Source: Public Orthodoxy Originally published on June 5, 2025 A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal “Are Americans Really Losing Their Religion?” shared results from the largest ever survey of Americans who identify as “Nones”, either atheist, agnostic or having no particular religion. While this population has grown tremendously in recent times, an interesting point came out of the data: a full two thirds of these folks say they feel drawn toward spirituality but are much more resistant to the idea of organized religion. It struck me that in this age of anxiety, mental illness and isolation people indeed yearn for a connection to…
Browsing: Roman Catholic Church
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate New details have emerged regarding the private meeting between His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday, May 19, 2025, the day after the inauguration of the new Pope. According to the Zenit News Agency, which reports on the activities of the Pope and the Church of Rome, “This was not merely a handshake between dignitaries. It was a renewed embrace between two ancient churches still walking the long and often fractured road toward unity.” Zenit added that “for Bartholomew, the longest-serving Ecumenical Patriarch in centuries and a tireless…
Source: The National Herald Originally published on April 22, 2025 The late Pope Francis – whose ecclesiastical title was Bishop of Rome (Old Rome, as Constantinople is the New Rome) – was, both in life and after his exit from time (what we commonly call ‘death’), a different kind of Pope. During his life, he was the Pope “of Christ’s least brethren”: the poor, the lonely, the marginalized, the imprisoned – all those who, as the saying goes, “have no place in the sun.” It was with these that Christ – the One of the Holy Trinity – chose to…
Source: Christianity Daily BY KATHLEEN ORENZA If Pope Francis’ most recent request is accepted, it is possible that the disagreement that has lasted for centuries between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches on how to determine the date of Easter may finally be resolved. Pope Francis, at a meeting on November 19 with Mar Awa III, the head of the Assyrian Church of the East, called for an end to misunderstandings regarding the manner in which Catholics and Eastern churches establish the date of Easter each spring. Pope Francis Calling To End Disagreements Between Catholic, Orthodox “Let us have the courage…
Source: The Moscow Times By AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Pope Francis a happy 85th birthday on Friday, telling the Catholic leader they could jointly protect Christians. The comments come after the pope earlier this month said he was ready to travel to Moscow to visit Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church. “It is difficult to overestimate your personal contribution to the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches and to the strengthening of Russian-Vatican ties,” Putin told Pope Francis, according to a telegram released by the Kremlin. “I am sure that through joint…
Source: National Catholic Reporter by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service Computers are unforgiving, but Christianity is supposed to be forgiving. Computers insist that humans, especially programmers, be exact. A single wrong letter in a line of code can crash a program. But even ordinary users can experience this. Nothing puts us into panic like a computer telling us: “Invalid Username or Password.” The religion of Jesus is supposed to be forgiving. He attacked the Scribes and the Pharisees for their emphasis on the minutiae of the law. Yet, even under Pope Francis, who is all about compassion and forgiveness, the literalists appear…
Source: The Conversation A new Orthodox Church was recently established in Ukraine. Shortly after, Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople and the spiritual head of global Orthodox Christianity, granted independence to the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine and transferred its jurisdiction from the church of Moscow to the church of Constantinople, located in Istanbul. This competition between the churches of Constantinople and Moscow for dominance in the Orthodox Christian world is not new – it goes back more than 500 years. But the birth of the new Orthodox Church in Ukraine opens a new chapter in this history. So what is Ukraine’s new church, and…
by Roy L. Snyder In 1204, Norman, Venetian, and other European forces heeded the call of Pope Innocent III for a Fourth Crusade to take back the Holy Land from the Muslim conquerors. In a bizarre chain of events brought on primarily by a lack of funds, a deal with an ousted prince of Constantinople, and a fair smattering of greed, most of the Crusaders never made it to the Holy Land, but instead captured the city of Constantinople and large portions of territory of the Roman Empire – including the islands of the Mediterranean. An earlier agreement amongst the…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA WASHINGTON—The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation (NAOCTC) has released its response to the most recent document produced by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Entitled, “Synodality and Primacy During the First Millennium: Towards a Common Understanding in Service to the Unity of the Church,” this work of the international dialogue was released in September 2016. It is often referred to as, “The Chieti Document,” because it was finalized during a meeting in Chieti, Italy. The NAOCTC, which is co-chaired by Cardinal…
Source: OrthodoxOutpost.com More good, more often. Orthodox Christian writers are often called upon to author articles that focus on positive aspects of life in the Church. Mission trips, fasting recipes, and ethnic customs are all topics that make for a friendly encounter with Orthodox Christianity. But what if the calling to do more good, more often was much more difficult? What if doing more good, more often meant being unpopular? What if doing more good, more often meant being cast out by those around us? The movie Spotlight recently won the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the story of…
Source: Dalje.com Split archbishop and Serb Orthodox Church head call for unity of Christians The Archbishop of Split and chairman of the Croatian Bishops Conference (HBK) council for dialogue with the Serb Orthodox Church, Marin Barisic, on Thursday met at Split’s Cathedral of St. Domnius with the head of the Serb Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej, and both dignitaries supported the unity of Christians and overcoming the differences between Roman Catholics and Orthodox believers, saying they have Jesus Christ in common. “I would not want anyone to misunderstand me, but it would be good if Catholics became more Orthodox and if…
Source: Crux PLUS: Predictions for an unpredictable pope, Catholic/Orthodox ties, and American Catholicism at its best by John L. Allen Jr., Associate editor Pope Francis marked the second anniversary of his election on Friday with yet another blockbuster media interview, this one with the Mexican network Televisa. One headline from the conversation with veteran Vatican reporter Valentina Alazraki focused on his expectations for a short papacy. As he has on other occasions, Francis hinted that he doesn’t expect to be around very long. “I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief … four or five years. I don’t know, even…