Source: Chicago Tribune By Lisa Black Prosecutor: Chicago Greek Orthodox bishop was warned not to intimidate witness in theft case against priest A high-ranking Greek Orthodox bishop in Chicago was warned by a prosecutor against “potential efforts to intimidate witnesses” in a case involving a priest accused of stealing more than $100,000 from a Milwaukee church. The warning came after another priest in Milwaukee told authorities that Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the No. 2-ranking official in the Greek Orthodox faith in the Midwest, threatened in emails to remove him from his post if the church did not withdraw a theft…
Monthly Archives: February, 2015
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Despite wintery weather, Chancellors and Treasurers of the dioceses of the Orthodox Church in America gathered at the Chancery here for their fourth annual meeting on February 3, 2015. The meeting opened with the celebration of a Service of Thanksgiving in Saint Sergius Chapel, after which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon welcomed those in attendance. Archpriests John Jillions and John Erickson and Mr. Alexis Liberovsky, Archivist, presented an overview of the Statute revision process, reporting that a final draft, to be shared with the faithful on the 18th All-American Council web site, was…
Source: Ecumenical News by Miko Morelos and Peter Kenny The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has castigated the Greek-Catholic Church in Ukraine for being “divisive,” saying its stance puts at risk the improving of relations between Rome and Moscow. Patriarch Kirill at the same time singled out the Vatican for what he said is a measured tone in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. He pointed out that the Holy See had maintained its position on the resumption of peace talks instead of making “any lopsided assessments.” “Today, fresh conflicts in Ukraine in light of the latest political events in the country…
Source: Dalje.com The civil war in Ukraine, pitting Orthodox Christians against other Orthodox Christians, is a “scandal,” Pope Francis said Wednesday. “Think, this is a war between Christians. You all have the same baptism! You are fighting between Christians. Think about this scandal,” Francis said in his weekly general audience at the Vatican. “We pray first of all for the victims, including very many civilians, and for their families, and we ask the Lord for this horrible fratricidal violence to stop as soon as possible,” the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics added. [subscribe2]
Source: b92.net / TANJUG SKOPJE — Head of the Orthodox Diocese of Ohrid Archbishop Jovan Vraniskovski has been released on parole. The Court of Appeal in Skopje rejected the appeal by the public prosecutor, who wanted Vraniskovski to continue serving his sentence. The court decision to release Vraniskovski is valid until March 23, 2017, according to the Macedonian news agency MIA. The canonically unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MPC) sought Vraniskovski’s release after mediation from Russian Orthodox Church Bishop Ilarion Alfeyev, who asked for a pardon for Vraniskovski during his visit to Skopje on December 21, 2014. Since…
Source: Seeds of Hope – Orthodox Christian Healing & Counseling A recipient’s reconciliation journey with SEEDS of HOPE, Orthodox Healing & Counseling. Looking out the window one day she saw a red cardinal bird pecking at the glass. It harkened her back to youthful days. As a child, she was told that the red bird was rarely seen in the area. If one says a prayer when infrequently spotted, that bird was Christ’s helper and would take those prayers directly to HIM. The bird is red because it represents the blood of Christ. As a child, it sounded plausible to…
Source: The National Herald ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine will host its 33rd annual St. Photios National Shrine Day Pilgrimage Feb. 6–8. The feast day of St. Photios is celebrated on February 6. During the three-day celebration, the St. Photios Foundation will also hold its annual meeting from 10 AM to 2 PM Feb. 7 at the Casa Monica Hotel. On February 6 there will be a unveiling and blessing of two new exhibits, a special exhibit that will be on display for one year is titled: “Pioneering Priests — Establishing the Greek Orthodox…
Source: Vestnik Kavkaza Recently the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media warned Russia media against publication of cartoons on religious topics, as, according to the law, any mocking of saints of various religions can be treated as incitement of religious hatred.Harmonization of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations is thought to be a priority of Russia’s ethnic policy. Moscow believes that the country’s prosperity depends on building relations between representatives of various ethnic groups and religions. Speaking about the role of religion in society’s life, Roman Bogdasarov, the deputy chairman of the agency for relations between the…
Source: Armenpress YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. From January 2431, the 12th meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches was held in Rome, Italy. The theme of the Theological Dialogue referred to the Ecclesiastical councils, entitled “Historical Development of Ecclesiastical Councils and Theology”. The Information Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informed “Armenpress” that attending the Joint Commission from the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church were, His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America; His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate…
Source: St. Phoebe Center for the History of the Deaconess The Tradition of the Female Deacon in the Eastern Churches PowerPoint Presentation by Valerie Karras, ThD, PhD and Caren Stayer, PhD All Conference documents and audio/visual resources are available by CLICKING HERE. [subscribe2]
Source: The National Herald BY CONSTANTINE S. SIRIGOS NEW YORK – Archimandrite Vasileios, former Abbot of the Iveron Monastery of Mouth Athos, was the keynote speaker at the annual celebration of Greek letters on the occasion of the Feast Day of the Three Hierarchs presented by the Archdiocese of America. Guests were welcomed to the nave of Holy Trinity by the Dean of the Cathedral, Fr. John Vlahos after a performance of the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir. Archbishop Demetrios offered closing remarks. The feast day of the three fathers of the Orthodox Church, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian…