Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW THE LETTER IN PDF FORMAT His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel is a member of Orthodox Christian Laity’s Advisory Board

Source: Kyiv Post By Padraig Purcell “We, Ukrainians, are well aware of the price of independence – or rather, its pricelessness – and therefore treat it with special reverence,” said Metropolitan Epiphanius, elected head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in a social media message on Dec. 15. He rejoiced in the celebration of the third year since the meeting that united three Ukrainian Orthodox churches into one larger independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Kyiv’s ancient and beautiful Saint Sophia’s Cathedral hosted the signing of the agreement between the churches to unite on Dec. 15, 2018. This led to the confirmation of independence…

Source: The Moscow Times By AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Pope Francis a happy 85th birthday on Friday, telling the Catholic leader they could jointly protect Christians. The comments come after the pope earlier this month said he was ready to travel to Moscow to visit Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church. “It is difficult to overestimate your personal contribution to the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches and to the strengthening of Russian-Vatican ties,” Putin told Pope Francis, according to a telegram released by the Kremlin. “I am sure that through joint…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA]  The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting under the presidency of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, concluded its Fall 2021 Session on Wednesday and Thursday, December 15-16, 2021. The Fall Session opened in Cleveland, OH on October 21 immediately following the Joint Expanded Meeting with the Metropolitan Council. Due to the continuing pandemic, the meeting was held by video conference. The meeting agenda included hearing the reports from Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Chancellor, Priest Alessandro Margheritino, Secretary, and Mr. Andrew Smith, Treasurer. The…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA 1.5 Million Orthodox Christians The Assembly of Bishops ministers to the collective 1.5 million Orthodox Christians throughout the United States of America 57 Bishops The Assembly of Bishops is comprised of all the Eastern Orthodox Bishops actively engaged in the United States of America 1 Church The Assembly of Bishops is the primary and official forum for Orthodox Christian Unity in the United States of America

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Paul Valliere and Randall A. Poole Scholarly study of the interaction of law and religion is well established in Europe and America, but it is not evenly distributed across the religious and ecclesiastical spectrum. There is a vast literature on some aspects of the subject, such as religion in the American constitutional order and law in the history of Roman Catholicism. Issues of law and religion in the Orthodox world, however, have not received much attention. Law and the Christian Tradition in Modern Russia (Routledge, 2022), a volume sponsored by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA CHICAGO – The Board of Directors of the newly established Youth & Young Adult Ministry Agency concluded its first meeting on Friday, December 3. Established and blessed by the Assembly of Bishops at its October 2021 meeting as the capstone achievement of the “Year of the Youth,” the new Agency will cast a vision to unite and deepen the ministry efforts of parishes and families across the Church to serve all Orthodox youth and young adults in the United States. In November, the Assembly approved members of the new Board of…

Source: The Washington Post By Michael Gerson Columnist On Nov. 1, 1755, Lisbon was visited by a violent earthquake that left some 50,000 to 60,000 people dead out of a city of 200,000. The scale, randomness and cruelty of the event led some Enlightenment thinkers to employ it as evidence against the existence of a loving God. “Come,” wrote Voltaire, “ye philosophers, who cry, ‘All’s well!’ / And contemplate this ruin of a world. / Behold these shreds and cinders of your race.” This theological argument has seldom gotten much popular traction, then or now. Human beings have a tremendous and healthy…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Presentation by Protodeacon Peter Danilchick on December 5, 2021 at 6:00 pm Eastern Time via ZOOM Followed by a Panel Discussion with George Karcazes, Alexei Krindatch and Dr. Gayle Woloschak For more than three decades, Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has presented informative and educational programs annually and at other times featuring distinguished speakers, thoughtful panels and relevant topics in fulfillment of its mission. This mission includes: advancing the renewal of the Orthodox Christian Church in America by advocating that the laity remain part of the conciliar governance process which provides balance to the hierarchy and clergy,…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Tuesday, November 16, 2021 BALTIMORE – At the invitation of His Excellency Archbishop José H. Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (“USCCB”), His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, led a delegation to and presented remarks during the USCCB’s November General Assembly. This marks the first time in the history of USCCB that Orthodox hierarchs have participated in their plenary session. Introducing Archbishop Elpidophoros, Bishop David P. Talley, chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs,…

Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary We wanted to share with you a major announcement regarding the future of St Vladimir’s Seminary, included below. The Seminary’s Board of Trustees came to this decision after many, many months of prayer, deliberation, and work with multiple professional consulting groups. This will be anything but easy, as much history, many blessings, and many fond memories are tied to the Yonkers campus St Vladimir’s has called home since the 1960s. But the Board feels strongly this is the right course of action in order for St Vladimir’s to carry out her mission for future…

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew suspended the Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in October 2020 at the behest of newly-enthroned Archbishop Elpidophoros. A new Charter will define the future relationship between the Patriarchate and Archdiocese. There is increasing alarm over the decline in the membership of the Archdiocese, which some surveys place at 20% over the past decade. These concerns are reflected in calls for Autonomy for the Archdiocese coming from more and more quarters. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the largest of the three main Orthodox groupings in North America that represent the bulk of the…