Source: Orthodox Christianity PARIS — The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople unexpectedly decided to remove the exarchate status of the Archdiocese of Russian Churches in Western Europe, telling the parishes that they had to become part of the Patriarchate’s Greek metropolises. However, the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese then overwhelmingly voted to remain together as an ecclesiastical body. They are actively considering several options for their future, the most likely being to join the Moscow Patriarchate, which has the backing of the Archdiocese’s hierarch, Archbishop John of Chariopoulis, though there are certainly those members who actively oppose returning…
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Source: Byzantine, TX (president.gov.ua) – President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Fener in Istanbul. The Ecumenical Patriarch reiterated support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch for supporting Ukraine. “Our common value is human life. This is the main thing for me, especially now, when I became President of Ukraine. The authorities shouldn’t interfere in church affairs. I will defend the independence of the church,” the Head of State emphasized. The agenda of the President’s visit to Turkey also includes St. George’s Cathedral located on the…
Source: Byzantine, TX Ecclesiastically, Christians in Albania, as part of the province of Illyricum, were under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (1st-8th century). From 732-733 AD the ecclesiatical jurisdiction of Illyricum was transferred to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It declared its autocephaly in 1922 through its Congress of 1922, and gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937. The church suffered during the Second World War, and in the communist period that followed, especially after 1967 when Albania was declared an atheist state, and no public or private expression of religion was allowed. The church has,…
Source: Orthodox History by MATTHEW NAMEE In 1963, between 11,000 and 13,000 Orthodox youth, from seven jurisdictions, came together for a pan-Orthodox festival in Pittsburgh. Ten bishops and more than 150 priests celebrated Vespers in an arena, and a thousand-person pan-Orthodox youth choir sang. This was the biggest pan-Orthodox event in American history, and most Orthodox Christians today are completely unaware that it happened. The 1963 festival was just one of many achievements of a long-forgotten alliance of Orthodox youth leaders known as “CEOYLA” (which stood for the Council of Eastern Orthodox Youth Leaders in the Americas). CEOYLA was formed in…
Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Elena Konstantinova Metropolitan Amphilochios claims the Church should return to the system that was before Emperor Constantine, and all issues should be resolved by the Ecumenical Council. Metropolitan Amphilochios (Radovic) of Montenegro and the Littoral believes that “Jerusalem is the true mother of all Orthodox Churches” because, according to him, “neither Rome nor Constantinople, but Jerusalem gave birth to all churches”. He stated this in an interview with TASS agency. In particular, His Eminence Amphilochios stressed that he did not believe in the possibility of repeating the scenario of Orthodox schism in the Balkans, which the Patriarchate of Constantinople had committed…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America On Friday morning, July 26, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew discussed the importance of observing the doctrines of the Church, as well as its genuine and authentic ecclesiology, as he celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Paraskevi Pikridiou, which was granted by the Patriarchate to serve the Romanian-speaking community of the City (Constantinople). “Each place has one Bishop, regardless of ethnic origin,” His All-Holiness said emphatically. “Being baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we live and grow and continue in the truly great Mystery of the…
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Chaired by H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos, at its 110th Meeting of July 12/25, 2019, unanimously lifted the degradation of Monk Eirinaios and restored Him to the Episcopal Office, which he formerly held, and to the degree of the Former Patriarch of Jerusalem, attributing thus the full owed respect to His Office. The Holy and Sacred Synod took this decision for the reasons mentioned in the following text: “Because the enacted according to the rules continuing order of all things in the Church constructs…
Source: Orthodox Christianity Morozovka, Ukraine — At the recent celebrations in honor of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine’s name’s day and the 5th anniversary of his enthronement as primate, hierarchs and representatives from around the Orthodox world proclaimed that they recognize precisely only the Ukrainian Church headed by him, that only it bears the grace of God. Now, in the aftermath of this pan-Orthodox celebration in Kiev, another priest has made the same confession, resolving to return to the canonical Church from schism, together with his entire flock. His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Bovary, the chancellor of…
Source: Orthodox Christianity Arkady Maler The author of this analysis of the current threat hanging over world Orthodoxy, Arkady Maler, is a scholar and teacher of philosophy specializing in Russian religious philosophy. He is a member of the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission of the Inter-Council Presence of the Moscow Patriarchate and founder of Moscow’s “Byzantine Club”. Maler is the author of four religious-philosophical books, which include the theme of Constantine the Great, and Russia’s spiritual mission. A half a year did not go by from the formation by the Constantinople Patriarchate of a hastily-cobbled, politically strategic, fake church in Ukraine under…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Musing from OCL Board Member, George Karcazes As we consider the upcoming visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States, we who live our faith as Americans in this multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, religiously diverse country are called to ponder the future of Orthodoxy in America. What have we learned about the state of Orthodoxy in the World and in our own home from recent events? We have learned that at the highest Patriarchal levels, Orthodoxy in the world is hopelessly divided. After decades of planning for a Holy and Great Council, unanimously agreeing on a date…
Source: The Moscow Times Originally published on May 21, 2019 The Kremlin’s property management department is financing luxury renovations for the residence of Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill near St. Petersburg, The Bell business outlet reported Tuesday. The former residence of Russia’s imperial family, which is being converted for use by the patriarch, occupies almost 2.5 hectares (6.1 acres) of land south of St. Petersburg and was designated as church property in 1994. The presidential property office awarded the renovation contract valued at 2.8 billion rubles ($43.4 million) to St. Petersburg-based design and construction company Geoizol in 2018, The Bell reported.…
Source: The Moscow Times The Russian Orthodox Church has developed plans to construct its own Vatican to the tune of $2 billion in the Moscow region, the Vedomosti business daily reported on Thursday. Church officials have been in talks with officials in the city of Sergiyev Posad to transform it into the capital of Orthodoxy since 2017. Sergiyev Posad is the location of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery, considered the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier this year, the Church asked President Vladimir Putin to support the project, an unnamed government source told Vedomosti. The Church…