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Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Houston, Texas is Thinking Globally and Acting Locally on Pan-Orthodox Unity SAVE THE DATE:  November 2, 2019 Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral 3511 Yoakum Boulevard Houston, TX 77006 Message and Blessing from Archbishop Elpidophoros: “…we should look at the universe as our parish.” Speakers: His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver will speak, joined by Kenneth Kidd Focus North America, Fr. Stephen Powley of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry and Michael Spartalis. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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Source: Orthodox Christianity CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO Thessaloniki — Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople concelebrated the Divine Liturgy in Thessaloniki today together with a number of hierarchs from their respective Local Churches. The Liturgy was celebrated in the 5th-century Byzantine Church of the Acheiropoietos, reports Romfea. Most significantly, “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko, the primate of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” created by Pat. Bartholomew and ex-President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, was commemorated in the service as a primate of a Local Church. This marks the first time Epiphany was commemorated and entered into…

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Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Keynote Address of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros at the Archdiocesan Council Meeting October 17, 2019 New York Midtown Hilton New York, New York Your Eminences and Your Graces, Mr. John Catsimatidis, Vice Chairman of this Archdiocesan Council, Distinguished Members of the Executive Committee and Members of the Archdiocesan Council, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, just four months after my arrival in the United States, and only five months from my election as your Archbishop, I can promise each of you that our beloved Archdiocese of America is back on course and headed to…

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Source: Orthodox Christianity MOSCOW – Informal talks between the Russian and Greek Churches are underway, looking for a way to resolve the crisis that has arisen in Orthodoxy thanks to Constantinople’s meddling in the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Church and in the relations between the two Churches following Saturday’s meeting of the Greek Bishops’ Council, a source in Greek Church circles told RIA-Novosti. The discussions are also connected with today’s session of the Russian Holy Synod, which is already underway. “It is possible to avoid a deterioration of the situation if the ROC comes out with a proposal to Archbishop…

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Source: The Russian Orthodox Church On 17th October 2019, during a session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a statement was adopted concerning the situation that arose in the Greek Orthodox Church after it convened on 12th October 2019 the extraordinary Council of Hierarchs on the Ukrainian church issue (Minutes No. 125).  Members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church have acquainted themselves with the published in the mass media documents of the extraordinary Council of Hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church held on 12th October 2019, in particular, with the communiqué of the Council and the report…

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Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK – The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America convened for their regular fall meeting, October 15-16, under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and: 1)   Decided on the reorganization of the Synodal Committees as follows: a)Committee on Canonical Matters presided by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. b)Committee on Liturgical Texts presided by His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. c)Committee on Ecclesiastical Music presided by His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey. d)Committee on Holy Monasteries presided by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta. e)Committee on Inter-Orthodox…

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Source: Orthodox Christianity Piraeus, Greece – The results and consequences of the meeting of the hierarchs of the Greek Church on Saturday remain unclear. As OrthoChristian reported yesterday, the press team created by the Bishops’ Council announced that the Greek Church recognized the so-called “Ukrainian Orthodox Church” (OCU), thought this interpretation of the councils’ proceedings was later called into question. Both Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus and Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira revealed that, in fact, the hierarchs did not vote on the matter of recognizing the OCU, and thus it cannot be said that recognition happened. Met. Seraphim of Piraeus issued another statement today,…

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Source: Orthodox Christianity ATHENS – While media reports have stated that the Bishops’ Council of the Greek Church resolved to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” on Saturday, drawing on Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos’ statements to the press, two prominent hierarchs of the Greek Church say this is not true. Both Metropolitans Seraphim of Piraeus and Seraphim of Kythira, both of whom have addressed the Ukrainian issue several times before, have issued statements in the wake of Saturday’s session, stating that the issue of recognizing the OCU was not put to a vote and that the hierarchs simply reaffirmed the Holy Synod’s earlier decision.…

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Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Yekaterina Filatova Abp. Ieronymos in his report referred to the two committees created by the Holy Synod to investigate the Ukrainian issue, which both recommended recognizing the OCU. The Bishops’ Council of the Greek Orthodox Church, gathered in an extraordinary session today, has resolved to recognize the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU), which was previously recognized only by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which created the new structure last December, reports “Romfea”. It is noted that during the meeting, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece made a report “The Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine”, in which…

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Source: Orthodox Christianity Prespa, North Macedonia — “There is a sense that the Patriarchate of Constantinople will launch formal talks on autocephaly,” Metropolitan Peter of Prespa-Pelagoniski of the schismatic “Macedonian Orthodox Church” (MOC) told reporters recently, as reports Romfea. There have been no official contacts or meetings yet, the MOC hierarch stressed, though he said there has been an informal expression of a desire by Patriarch Bartholomew himself to resolve the issue of the Serbian-Macedonian schism. “There is a disposition by the Patriarchate of Constantinople to resolve the issue of the autocephaly of our church in one of the future sessions of the…

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Source: Orthodox Christianity Kiev – Patriarch Bartholomew’s relations with the primates of the Local Orthodox Churches around the world have turned tense thanks to the Ukrainian issue, says His Grace Bishop Victor of Baryshev, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s representative to European international organizations. In particular, things have turned sour between the Phanar and His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Albania and His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus. The former has even received insulting letters from hierarchs in the Patriarchate of Constantinople because of his position on the Ukrainian crisis, Bp. Victor said on the program “Right to Faith” on the First…

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Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Elena Konstantinova Epiphany Dumenko told US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine William Taylor how the process of formation and recognition of the OCU is going on. On October 3, 2019, the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko met with US Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in Ukraine William Taylor, reports the official website of the newly formed religious structure reports. In particular, according to the press service of the OCU, Dumenko “told Mr. Taylor about the latest events in the religious life in Ukraine”. In addition, Dumenko informed the American Ambassador on how the “process of the formation of the OCU and…

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