Browsing: Governance & Unity Essays

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA The meeting of the Synaxis of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Istanbul, September 1-3.  This meeting, which is held every three years, included more than one hundred bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from throughout the world.  At the beginning of the Synaxis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave an address.   https://ec-patr.org/%e1%bc%90%ce%bd%ce%b1%cf%81%ce%ba%cf%84%ce%ae%cf%81%ce%b9%ce%bf%cf%82-%e1%bd%81%ce%bc%ce%b9%ce%bb%ce%af%ce%b1-%cf%84%e1%bf%86%cf%82-%ce%b1-%ce%b8-%cf%80%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%b9%cf%8c-3/  The following are some of his observations:  A major problem in this connection is the anthropological and moral confusion about the essentials of life, even among Christians.  It is self-evident that we are concerned with the division of Christianity…

by S. P. Stamatis. M.A. Many years ago, an Orthodox bishop of Great Britain was asked this question during a gathering. His reply was simple, but profound: “It’s the Church that Celebrates the Divine Liturgy”                                     –Bishop Timothy “Kallistos” Ware  On the surface, this statement by Bishop Ware suggests that it’s the primary mission of the Church. But before we allow the 1960s song “Is That All There Is?” to fall from our lips, let’s take a closer look at the Holy Rite from a lay perspective. Indeed, the bishop’s focus showcased the Liturgy as the “Main Event” that defines…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Dr. Sergii Bortnyk Director of the ‘Academic Initiative’ Charitable Foundation (Kyiv, Ukraine) Recent weeks have been quite intense in Ukraine’s religious sphere. Undoubtedly, the most resonant event was the adoption of Bill No. 8371 by the Ukrainian Parliament on August 20. In its latest version, it was titled “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations,” but it is informally known as the “law banning the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church).” The bill’s adoption was demanded by a significant number of opposition deputies, particularly from the “European Solidarity” party, led by former President…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Karakostas The glorious churches of Aghia Sophia and the Holy Savior at the monastery of Chora in Constantinople have been converted into mosques by the current Turkish government. While the future of these edifices of Greek Orthodoxy may seem bleak, they cannot be abandoned to their fate. Constantinople will always be the greatest of all Greek cities and the spiritual heart of Orthodoxy. As I told an official of UNESCO in Paris in 2015, Aghia Sophia is the product of the Gospel and Orthodox theology. I have been in touch with UNESCO officials since…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Evgenios Voulgaris and Platon Levshin— a Model for Future Greek-Russian Exchange and Rapprochement? Dr. Vasilios N. Makrides Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Erfurt (Germany) It is well known that the current Orthodox Christian positions, either official or unofficial, towards modern human rights differ considerably. Suffice it to point here to the different evaluations of human rights by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople under Patriarch Bartholomew[i] and by the Russian Orthodox Church in post-communist times, especially under Patriarch Kirill.[ii] This also becomes evident if one compares the related official documents of these two Churches: on the one…

Source: Hartford Institute for Religion Research Hartford, CT — A new report examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Orthodox Christian churches in the United States reveals a unique approach to crisis management, characterized by adherence to traditional practices and resistance to change. The study, which draws on data from the Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey and two Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) surveys, offers insights into how Orthodox churches fared compared to other U.S. religious congregations. Key findings include: Orthodox churches were more likely to maintain regular activities, particularly in-person services, despite pandemic restrictions. These churches showed greater…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity OCL ANNOUCES NEW EXCITING MARKETING MISSION Mosaic of Orthodox Christianity in America OCL is developing a strategic marketing plan with an exciting campaign to mobilize our Orthodox Christian laity community in the United States of America. We believe this can be a powerful way to create positive change and greater unity. WHY?…..To Help Us to Connect and Spread Orthodoxy To make OCL the inspired forward-looking leader of Orthodox Christians in America to provide a common vehicle for the need to belong, regardless of ethnicity or cultural differences. OCL wants to advance and promote a feeling among…

Source: Orthodox History by MATTHEW NAMEE Today, relations between the patriarchates of Moscow and Romania are tense: both lay claim to jurisdiction in the Republic of Moldova, which makes up about two-thirds of the historic region known as Bessarabia. The other third of Bessarabia is now in Ukraine, Budjak (Izmail and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi). In the Republic of Moldova, the Russian and Romanian patriarchates have had rival jurisdictions ever since the fall of the USSR, although things didn’t get really tense until very recently, when Russian-affiliated clergy began joining the Romanian jurisdiction (without canonical releases) as part of the fallout from the war…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Katherine Kelaidis National Hellenic Museum (Chicago) While it is fashionable of late to talk about the influx of racist actors into the Orthodox Church via conversion, we should probably admit that Orthodoxy in America has always had a race problem. Early 20th-century urban immigrants from the Eastern Mediterranean and Eastern Europe were not exactly famous for their enlightened attitudes about race. Some of America’s worst racial tensions have been between Black Americans and the very sorts of immigrants who form the core of Orthodox Christian America. Of course, whenever this comes up, people like to deflect by…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Archbishop Elpidophoros of America aims to transform the Hellenic Cultural Center NYC of the Archdiocese which is located in Astoria, even changing its name, including the name of the chapel within it. We reveal today that his plan, which he presented as a proposal at the Executive Committee meeting of the Archdiocesan Council on Sunday, June 30, shortly before the start of the Clergy-Laity Congress in San Diego, involves the renovation and conversion of the interior spaces of the Center into rooms and apartments. This is similar to what he did…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Daria Morozova Visiting Researcher at the University of Exeter (UK) The “Edict” of the World Russian People’s Council caused controversial reactions on the side of theologians. Some were quite unexpected, like the essay by Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis entitled “Casting the First Stone of Heresy.” Together with the corresponding image, this title represents patriarch Kirill as an unfortunate harlot, at whom the bloodthirsty crowd of the Pharisees throws its stones. This cannot but look puzzling for someone who two years ago had to flee from the Russian rockets blessed by the patriarch. For it is not the patriarch on…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross School of Theology For Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus (in the Church of Greece), unfortunately, the list of alleged insults and provocations is quite extensive and diverse, ranging from anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, as well as from racism to homophobia, and many others. He is wont to speak of these matters with reproaches which, if they were merely unfortunate or tragic, might be glossed over and scoffed at. Unfortunately, however, they are deeply harmful, if not extremely dangerous. The metropolitan is primarily known for his…