Source: Public Orthodoxy Originally posted on October 3, 2024 by Dr. Michael Azar Associate Professor of Theology/Religious Studies at the University of Scranton This webinar discusses the plight of Christians in the Holy Land, especially in Gaza. Prior to the current war, Gaza’s Christians numbered roughly 1000 out of 2.1 million people in Gaza, the vast majority Orthodox Christians. Since the Israeli bombardment began in October 2023, most of Gaza’s Christians have been sheltering at St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church and Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City. The Orthodox Church had had a venerable presence in the Holy Land since…
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CLICK HERE to view the PDF of the Program View video presentations from OCL’s 20th Annual Meeting in October 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Remembering the Work and Leadership of the Council of Eastern Orthodox Youth Leaders of the Americas (CEOYLA)
Source: Ekathimerini.com Dora Antoniou The recent unanimous rejection by the influential Greek Church’s governing Holy Synod of government plans to legalize same-sex marriage is perceived as a success for Archbishop Ieronymos in navigating the perennial antagonism between the more modernizing and conservative, at times obscurantist, factions within the Hierarchy. Opposition to the bill among senior clerics was a given, even before Tuesday’s meeting. Pressure on Ieronymos was restricted to the timing and manner of protests. However, his control over the majority of bishops and the increasing presence in recent years of younger clerics with a more educated and moderate profile…
Source: Ekathimerini.com The Greek Orthodox Church would agree to baptize children of same-sex couples, if they so desire, Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, said on Thursday. Τhe Holy Synod of the Church of Greece announced on January 23 that it fully opposed a government draft proposal for the legalization of same-sex marriage which was posted for public consultation on Wednesday. Ieronymos spoke after a meeting with Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in Athens during which they discussed the bill and the performance of Church sacraments related to marriage and baptism. “[…] We are not against children. We…
Source: U.S. Religion Census The book, “U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Adherents,” is now available for download free of charge at: https://www.usreligioncensus.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/2020_US_Religion_Census.pdf This unique publication offers national, state, and county-level information and statistics on congregations and membership for 372 religious groups, including fourteen Eastern Orthodox and nine Oriental Orthodox Churches. The book’s ten chapters examine various aspects of church life in America and can also be downloaded individually at: https://www.usreligioncensus.org/node/1638 These chapters include: Quick Answers to Important Questions from the U.S. Religion Census Historical Efforts to Collect U.S. Data on Religious Congregations Trends in Adherents Data: 2010-2020 Patterns of Historical and Organizational Events and Conflict…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions Visiting Professor at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (Cambridge, UK) When the New York Times recently asked readers to tell them why they had left their religion behind some 7,000 readers responded (“Why Do People Lose Their Religion?” June 7, 2023). Clearly there is a lot of painful pent-up feeling about this. But an equally intriguing question is, “Why do people keep their religion?” This is a question that percolated throughout a course on religion in American history I was teaching this past Spring at Fordham University (“American Religious Texts and Traditions”). The class…
Source: Ekathimerini.com Manolis Kostidis The Turkish government has decided to start long-term maintenance and repairs of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was converted into a mosque, after scientists discovered significant damage both inside and outside the 6th century Byzantine monument. Some experts are discussing a lengthy project that might take decades to complete. However, there is concern among some circles in Turkey who suspect that there may be political expediency behind this decision, so that Hagia Sophia is closed for a long period of time and does not function as a mosque. Political analysts…
Source: The National by Anjana Sankar New facility to cater for increase in worshippers The St George Orthodox Cathedral building in Mushrif was demolished in September last year. A foundation stone was laid for the new one and construction started in December. Church authorities said nearly 40 per cent of the building work is complete. Meanwhile, regular services are being held in a purpose-built hall next to the construction site. Rev Father Eldho Paul, the vicar at St George’s, told The National that worshippers will be able to pray in the new cathedral by May next year. With an estimated cost of…
Source: The National Herald BETHESDA, MD – His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was the honored guest at the National Intelligence University’s Presidential Lecture Series, where he addressed the faculty and student body on the topic of “Russia’s Weaponization of Religion in the Ukraine Conflict.” This historic visit marks the first-ever address by the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to the US intelligence community. The National Intelligence University (NIU) is the US intelligence community’s premier academic institution, with faculty and students from all 18 agencies of the intelligence community (including the CIA, NSA, NGA, FBI, and more) as…
Source: OINOS Educational Consulting by Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP Disturb us, Lord, when We are too pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true Because we dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore.Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare…
Source: Commonweal By John Chryssavgis As the bishop’s role has grown in stature through the centuries, with bishops becoming the ultimate arbiter of things doctrinal and canonical, the way we elect bishops has changed and evolved. The participation of the laity in the electoral process has waned. In his late fourth-century treatise On the Priesthood, St. John Chrysostom was already lamenting how bishops were promoted: Tell me, then, where do you think these great disturbances in the church come from? Personally, I think that they transpire from the ill-considered and random manner in which bishops are chosen. (Book III, 10) The…
Source: The Christian Science Monitor President Putin’s battle to control the “Russian world” includes a religious front: a centuries-old spiritual and nationalist struggle within the Orthodox church – a part of the consciousness of average churchgoers worldwide. – Laurent By Sara Miller Llana Staff writer By Sarah Matusek Staff writer By Alexander Thompson Staff writer TORONTO, NEW YORK, AND BOSTON In the wake of an invasion that has shaken the globe, the diaspora of Ukrainians from Winnipeg to Warsaw has taken to the streets to denounce a war they say is unprovoked. But another side of their fierce resistance is spiritual…