Source: Orthodox History by SAMUEL NOBLE The following is a translation from Asad Rustum’s History, vol. 3 pp. 357-362. It is not only interesting in terms of the description of the ceremony, but also because the conversion seems to have occurred through the Syriac bishop’s contact with Russian pilgrims. Recalling this moment of hope for Christian unity in Syria– just 112 years […] Read the complete article here
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, has established a new Archon Engagement Committee: Women In Orthodoxy. This much-needed new committee is designed to foster the full inclusion of women in the life of the Church. Dr. Limberakis explained: “At this point in the life of our Church and Omogeneia, it is imperative that we support the greater participation of women in the life of the Church. The WORD was established by our Lord and Savior and evangelized by the Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but the…
Source: Orthodox History by MATTHEW NAMEE It almost goes without saying that the Orthodox world is a mess right now. The situation in Ukraine alone is a disaster: a Russian invasion of the country backed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) by the state, and a recognized-by-only-some Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) that was created by the Ecumenical Patriarchate by joining together and legitimizing two schismatic church bodies. Moscow has broken communion with Constantinople and the other churches that have recognized the OCU: Alexandria, Cyprus, and Greece. In Africa, Moscow has established dioceses on the…
Source: The Pillar JD Flynn First, it is not yet Easter for most Christians living in Ukraine, where the Battle of Donbas is raging in the east, and in the west, the city of Lviv saw its first missile-strike casualties on Monday. Ukraine has defended Kyiv and the fighting has shifted, but the war is far from over. Amid the humanitarian and social crisis that will envelop Ukraine from years to come, there has also occasioned a serious ecclesiastical crisis for the 70% of Ukrainians who are Orthodox Christians. Orthodoxy in Ukraine has two hierarchies, and two sets of dioceses and…
Source: Helleniscope By Anonymous contributor We have missed the mark. The chasm between Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy must be addressed and healed within our churches and within the hearts of the faithful. How can I make such a bold and audacious statement? Because it is true. I, like most Orthodox Christians, grew up in a loving, supportive, celebratory, and spiritually grounding community. We created in essence our own world inside the “American” world. In fact, the language of being Greek and being American were always clearly delineated, even though, of course, we were all Americans. We loved our country. Many of…
Source: Neos Cosmos by Nick Trakakis As the war in Ukraine rages on, a parallel war is underway within the Orthodox Church. Not much has been said about this religious conflict in the mainstream media, even though it is playing a crucial role in the military conflict. And it’s a problem affecting not merely Eastern Europe, but Australia too. I have borrowed the title of this article, “Orthodox c’est fini” (French for “Orthodoxy is finished”), not from some militant atheist, but from a leading Greek Orthodox theologian, Professor Petros Vassiliadis [Prof. Vassiliadis made this remark in a March 11 post…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Paul Valliere and Randall A. Poole Scholarly study of the interaction of law and religion is well established in Europe and America, but it is not evenly distributed across the religious and ecclesiastical spectrum. There is a vast literature on some aspects of the subject, such as religion in the American constitutional order and law in the history of Roman Catholicism. Issues of law and religion in the Orthodox world, however, have not received much attention. Law and the Christian Tradition in Modern Russia (Routledge, 2022), a volume sponsored by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory…
Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Saturday 10/02/2021 – 10:00 am In-Person & Online Event Saint Vladimir’s Seminary is hitting the road and heading to Cleveland this fall. On Saturday, October 2, 2021, we’re hosting the special educational event, Orthodoxy & Evangelism, at St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral. The event will feature the launch of the new book, The Evangelical Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church (SVS Press), and a talk by the book’s author, Dr. Bradley Nassif. The day will also feature two other keynotes, by Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield and Very Rev. Dr. Eric Tosi, and a Q&A panel discussion with all three speakers on…
Source: Orthodox History by MATTHEW NAMEE Bishop Basil Essey, the longtime Antiochian Bishop of Wichita and Mid-America, is preparing to retire at the end of this year. Many Antiochians learned of this for the first time over the weekend, when the Archdiocese held a virtual convention. Metropolitan Joseph announced Bishop Basil’s retirement in his address to the convention: In particular, I would like to thank my beloved brother, His Grace Bishop Basil, for his service to this archdiocese over fifty years, as archdiocesan youth director, as a deacon, as a priest, and as a bishop. Some of you may know that, after…
Source: Orthodox Observer See Video at the end of the article. Dear Fr. Joseph M. McShane of the Society of Jesus, President of Fordham University Dear Fathers, Distinguished Participants, Dear Christ and Anastasia Economos, in whose honor this lecture series has been renamed, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends present here at the University Church and elsewhere online, When I think of Orthodox-Catholic relations, I see the word: “Solidarity.” Let me tell you why. Two months ago, in the middle of this sweltering summer, I picked up my phone and called His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan. I told him: “Your Eminence, I…
In a recent video, Father Josiah Trenham offered his remarks about what he believes is the greatest challenge for Orthodoxy in America. Father Josiah said, “Bishops are meant to be symbols of unity of the Orthodox faith. And today, our bishops have becomes symbols of disunity.” Father Joshiah also stated, “These divisions are harming our missionary witness in keeping people from becoming Orthodox Christians. It is a great grief and in my opinion there is nothing as important as solving this.” … Take a few minutes and listen to the Father Josiah’s video….
Source: Pravmir To counter the threat of divisions, it is necessary to begin a pan-Orthodox discussion of the accumulated problems. The loss of a common understanding of the structure of the Church and the nature of primacy in it are the main causes of the modern crisis in Orthodoxy. This opinion was expressed by His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, at a meeting of primates and delegations of the six Local Orthodox Churches, held in the capital of Jordan, Amman, on February 26, 2020, Patriarchia.ru reports. As His Holiness Kirill noted, today the Orthodox Church faces the threat…