Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has just received the Ecumenical Award of the Catholic Academy of Bavaria “in recognition of his contribution to the Ecumenical Dialogue, that is, the effort to bring Christian Churches closer together.” At the ceremony in Munich on June 6, 2025, Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, President of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), delivered a heartfelt tribute to the Ecumenical Patriarch that beautifully expressed some of His All-Holiness’ innumerable accomplishment in nearly thirty-four years as the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. Bedford-Strohm stated that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew…
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Source: Assembly of Orthodox Canonical Bishops of the USA Approved by the Executive Committee on June 23, 2025 Mourning the loss of at least 25 lives and lamenting the suffering of more than 60 wounded faithful Orthodox Christians violated during the Divine Liturgy at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweil’a on June 22, 2025, we, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, condemn the terrorist attack on the innocent parishioners as a cowardly display of extremism. As many leaders of various religions have expressed over the past half century, we promulgate the sentiment that…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA Relations between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) continue to worsen. Certainly, a major factor has been the loss of UOC churches to the OCU. The loss of churches is a complex issue. There are situations where a UOC religious community voluntarily decides by a fair vote to change its affiliation to the OCU. However, difficult questions can arise as to who is eligible to vote. If a village has only one church, should villagers who rarely attend services be able to vote or should the voters be limited…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Cardiff, Wales, UK | In the course of a busy and eventful week accompanying Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on his Patriarchal Visit to the United Kingdom, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Monday, June 23, 2025 hosted a luncheon in Cardiff, Wales, in honor of the Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office, and devoted assistant to the Ecumenical Patriarch. His All-Holiness and Father Aetios. The occasion for the luncheon was the fact that Father Aetios received word, in the presence of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch; His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel,…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: An unspeakable atrocity took place on Sunday, June 22, 2025 in Dweila, a village on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria. A suicide bomber entered the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church during the Divine Liturgy and detonated his explosive vest, murdering twenty-two people and injuring another 63. According to Noureddine Al-Baba, a spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry, the attacker was linked the Islamic State terrorist group, which several years ago controlled large swaths of Syria. In a phone conversation with His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch…
Source: Orthodox Church in America ANCHORAGE, AK [OCA] On June 18, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon traveled to Alaska to preside at the services for the glorification of the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk, where hundreds of pilgrims gathered for the event from across Alaska and North America. His Beatitude and his delegation, which included Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America and Deacon Alexander Woodill, were greeted at the Anchorage airport on Wednesday, June 18, by His Eminence Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska, along with diocesan clergy and faithful. On Thursday morning, June 19, His Beatitude, together with a delegation of…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] Links are now available to livestream the upcoming glorification services of the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk. The faithful of the Orthodox Church in America are invited to watch the services that mark an important occasion in the life of our Church. The following services will be broadcast live: Primatial All-Night Vigil for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Thursday, June 19 Time: 4:00 PM AKDT Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/iUpL1KWTgxc?feature=share Primatial Divine Liturgy for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Friday, June 20 Time: 9:00 AM AKDT Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/S53n8pgekLI?feature=share Primatial All-Night Vigil in Honor of…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Youngstown, OH On June 12th, clergy and laity gathered at St. John the Forerunner parish for an informational and brainstorming session on Inter-Parish Associations. Participants presented creative ideas for collaborative ministry, and parishes in the area expressed excitement in taking the next step toward officially becoming an Inter-Parish Association. Following the event, Spyridoula Fotinis, the AoB Director of Inter-Parish Associations, said, “we are excited by the enthusiasm of the Orthodox Christian community in Youngstown and look forward to working with them to establish their IPA and their ministries in the area!”…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPOKANE, WA [OCA] ADF attorneys file suit on behalf of the Orthodox Church in America and Orthodox Churches, priests over state law that violates constitutional rights On behalf of Orthodox Churches and priests, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, with co-counsel Eric Kniffin and George Ahrend, filed a federal lawsuit on June 16, 2025, to challenge a Washington state law that targets priests by criminalizing their religious obligation to keep confessions confidential. “The First Amendment guarantees that governments cannot single out religious believers for worse treatment,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Archbishop George of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, in an exclusive interview with The National Herald, explains the reasons and developments that led the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus to dethrone Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos. He referred to Tychikos’s involvement with schismatics and clarified the appeal he submitted to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Regarding the issues at Avvakoum Monastery, he noted: “The matter has been closed for the Church; the individuals involved have been defrocked.” The interview follows: The National Herald (TNH): Your Beatitude, thank you very much for speaking with us. Please…
Source: The Jerusalem Post Damage reported at Xenophontos, Dochiariou, and Simonopetra monasteries; centuries-old frescoes affected. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck the peninsula of Mount Athos on June 7, at 15:46. The strongest in a series of tremors, its epicenter was located in the sea near the coastal monasteries of Dochiariou and Xenophontos. The earthquake caused damages to historical buildings and frescoes in Mount Athos. Greater damage was noticeable on the walls where icons are located in the Dohiar Monastery. In the Dohijar Monastery, the earthquake caused the opening of old cracks that had been superficially closed with…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA The Assembly of Bishops committee for liturgy met in Rives Junction, Michigan, graciously hosted by Archbishop Nathaniel and sisters of the Holy Dormition Orthodox Monastery, from June 9-10, 2025. After attending Vespers on June 9th, the committee members gathered in fellowship and discussed ongoing topics of interest as well as potential future projects. On June 10th – fulfilling the commitment made by the entire Assembly of Bishops in the statement entitled On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination to “continue to provide new rituals and ways to address these circumstances,…