Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary

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: Public Orthodoxy by  Varvara Gulina Doctoral Student at the University of California San Diego Churches are some of the most common places where abuse occurs. Patriarchal structures, lack of resources, community norms that ascribe higher status to men and lower status to women, pregnancy, and traditional gender norms and inequality, all increase the risk of a woman becoming a victim of spiritual, interpersonal, and sexual violence. Impacts of violence against women include: Miscarriages and other adverse pregnancy outcomes such as stillbirths, low birth weight babies, early deliveries, complications, etc. Children becoming vicariously traumatized through violent experiences of parents (a…

Source: Religion News Service Christian leaders stress that the council and its anniversary still have relevance in the modern day, despite theological divides. By David I. Klein İZNIK, Turkey (RNS) — For Christian leaders across the world and across denominations, the anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea is providing an opportunity for introspection and, potentially, the beginning of further dialogue. Seventeen hundred years ago — from May through July 325 — more than 200 bishops of early Christian churches gathered in the town of Nicaea, then in the Roman province of Bithynia (now İznik, Turkey), to determine a unified…

Source: Public Orthodoxy [Preface of the Signatories]: The diaconate is one of the higher orders of ordained ministry in the Orthodox Church. Unlike the episcopacy or presbyterate, it is not a sacerdotal ministry, but one focused primarily on service. It seeks to meet the faithful where they are in this world and draw them into the Body of Christ more fully. In short, it connects the liturgy of our lives to the liturgy of the Church. The diaconate has always been part of the life of the Church and, in the Orthodox tradition, both men and women have been ordained to this ministry to…

Source: Orthodox Christianity Originally published on April 24, 2023 Archpriest George Larin Archpriest George Larin, one of the oldest priests of the Russian Church Abroad, had a special blessing in his life: As a young boy, he got to personally know St. John of Shanghai and San-Francisco, and he learned a lot from him. The future Fr. George, known at the time simply as Zhora, happened to celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ with Vladyka John several times and so he remembered well how Vladyka would literally fly around the packed church. He preserved this Paschal joy throughout his life. —Father…

Source: Yankee Athonite Michael Warren Davis Pope Francis is dead. May God remember him forever in His kingdom! What will be his legacy? Catholics will be wrestling with this question for many years to come. Their conversations will be held in public; nevertheless, they are private. They’ll be held on their own terms—terms like infallible and indefectable. I no longer accept those terms, which is why I became Orthodox. Yet that means I have no right to discuss what Pope Francis “means” for the Catholic Church. Those conversations must be kept in the family. I would, however, like to say a few words…

Source: Religion News Service The current ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, has balanced the growing power of Moscow, but the question of a successor has become pressing. By Katherine Kelaidis (RNS) — In September Patriarch Bartholomew I, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, will travel from Istanbul to the United States to collect his Templeton Prize. In his 34 years on the throne of St. Andrew, the spiritual leader of a broad segment of the Eastern Orthodox world has made a reputation for himself as a moderate voice in not only the church but the affairs of Eastern Europe, the Balkans…

by S. P. Stamatis, M.A. When we experience a neo-Byzantine style Renaissance in America…where the floodgates open once again from Greece with tens of thousands of new immigrants; where Greek is spoken freely like Spanish; where Studies in Hellenism and Eastern Orthodoxy are available in most universities; where signage and owners’ manuals are also printed in Greek; where Greek-town sections in major cities are restored and flourish…then, there’s no reason to worry! The Greek Orthodox Faith and Greek culture would fit in perfectly and prevail for years to come. Of Course, this is Fantasy! For most people, this kind of…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On Saturday, March 29, in the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tirana, Archbishop John (Pelushi) of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania was enthroned following his election on March 16 as the new primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.  A video of the entire enthronement ceremony can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/RadioNgjallja/videos/1858940237978503/.  It was encouraging to see that all of the Local Orthodox Churches were represented at the enthronement.  A description of the enthronement ceremony and the names of the representatives can be read at https://orthodoxalbania.org/2020/2025/03/29/fronezimi-i-kryepiskopit-te-ri-te-shqiperise-fortlumturise-se-tij-z-joan-ne-tirane-29-03-2025/ (official church site); https://orthodoxtimes.com/enthronement-of-the-new-archbishop-of-albania-ioannis-video/ (English article)  The Ecumenical Patriarchate was represented by Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of…

Source: Yankee Athonite by Michael Warren Davis I see that Vox published an article which, in part, scolds me for saying that Archbishop Elpidophoros—leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America—is a CIA asset: It’s why Michael Warren Davis, another Orthodox convert at the American Conservative, could directly call the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America a CIA asset without any evidence. Laypeople attacking their hierarchs is about the least “trad” thing one can do. It reveals just how little these conversions have to do with anything organic to these traditions, but are instead an act of rebellion against the American mainstream, with a…

On Looking into “Xenophobia in the Cloak of Progress – How English Liturgies Hurt the American Orthodox Church” by Katherine Kelaidis A Response by P. Stamatis, M.A. The above article appeared on the Public Orthodoxy site on March 12, 2025. At first glance, the intriguing title pulled me in to read, only to become confused by the attached sub-title: “How English Liturgies Hurt the American Orthodox Church.”  If the author ascribes to the Orthodox Church in America the moniker “American,” how can using the English language hurt the Orthodox Church? That’s like saying: “How Greek Liturgies Hurt the Greek Orthodox…

Source: Orthodox History The US Congress imposed immigration quotas in 1924, ending the Ellis Island era of immigration. With no more newcomers, Orthodoxy in America began to assimilate more rapidly into American society, as the children and grandchildren of the original immigrants came to see themselves as Americans, even if they held onto their cultural inheritances (which, in practice, included Orthodoxy). These American-born Orthodox spoke English as their first language, and the use of Old World languages in church services became an obstacle. . . Read the complete article here