| One hundred years ago, after his election at the All-Russian Local Church Council, he meekly accepted the wooden staff of the Primate of the See of Moscow, Metropolitan Peter. Let us turn our attention to the image of this holy hierarch-confessor, who together with the entire Russian Church ascended the Golgotha of sorrows and humiliation! In those horrifying years, a special host of martyrs for the faith rose up, passing through fire and water, enduring abuse and injury, chains and imprisonment, “tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35). In the spiritual achievements of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and the martyrs of the 20th century, a profound love for God and neighbor was revealed, and also unlimited devotion to the Will of God. May the self-sacrificial podvig of the martyrs who suffered in the years of godless persecutions serve as an example of faith and piety not only for us, but for all Orthodox Christians! As we noetically kiss the holy manger of Bethlehem, let us piously pray to the Divine Child that this 21st century, in contrast to the last one, will be a time of building the Church and of mankind turning to God, that the seeds sown by the suffering of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia will continue to bring forth abundant fruits of faith, hope and love in human hearts. Let us pray to Him that He grant us spiritual peace and true Christian life, so that we would be to our neighbors a “light of the world” (John 8:12) and the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). With love in the Incarnate Lord, +HILARION, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Nativity of Christ, 2016/2017. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| We, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America express our deep sorrow and distress over these developments and, in particular, by the rupture in communion between the Church of Moscow and the Church of Constantinople. It is our sincere hope and fervent prayer that a way forward be found for restoration of communion that is in accord with both the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sacred Canons of the Church established by the Fathers which have protected and promoted the unity of the Church through the centuries. In light of the above new developments, by means of this pastoral letter, we re-affirm the substance and content of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon’s letter. To demonstrate our commitment to upholding unity in the Church, we express our desire and intention to maintain full communion with all the universally recognized autocephalous Orthodox Churches. We exhort our clergy and faithful to fervently offer prayers that the unity and communion of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine be restored and that all schisms be resolved according to the canonical tradition and discipline of the Church. We also remind our clergy and faithful that it is the people of Ukraine, our brethren in Christ, who are suffering from the effects of the broader ecclesial conflicts and it is for them, in particular that we shall offer prayers. We furthermore exhort our clergy and faithful to offer fervent prayers so that unity and communion be maintained within the fullness of the Orthodox Church throughout the world. Recalling the words of Saint Cyprian of Carthage “… and this unity we ought firmly to hold and assert, especially those of us that are bishops who preside in the Church, that we may also prove the episcopate to be one and undivided,” it is our earnest hope that a conciliar process be initiated by His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in union with his brothers, the Primates of the Churches. Thus, a Church-wide discussion of primacy and synodality can be undertaken outside of the context of this specific ecclesiastical dispute. With respect to the Church in Ukraine, the Holy Synod of Bishops has determined at this time: |
| This problem that Europeans are encountering of course should be a different topic of conversation. Yet I cannot ignore the topic of the discrimination of the new Christians – the migrants from the Middle East and north Africa. They are under extreme pressure from their former countrymen who are Muslims and act aggressively against Christians as a result of the stereotypical thinking and propaganda of radical Islamists. Christians are kept in refugee camps alongside Muslims, which has become the reason why Christians there are assaulted, humiliated, raped and robbed. I call upon all of those who can influence the situation to intervene and show deep concern for the defense of Christians by offering them separate refuge. Christians in their own country have become a persecuted minority, have endured a terrible genocide from radical Islamists in Syria, Iraq, Sudan and other hot spots. And now, instead of being rescued, they continue to endure violence in refugee camps in the EU at the hands of modern-day barbarians who have also ended up as migrants. Aid to suffering brothers and sisters also bears a direct relation to the issue of the future of Christianity in Europe. We should be optimists and preserve hope that ahead of us will be a time of new opportunities for the testimony of faith. People of faith must continue their labours at all possible levels in European and international forums in vindicating the right to freedom of conscience and religion, in opposing the development of legal acts which directly or indirectly discriminate against Christians or touch upon the freedom of religion, and in fighting the imposed marginalization of Christianity and its expulsion to the borders of public life. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, who has created his Church in order to carry out his mission in the human world, will not desert us with his all-powerful aid and support: ‘In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ (Jn 16.33). ______________ 1 Report for 2018 by the Observation committee of intolerance and discrimination of Christians in Europe. Page 5 . 2 The numbers of non-believers in Great Britain exceeds 50% for the first time. http://www.bbc.com/russian/news-41154931 3 Christianity as default is gone’: the rise of a non-Christian Europe. . 4 . 5 . 6 10 key findings about religion in Western Europe. 7 8 Speech by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the opening of the XXV International Nativity Educational Readings. http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/4789256.html |
| Croatian president wraps up Balkan tour The survival of the Serb Orthodox monastery of Decani throughout the centuries offers hope of the possibility of coexistence, Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said on Saturday in the 14th century monastery guarded by the Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeepers, at the end of a Balkan tour. He praised “the beauty of this ancient heritage, which is part of the European and world tradition.” “Here, not always in easy conditions, there has been room for all people of good will. The preservation of this monastery, the cooperation between the Serb Orthodox Church and the Kosovo authorities shows that people can get along, that optimism can win over pessimism and that people of good will can overpower those who are not,” he said. “I am confident that this whole area will become an area of peace,” Josipovic said. Prior Sava Janjic said the Croatian president’s visit was “a great honour and joy.” “We hope that together, through our efforts, we can preserve this valuable Christian heritage and that better times are ahead in which people will cooperate more and work together to the benefit of all,” he added. Italian KFOR troops have been guarding the monastery since the end of the war in Kosovo because it has been shelled more than 20 times. The KFOR commander, Italian Brigadier General Salvatore Farina, welcomed President Josipovic at NATO’s base Film City in Pristina when he visited the Croatian KFOR contingent today. Farina said KFOR was proud of the Croatian troops. The 22 members of the 13th Croatian Army contingent “are contributing to the security and well-being of all people in Kosovo,” he said. “The role our soldiers and police officers have played, together with the other forces here, is big, valuable and important,” said Josipovic. “We have contributed to reconciliation, the security of people and the democratic development of Kosovo,” he said at the end of his two-day stay in Kosovo. Source Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. |
| Trump’s pre-election remarks ‘give hope’ for dialog with Russia – Patriarch Kirill to RT Source: RT US President-elect Donald Trump’s statements show that he is willing to pave the way for dialog with Russia and join efforts in fighting global terrorism, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill told RT. Photo: © Sergey Pyatakov/Sputnik The patriarch praised Trump’s campaign statements, in which he showed “intent to pave the way for dialog with Russia, primarily regarding the fight against terrorism,” as he spoke to RT’s Daniel Hawkins in an exclusive interview. “This kind of rhetoric opens opportunity for cooperation and I hope that this will be the way, in which Russia and the US cooperate in order to resolve the threat [of terrorism],” he said. Trump’s statements, according to the patriarch, “give hope. And it’s very important for the leaders of powerful influential states to give hope for a better future with their policies.” In this regard, Trump was very different from the other US presidential candidates, as “rhetoric was also in stark contrast with what other candidates were saying. That is why there was no hope in other candidates’ remarks,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church added. In the interview, which the patriarch gave amid preparations for his 70th birthday on Sunday, he touched on a broad range of issues from the election victory of Donald Trump to Middle Eastern and African conflicts as well as the liberalization of some denominations in the West. During the celebrations of his birthday, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet with other Orthodox patriarchs and will serve the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The full exclusive interview with the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch will be broadcasted on RT on Monday, November 21. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. |
| SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Today—July 22, 2014—marks the 22nd anniversary the repose of Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary from 1984 until 1992. A better way to speak of Father John’s repose would be to say that he died “in hope of the resurrection.” These words are used in Orthodox prayers for the departed. Father John’s theological vision, in accord with the great Christian theologians, affirmed and celebrated the dynamism of our life and our movement toward the resurrection. In remembering Father John and reflecting on his life and ministry, it is clear that he was a theologian of depth and a teacher of excellence. In this he witnessed to Christ, to the Gospel, to the Orthodox Faith. He exemplified intellectual integrity and seriousness and was allergic to untruth in any form. Theology and teaching were not “academic” endeavors for Father John. He placed his intellect and his teaching in the service of the Church. In this sense, he was as much a pastor as he was a theologian and teacher. During the years of his labors as theologian and historian, teacher and lecturer, Father John achieved respect and recognition around the world in the Orthodox Church, in the ecumenical world, and in academia. Among the Orthodox Churches, his voice articulated the vision of the Orthodox Church in America, affirming the imperative need for unity and mission. In the ecumenical and academic worlds, he articulated and bore witness to the Orthodox vision of God’s creation and the meaning and content of human life in light of the biblical teaching on the image and likeness of God in each human person. As editor of The Orthodox Church newspaper for 20 years, Father John made a major contribution to public discussion of the challenges facing the Orthodox Church in America and around the world. He saw his service as editor as a continuation of his task as teacher of theology and history. He knew that an educated and informed clergy and laity were necessary for a healthy Church. His birth and education in France were no obstacle to his love for America. On the contrary, he entered fully into the experience of American Orthodoxy, understanding its challenges and appreciating its gifts and possibilities. |
| “In Evanston, one name brought all together and closer—Jesus Christ”; he continues: “As mentioned later (in the statement of Florovsky) 21 the fact that if each denomination contains only a part of the Christian faith, only the Orthodox Church contains the totality and plenitude of the true faith, ‘which was transmitted to the saints once and for all’ (Jude 3). Hope in Christ [an allusion to the theme of the meeting] is based on the true and whole faith, for it is written: first faith, then hope and then love, otherwise it is a house without foundation. The same applies to eschatology which was contained in that faith from the beginning. Without such faith, it is difficult to approach with truth the Christ who is considered as the complete Hope, as well as the eschatological Christ who is destined to accomplish human history and to be the eternal Judge. The union of all the churches cannot be achieved through mutual concessions but only by adherence by all to the one true faith in its entirety, as it was bequeathed by the Apostles and formulated at the Ecumenical Councils; in other words, by the return of all Christians in the one and indivisible Church to which belonged the ancestors of all Christians in the entire world during the first ten centuries after Christ. It is the Holy Orthodox Church.” 22 St. Justin Popovic Saint Justin Popovic’s (1894-1979) criticism of ecumenism was deeper and more theologically founded than that of Bishop Nikolai. He, as Bishop Athanasius notes, never actively participated in meetings and ecumenical dialogues. However, during his studies in England (1916-1919) he was inquiring of Bishop Nikolai, who was active, as we have seen. When addressing his critique of ecumenical dialogue we must bear in mind the historical context. Justin Popovic spoke about it at the time of the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. The latter made several audacious statements, saying that there were no real obstacles to the establishment of the unity of the Church and that the difficulties came only from theologians and theology. |
| Statement of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East on COVID-19 Vaccines Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Photo: Freepik Considering the spread of Covid-19 pandemic which afflicts the world and its people today, and subsequent to the production of its vaccines, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, after consultation between His Beatitude and the Antiochian Hierarchs, would like to clarify the following to her faithful: 1. In the Pastoral Letter issued in 2019, the Church reaffirmed “the sanctity of life and the necessity of respecting it alongside her openness to scientific advancement.” In the same context and believing in the pivotal role played by scientific progress throughout the ages, the Church encourages scientific research and scientists, and blesses every proper initiative that contributes to the progress of humanity and relieves human suffering. Therefore, she offers her prayers for all those working to safeguard and serve human life, including researchers, scientists, medical doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers in hospitals. She pleads for their protection, especially that, in this pandemic, they have showed unique dedication, continuous vigilance, and heroic self-sacrifice. May God strengthen them with His grace. May they be faithful co-workers with Christ our God, the Physician of our souls and bodies. The Church also offers her prayers for the healing of all the sick, the sustenance of their families, the comfort of the bereaved, and the repose of the souls of those who have departed in hope of resurrection and eternal life. 2. After scientists have prepared a set of Covid-19 vaccines and in reviewing various medical reports and consulting with specialists, the Church considers that the matter of vaccination is not the specialty of the field of theological and spiritual studies, but rather specific to the field of medical sciences and its authorities. The decision regarding taking the vaccine is a personal decision. Every faithful has the right to make this decision in consultation with his or her doctor. |
| Wonderworking Icon from Romania’s Sihstria Monastery Carried in Procession against Coronavirus and Drought Source: Basilica.ro On Bright Tuesday, the wonderworking Axion Estin (It is Truly Meet) Icon of the Mother of God from Romania’s famous Sihstria Monastery was carried in procession, with the monks entreating God for relief from the coronavirus pandemic and drought. The procession took place after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, with the monks stopping at six points to offer prayers and litanies for the driving away of the pandemic, the healing of the sick, and for rain. The procession began and ended at the monastery cathedral, with stops at the cemetery, the agricultural fields, the cell of the greatly-revered Elder Cleopa (Ilie), the guesthouse, and the old church. The holy march was held, “To ask for God’s help and the mercy of the Mother of God in order to get through these difficult times, to get out of this state of sorrow, to pray more together, and to get out of the monotony of the present situation through a more intense prayer, with more hope,” explained the abbot, Archimandrite Arsenie Popa. The Sihstria Axion Estin Icon was painted by a Romanian monk on Mt. Athos in the early 20th century. It is normally housed in the nave of the old church at the monastery. Elder Cleopa was witness to a number of miracles worked by the Mother of God through her precious icon. Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| Moscow, November 23, Interfax - Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada hopes that newly elected president Donald Trump will develop good relations with Russia. Photo: oca.org “We hope he will preserve the stability within the United States and hopefully will promote good relations with other countries of the world, in particularly with Russia,” he said in his interview with Interfax-Religion in Moscow where the metropolitan came to celebrations of Patriarch Kirill’s 70th birthday. According to the interviewee of the agency, “this year the campaign for the presidential elections was very difficult, perhaps, confusing to many people even in the United States, painful, but in the end the citizens of the United Stated followed the process as established and elected a new president.” “My hope and I think the hope of the faithful and the bishops and priests of the Orthodox Church in America is that we are cautiously optimistic about the good work the new president will do,” he said. According to the metropolitan, Orthodox believers hope that “our Lord Jesus Christ will enlighten the new president to do the right things.” Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
|
|
