Source: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by Metropolitan Nicholas (Hatzinikolaou) of Mesogaia and Lavriotiki CLICK HERE for the text of the Encyclical. [subscribe2]
Browsing: Orthodox Church
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity by Roy L. Snyder There are almost 200 million Christian Diaspora in America. However, none of them are Orthodox Christians. The Christian Diaspora in America are the denominational (Roman Catholic, Liturgical, and Evangelical) and non-denominational Christians who need to return to their Mother – the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. They need to come home. Most do not know where their home is – but they are looking. Most do not even know that their home still exists – they’ve been told that it was lost in the mists of time. Because they want to…
Source: Interfax Moscow, June 16, Interfax – The Shanghai Foreign Languages University and the Patriarchal Council for Culture signed an agreement to set up a center for studying Orthodox culture at the university in Shanghai. The document was signed by the University rector professor Cao Demin and executive secretary of the Patriarchal Council for Culture Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), the Moscow Patriarchate website reports. The Center will help to get acquainted with traditional Russian culture, organize scientific work, publish books, especially the Chinese-Russian Bible vocabulary and Orthodox terms vocabulary, launch exchange programs for students and aspirants, carry out seminars and conferences,…
Source: Orthodox Heritage By a Greek Orthodox priest “But if,” they say, “we had devised some middle ground between the dogmas (of the Papists and the Orthodox), then thanks to this we would have united with them and accomplished our business superbly, without at all having been forced to say anything except what corresponds to custom and has been handed down (by the Fathers).” This is precisely the means by which many, from of old, have been deceived and persuaded to follow those who have led them off the steep precipice of impiety; believing that there is some middle ground…
Source: The Daily Beast by Candida Moss Meeting the head of the Eastern Orthodox church, the pope set a date for a third historic meeting of Christian factions—a savvy move to control how his successors lead. After all the speculation surrounding Pope Francis’s ability to engineer peace on his big Middle East trip, the biggest news from the visit came from his visit with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the primary leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Not to gloat, but we totally called it. Following the meeting, Bartholomew gave an interview in which he said that he and Francis are planning a gathering in 2025 in…
Source: United Press International (UPI) Pope Francis on married priests: “The door is always open.” By Matt Bradwell BETHESDA, Md., June 6 (UPI) –A group of Catholic and Orthodox theologians is calling on Pope Francis to end the Catholic church’s prohibition of married men within the priesthood for members of the faith who practice in Eastern Catholic churches. Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches recognize the divine authority of the papacy, but often have different ceremonial practices and cultural traditions. In most of the world, Eastern priests are allowed to wed, but in North America they are not. In a statement released Friday, The…
Source: National Catholic Reporter by Josephine McKenna Religion News Service VATICAN CITY — A Vatican spokesman said it’s premature to suggest a gathering between Catholic and Orthodox faiths to mark the 1700th anniversary of the first church council held in Nicea in 325 A.D. Despite cordial meetings between Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during the pontiff’s visit to Jerusalem in May, the Vatican has rejected media reports that a 2025 event had been confirmed. “Several news agencies, publications and individuals have reported on this gathering as a fait accompli,” said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, in a statement. “No formal announcement…
Source: The Times of Israel Church representatives say Father Gabriel Naddaf has been dismissed from his Nazareth post The Greek Orthodox church in the Holy Land has dismissed an Israeli Arab priest who publicly supported Israeli army service for Christian Arabs, a church spokesman said Thursday. Spokesman Essa Musleh told AFP that ecclesiastical authorities decided Tuesday to fire Father Gabriel Naddaf from his post in Jesus’s traditional childhood town of Nazareth, but were only now making their decision public. “We warned him before to keep to his priestly duties and not to interfere in matters of the army,” Musleh said.…
Source: Greek Reporter by Theodora Matsaidoni Elder Paisios the Athonite (1924-1994), one of the greatest and most revered Elders of the Orthodox Church of our time, is well-known for his spiritual teachings. His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that the Holy Mountain Elder will be formally canonized as a saint. Elder Amphilochios (Makris) of Patmos, Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) of Essex, Elder Ephraim of Katounakia and Elder Iakovos Tsalikis are anticipated to follow as well. “The Orthodox Church serves a higher Truth, which has nothing to do with myths and speculations,” said His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, denying all…
Source: The Christian Science Monitor By the Monitor’s Editorial Board As violence escalates in Ukraine, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church appears to distance himself from President Putin, calling for healing and reconciliation. Churches that align with the state often learn the hard way that Caesar has his own kingdom. The struggle over Ukraine’s future took a worrisome turn Friday when more than 40 people died in political unrest between demonstrators in the port city of Odessa. The tragedy is seen by some as the start of further large-scale violence. But there is an alternative path that can reconcile the…
Source: The Bristol Bay Times & The Dutch Harbor Fisherman by Jim Paulin A man went on a rampage last weekend in Unalaska, allegedly vandalizing a church and biting a police officer after stealing a truck. Frustrated at being stuck at the Unalaska airport for days trying to fly out standby, a man stole a pickup truck parked in the unloading zone, drove across town and broke into and vandalized the historic Russian Orthodox Church, according to local police. Ishmael Guerrero, 33, of Fresno, California, was arrested Sunday at the Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Church, and arraigned in court the next day…
Source: Catholic Culture & Pravmir “Whenever an Orthodox church succumbs to nationalist rhetoric and lends support to racial tendencies, it loses sight of the authentic theological principles and gives in to a fallen mindset, totally alien to the core of Orthodoxy” In an address delivered in the Netherlands, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor within Eastern Orthodoxy, criticized nationalist tendencies within some Orthodox churches. “The concept of the nation cannot become a determining factor of Church life or an axis of Church organization,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said in an address delivered at the Old Catholic…