Source: Press Office of the Holy and Great Council On 16 June, leaders of the Orthodox Churches continued to arrive in Crete for the Holy and Great Council. His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos, stated this afternoon at the airport of Chania, Crete, that His Beatitude Patriarch of Jerusalem Theofilos, His Beatitude Patriarch of Serbia Irinej, and His Beatitude Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, have all arrived, in order to participate in the Holy and Great Council, fulfilling a great mission. “We will make every effort to see to and approach the problems of all the world, of our…
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Source: The National Herald By Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians on Wednesday said a historic meeting of church leaders — the first in more than a millennium — will take place despite a pullout by Russia, the fourth Orthodox church to say it won’t attend the June gathering in Crete. Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who ranks as “the first among equals,” said he hopes the Russian church and three others who have chosen not to come will change their minds. The weeklong Holy and Great Council, which is to begin…
Source: New York Times By ANDREW HIGGINS MOSCOW — After 55 years of preparation, a landmark effort to promote unity among the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians turned into a showcase of disarray on Tuesday after the Russian church, the biggest of 14 Orthodox jurisdictions, announced that it would not take part in a historic conclave of church leaders scheduled to start this weekend. The gathering, known both as the Holy and Great Council and as the Pan-Orthodox Council, is scheduled to begin Sunday on the Greek island of Crete and to run through June 26. It had been under…
Source: The National Herald By TNH Staff / Dennis Menos Amid all the speculation in the media concerning the upcoming Holy and Great Orthodox Council, and of the many opportunities and challenges that it will confront, it is only natural for Orthodox faithful to be hopeful but also apprehensive. Will the Council, is a question often heard, turn out to be Orthodoxy’s greatest moment in the modern era? What about the key issues that confront the Church? Will the Council be successful in resolving them and help guide the Church into a more productive tomorrow? With respect to the first question,…
Source: Holy and Great Council Kolymvari, Crete, Greece – The Messaging Committee for the Holy and Great Council convened for the fourth day at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro, a senior Metropolitan of the Church of Serbia, presided this morning over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of “Gonia”. His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije explained to the congregation about the importance of the Holy and Great Council which will “gather in the same place” 20-25 June in the Orthodox Academy of Crete. He added that the Council will convene with the participation of…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON, MA – The Moscow Patriarchate’s Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, spoke with TNH about the Orthodox Church’s Holy and Great Council, scheduled to begin on June 16 in Chania, Crete. Essentially, Metropolitan Hilarion is first in ranking after His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The interview follows. TNH: Your Eminence, what are your thoughts about the upcoming Holy and Great Council? MH: The Holy and Great Council ought to be the most wide-ranging and representative of the Councils of the past thousand years. It was been in direct preparation for more…
Source: Orthodox England Two Local Orthodox Churches, Bulgaria and Antioch, have withdrawn from the Crete meeting, organized by Phanar bureaucrats in Constantinople. The Georgian Church, savagely insulted by the Phanar (just as it also insulted the Bulgarian Church, causing a diplomatic incident, and the Church of Greece, whose canonical territory it invaded) for its faithfulness to Orthodoxy, may not attend. The Serbian Church has called for the meeting to be postponed and the Russian Church, 75% of the whole, has called for an emergency conference to convene to discuss the problems and mediate. If the Russian Church does not attend…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America The Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops met on May 22-24, 2016 at the Saint Methodios Faith and Heritage Center in Contoocook, NH. The Joint Committee was established in 1981 by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America, now the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States, and by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Joint Committee is the first formal gathering of Orthodox and Catholic bishops blessed and supported by both churches, and is co-chaired by His Eminence Cardinal Sean O’Malley…
Source: BBC News Magazine If you want to visit Mount Athos the first step is to submit a copy of your passport to the Mount Athos Pilgrims’ Bureau. Each day, 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox male pilgrims are admitted for a three-night stay in one of the peninsula’s 20 monasteries. Women will not be granted a permit and must stay behind as their male friends board the ferry at one of the two closest ports. Mount Athos has barred women for more than 1,000 years – they are not allowed within 500m of the coast. According to Dr Graham Speake,…
Source: Orthodox Observer by Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver Over the past several years it appears that a number of persons who have been recognized as Orthodox Christians have taken their lives, as well as some who leave in their wills that they wish to be cremated. On the basis of these two realities, it is obvious that many of our people have no understanding of the sanctity of the human body and have not been educated on the seriousness of these matters relative to the fact that they consider themselves members of the Church. In the matter of suicides, if…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Press Office Dear Media Representatives, Preparations for the Holy and Great Council, the first after the East-West Schism of 1053, are entering their final stretch. The Council already attracts international interest and a multitude of journalists from all over the world are expected to travel to Crete, Greece in June. Applications for press accreditation began today May 24, 2016 and will remain open until June 6. They will be processed online only through the official website www.holycouncil.org. Please note that the Holy and Great Council will meet in Crete June 19-26, 2016. A press…
UPDATE: (Source) A time of visitation will be held Thursday, May 26, 2016 from 6:00 to 6:30 P.M. at Saints Markella and Demetrois Greek Orthodox Church, 104 Bryn Mawr Boulevard, Mary Esther, Florida 32569, with a Trisagion Service to follow at 6:30 P.M. A reception will follow services. An Orthros Service will be held Friday, May 27, 2016 at 9:00 A.M. with the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 A.M. and the Funeral Service to follow at 11:30 A.M. Interment will follow at Destin Memorial Cemetery. Expressions of love and sympathy can be viewed or submitted at online@www.mclaughlinmortuary.com or www.McLaughlinMortuary.com. Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has…