Source: Ancient Faith Radio Archpriest Patrick B. O'Grady offers an Antiochian perspective on the "Holy and Great Council" currently taking place in Crete. Fr. Patrick is the pastor of St Peter the Apostle Antiochian Orthodox Church in Pomona, California, and Associate Fellow of The Antiochian Orthodox Institute, La Verne, California. Listen Here (Audio courtesy of Ancient Faith Radio) Transcript Harbinger of Storm or Passage to Calm? by … [Read more...]
Antiochian perspective on the “Holy and Great Council”: Harbinger of Storm or Passage to Calm?
June 18, 2016
Orthodox Christian leaders make last-minute appeal for unity
June 17, 2016
Source: The National Herald By Associated Press Orthodox Christian leaders meeting for a historic council aimed at promoting unity have made a last-minute appeal to the Russian Orthodox Church and three others to attend the first such gathering in more than a millennium. A spokesman for Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I says the leaders of 10 out of the 14 Orthodox churches that were supposed to convene on the Greek island of Crete will seek to resolve the issues that … [Read more...]
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL TO PRIMATES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES WHO HAVE ASSEMBLED IN CRETE
June 17, 2016
Source: Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has sent a message to the Primates and representative of Local Orthodox Churches who have assembled in the Island of Crete. Below is the full text of the message. To His Holiness Bartholomew Archbishop of Constantinople – the New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch To their Holinesses and Beatitudes the Primates of Holy Churches of God To archpastors, pastors, … [Read more...]
Synaxis: Primates Acknowledge Pain in Absence of Missing Churches
June 17, 2016
Source: Press Office of the Holy and Great Council CRETE — Following a doxology and morning prayer service, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew convened the Synaxis (gathering) of the Primates of the local autocephalous Orthodox Churches. This meeting was scheduled in January 2016 to provide the Primates the opportunity to review a draft of the Council’s Message, review the Council’s agenda, and address outstanding matters. During their deliberations, the Primates acknowledged … [Read more...]
UPDATED: Answers to Questions About the Holy and Great Council, Answered by Fr. John Chryssavgis
June 17, 2016
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Interview of Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis by Gayle E. Woloschak, Ph. D Congratulations to the Patriarchate for convening the meeting. In this age of communication we hope that this is the first of yearly meetings of the Patriarchs or their representatives. Why not propose that the Orthodox Patriarchs set up a Secretariat where all of them employ their representatives to work on matters on a daily basis. The world would know where they can call the … [Read more...]
Livestreaming of Holy and Great Council Events
June 17, 2016
Source: Press Office of the Holy and Great Council Several events of the Holy and Great Council, an historic gathering for the Orthodox Christian Churches and the first of its kind in 1200 years, are available to the public via livestreaming. The following events will be available at https://www.holycouncil.org/live at the listed times in local Crete (UTC +3): Sunday, June 19, 8:00 -- Orthros and Divine Liturgy of Holy Pentecost Monday, June 20, 11:00-14:00 -- Opening Session of the … [Read more...]
Greek foreign minister hosts welcome dinner for Primates
June 17, 2016
Source: Press Office of the Holy and Great Council His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew highlighted the importance of the Holy and Great Council at an official dinner hosted 16 June by Nikos Kotzias, minister of foreign affairs for the Hellenic Republic, for the Primates of the Orthodox Church who are presently in Crete. His All Holiness emphasized that the “world is turning its attention with great expectations to the Orthodox Church, the ark of the pure Christian … [Read more...]
The Orthodox Church Stays in the Dark Ages
June 16, 2016
Source: Bloomberg View By Leonid Bershidsky Pope Francis' enormous popularity -- his Twitter accounts in different languages have a total of about 30 million followers, about as many as Bill Gates and more than Adele -- is a consequence of his openness to diversity and a softer approach to dogma. He represents a modernized Catholic Church. By contrast, the world's second biggest Christian denomination is proving so resistant to modernization that its plans to adopt some timid changes … [Read more...]
Ecumenical Patriarch and Primates of the Orthodox Church Ready to Begin Deliberations of the Holy and Great Council in Crete
June 16, 2016
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America CHANIA, Crete (Greece) – The people, the island and the Church of Crete welcomed warmly His-All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who arrived in Chania International Airport yesterday, June 15 to convene the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, which will take place June 19-26. At hand for the welcome were His Eminence Archbishop Irinaios of Crete, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece Yiannis Amanatidis, the … [Read more...]
Orthodox Church leaders from around the world arrive in Crete, ready to realize historical mission
June 16, 2016
Source: Press Office of the Holy and Great Council The Primates of the Orthodox Church arrived in Crete on June 16, 2016, to carry out their sacred mission, the convocation of the Holy and Great Council. They expressed their gratitude to the Greek people for hosting this historic meeting. The Holy and Great Council will be held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. The Orthodox Primates decided five months ago in Geneva, during their Synaxis, to realize a vision of many years and proclaim the … [Read more...]
