Byzantine, Texas

ROME ( ANSA ) - Syrian Catholic Church patriarch Ignatius Ephrem Joseph III Younan has said that he approves of Russia's actions as an attempt to resolve the Syrian conflict and defeat the Islamic State (ISIS). "The Russian intervention gives us a bit of hope in this tragic situation," he said. "Russia has helped Syria a great deal to retake and liberate cities and villages under the control of terrorist groups." "Syrian Christians are grateful to Russia," he said. "Since it intervened, many things have changed on the ground." "We will thank anyone who helps us to remain in our country," he added, expressing gratitude towards the Russian Orthodox Church for its words of support to local Christian communities, "which we have not received from other parts with the same determination". "Our anguish and our screams of alarm is that something is happening in Iraq and Syria that has already happened in Turkey: Christians...

The visit of a Pope of Rome to Serbia has been discussed for the last few years now. There is no small distrust and ill-will by many in the country against the pontiff as a representative of the Catholic Church both for theological and historical reasons. The recently discussed "in pectore" canonization of Aloysius Stepinac (who is seen to have been complicit in the forced conversion of Orthodox to Catholicism) further enflames and complicates the talks. ( Catholic Culture ) - Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate on January 16. According to a Serbian television news report, the patriarchate’s delegation expressed opposition to the possible canonization of Blessed Aloysius Stepinac (1898-1960), a Croatian prelate whom St. John Paul II beatified as a martyr in 1998. The delegation also said that Patriarch Irinej would not object to a papal visit to Serbia in his capacity as head of state but that “other forms of his visit require the ...

Jerusalem ( OCP ) - Several reports suggest that Jerusalem Patriarchate is willing to have a dialogue with the Patriarchate of Antioch over the disputes on the canonical jurisdictions in Qatar and affiliated areas. These two ancient Patriarchates broke communion over the dispute in Gulf region. Patriarch Theophanous of Jerusalem expressed his intention to reconcile with Patriarch John X of Antioch during the meeting of Orthodox Primates held last week in Chambesy, Switzerland. Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria will mediate the talks with the support from Archbishop Chrystosomos of Cyprus. The venue for dialogue will be the Island of Cyprus.

( STOTS ) - On Wednesday, January 20th, Fr. Steven gathered in the St. Nikolai of Zhicha Seminary Chapel together with faculty, administrative team members, and students to bless the main administrative building as the spring semester got underway. In addition, later in the day both the Archbishop Kiprian Women’s Dormitory and the Metropolitan Leonty Men’s Dormitory were blessed. May the Lord Jesus Christ, who deigned to be baptized by John in the River Jordan, bless all those who work, study, and teach, at the seminary!

( Armenian Church ) - Through the centuries, soldiers have prepared themselves for the dangers of battle by reading Psalm 91—the “Soldier’s Psalm.” Today, on Armenia’s Army Day, we offer this prayer for all who have ever found themselves in harm’s way. The Soldier's Psalm 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 O...

( Mospat ) - Decision taken by the 5th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference, Chambésy, October 10-17, 2015. Published in compliance with the resolution of the Synaxis of Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, Chambésy, January 21-28, 2016. Upon completing the work based on the text “Autonomy and the Means of Proclaiming It” that had been agreed upon and adopted by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission at its session in Chambésy on December 9-17, 2009, the 5th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference considered ecclesiological, canonical and pastoral aspects of the institution of autonomy and arrived at a unanimous Pan-Orthodox position on the matter. The issues considered by the 5th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference, derived from the topics of the text adopted by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission, related to: a) the concept, nature and various forms of the institution of autonomy; b) the prerequisites, on the basis of which a local Church petitions the Autocephalous C...

The Russian Church has published a bevy of English language releases on the documents related to the upcoming council. I'm going to repost many of them and express my appreciation for their distribution. ( Mospat ) - The document is approved by the participants in the Synaxis of the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches on January 21 – 28, 2016, in Chambesy, except representatives of the Patriarchate of Antioch. It is published by the decision of the Synaxis of the Primates. Article 1 - Introduction By the grace of the Holy Trinity, the Holy and Great Council is an authentic expression of the canonical tradition and perennial church practice as to the functioning of the conciliar system in One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and shall be convoked by His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch with the consent of their Beatitudes the Primates of all the universally recognized autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches. It shall consist of members appointed to the memberships of thei...

( AOB ) - Monday, January 25, 2016 Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting An Endorsed Agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA February 7, 2016 is National Scout Sunday Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On Sunday, February 7, 2016, Scouts all over the United States will celebrate National Scout Sunday. Scout Sunday is an annual event among all faiths which recognizes the good work that is done by Scouts in our religious communities. The observance of Scout Sunday tradition was started years ago to make people in the church aware of Scouting and to allow Scouts to live out of what is pledged each week. The Scout Law says that a “a Scout is Reverent” and the Scouts of all ages promise to do their “Duty to God”. These values strengthen youth character in their family, community and faith. That is why this Sunday is set aside to honor God and to remind us that we are all His Creatures and made in His Image or more precisely-to image (reflect) Him to...

Chambesy, January 27 ( Interfax ) - A Council of Orthodox church leaders, which has not been convened in over one thousand years, will be held on the Greek island of Crete in June 2016. "The Council will not be held in Istanbul. The position of the Russian Church was accepted. We proposed Athos, or Rhodes, or some other place, but the Patriarch of Constantinople proposed Crete," Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia told reporters after ending his visit to Shambesy, Switzerland, where Orthodox church leaders met earlier to discuss preparations for the Pan-Orthodox Council. This Greek island is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople, this place was proposed because "it has the most favorable conditions: there is a room for 400 people, accommodation, and Crete is a venue for very many of different conferences, including theological ones," the Russian Church leader said. "We know this place well and, of course, we accepted Crete as th...

( LitHub ) - Some translators might prefer their authors to be dead or reclusive, but I’m perfectly happy with alive and talking. Hearing my authors’ Russian voices, whether in person or via the Internet, helps me create English-language voices for their fiction. The intonations I hear in their spontaneous conversation and email—whether “intonations” are conversational contours I hear with my physical and internal ears, or the shadings I interpret from word choices—feed my intuition as I translate. My intuition craves feedings, so getting to know Eugene Vodolazkin early in the process of translating his Lavr , a novel about a man in the Middle Ages, into the English-language Laurus was a real feast. Though many Russian readers told me they thought the novel was impossible to translate, I loved the book so much that I agreed to translate some samples, and, later, the whole book. I was only a couple months into the work when organizers of a translator conference in Moscow sent out a ...

( Pravmir ) - “Traditionally, the Archbishop tries to find time in his busy schedule to help clean hospital wards. No wonder they say that cleanliness guarantees health,“ said the Ryazan Diocese. The Diocese believes that this sort of work doesn’t just help personnel and establish self-discipline, but also contributes to the recovery of patients. Another priest and seminary students came along with Vladika to work. In an earlier interview with Pravmir, Metropolitan Mark spoke about how a priest should serve, and formulated the basic rules of how a priest should conduct himself with parishioners. “First of all, of course, priests must remember that a man comes to God, not the priest and that there shouldn’t be a cult of personality in the Church. A pastor shouldn’t dominate or repress a parishioner’s identity. Second — a priest should in no way scare anyone. Once a frightened mother came to me with her daughter. When instructing the girl, the priest had said, maybe you w...

( RISU ) - A public debate on the position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine (in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate), the inter-Orthodox conflict and changes in church environment following the conflict is still ongoing. The religious map of Ukraine is changing, but it is not that we may analyze and even notice its latest trends. That is why we took the opportunity to talk with Archimandrite Cyril (Hovorun), former speaker of the UOC (MP), Senior Lecturer at Stockholm School of Theology and National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Researcher at Yale and Columbia Universities (USA). - I would like to talk about the policy of the UOC (MP) that has been criticized over the past two years. What may be the implications and is the position of neutrality on the part of the clergy reasonable enough? - In my opinion, the UOC displays a certain tendency to distance itself from social and political processes in Ukraine. Perhaps it sees no place in this process or does not wa...

This is not something you will see every day or even every decade. Enjoy.

It seems no one likes being called a band of gangsters. ( RISU ) - The speech of Patriarch Kirill Chambésy at a meeting of the Local Orthodox Churches on the situation in Ukraine caused an immediate response from the Synod of the UOC-KP, which was held in Kyiv on January 23 under the chairmanship of Patriarch Filaret. The Synod of UOC-KP expressed outrage, calling the speech of Kirill biased, not objective, filled with references to non-existing or wrongfully presented and distorted facts. As the UOC-KP stress, this statement gives the Synaxis participants a wrong idea about the real situation in Ukraine, including the issue of transition of communities from the Moscow Patriarchate under the omophorion Kyiv Patriarchate. “Therefore this statement, being a public false statement that misleads other people, is not worthy of the title of bishop and the position of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church that Kirill (Gundyaev) holds,” goes the resolution of the Synod of the UOC-K...

( OCA ) - At the request of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, members of the Orthodox Church in America’s Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations gathered for a consultation at the Chancery here on Thursday, January 21, 2016. In addition to Metropolitan Tikhon, members of the Standing Synod of Bishops—His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin; His Eminence, Archbishop Michael; and His Grace, Bishop Paul—were present, as was His Grace, Bishop Alexander, who chairs the Office. Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of External Affairs, and Dr. Paul Meyendorff also attended, while Archpriests John Erickson and Alexander Rentel participated by phone. Others present included Archpriests John Jillions and Eric G. Tosi, Chancellor and Secretary respectively; Melanie Ringa, Treasurer; Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak, Secretary to Metropolitan Tikhon, and Alexis Liberovsky, OCA Archivist. Two major areas of concern were addressed during the consultation. The need to plan for the ...

In the Council's free time, could it possible tackle the lamentable proclivity for the laity (and sadly the clergy) to spend more time witnessing Church events through the lenses of their cameraphones than with their eyes? Stop it. Please.

PARIS ( Washington Post ) — The first major council of the world’s Eastern Orthodox churches in over 1,200 years will take place in Crete after the influential Russian Orthodox Church said political tensions between Moscow and Ankara ruled out holding it in Turkey. The compromise, reached at a preparatory meeting held outside Geneva, means the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church will not take place as planned in Hagia Irene, a church-turned-museum in Istanbul where the Council of Constantinople confirmed the Nicene Creed in 381. Explaining the decision on Sunday (Jan. 24), Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian church said the change was made because “it should be in an Orthodox Christian country. Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country now.” But the move also comes in the wake of strong pressure from the Russian church’s pro-Kremlin leadership to change the venue after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet that strayed into its airspace from neighboring Syria in Novemb...

If you read this article and the keynote address of the Ecumenical Patriarch you will find that they are not of one mind on everything and so both stories are certainly worth reading in detail. ( mospat.ru ) - On January 22, 2016, the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches met at the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Orthodox center in Chambesy. Addressing the Synaxis, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted that each meeting of the Primates of Orthodox Churches is an event of special importance. ‘It is an opportunity for us to exchange opinions, to discuss problems of concern for us and to make agreed decisions on matters of pan-Orthodox significance. But above all, it is an opportunity to feel again our unity, especially when we together partake of one Cup in the awareness that we all are one Body in Christ (Rom. 12:5)’, His Holiness said. He also expressed gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople who initiated and organized the meeting...

( EP ) - Your Beatitudes and beloved Brothers in the Lord, Primates of the local most holy Orthodox Churches and venerable representatives of brother Primates precluded from participating in this Synaxis, together with Your honorable entourages. Welcome to this sacred place of our most holy Church of Constantinople, this Center dedicated to the service of Pan-Orthodox unity, which has for decades hosted and continues to host numerous Inter-Orthodox and Pan-Orthodox encounters hammering out and advancing the unity of the most holy Orthodox Church. We wholeheartedly pray that Your sojourn here may prove for each of You satisfactory and pleasing in every way, while our work may be guided by the breath of the Paraclete in order to bear abundant fruit for the love and edification of the body of the Church to the glory of God. As we know, this Synaxis of ours was to be held at our see, but extraordinary objective circumstances that prevented some of our brothers from traveling there imp...

Not familiar with the mission? Read more here .

Amid the Turko-Russian animosity that has arisen in recent days, it is a not unimportant sign that this pre-conciliar meeting is taking place in the "neutral ground" of Chambésy. ( mospat.ru ) - In compliance with a pan-Orthodox decision, the Synaxis of the Primates and representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches will begin its work at the Orthodox Centre of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Chambésy, Switzerland, on 22 January 2016. The participants in the week-long meeting will discuss the preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church will include His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; and archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman. The Russian Orthodox Church has always taken and continues to take an active part in the Pre-Council process, notwithstanding a number of difficulti...

( Sightings ) - During the meeting of Christian Orthodox Primates (heads of local Orthodox churches), which begins today in Switzerland, the participants will show the world whether the unity of the Orthodox Church is more important than their particular agendas. The issue facing the Primates is whether to convene, as planned, a “Holy and Great” Council of the Orthodox Church, or Pan-Orthodox Council as it is also called, around the feast of Pentecost, in June of this year. The Holy and Great Council (if it takes place) will have historical momentum, not only for Orthodox believers, but also for the global religious landscape. Given increasing religious pluralism on the international scene, the fall of the Soviet Union, and growing secularization in developed countries, the convocation of a Pan-Orthodox Council is, in part, intended to signal the continued unity of communion among the fourteen independent, or autocephalous, Orthodox Churches. The idea of convening a “Holy and ...

( NCRegister ) - A Lutheran group from Finland, led by their bishop, Samuel Salmi of Oulu, reportedly received Holy Communion in St Peter’s basilica this week, despite indicating to the priests present that they were ineligible to do so. According to Finnish news agency Kotimaa, and reported here in Estonian, the priests celebrating the Mass were aware that they were Lutherans. The report said that at the time of Communion, the Finnish Lutherans put their right hand on their left shoulder to show they could not receive the Eucharist and wanted to receive a blessing instead. The Finnish Lutheran bishop said the priests distributing Communion ignored the sign and offered the Lutherans Communion anyway. The bishop also received the Eucharist. The report said the youth choir from Finland sung at the Mass, and Bishop Salmi was asked to greet those present on behalf of the Finnish Lutherans. So there was no doubt who they were. Bishop Salmi said Pope Francis was not present at th...

"Half educated people and over-educated people do not believe in a personal, righteous, omnipotent, and unoriginate God, but believe in an impersonal origin, and in some kind of evolution of the world and all beings. Therefore they act as if they will not have to give an answer to anyone for their words and deeds, making gods of themselves, their reason, and their passions. In their blindness they reach the point of insanity, deny the very existence of God, and maintain that everything stems from blind evolution. But he who has an intellect does not believe such insane ravings." - St. John of Kronstadt

NEW YORK ( GOARCH ) – His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will convene under his chairmanship, Jan. 21-28, 2016, a Synaxis of the Primates of the local Orthodox Churches at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Geneva. The Synaxis will deal with matters related to preparation for the Holy and Great Council, which has been decided to convene this year. His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America will be a member of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The official announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, issued yesterday January 18, 2016, follows: ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE COMMUNIQUE The Ecumenical Patriarchate announces that, following an invitation by His All-Holiness to Their Beatitudes the Primates of the local most holy Orthodox Churches, he will chair a Synaxis at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Geneva, from January 21st to 28th, 2016. All of the Primates have declared that they ...

The scroll reads: "Evolutionism is the key to the philosophy of antichrist"

( Fox News ) - The Islamic State terror group's destruction of the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq represents "a battle of savagery against decency," U.S. Col. Steve Warren told Fox News from Baghdad. Satellite photos obtained exclusively by The Associated Press confirm the worst fears of church authorities and preservationists -- St. Elijah's Monastery of Mosul has been completely wiped out. For 1,400 years the compound survived assaults by nature and man, standing as a place of worship recently for U.S. troops. In earlier centuries, generations of monks tucked candles in the niches and prayed in the cool chapel. The Greek letters chi and rho, representing the first two letters of Christ's name, were carved near the entrance. "This enemy has proven time and again its ruthlessness, its barbarity, its willingness to destroy everything from human life to civilian supporting infrastructure, to, you know, cultural artifacts, with absolute disregard for...

1/18/2016 India ( UCAN ) - Twelve people were arrested and jailed, accused of violating a law restricting religious conversions in central Indian Madhya Pradesh state. They were arrested late Jan. 14 in Dahar village of the state's Dhar district and sent to jail the next day. Those imprisoned included a blind man, and a mother with her 3-year-old child. Seven people were released on bail Jan. 17, according to Janu Bai, 35, one of the arrested. "We did not know why we were arrested and sent to jail," Bai told ucanews.com after being released from the jail. She said the group follows the teachings of Jesus but have not converted to Christianity and had gathered at the home of Shankar Singh to celebrate the Hindu harvest festival of Makarsankrati. Singh said he suspects a "conspiracy" to trap him and his friends who came there by invitation. "There was no conversion activity and no attempt to convert anyone," Singh said. Madhya Pradesh state ...

Quite a strong turnout for such cold weather I'm told. Below is Fr. Jonathan Bannon with his group from nearby Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Rockford, IL.

( Aleteia ) - When people talk about immigration helping to fill empty pews in Catholic churches in the United States, the images that comes to mind are of Mariachi masses and posada celebrations. But two groups of new Catholic immigrants, who bring a very different sense to their liturgical celebrations, are growing fast enough that Pope Francis recently established new dioceses for them in North America. And with church traditions deeply rooted in the Middle East and India, liturgies celebrated by these ethnic groups are quite out of this world. On Jan. 3, the Holy Father erected the Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States of America and Canada, for faithful of the Syro-Malakara Church, and appointed India-born Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil as its eparch. The new eparchy, equivalent to a diocese, was previously an exarchate, a sort of vicariate attached to a more established diocese. Just four days later, Pope Francis erected the apostolic exar...

( OCA ) - January 17, 2016 will be observed as “Sanctity of Life Sunday” in parishes across the US. Special liturgical petitions and prayers are available on the Prayers for Orthodox Christians page and in PDF format. The day serves as a prelude to the annual March for Life, marking the 43rd Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States, in the US Capital on Friday, January 22. As in past years, Orthodox Christians from across the country will gather to proclaim the sanctity of God’s precious gift of life and to remember the millions of victims abortion has claimed over the past four decades. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon will be among the Orthodox Christian hierarchs, clergy, seminarians and faithful participating in the annual March for Life in the US Capital on January 22. Among the other members of the Orthodox Church in America’s Holy Synod of Bishops expected to participate are His Emimence, Archbishop Benjamin; His Eminence, ...

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, OH ( OCA-Midwest ) — “ZOE for Life!” recently conducted its first training program for volunteers at Archangel Michael Church, Broadview Heights, OH. ZOE for Life! is a pan-Orthodox Christian charity with three major goals: to help women who need confidential emotional and spiritual support during crisis pregnancies; to assist Orthodox Christians seeking to adopt children; and to provide an education for pure living and other resources. The training program consisted of a series of sessions on topics related to these goals. Twenty-six volunteers attended the program, including three from the ZOE’s Michigan chapter. “Thank you to all the wonderful people who attended our volunteer training,” ZOE President Paula Kappos said, adding that the organization is in need of a number of volunteers, including medical personnel, teachers and counselors, administrative and support personnel, and experts in the fields of fundraising, information technology and social media...