Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Opening Remarks of the Chairman at Assembly of Bishops XIV My Beloved Brothers and Concelebrants in the Holy Spirit, I commence my remarks today by greeting you in the spirit of fraternal love and appreciation for your presence in this Fourteenth Convening of our Assembly of Bishops. In this year when we celebrate the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, I perceive a true momentum, a genuine Kairos, inspired by the Holy Spirit within our Holy Orthodox Church, not only in these United States, but around the world.…
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Source: Orthodox Church in America JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA [OCA] Between June 18 and 24, Matushka Rebecca Luft, Ph.D., of the Diocese of the Midwest, represented the Orthodox Church in America at the meeting of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches in Johannesburg, South Africa. Notably, resulting from the advocacy of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox participants, the Central Committee produced a Minute on St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, Egypt in which they asked the WCC General Secretary to write a formal letter to the president of Egypt expressing the WCC’s concern and “to call for a clear and binding agreement…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Just days after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ recent visit to Mount Athos, the Abbot of the new brotherhood at Esphigmenou Monastery, Archimandrite Bartholomew, received death threats—both in writing and online. A threatening letter, accompanied by photos of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archimandrite Bartholomew, was posted on the door of the monastery residence housing the new brotherhood. The letter reads as follows: “THE HERESIARCH AND HIS CHILD Bartholomew, no matter how much you want to enter the monastery, you will only ever see it in photos. Stop persecuting the struggling fathers, or you’ll…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Cardiff, Wales, UK | In the course of a busy and eventful week accompanying Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on his Patriarchal Visit to the United Kingdom, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Monday, June 23, 2025 hosted a luncheon in Cardiff, Wales, in honor of the Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office, and devoted assistant to the Ecumenical Patriarch. His All-Holiness and Father Aetios. The occasion for the luncheon was the fact that Father Aetios received word, in the presence of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch; His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel,…
Source: The National Herald Originally published on April 22, 2025 The late Pope Francis – whose ecclesiastical title was Bishop of Rome (Old Rome, as Constantinople is the New Rome) – was, both in life and after his exit from time (what we commonly call ‘death’), a different kind of Pope. During his life, he was the Pope “of Christ’s least brethren”: the poor, the lonely, the marginalized, the imprisoned – all those who, as the saying goes, “have no place in the sun.” It was with these that Christ – the One of the Holy Trinity – chose to…
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…
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: Peter Anderson, Seattle WA On October 22, 2024, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate met at the Phanar. The Ecumenical Patriarchate uses a 6-month rotation system for Synod members. The members of the Synod as of the October 22 meeting are listed at https://orthodoxtimes.com/new-composition-of-holy-and-sacred-synod-of-the-ecumenical-patriarchate/#:~:text=In%20line%20with%20the%20standard,presidency%20of%20Ecumenical%20Patriarch%20Bartholomew. The press release for the first day of this meeting is found at https://ec-patr.org/%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%b1%ce%ba%ce%bf%ce%b9%ce%bd%cf%89%ce%b8%ce%ad%ce%bd-%ce%b3%ce%b9%ce%b1-%cf%84%ce%b9%cf%82-%ce%b5%cf%81%ce%b3%ce%b1%cf%83%ce%af%ce%b5%cf%82-%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%af%ce%b1-29/ This release includes the following statement: “During the midday break of work, the Patriarch and the members of the holy body received with cordiality and honor the new Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, His Excellency Mr. Andrii Sybiha and his colleagues, after…
Source: The Moscow Times Originally published on April 24, 2024 The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended a priest who led a memorial service for the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny last month, according to a ruling on the Moscow diocese website. Priest Dmitry Safronov performed a memorial service at Navalny’s gravesite in Moscow on March 26, 40 days after the Kremlin critic died in an Arctic prison. According to Orthodox tradition, memorial services for the dead are traditionally held on the 40th day after their death. An order signed by Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill bans Safronov from giving blessings, wearing the frock and…
Source: National Catholic Reporter Vatican City — The most important outcome of the current Synod of Bishops on synodality is the synodal process itself and not the hot-button topics discussed, Pope Francis said. With the second synod assembly scheduled for October, the pope said the synod process is approaching its “most challenging and important” stage — the point at which it must become “prophetic.” “Now it is a matter of translating the work of the previous stages into choices that will give impetus and new life to the mission of the church in our time,” he told members of the…
Source: The National Herald LOMBARD, IL – The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago announced the expansion of its Higher Calling initiative to focus on developing and nurturing leadership skills critical to the priesthood. Fr. Richard ‘Rick’ Andrews, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul of Glenview, Illinois, volunteered to be the first priest to participate in the program. His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael began and completed the program in August of 2022 as the inaugural participant. An evaluation tool developed and facilitated by the outside consultancy Ruotolo Associates called the Multi-Source Feedback Process (MSFP), will be used to assess, measure, and encourage…