Hearts and Minds of God’s People.”
Orthodox Christian Synergy is a pan-Orthodox organization consisting of clergy and lay representatives from Chicago-area parishes who seek to project awareness of Orthodox Christianity to the public at large. Established in 1990, Synergy works together with its parent organization, the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago, and with the blessings of the Chicago-area Orthodox Hierarchs.
For additional information and/or to register, visit www.chicagosynergy.org.
Christ is Risen! I finally graduated from seminary this week. Thanks to all who prayed for my family and for me during our years away from Texas. It's an odd feeling to not have another paper on the horizon, but I think I'll bask in it for a while - a mental hammock with Shiner in hand that I can't quite countenance extricating myself from.
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(Apostolic Pilgrimage) - When Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew meet in Jerusalem on May 25-26, 2014, they will recall the meeting of their predecessors Pope Paul IV and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in the same city in 1964. In the midst of prayer and recollection in the Holy Places, the leaders of the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church will give thanks to God for the dramatic change in the relationship between their churches in the past fifty years. They will recall the prayer of the Lord for this disciples ‘that they all be one' (John 17:21).For the rather extensive list, see here.
Within five decades, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church formally have moved from isolation to engagement, from monologue to dialogue, and from misunderstanding to mutual enrichment. These developments can only have taken place with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and with the commitment of devoted clergy and laity to the process of reconciliation.
While the relationship between the churches may differ from place to place, these are some of the significant developments in the past fifty years...
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(Greek Reporter) - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, visited Dachau, a former German-nazi concentration camp, on Monday. During his visit he prayed for the memory of the victims who were killed during the nazi occupation. According to Greek news this visit was symbolic, coinciding with the eve of the upcoming European elections, which are expected to reflect the theories that created Dachau, Auschwitz, Mauthausen and the hundreds of other concentration camps that cost thousands of lives.
The Ecumenical Patriarch passed through the gates of Dachau where a chilling inscription reads: “arbeit macht frei” (work makes you free) and wandered around the camp, guided by the museum’s director.
The Ecumenical Patriarch is currently on a nine-day trip to Germany, as part of the celebrations for completing fifty years of operation of the Orthodox Cathedral. In Berlin, he was welcomed by the German government and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He is the first spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church to visit a nazi concentration camp in Germany, while Pope Benedict XVI, representing the Catholic Church, visited Auschwitz four years ago.
On Sunday, May 25, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will meet with Pope Francis in Jerusalem.
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| A small Russian Orthodox Chapel, named "Resurrection of our Lord," is located just to the left of the tourist entrance into the crematoria area at the Dachau Memorial Site. It was built by members of the Russian armed forces and was dedicated on April 29, 1995, the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp by American troops. More information available here. |
Complete article here.(GetReligion) - Try to imagine a story about the state of tense talks between Democrats and Republicans that only offered material drawn from interviews with Republicans, even when talking about the beliefs and aspirations of the Democrats.
Try to imagine a report about, oh, talks between liberal Episcopalians and conservative Anglicans that only featured commentary from one side or the other (actually, in some mainline publications that’s pretty easy to imagine). Or how about a pre-Super Bowl story that tried to cover the strengths and weaknesses of the two teams in the big game, but only talked to experts skilled in covering one of the teams or only talked to the coaches on one team. Can you imagine veteran journalists doing that?
This brings me to a report by NPR superstar Sylvia Poggioli that ran, online, under this headline: “The 1,000-Year-Old Schism That Pope Francis Seeks To Heal.”
Hear me now: This is not a fatally flawed news story, although some of the information is rather shallow. For example, any discussion of attempts to heal the painful schism between the ancient churches of East and West simply has to begin with, or at least mention, the efforts of St. John Paul II and this issue was a high priority for Pope Benedict XVI as well. NPR didn’t need to get these two popes into the headline, but one sentence in the story itself? That’s a must.
Also, let me note that the sources quoted in the piece are very qualified, especially when it comes to all things Rome. However, let’s see if we can spot a pattern in this report...
(emissourian.com) - Father Moses Berry isn’t afraid to discuss a subject that can make many people uncomfortable — slavery.
And he doesn’t just like to talk about it. He brings artifacts — neck irons, balls, chains and other pieces, all handed down from his ancestors who were slaves — that he puts in people’s hands, allowing them to get a very real sense of that history.
Father Moses, who is a black pastor of Theotokos “Unexpected Joy” Orthodox Christian Church in Ash Grove, said his purpose isn’t to make white people feel guilty or black people indignant. He does it to bring both sides together.
“I want to show how we, as black and white people, have a certain common heritage,” Father Moses said.
Whites and blacks worked together to end slavery, he said, mentioning the Underground Railroad as one example.
“You hear a lot about Harriet Tubman, but at the same time, those safe houses were all owned by white people,” he said. “Black escapees were harbored by white people who were in fear of being put to death themselves . . . these are unsung heroes who make up the canopy of our shared heritage.”
That will be the focus of a presentation, “Honoring Our Shared Heritage,” that Father Moses will give this Sunday, Nov. 6, at the 11th annual Franklin County History Fair.
This year’s event will be held at the Franklin Baptist Association building from 1 to 5 p.m. Father Moses is expected to arrive around 3 p.m.
He will bring with him several of the artifacts from his family collection, which are displayed year-round at his Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum (www.oaahm.org) in Ash Grove, a small town just west of Springfield.
Father Moses opened the museum in 2002 shortly after he and his family moved to Ash Grove from South St. Louis. They were living in a three-story Victorian house near the Missouri Botanical Gardens when he inherited a 40-acre farm in Ash Grove from his uncle and decided to return to his hometown.
The family moved into the home where Father Moses was born — the same home that his great-grandparents built in 1872 and where both his grandfather and father also were born.
They cleaned up the circa 1875 family cemetery that was dedicated for burial of “slaves, paupers and Indians” who in those early days were excluded from other burial places, said Father Moses. And they took steps to have the Berry Cemetery, as it is known, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When Father Moses and his family moved to Ash Grove in the late ’90s, he never intended to open a museum of his ancestral artifacts or begin a lecture series on slavery, but he was drawn into it by the encouragement of those who saw his collection, among them country music legend Mel Tillis.
Tillis, who has a music show in nearby Branson, also has a talent for painting. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Springfield News Leader ran a photo of Father Moses and his daughter at his church with an American flag flying outside.
The photo inspired Tillis to create a painting, which he later presented to Father Moses.
When Tillis saw the many family artifacts Father Moses had, he encouraged the pastor to do something with all of that history.
I added the Churching of the child and the Dismissal from the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania below. There are some jurisdictional variances that surprise people when they visit other churches. For example, the placing of the child on the solea after churching is often cause for some befuddlement.
(Stump the Priest) - Question: What is the reason for the difference in practice of churching boys, who are taken behind the altar, and the churching of girls, who are not?Complete post here.
In Baptism, a person is united with Christ and His Church, and becomes a full member of the Church. The Rite of the Churching of an infant who has been baptized is the solemn act of bringing the child into the Church, and offering them to God. Baptisms are now often done inside the Nave of the Church, but historically, baptisms were either done outside (in a flowing river or lake), or in a baptistery that might be separate from the Church altogether, or which is located in the Narthex of the Church. And so, historically, after the Baptism concluded, the newly baptized was brought into the Nave for the first time.
Why is it that boys are brought into the Altar, but girls are only brought in front of the Royal Doors? Both are being offered to God, but their service to the Church in this life will be different. Fr. Victor Potapov says that boys are brought into the Altar, because this is "a sign that he may become a minister of the altar" (On the Significance of the Rite of Churching).
The fact that this has been the universal practice of the Church should be sufficient to convince us that we should accept it, and pass it on without change. However, in our times, when many seek to erase all gender distinctions, many now object to this practice as being "unfair.' And this, of course, also raises the question of having altar girls, as well as the ordination of women.
First off, it should be pointed out that there is not an absolute prohibition against women entering the altar. No one should go into the altar who does not have a blessing to do so. Normally, the altar servers are in fact all male, but in convents, nuns often serve as altar servers, as can been seen in this video which shows Greek nuns censing the Kursk Icon...
(Reuters) - When Pope Francis meets the spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians next week, the speeches and symbolism will focus on how these ancient western and eastern wings of Christianity want to come closer together.
After almost a millennium apart, however, the key to the elusive unity they seek does not lie in Jerusalem, where the Catholic pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will embrace on May 25. If anywhere, that key lies in Moscow.
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), by far the largest church in the Orthodox world and increasingly influential at home and abroad, has long been wary of the closer ties Francis and Bartholomew want to work towards.
Its opposition has only stiffened in recent months amid the crisis in Ukraine, where the political standoff between Russia and Europe has deepened tensions between the Moscow Patriarchate and three competing churches, one of them linked to the Vatican which Moscow accuses of trying to woo away its worshippers.
"All these unfortunate events ... take us back to the situation when Catholics and Orthodox didn’t consider themselves as allies but as enemies," said Metropolitan Hilarion, the ROC's "foreign minister" at the unusually young age of 47.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which supports pro-European movements there rather than the pro-Russian ones the ROC favors, "is becoming once again ... a huge obstacle for any progress in our bilateral relations," he told Reuters in an interview in Moscow's Danilov Monastery.
The dream of overcoming the Great Schism of 1054, one of European history's greatest splits, is still far off, but both sides try to work together to promote Christian values and avoid the disunity Jesus warned his disciples against.
PLANS DASHED
In recent decades, theologians have met often to seek common ground. Bringing churches closer means making possible changes on everything from the authority of their leaders to the dates of feast days. The Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate are searching for ways to do what they can to find agreement.
But the Russian church, with 165 million of the world's 250 million Orthodox, wants change only on its own terms.
Its close ties to President Vladimir Putin assure it considerable influence. The Russian state and generous donors have helped it restore or build 25,000 churches in Russia and over 60 countries in the last 25 years.
By contrast, Bartholomew has a prestigious post dating back to when his base in Istanbul was Constantinople and capital of the Byzantine Empire, but his local church has only 3,000 members and Turkey keeps tight limits on it.
Hilarion stressed that Moscow and Rome had common interests in defending traditional moral values and said his two meetings with Pope Francis last year were positive.
"We even made some plans about the future," he said in fluent English perfected during studies at Britain's Oxford University. He gave no details.
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OAKLAND (InsideBayArea) - Bishops from one of the world's oldest Christian churches gathered in the Oakland hills for a four-day summit last week, hoping to sort out their differences as they shepherd an East African denomination to new lands.
The gathering was "to talk about the next generation, the one in the United States, what we have to do for them," said Palo Alto resident Benyam Mulugeta, president of the board of Oakland's Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Mekane Selam Medhane Alem Cathedral. "We don't want to lose the next generation."
Exiled Patriarch Abune Merkorios was scheduled to preside over the convening of the Holy Synod, but the elder church leader fell ill shortly before his flight to the Bay Area.
Merkorios was dethroned and replaced amid Ethiopia's political turmoil of the 1990s, but he still has a worldwide following of Ethiopian emigrants who consider him the true spiritual leader of an institution that dates back to the 4th century.
Merkorios lives in New Jersey. A rival patriarch and institution continue to be seated in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
Clergy from Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Sweden and across the United States gathered at the Mountain Boulevard cathedral from Wednesday through Saturday.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians say they hope to establish the kind of American footprint that Greek and Russian Orthodox churches began more than a century ago, building their own churches and monasteries and appealing to younger, U.S.-born congregants who grow up speaking English.
Hosting the convention was 90-year-old Abune Melketsedek, who heads the Oakland cathedral and is also the general secretary for the exiled church. Bishops and congregants were seen tearfully hugging on Friday after resolving some internal disputes over church policies.
"It's one of the big events of our church," Mulugeta said of the meeting.
(The Atlantic) - Over the past three days, three months' worth of rain has fallen on the Balkan region, producing the worst floods since rainfall measurements began 120 years ago. The flooding has affected huge parts of Serbia, and more than a quarter of Bosnia's 4 million people: The Bosnian government is warning of "terrifying" destruction comparable to the country's 1992-95 war. At least 40 people have died in the region, and tens of thousands of others have fled their homes, packing into buses, boats, and helicopters - many of them farmers leaving their livestock behind. There's an additional hazard: leftover land mines. Floodwater has disturbed known minefields and damaged some markers that had been placed there to warn people away.
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Full remarks from SYMPOSIUM 2014 - Ukrainian Orthodoxy in the Global Family of Orthodox Churches: Past, Present and Future, St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, 8 May 2014 are available as YouTube videos here. You can read more about the symposium itself here. Below is an example talk entitled "Defining a Kyivan Orthodoxy: Parish Clergy and Local Religious Practice in Kyiv Diocese in the 19th Century" by Dr. Heather Coleman, University of Toronto.
NEW YORK (GOARCH) – On Sunday, May 25, 2014, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis will meet at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to commemorate a meeting in the Holy Land fifty years ago by their revered predecessors, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI. The historic meeting in 1964 marked the beginning of a new era in the relations between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople, and indirectly between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy as a whole. The significance of that event can only be fully appreciated if placed in the context of a millenium dominated by theological estrangement and mutual mistrust between the two great traditions of the Church.
EWTN has confirmed that this Catholic Television Network will broadcast LIVE the Ecumenical Celebration at the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday, May 25, featuring commentaries in English, Spanish, German and French.
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Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — On the heels of epic floods that left at least 37 dead and thousands homeless in Serbia and Bosnia, a second surge of floodwaters continues to fill an already swollen Sava River and threatens thousands of lives as well as Serbia's biggest power plant. The Nikola Tesla power plant, which provides roughly half of the country's electricity, is in the deadly path of a flood wave created by the heaviest rains to hit the region in 120 years. In Bosnia, evacuees are being placed in temporarily shelters like military barracks, but many more await help in areas that are not accessible yet.Complete article here.
From its offices in Bosnia and Serbia, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding to the immediate needs of flood survivors in the region. IOCC, in cooperation with Philanthropy, the humanitarian arm of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Red Cross, is providing transportation support and quilts for evacuees being transferred to temporary shelters. As flood waters subside in rural areas around Kraljevo and Sabac, IOCC will mobilize its efforts to reach families living in remote towns and villages and respond to their most urgent needs...
These dialogues are important - that point is inarguable. What is lacking is a real groundswell of support by either side in the US (and I suspect elsewhere) to make closer relations a reality. I have attended annual ecumenical gatherings for years now and have yet to see the hundreds or thousands one might expect in attendance if there were a real desire for "unity now." It will be interesting to see what the other patriarchs have to say about the upcoming meeting of the Ecumenical Patriarch and Pope of Rome in Jerusalem, but it will also be worth watching what is not said or done in the days following their meeting. Real "progress" will require the support of the other patriarchates or nothing will happen beyond photo-ops.
Vatican City, May 19, 2014 (CNA) - A member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity affirmed the sentiments of many who believe that Catholic-Orthodox relations have improved in recent years, especially under Pope Francis.
“When I look to what I hear about Pope Francis, and I remember when he was elected he spoke to the immense group of the faithful at St. Peter’s Square, I remember that he referred to the introduction of the letter of Ignatius of Antioch to the Christians of Rome,” Fr. Gabriel Quicke told CNA May 16.
“In his introduction in the letter to the Christians of Rome he speaks about the Church of Rome that is presiding in charity over the whole world of Christians, and Pope Francis used that expression,” he recalled: “The Church of Rome is presiding in charity over all the churches.”
“It was really a very important expression and most appreciated by the orthodox churches. This is a warming up for all of us.”
A former missionary in Lebanon, Fr. Quicke is a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and works specifically with the Oriental Churches.
Out of the four separate dialogues the Oriental section maintains, the priest is in charge of three, which include the whole of the Oriental Orthodox churches, the two Malankara churches, also known as the Indian or Syrian Orthodox, and the Asian church of the east.
What they are seeking to do through these ongoing dialogues, Fr. Quicke explained, is to “put very important steps forward” in order to strengthen their bonds of unity with the Catholic Church.
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(OCA) - On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, accompanied by Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, met with Karekin II, Supreme Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Issues and challenges of the mission of the Armenian Church and the Orthodox Church in America were discussed in the context of the strong solidarity and friendship of the two churches. Among the important themes of the conversion was the 100th Anniversary in 2015 of the Armenian Genocide and the events commemorating the anniversary in the US and Armenia.
Following their meeting with the Catholicos, Metropolitan Tikhon and Father Leonid attended a luncheon in honor of the newly elected Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church. His Holiness, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, who had served as Archbishop in the US for some years and is well known to the Christian leaders in the US. Also attending the lunch were His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Cardinal Thedore McCarrick, and other leaders. Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem departs for Damascus, Syria next week, where he will be enthroned on Ascension Day.
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(CyprusMail) - The Christian Orthodox Church is against any form of discrimination and violence but homosexuality was a disease that must undergo medical and spiritual treatment, a senior clergyman said yesterday.
Tamasos Bishop Isaias said while the Church accepted everybody, irrespective of their passions, beliefs, and behaviours, and affords them the help they need, it “rejects and condemns sin and that is why when God forgives a sinner, he advises him and tells him to go and sin no more.”
In a written statement, Isaias said a Church statement on Thursday aimed at stressing this forgiveness and advice.
“It was done with love, concern, and understanding towards all humans,” he said.
The statement was released at the request of many believers who asked the Church to take a stand, “feeling provoked due to recent publications and activities of homosexuals which offend morals and erode the principles of the Christian family.”
The Church’s positions agree with serious scientific studies in relation with homosexuality and that is why the Church and bioethics consider it “a disease and human passion that must undergo medical and spiritual treatment and help.”
On Thursday, the Holy Synod said “Men and women, misled by foreign groups or confused by their own conscience are protesting and claiming that homosexuality is normal and that it should be socially accepted and legally protected. To that end they are also planning a so called ‘pride parade,” the statement said.
The Synod said homosexuality has led to a global lax in morality, which in turn has led to an increase in divorces, paedophilia, AIDS, broken families, unnatural adoption of children and many more.
“These are the strongest arguments against this unnatural way of life,” it said.
The statements come a couple of weeks before the LGBT community holds its first gay pride parade on May 31.
CHICAGO, IL (OCA-DMW) — The Diaconal Vocations and Lay Catechist Program of the Diocese of the Midwest will be offering several language classes this summer. All are welcome to enroll.
Courses may be counted as credit at the OCA seminaries and, with approval, may satisfy the OCA continuing education requirements for clergy.
- Beginning Koine Greek. Either a 12 or 16 week course that will cover the entirety of basic Koine Greek grammar and vocabulary. This course will equip the student to read basic texts in the Greek New Testament, the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (LXX), as well as liturgical and patristic texts; use standard Greek reference tools; and engage in critical scholarship of the Greek Bible and Early Christian literature.
- Intermediate Koine Greek. This course will feature a brief review of Greek grammar and proceed with study of advanced syntax, vocabulary, and, most importantly, the reading of selected texts from the New Testament. Exegetical and homiletical topics will also be explored. This is a perfect course for those who have had some Greek in the past and want to sharpen their skills, especially clergy who wish to hone their exegetical skills.
- Beginning Biblical Hebrew. A 14 week course that will cover the entirety of basic Hebrew grammar and vocabulary. This course will equip the student to read basic texts from the Hebrew Old Testament, use standard dictionaries and reference tools, and engage in critical scholarship of the Hebrew Bible.
All classes will be taught by Eric Jobe and will be conducted on-line through Google+ Hangouts. All class sessions will be recorded so that students can cover them at their convenience if they are unable to attend live sessions. Live sessions for Chicagoland residents and tutoring will also be available.
Tuition is $400 for each course. If the cost is prohibitive, please contact Father Elijah Mueller at elijahnmueller@sbcglobal.net.
Please contact Eric Jobe at eric.jobe@gmail.com for more information or to register.
(antiochian.org) - On Tuesday and Wednesday May 13th and 14th, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan presided over the meetings of the Local Synod and Board of Trustees in Chicago, respectively.
In both meetings, the principal issue was the preparation for the Special Convention to be held in Chicago on June 5th. At the end of the deliberations, the Patriarchal Vicar and the Local Synod in agreement with the Board of Trustees announced the list of Eligible Candidates for the office of Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America.
They also approved the text of the call, the procedures to be followed prior to the Special Convention and at the same, regarding the eligibility of voting candidates, the process of voting, counting of votes and announcements of results.
In these meetings, Metropolitan Silouan gave a thorough reading of the legal, ecclesiastical and pastoral aspects of the issues to be treated in preparation of the Special Convention. At the close of the meeting, Metropolitan Silouan congratulated the members of the Board of Trustees for the results, their speedy way in discussing the issues, and the spirit of responsibility that they have demonstrated during the deliberations and upon taking the decisions. Indeed, they have shown a beautiful icon of cooperation and unity between all.
In addition, he thanked the hosts, Rev. Fr. Nicolas Dahdal and the members of the parish council of Saint George Church in Cicero, IL, for their hospitality and spirit of service and organization.
He concluded the meeting with a general overview of his pastoral visits across parishes of the Archdiocese, and highlighted some of the conclusions regarding the witness, work and challenges that the Archdiocese is experiencing in this transitional period.
On Thursday May 15th, the office of the Archdiocese communicated to the parishes by email the list of the Eligible Candidates to the Office of Metropolitan, as approved by the Local Synod and in agreement with the Board of Trustees:
(Current Hierarchs in alphabetical order by name)
1. Bishop Alexander
2. Bishop Anthony
3. Bishop Basil
4. Bishop John
5. Archbishop Joseph
6. Bishop Nicholas
7. Bishop Thomas
(Priests in alphabetical order by last name)
1. Hieromonk Jeremy Davis
2. Archimandrite Daniel Griffith
3. Archimandrite Daniel Keller
In addition, the Official Call to the Special Convention and a brief biography of the eligible candidates were sent.
On the same day, in a note sent to the clergy, Metropolitan Silouan expressed his satisfaction for the spirit in which the meetings were held, and noted especially: "Now that you are heading towards the Special Convention, and while you are preparing your parishioners and delegates for this historical moment of the life of this Archdiocese, I am sure that you are moving within the spirit that we have been speaking about during my pastoral visits to the different dioceses: work, think, deliberate, and decide 'as a Church', preserving peace and unity of mind in Christ".
No doubt, we all are aware of the importance of the period that separates us from the Special Convention. We are also trustful that all would surely give a Christian witness, especially while using the social media, upon discussing matters related to this period. We believe that our Lord will recompense your continued prayers by illumining all of us to reach the best outcome of this transitional period!
I'm pondering making the trip over. Some of the talks look to be worth attending.
(OCA) - Saint Tikhon’s Seminary here will host its annual Continuing Clergy Education Symposium June 17-19, 2014. This is the second year that the school will provide this symposium to enable OCA priests and deacons to fulfill their annual 20 hours of continuing education studies mandated by the Holy Synod of Bishops.Complete article here.
The list of speakers and topics to be included in this year’s symposium includes the following...
(novinite.com) - The official website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was hacked by the Turkish organization Milli Gucler on Thursday.
The home page displays the Turkish flag and the following text: “The official website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is hit in response to the vandal attack on the Djumaya mosque in Plovdiv.
Those are offensive acts against the Turkish-Muslim minority in Bulgaria and an attack on the cultural heritage of the country, because the mosques are part of the cultural heritage of Bulgaria.
Whoever organized this barbaric aggression, must now that the Turkish-Muslim minority is not defenceless and there are forces who are watching over it and are ready to defend it.
The silence of the Bulgarian Patriarchate must be interpreted as a tacit agreement with the aggression on Muslim religious temples.
The punitive actions against the enemies of the Turkish-Muslim minority on part of Milli Gucler (National Forces) are neither first, nor would be the last. The attacks will continue in full intensity. You will hear from us ever more often and you will witness our power.
Milli Gucler would like to remind that we have nothing against Christianity and the attack is reciprocal measure against the increasingly frequent physical attacks on the values of the Turkish-Muslim minority.”
The website also plays a piece, entitled “War” from the soundtrack of the Turkish historical soap opera “The Magnificent Century”.
In February a gang of football hooligans attacked with stones the Djumaya mosque in downtown Plovdiv in protest of a court decision ordering the Karlovo municipality to relinquish a former mosque to the Muslim Faith in Bulgaria.
Police apprehended more than 120 people. Eight were sentenced for hooliganizm.
The Milli Gucler group on Facebook has 17 members and the last activity was from May 2012.
The blog of the organization contains posts in Bulgaria on history - most of them recent.
Neither of the sites seems to take responsibility for the attack on the Bulgarian Orthodox Church website.
(spc.rs) - Hierarchs gathered at the Studenica monaster. The rite of Invocation of the Holy Spirit was performed in the church of Sts. Apostles Peter and Paul in Ras near Novi Pazar.
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(OCA) - The Rite of Installation, during which His Grace, Bishop Mark [Maymon] was enthroned as Bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, was celebrated at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Saint Stephen Cathedral here Saturday, May 10, 2014.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, presided at the Divine Liturgy. In addition to Bishop Mark, His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate; His Eminence, Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania; and His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, together with numerous clergy from throughout the diocese and beyond, including Priest Victor Gorodenchuk, Dean of Saint Stephen Cathedral, concelebrated.
Among the guests attending the Divine Liturgy were representatives of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Philadelphia and Scranton.
On Friday evening, Great Vespers was celebrated at the cathedral, at which Archbishop Nathaniel delivered the homily. Bishop Mark preached at Saturday’s Divine Liturgy. “Love comes first in our Church life, and foremost love for Christ” Bishop Mark said as he called upon the diocese’s clergy and faithful to discern that which is of the Holy Spirit. [Read here for additional details.]
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Metropolitan Tikhon presented the archpastoral staff to Bishop Mark—the same staff with which Metropolitan Tikhon had been presented when he was installed as Bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania—exhorting him to continue his apostolic work in the diocese.
Following Saturday’s Divine Liturgy, a banquet honoring Bishop Mark was held at the Radisson Hotel Philadelphia Northeast, Trevose, PA, at which time greetings and congratulatory messages were offered. Archpriest John Kowalczyk, Chancellor of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, welcomed all in attendance.
Additional information will be posted as it is received. A gallery of photos may be viewed on the OCA web site and Facebook page.
I really wish stuff like this was established at a pan-Orthodox level. We're duplicating our efforts terribly doing this at the diocesan or jurisdictional level.
(antiochian.org) - The Orthodox Christian Coalition for Healthy Youth (or OCCHY) is a unique national alliance founded and supported by the Department of Youth and Parish Ministries of the Antiochian Archdiocese, involved in establishing, training and leading substance abuse prevention and intervention coalitions across America. The Healthy Youth initiative, sponsored by OCCHY, offers communities an opportunity to heighten awareness of how to combat substance abuse, prevent bullying, encourage sexual abstinence outside of marriage, and encourage respect for the sanctity of the human body. Recent updates on the Hookah Prevention initiative, the Healthy Youth ministry of Tucson, AZ, and the Cicero/Chicago based group, are available on OCCHY's Website (here).
OCCHY is developing local community networks to address substance abuse prevention and healthy living in parishes of each diocese. Each local chapter is trained in coalition building in their community. Chairman of the Department of Youth and Parish Ministries Fr. Joseph Purpura, and Kh. Kathleen Purpura, Youth Consultant and Executive Director of OCCHY, work with the White House Director of the Drug Free Communities Program, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the staff of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), and local coalition leaders to establish substance prevention coalitions across America.
Numerous services, joy of seeing men graduate from seminary, and a myrrh-streaming icon... I think my family will be driving over.
(STOTS) - The 72nd Annual Commencement Ceremony for the Graduating Class of 2014 will be held on the grounds of St. Tikhon’s Monastery on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 1:00 PM. The guest speaker for this year’s commencement ceremony will be His Grace Bishop Sava (Urich). More information available here (PDF).
An icon of the Theotokos from nearby Taylor, PA, will be present at this year's pilgrimage for veneration.
BIOGRAPHY OF HIS GRACE, BISHOP SAVA (URICH)
Bishop Sava was born on February 27, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois to 2nd generation Serbian/American parents, Anthony and Dokmana Urich. He was baptized later that year on June 21, 1942, at Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Ill.
Bishop Sava began his life as a monastic at the age of 18 when he was tonsured as a Novice in 1958 at St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois. From there he would move to South Canaan, PA in 1960 where he became for a time, part of the monastic community of St. Tikhon’s Monastery as well as taking classes at St. Tikhon’s Seminary. In 1964 he was tonsured first to the lesser Schema and then ordained a Hierodeacon in February of 1964 and then later ordained as a Priest-monk at St. John the Baptist Church in San Francisco, CA.
On December 18, 1988 His Grace was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite at St. George Cathedral, Cabramatta, Sydney, Australia where he would serve as Chancellor to Metropolitan Iriney (Kovacevich) for the Australian-New Zealand Diocese.
On June 1, 1994, he was elected by the Assembly of Bishop (Sabor) of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, Serbia (Yugoslavia) as Bishop of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the New Gracanica Metropolia.
June 17, 1994, consecrated at the New Gracanica Monastery as a Bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church by His Holiness, Patriarch Paule and would later be made Bishop of the Diocese of Slavonia in Central Croatia.
Bishop Sava was granted a well-deserved retirement from the Diocese of Slavonia in November, 2013.
Constantinople (The Republic) — Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians, says a meeting with Pope Francis in Jerusalem this month will help move the two churches closer to ending their nearly 1,000-year divide.
In an interview with The Associated Press in his Istanbul office, Bartholomew also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for improving rights for Christians but said pointedly, "it is not enough."
The meetings between the ecumenical patriarch and the leader of the world's Roman Catholics on May 25-26 will commemorate the historic visit of their predecessors 50 years ago that launched a dialogue aimed at ending the two churches' schism in 1054.
"We shall say through our meeting and our prayer that it is the intention of both of us to work further for Christian unity and reconciliation," Bartholomew said, sitting at his desk piled high with papers in his Patriarchate office. Around him, golden icons from Byzantium on the walls loomed over standing photos of the patriarch greeting world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Erdogan.
Although the Orthodox and Catholic churches remain estranged on key issues, including married clergy and the centralized power of the Vatican, there have been moves toward closer understanding, beginning with the 1964 meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. It was the first encounter between a pope and Orthodox patriarch in more than 500 years.
Following the meeting, mutual excommunication edicts were dropped, and a Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965 called for greater harmony.
Echoing that declaration, Bartholomew said the road to unity remains long, but that Pope Francis's acceptance of the invitation to meet in Jerusalem demonstrates that both leaders want to end the divide.
"When it will take place, we don't know; how it will take place, we don't know. Only God knows," he said.
The two leaders will celebrate Mass together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful believe Jesus was crucified and buried, and issue another declaration. Bartholomew said it had not been finalized. I hope this is an honest mistake in terminology.
In the interview, Bartholomew expressed disappointment that Erdogan had not re-opened the Theological School of Halki, the Orthodox Church's most important seminary. Bartholomew spent seven years as a student and another four more as an assistant to the dean at the grounds on an island in the sea of Marmara. The school, whose doors were closed in 1971 under a Turkish law that required private higher education to be controlled by the state, have been meticulously maintained since, in case students are allowed to return.
Many expected that the seminary would be reopened last year as part of a package of reforms aimed at boosting minority rights in Turkey.
"These are hopes which are not fulfilled so far," Bartholomew said. "It is a matter of human rights and especially of religious freedom."
Erdogan has said Halki's reopening depends on reciprocal measures from neighboring Greece that would improve the rights of Muslims there. Asked about that demand, Bartholomew threw up his hands.
"Are we responsible for that?" he asked. "I am in favor of a mosque and even more mosques where there are Muslims, in order to give them the possibility to pray according to their own faith. But what can I do?"
Bartholomew said that the issue is not about Greek law, it is about Turkey's responsibility to protect religious freedom.
"I am a Turkish citizen and I was born here. I served in the Turkish army for two years," he said. "I want my full rights as such as a Turkish citizen and not only for myself but for my church and my community."
Later, he glanced over at a table near his desk with photos of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras. There were images of a dove and of an olive tree, symbolizing peace between the two often warring cultures. Bartholomew credited Erdogan with improvements in rights for Christians in Turkey and noted that whereas ethnic Greeks once left Turkey in droves, many are returning, especially because of Greece's financial turmoil.
"We recognize these steps. We express our gratitude to Mr. Erdogan. But we say that it is not enough," he said.
(antiochian.org) - His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan writes on May 7:
Very Esteemed Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy,
And Beloved Faithful
of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Christ is risen!
I would like to inform you that the Holy Synod of Antioch, after convening on April 29th, 2014, decided that the participation of the Antiochian Archdioceses around the world in the Assembly of Bishops be restored to its status prior to the decision taken by the same in its session held in October 2013.
After receiving from the Secretariat of our Holy Synod the text of the aforementioned decision, I notified the Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, that the participation of this Archdiocese in the Assembly is effective from the moment that our Holy Synod issued its resolution.
Therefore, in compliance with the aforementioned decision, all our hierarchs and all Antiochians - including priests, deacons, monastics, lay men and lay women – of this Archdiocese are able to resume the responsibilities and functions they had previously at the Assembly.
Wishing you a joyful paschal season, I pray for your ministry and service in Christ.
+ Silouan
Metropolitan of Buenos Aires and all Argentina & Patriarchal Vicar of New York and all North America
Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - The Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church Tawadros II sent a letter to Pope Francis, on the occasion of the first anniversary of their meeting at the Vatican, in which among other things invites the Bishop of Rome to find a single date for the Easter celebration in all Christian Churches.
As Fides learns, the spokesman of the Coptic Orthodox Church has stated that the Patriarch’s letter addressed to Pope Francis was delivered to the Apostolic Nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Exc. Mgr. Paul Gobel, received yesterday, Tuesday, May 6 at the headquarters of the Coptic Patriarchate. The papal representative in turn submitted to Patriarch Tawadros an invitation to send a representative of the Coptic Church to the next Assembly of the Synod of Catholic Bishops, to be held in October and dedicated to the theme of the family.
The unification of the dates of the Easter celebration of the Resurrection is a particularly felt urgency in North Africa and the Middle East, where in the same area Churches and Christian communities live together and each have different Easter dates due to the fact that some have the Julian calendar and others the Gregorian.
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(zenit.org) - The supreme patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church will meet Pope Francis on May 8.
His Holiness Karekin II, head of the of the Catholicate of Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church, will visit Rome from 7 to 9 May to meet and pray together with the Pope.
Pope Francis and Karekin II, elected the 132nd Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians in 1999, will visit the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and various other dicasteries of the Roman Curia.
They will visit the tomb of St. Peter and pray before the statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, which is located on the north courtyard of the Vatican basilica.
The Armenian Church consists of two catholicates and two patriarchates, and around six million faithful. Independent from an administrative point of view, the two catholicates of Etchmiadzin and Antelias are in full communion. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople refer to Etchmiadzin for spiritual questions.
Following Vatican Council II, new relations have developed between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Church. Representatives of the two catholicates of Etchmiadzin and Antelias are members of the Mixed International Commission for theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
During the Jubilee year 2000, the Catholicos Karekin II visited the Church of Rome. In 2001, Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the Catholicate of Etchmiadzin. The patriarch later headed the Armenian delegation during the funeral of John Paul II. Karekin II also met with Benedict XVI in 2008 and 2012, and was present during the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis.
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