| Tweet Нравится Greek Parliament legalizes same-sex civil partnerships Source: The News Tribune December 22, 2015 Greece's parliament has overwhelmingly approved legislation legalizing civil partnerships for gay couples, two years after the country was condemned by a European human rights court for discrimination. In a result announced early Wednesday, lawmakers voted 193-56 in favor of the bill to extend civil partnerships to same-sex couples, but provisions regarding family law that could pave the way for adoption applications by gay couples were dropped before the vote. Conservative bishops in Greece's powerful Orthodox Church vehemently opposed the law, arguing that it undermined the institution of family. " Homosexuality is a deviation from the laws of nature. It is a social crime, a sin. Those who experience or support it are not normal people, " said Bishop Amvrosios of the southern town of Kalavryta, where church bells tolled Tuesday in opposition to the bill. In a 2013 ruling, the Council of Europe's Court of Human Rights found that Greek legislation was discriminatory and ordered Greece to pay damages to the gay couples who brought the lawsuit. Civil partnerships, introduced in 2008, are favored by couples seeking legal rights without getting married or who are deterred by lengthy divorce procedures. But same-sex couples were barred from civil partnerships. Lawmakers from the governing leftist Syriza party backed the bill, standing to clap when it passed, while the main opposition conservatives were split on the vote. The human rights group Amnesty International called the new law a " significant and historic step in the right direction. " Several hundred pro-gay rights protesters gathered outside parliament before the vote, under a large banner that read " Love is the law. " " This is a good start, even though this law doesn't cover everything, " Philippos Paganis, a 21-year-old member of the gay rights group Colour Youth, told the AP. " We want to keep up the pressure ... for same-sex marriages to be allowed — that gives you more rights — and to make it easier for people to declare their gender, " he said. |
| World Russian Council calls to remove abortions from the system of mandatory medical insurance Moscow, June 3, 2015 The World Russian People’s Council has endorsed the proposal to remove abortions from the mandatory medical insurance system. “Termination of a human life can no longer be a collective sin of the Russian society, jointly paid for by all taxpayers. A person intending to commit such an act must not expect any material support from fellow citizens,” the statement of the World Russian People’s Council, received on Wednesday by Interfax-Religion, reads. According to the document, should the proposal of cancellation of the mandatory medical insurance coverage for abortions be met with a serious opposition of the legislators, it is necessary to hold “a national referendum”. “We feel convinced that the choice of the overwhelming majority of our fellow citizens will be in favor of life, in favor of protection of childhood and maternity,” the document reads. The World Russian Council considers it necessary for the state and the society to undertake a joint massive information campaign explaining to citizens the true nature of abortions and proclaiming the protection and care of life of unborn children. Special attention should be devoted to work with potential future mothers: medical institutions at the earliest opportunity should demonstrate to such women the life of their babies (in the form of visualization of a fetus on an ultrasound scanner monitor and hearing of fetal heartbeats). The document authors stress that traditions of many peoples worldwide “consider an abortion to be an unforgivable, grave sin,” and a human life, according to these traditions, begins from the moment of conception and not from the moment of birth – “a fact proven by science long ago.” “The World Russian People’s Council is calling upon countrymen to reconsider their attitude towards termination of pregnancy as a private matter of family planning and to perceive this act as termination of a human life,” the statement reads. |
| A Christian’s Freedom, the Church’s Freedom, and Religious Freedom From the book, The Search for Truth on the Path to Reason, by Professor Alexei I. Osipov Destruction by Soviet regime of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Moscow. The concept of freedom has several dimensions. Here we will note three of them as being the most relevant to the question of a Christian’s freedom. The first is the metaphysical. By freedom in this case is understood one of the most fundamental qualities of human nature—free will, expressed first of all by a person’s moral self-determination in the face of good and evil. Free will is such an important quality that, when it is lost, the personality becomes completely degraded. But as long as self-awareness is preserved, no one can take authority over this freedom—not another man, nor society, nor laws, nor any regime, nor demons, nor angels, nor even God Himself. Saint Macarius of Egypt (fourth century) said: You are created in the image and likeness of God; therefore just as God is free and creates what He wants … so are you free. Therefore, our nature is well capable of accepting both good and evil; both God’s grace, and the enemy’s powers. But it cannot be forced. A classic saying of the Church Fathers, “God cannot save us without us,” excellently expresses the Christian understanding of the sense and meaning of this freedom. The second dimension of freedom is spiritual freedom. Unlike outward freedom, it signifies man’s authority over his own egoism, his own passions, sinful feelings, desires—over his own self. This kind of freedom is only acquired through a correct spiritual life, making the believer capable of communion with God, Who alone possesses absolute spiritual authority. The saints attained to great freedom, having purified themselves of the passions. Every “ordinary” person possesses relative spiritual freedom (cf. Jn 8:34). Only those who are hardened in evil, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 31–32) and have become incapable of good, have lost this freedom. Christianity sees the ideal of spiritual life in God in this way, and thereby in principle denies the possibility that some sort of absolute freedom can exist in man (“on this side of good and evil”). Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov wrote, “[Man’s] freedom is relative.… It stands and falls, is conquered and surpassed on the paths of created life to its deification. Freedom is not an independent power in itself, and in itself is powerless when it opposes Divinity.” Saint Isaac the Syrian says, “For there is no perfect freedom in this imperfect age.” |
| A divinely written icon: Orthodox theology can lead to new Christian thinking on creation SOURCE: National Catholic Reporter By Melissa Jones George Avdella holds a cross above his head after retrieving it from Lake Eola during the Epiphany celebration of St. George Orthodox Church in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 8, 2012. (Newscom/Polaris/Paul Hennessy) Every year on or around Epiphany, a group of Eastern Orthodox Christian faithful from Denver forms a carpool caravan and drives three hours to the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, Colo. They make this trek to bless the snowpack because they know that the spring melt will flow east and west down the Rockies to feed the life-giving streams and rivers of the lands below. It " s a holy feast and a community celebration for the priest and parishioners who attend. They make an altar out of snow (with a few occasional snowballs tossed), and sometimes have to shout their prayers over the January winds that blow hard and icy on these high peaks. It is common worldwide for Orthodox Christians to bless local lakes and rivers on this feast they call Theophany. They " ve been doing this for centuries, long before " green " was in. They do it because it simply makes sense in their Orthodox worldview, which sees a strong, Christ-healed connection between creation and the divine. Orthodox Christian theology embraces nature as a divinely written icon, an intricately crafted window to God. In evaluating the place of Christian theology vis-à-vis the environment, critics and apologists both have tended to focus on Western theology and traditional interpretations of the creation story in Genesis. The broadest spectrum of Western Christianity has taken the creation component of their beliefs toward a relatively negative view of human nature, a material-spiritual dualism, and a somewhat irrational terror of paganism and pantheism. This has left Western Christianity stuck in a theological rut as adherents struggle to find an ideological foundation from which to participate in global efforts to heal creation. |
| Moscow, June 29, Interfax - The Russian Orthodox Church has appealed to all Russian advocates of the American model of governance, asking them to think twice about the consequences of the United States " decision to legalize same-sex " marriages " . Photo: torontosun.com Photo: Sputnik, Yana Lapikova “The people who are into ‘democracy the American way’ and trying to reconcile it with traditional values need to think hard after this decision,” the head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion. He pointed out to the kind of values that one is “trying to bring along with the U.S. social and political model.” “You might not be told that they want to force you to adopt such a godless and sinful thing as same-sex marriages. Remember: in reality they want to take your right to live according to the faith, take your soul, take your opportunity to build the life of your society and your state according to the eternal and invariable God-given moral laws,” the priest said. He said the thing he was most concerned about in this particular case is that the U.S. government is trying “to impose its anti-natural and post-human view on marriage on other countries.” The Russian Church representative recalled that one of these days U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who spoke on behalf of the majority of judges who made these decisions, said that same-sex couples were seeking to achieve same legal attitudes towards their union as heterosexual ones. The judge also claimed that the nature of marriage consists in the following: two people together can obtain freedoms, in particular, the freedom of expression, privacy and spirituality, regardless of their sexual orientation. “Such attitude towards marriage is more than surprising. Marriage is not just a legal construct, it is not just a place where one exercises legal rights,” the priest said. He pointed out that “marriage has a certain nature, it is created by God, primarily, not as a legal space for the exercise of rights but a place where man and woman in the union of love give life to children and bring them up.” |
| Photo: On September 15, 2016, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, met with Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. In Italy for a session of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church held in Chiet from September 15 to 22, Met. Hilarion, on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, gifted the Pope of Rome a piece of the relics of the much beloved great wonderworker St. Seraphim of Sarov, in a shrine the shape of a Paschal egg. Unsurprisingly, this has caused consternation among the Orthodox faithful, especially of the Moscow Patriarchate. The issue is not one of begrudging any and all pleasantries towards the Catholic prelate, but is focused rather upon the importance given to and the seriousness with which Orthodox Christians relate to the holy relics of the saints. As St. Justin Popovich , the incomparable saint of the twentieth century Serbian Church, explains, relics, in fact, lie at the very heart of the New Testament faith of the Orthodox Church. It can even be said that relics confirm for us the mystery of faith. In proclaiming the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God the Orthodox Church proclaims the sanctification of the material world, and chiefly of the human body, summoned unto the status of the Holy Spirit’s own temple (1 Cor. 6:19). The relics of the saints, with their sweet fragrances, miraculous healings, and myrrh-streaming properties—all signs of the grace of the Spirit that continues to abide in them—thus serve for the faithful as the confirmation of their Orthodox faith. St. John Damascene , the great saint, hymnographer, and dogmatician of the seventh—eighth centuries explains: “The saints have become according to grace that which the Lord Christ is according to nature. That is, they have become gods according to grace: pure and living habitations of God. For God says: ‘I will dwell in them, walk in them, and I will be their God’ (2 Corinthians 6:16; Leviticus 16:12).” Thus we see that relics are explained by the distinction between God’s nature and grace, His essence and energies—a distinction known only to Orthodox theology and Orthodox praxis. |
| Saint Patriarch Tikhon – His Missionary Legacy to Orthodox America " But who is to work for the spread of the Orthodox Faith for the increase of the children of the Orthodox Church? Pastors and missionaries, you answer. You are right; but are they to be alone? St. Paul wisely compares the Church of Christ to a body, and the life of a body is shared by all the members. So it ought to be in the life of the Church also...The spread of Christ " s faith ought to be near and precious to the heart of every. Christian In this work every member of the Church ought to take a lively and heartfelt interest... " " Source: Orthodox America Most of what has been written about St. Patriarch Tikhon since his repose on the Feast of Annunciation in 1925, has centered on the short years of his patriarchate. Although this coincided with the most complex and difficult time in all of Russian Church history, all who take up the pen in his regard agree that he was the “right” man, chosen by God, for that critical hour. The Saint’s English language biographer Jane Swan, has written: “It is difficult to assess the greatness of Tikhon….His spiritual growth was far beyond that of the ordinary mortal.” This finds agreement with the opinion of the Saint’s contemporary, Prof. Pavel Zaichenko: “in speaking about Bishop Tikhon, I am seized with reverent trepidation This was a giant among Russian Orthodox hierarchs; he was truly worthy of the honor and respect of the entire Christian world.’ The key to St. Tikhon’s greatness lies in his personality, his character. Prof. Zaichenko recalls: “By nature Bishop Tikhon was kind, responsive and unusually sensitive. In his character he was quiet, merciful, good-natured and always tried to preserve in himself serenity, a serenity which he transmitted to the souls of all those around him.” Elsewhere it has been said that “he had a strong sense of duty and responsibility…moreover, he was possessed of an iron like self-possession and circumspection” These were the qualities on which he built his fruitful activity as a missionary hierarch in North America. It was during these seven years, in the crucible of a pluralistic spiritual wilderness, that he refined and honed his insights into human nature and arch-pastorship. This period of Patriarch Tikhon’s life and personal development has received little attention. Yet, his “years in America were not only extremely productive, as far as successful administration of his diocese was concerned, but for Tikhon personally, they were years of useful experience which served him well later on. Later in life, he mentioned the fact that his American sojourn not only widened his ecclesiastical horizon but also his political outlook…[since he] was thrust into a completely new environment including freedom of religion, no censorship, [and] the hurrying business-like American bustle…” |
| The Struggle of Prayer – a Short Practical Guide Source: Gladsome Light Dialogues – An Orthodox Blog The truth is that prayer is easier said than done. Fr. Vasile Tudora 05 August 2020 Photo: pravoslavie.ru If you ask anyone in church about prayer they will most likely use a descriptor like: a pleasant experience‚ a conversation with God‚ a link with the absolute or other general terms‚ all positive in nature. Things are different however when‚ during Confession‚ a Father Confessor asks the same question. He will most likely hear more about lack of time‚ loss of focus‚ procrastination and struggle in general. The truth is that prayer is easier said than done. One of the main reasons that we struggle with prayer is that we expect from it a different experience than what we actually get in most cases. Reading books like The Way of the pilgrim or the Filokalia we May get a wrong impression of what prayer is‚ at least at the beginning‚ because we forget that the wonderful experiences described in these books belong to people that have literally struggled with prayer their entire lives. We all expect an exhilarating time rejoicing in the Lord while our souls are taken to the 3rd heaven. Well‚ this does not happen for the majority of us. Jesus Christ Himself prayed while on earth and not all His periods of prayer were a “walk-in-the-park” kind of experience. Take for instance the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane: “ And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly. And His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luk 2’:44). There was pain in His prayer but as He struggled in prayer His prayer became more profound‚ reaching out from the bottom of His human nature screaming for help and deliverance. The same is true for us: we tend to pray harder and with more seriousness when we face suffering. In suffering we genuinely pray‚ there is no more habitual‚ casual prayer‚ there is real purpose behind it. The problem is how do we transfer these rare moments of honest prayer into our daily praying routine? |
| Tweet Нравится Saint Patriarch Tikhon - His Missionary Legacy to Orthodox America Fr. Alexey Young Saint Tikhon, 11th Patriarch of Moscow and of All Russia Most of what has been written about St. Patriarch Tikhon since his repose on the Feast of Annunciation in 1925, has centered on the short years of his patriarchate. Although this coincided with the most complex and difficult time in all of Russian Church history, all who take up the pen in his regard agree that he was the " right " man, chosen by God, for that critical hour. The Saint's English language biographer Jane Swan, has written: " It is difficult to assess the greatness of Tikhon....His spiritual growth was far beyond that of the ordinary mortal. " This finds agreement with the opinion of the Saint's contemporary, Prof. Pavel Zaichenko: " in speaking about Bishop Tikhon, I am seized with reverent trepidation This was a giant among Russian Orthodox hierarchs; he was truly worthy of the honor and respect of the entire Christian world.' The key to St. Tikhon's greatness lies in his personality, his character. Prof. Zaichenko recalls: " By nature Bishop Tikhon was kind, responsive and unusually sensitive. In his character he was quiet, merciful, good-natured and always tried to preserve in himself serenity, a serenity which he transmitted to the souls of all those around him. " Elsewhere it has been said that " he had a strong sense of duty and responsibility...moreover, he was possessed of an iron like self-possession and circumspection'' These were the qualities on which he built his fruitful activity as a missionary hierarch in North America. It was during these seven years, in the crucible of a pluralistic spiritual wilderness, that he refined and honed his insights into human nature and arch-pastorship. This period of Patriarch Tikhon's life and personal development has received little attention. Yet, his " years in America were not only extremely productive, as far as successful administration of his diocese was concerned, but for Tikhon personally, they were years of useful experience which served him well later on. Later in life, he mentioned the fact that his American sojourn not only widened his ecclesiastical horizon but also his political outlook...[since he] was thrust into a completely new environment including freedom of religion, no censorship, [and] the hurrying business-like American bustle...'' |
| German edition of Patriarch Kirill’s book ‘Freedom And Responsibility’ presented in Berlin Source: DECR Natalya Mihailova 25 November 2016 On 24 November 2016, the German edition of a book by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, entitled ‘Freedom and Responsibility: A Search for Harmony – Human Rights and Personal Dignity,’ was presented at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Berlin, marking the 70thbirthday of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Presenting the book was Bishop Antony of Bogorodsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad. Photo: https://mospat.ru/ As Bishop Antony noted in his speech, the book focuses on the correlation between man’s freedom and his responsibility before God, society and himself. This responsibility is of exclusively moral nature and implies the personal choice. Bishop Antony emphasized that according to the author, it is on the religious tradition that man is to base his ideas of immense value of human life. Among those who spoke at the presentation were also Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany; Mr. Leonid Sevastyanov, executive director of St Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation; Mr. Igor Lapshin, deputy director of St Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation; as well as Duke Christoph of Oldenburg, chairman of the German-Russian Young Leaders Conference. The presentation was attended by the participants in the round table discussion on the Russian Orthodox Church and Compatriots: Experience of Cooperation in Europe, as well as by representatives of Russia’s Embassy in Germany, the Russian Centre for Science and Culture, and the Russian and German mass media. A photo exhibition on the Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Today’s World opened at the hall where the presentation took place. It was organized by the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, St Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation and the Russian World Foundation. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog German edition of Patriarch Kirill’s book ‘Freedom And Responsibility’ presented in Berlin |
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