Patriarch

New Jerusalem Armenian patriarch elected

January 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Source: The Daily Star - Lebanon JERUSALEM: Archbishop Nurhan Manougian has been elected the 97th Armenian Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, one of the five custodians of Christian religious sites in the Holy Land, sources told AFP on Thursday. Manougian, 65, replaces Torkom Manougian, who died aged 93 in October 2012, after falling into a coma following a stroke. The new patriarch will lead the small Armenian Orthodox communities in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, as … [Read more...]

Future Movement open to hybrid vote law

January 19, 2013 Leave a Comment

Source: The Daily Star - Lebanon By Wassim Mroueh BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed the willingness of the Future Movement to discuss a draft electoral law that combines proportional representation with a winner-takes-all system during a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri Friday, said a source close to Berri. “Former Prime Minister Siniora expressed his party’s openness to discuss the draft law which the parliamentary subcommittee is currently studying,” said the … [Read more...]

Sofia Bishopric Claims Patriarch’s Election Is Sabotaged

January 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

Source: Sofia News Agency The Sofia Bishopric has labeled the Friday refusal of the Diocesan Council of prelates and vicars to sign the list of representatives from the Sofia Diocese to elect a new patriarch a "sabotage." The list was prepared by interim Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan Kiril. The Bishopric admits that there have been disagreements in the process of preparing the list, but their escalation, they say, was a clear sign that the story aims at sabotaging the … [Read more...]

Bulgaria’s Batak Wants Martyr Ossuary Reinstated as Museum

November 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

Source: Sofia News Agency Nearly 900 residents of the Bulgarian historical town of Batak have signed a petition asking interim Patriarch Kiril to stop services at the Sveta Nedeliya Church where the relics of the Batak martyrs are kept. They want the Church to return to its museum status and State ownership. The initiators further say they found in archives documents showing that as early as 1915 locals wanted the Church with the ossuary to be a museum. In a recent declaration, the … [Read more...]

Interim Patriarch Calls for Unity of Bulgarian Orthodox Church – UPDATED

November 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Source: Sofia News Agency The unity of the Holy Synod and of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the most important issue for Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria, according to Varna Metropolitan Kiril. Kiril made the statement Sunday in the Bulgarian capital during his very first mass as Sofia Metropolitan and interim Patriarch. "When opinions differ, each must be well-grounded. I hope that all metropolitans will attend the next meeting of the Holy Synod and that those who would be absent … [Read more...]

O, Lord, Have Mercy on Us! – Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church

November 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

Source: Sofia News Agency by Milena Hristova Plagued by wrangling and greed, greatly discredited – this is what Bulgaria's Orthodox church has come to be in recent years, leaving Christian believers nothing but disturbed. The disagreements between the clergy and the two churches in the country have been smouldering for years, but exploded beyond belief after the death of Patriarch Maxim. The battle among the different lobbies inside the official church, legitimized by the old … [Read more...]

The Clergy Laity Congress Has Ignored the Patriarch’s Directive to Achieve Unity

July 26, 2012 5 Comments

George Matsoukas, Executive Director of OCL

Source: The National Herald | George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity Having looked over the information concerning the recently completed National Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, which took place in Phoenix, AZ and having talked to some members of my local community in Southeast Florida who attended, I conclude that there were no workshops, discussions, or information presented on the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central … [Read more...]