Source: Public Orthodoxy by George Demacopoulos In 1095, Pope Urban II told a large gathering of knights in Southern France that it was their responsibility to avenge the Islamic conquest of the Holy Land (he did not mention that the conquest had occurred nearly 500 years earlier). Urban’s sermon led to the First Crusade, and it forever changed the dynamics between Western Europe, Eastern Christianity, and the Islamic world. From a Christian theological perspective, Urban introduced an entirely novel—some might say heretical—way of thinking about the relationship between Christian piety and violence. Near the end of his sermon, Urban declared, “Set out on…
Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary
Child of Governance
Source: St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess The recording of our September 1 event, Why Are Deaconesses Needed in the Church Today is now available for viewing. The event was held to recognize St. Phoebe who is commemorated in the Church on September 3. Presentations were thoughtful and engaging. Our panelists gave us much to think about, helped us understand what influences the decisions of bishops, and offered new considerations for carrying out our mission. You may want to gather a group to watch it in someone’s home or at your parish. If you do, please share your thoughts and feedback with us at: stphoebecenter@gmail.com.
Source: Orthodox Reality The report, The “New Traditional” in a Most Traditional Church: How the Pandemic Has Reshaped American Orthodox Christian Churches. What Do Lay People Think about It?, is available now. More than 2,000 ordinary parishioners from all parts of the USA participated in this study, and shared their thoughts about Orthodox Church life in America during and post-pandemic An executive summary (4 pages) can be downloaded here: https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NewTraditionalLaityReportExecSummary.pdf A summary of major findings and conclusions (10 pages) can be downloaded here: https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NewTraditionalLaityReportConcludingPart.pdf The full report can be downloaded here: https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NewTraditionalLaityReportFinalSecured.pdf The core question addressed in this report is: how…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Emil Saggau This spring, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) sealed significant and important deals, which has solidified and strengthened the SOC’s position. The first “deal” in May turned the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC), formally the Ohrid Archbishopric, into a canonical church, which ended around 50 years of estrangement between the SOC and MOC. The second one in July was between the SOC and the Montenegrin government, which granted the SOC privileges in Montenegro and closed almost twenty years of uncertainty between the two parties. These deals are not just a sign of the new diplomatic strength of…
Source: International Orthodox Theological Association IOTA has launched its new video series, IOTA Talks™. The purpose of IOTA Talks is to produce short, engaging videos where Orthodox scholars share an idea about which they feel passionate with lay Christians in a manner they can understand. Some talks are primarily intended for inquirers wishing to learn more about the Christian faith. Other talks are more suitable for those engaged in Christian education, from Sunday School teachers to clergy. IOTA Talks will engage the fundamental questions of Christian faith and contemporary issues. Three talks are now available on IOTA’s YouTube Channel: Dr. Paul…
Source: World Council of Churches The 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September 2022, under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity”. The WCC Assembly is the highest governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and normally meets every eight years. It is the only time when the entire fellowship of member churches comes together in one place for prayer and celebration. A WCC Assembly is a special time in the lives of member churches, ecumenical partners, and other churches, as it brings together more…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Andrew Louth The Christian world as a whole—and the Orthodox world, in particular—has been horrified by the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of Russia. It seems to be a distressingly indiscriminate campaign, in which thousands have been killed—young soldiers, men, women, and children—as well as hospitals, schools, homes, monasteries, churches destroyed, with millions of refugees fleeing from their homes and livelihoods. From the beginning, his Holiness, Patriarch Kirill, has spoken out in support of the military operation in Ukraine, using the same mealy-mouthed expression as President Putin to obscure the truth that a sovereign…
Source: Religion News Service Why those removed from the world should refrain from declarations on marriage and family. By John Chryssavgis (RNS) — In the Orthodox Christian world, few places are better known or more lovingly venerated than Mount Athos, the 10th-century Greek monastery legendarily dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Composed of 20 citadels scattered over a peninsula of exceptional beauty in northern Greece, boasting magnificent manuscripts and icons, Athos is home to some 2,000 monks. Among them, as in every society, there are saints and sinners, sane and strange. I have visited countless times and have been blessed to engage…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – One of the grand benefactors of the Church and Omogenia in America, the scientist, inventor, and businessman Dr. Spiro Spireas, has broken his silence and in an exclusive interview with The National Herald, he discusses and opines about the situation that has developed in the Archdiocese of America, and the course and actions of Archbishop Elpidophoros. The voice of Dr. Spireas, founder and owner of the large pharmaceutical company Sigmapharm Laboratories, echoes the vast majority of his wealthy Greek Orthodox friends and acquaintances who belong to the lay body of the…
Source: Christian Network Europe (CNE) News The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has called on patriarch Bartholomew to condemn Moscow patriarch Kirill for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With the approval of the synod of his bishops, Metropolitan Epiphanius wrote a letter to the head of world orthodoxy, the patriarch of Constantinople, to condemn Kirill for heresy and schism. The letter, available to the Catholic German daily Die Tagespost, reads that the patriarch should “review and condemn at a pan-Orthodox level the activities of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev and the ethnophyletic and racist doctrine of the Russian world”. Epiphanius accuses…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Chief Secretary of the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Director of the Department of Religious Education, Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, in a confidential report dated May 3, 2022, to Archbishop Elpidophoros, reveals the situation during Holy Week Services at Holy Cross School of Theology and for the School in general. In his report, which was made available to The National Herald, Bishop Athenagoras directly denounces the president of HCHC, George Cantonis, as well as the deans of both Hellenic College, Timothy Patitsas, and of the…
Source: The Wheel Winter/Spring 2022 The Romanian Orthodox Church in the Age of Autocracy Ionut Biliuta In 2007, when Metropolitan Daniel Ciobotea of Moldova and Bukovina became the sixth Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the theological and priestly worlds were brimming with expectation. A respected scholar of systematic theology with degrees obtained in the West, an ecumenical theologian, and a diplomat of the Church, he was the obvious choice for succeeding the old and beleaguered Patriarch Teoctist Arăpașu. Being the spiritual leader of one of the most significant Orthodox churches was no easy task in post-communist Romania. The Patriarchate…