Source: Orthodox Christian Laity This forum is a place to post thoughts, papers and documents that show the need for an autocephalous, independent, self-governing Orthodox Church in the USA in which the Synod is composed of the bishops of all jurisdictions who meet to elect their own head, approve work of their committees and include the laity and the input of laypeople in the administration of the Church. The Church is governed to meet the spiritual needs of all Orthodox faithful in the geographic area of the USA and is a Mission Church welcoming all seekers and faithful who want to…
Browsing: Orthodox Church
Source: Interfax-Religion Moscow, December 28, Interfax – The chairman of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk has been cautious about prospects for convening a Pan-Orthodox Council. “There are doubts about the very possibility of a Pan-Orthodox Council being held at a time when some of the Orthodox Churches are in a state of unsettled conflict, and the leader of the Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia has still not had his status recognized by a number of Orthodox Churches, to say nothing of the extremely unstable general political situation worldwide,” the metropolitan said…
Source: Pravoslavie.ru Athens, December 17, 2015 “Adoption of the new law is officially opening the page of state persecutions against our faith. The politicians shamelessly refer to the European consensus concerning legalization of sodomy, but they conceal the fact that the post-Christian Europe has become Sodom and Gomorrah,” Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus is speaking of what is going on in Greece. Now that the so-called Anti-Racism Law which prohibits “discrimination” against homosexuals is adopted in Greece, it is time for the next step: to secure the legal status of “same-sex unions”. Metropolitan Ignatios of Larisa and Tyrnavos: “Sin is being…
Source: Pravmir.com ARCHPRIEST PANAYIOTIS PAPAGEORGIOU, PH.D. The issue of the time of the birth of Christ has been addressed by many people in the past, both scholars and theologians, so what I intend to do here is present an overview trying to bring some clarity to the topic for those who are really concerned that the 25th of December may not be the correct time to celebrate Christmas. Let me start by saying that there are two pieces of evidence, which people present in support of the position that Christ was not born in December: The first one is the…
Source: The Church Messenger By Protopresbyter Lawrence Barriger There is a story told about a group of pilgrims who were touring the Holy Land with a guide who was a native of the region. The guide was explaining how, since time immemorial, the shepherd did not walk behind his sheep but in front. The sheep would follow him wherever he would lead, just as the Lord describes Himself as the “Good Shepherd” in the Gospel of St. John: “…the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when he puts forth…
Source: Pravoslavie.ru [Athens, November 17, 2015] Since the Church and state in Greece are not separated and priests are government employees, the Church of Greece was affected by the reduction of the state sector policy, reports AgionOros.ru. The state has dramatically reduced the number of ordinations of new priests, and that is why many parishes are currently without pastors. According to the present legislation, a new public servant (in our case: a cleric) can be accepted for employment only after retirement of ten of his colleagues. According to the data of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, the current number…
Source: Last News from Russia Deputies of the state Duma supported the idea to return the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Turkish Orthodox Church. As reported by RIA «Novosti», said the head of the Duma Committee on property issues,coordinator of the Interfactional parliamentary group for the protection of Christian valuables Sergey Gavrilov. International campaign for the return of the Cathedral of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been held for several years. The temple currently has the status of a Museum. The Deputy reminded that on 23 September 2015 in Moscow, was inaugurated the Moscow Cathedral mosque. «The significance of the event…
Source: Orthodox Church in America In the spirit of Veterans’ Day: Eastern Orthodox Priest reflects on “Chaplaincy After the Chaplaincy” SAN DIEGO, CA [OCA] “Some military installations are hours away from the nearest Orthodox parish – others are close to a parish but may have policies that void any such convenience,” said Archpriest Jerome Cwiklinski, a retired chaplain who continues to minister to US military personnel. “Marine Corps Recruit Depot [MCRD], close to the heart of San Diego, is within five miles of parishes of almost every jurisdiction. This is where half of all Marines go through basic training. Because…
Source: The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople On the occasion of the official visit by the Ecumenical Patriarch to the Archbishop of Canterbury At the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew paid a formal visit to Lambeth Palace from November 2-4, 2015. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, is Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, and occupies the First Throne of the Orthodox Christian Church worldwide. The occasion was in response to Archbishop Justin’s visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate last year. The two leaders presided over ecumenical services filled with symbolic significance, participated in formal…
Source: RT News Divers in Crimea have erected a large cross in the shape of an anchor off the Crimean coast. It heralds the start of construction work on building what they promise will be a full blown underwater church. The three-ton cross is just the beginning of an ambitious plan by Archimandrite Tikhon, a diving enthusiast and the project’s initiator. “The underwater church will look like a church. There will be icons inside – just like in a real church. Most probably they will be bas-reliefs of icons in stainless steel or stone,” RIA Novosti cites him as saying. He…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Two new resources that will aid in the study of the lives of North America’s saints are now available—a series of “life icons” and a video-lecture on the martyred Saint Juvenaly of Alaska. A “life icon” is one in which a series of smaller icons showing specific events in a saint’s life surround a central panel depicting the saint in glory. In spring 2015, resources explaining the life icons of three North American saints—Herman, Jacob Netsvetov and Tikhon of Moscow were made available. Five additional icons—those of Saints Alexander Hotovitzky, Alexis Toth, Innocent…
Source: Raymond Ibrahim – Islam Translated This article was written for RaymondIbrahim.com by Ralph Sidway, an Orthodox Christian researcher and writer, and author of Facing Islam: What the Ancient Church has to say about the Religion of Muhammad. He operates the Facing Islam blog. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has announced it will help migrants who have arrived in Bulgaria, but has urged authorities not to let any more migrants in, clarifying sharp differences between Eastern European Christian nations and Western secular/post-Christian responses to the mass Muslim refugee crisis. It is very interesting that most Orthodox and Eastern Christian bishops have shown great restraint in…