| John Anthony McGuckin Ukraine, Orthodoxy in the TODD E. FRENCH The Ukraine is host to the rich history of the conversion of the Rus to Orthodoxy, which led to the further spreading of Christianity in Asia. Its capital city, Kiev, has served as the focal point of political maneuvering in the Slavic territories from the conversion of the Rus down through to modern times. It is worth noting that the history of this conversion, commonly associated with Vladimir in 988, overrides numerous alternative conversion stories. Ancient Christian legend tells that St. Andrew the “First-Called” embarked on a mission to convert the Scythians in the year 55. Evidence only becomes clearer in the later medieval period, when one starts to find several clues to Christianity’s influence on the Rus. Although the term “Rus” is used to describe the people of a diocese in Tmutorokan as early as the 860s, the Rus are historically associated with the Kievan centered kingdom. The distance between these two cities being roughly a thousand miles has raised questions about whether the two Rus settlements are both Slavic kingdoms or if the Black Sea Rus were the same as the Goths mentioned by St. John Chrysostom in the 4th century, as being an important community for missionary enterprise. Few were more influential in the growth of Christianity in the Ukraine than St. Constantine (tonsured Cyril before hisdeath) and his brother St. Methodios. They were chosen to lead a mission to the Slavic kingdom of Moravia in 864. Prior to their departure they devised an alphabet (Glagolitic) into which many texts were translated. Their successors, Clement and Naum of Ohrid, were instrumental in the development of the Cyrillic alphabet, named for their teacher. Kiev, however, was a good distance from Tmutorokan and the story of the Kievan Rus conversion proper begins with two princes, Askold and Dir. A popular version of the story tells how after attempting to seize Constantinople, the princes saw their fleet destroyed through a miracle which they believed to have been called down by the Patriarch St. |
| Metropolitan HIlarion of Eastern America and New York: War always leads to more war Source: ROCOR Epistle of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. We, the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, having convened a regular session of the Council of Bishops in the God-preserved city of San Francisco, hereby mark an important spiritual event in Church history. It was here, where by God’s will, the oldest cathedra of the Russian Church Abroad was established, and which is now the last hierarchal cathedra according to the world clock, once occupied by St John, Archbishop of Shanghai and then of San Francisco. We celebrate the 20 th anniversary of his glorification this year . Here also lie the holy relics of St John, here thousands and thousands of pilgrims gather. During these days, the All-Diaspora Russian Orthodox Youth Conference is convening, in which our hierarchs are also participating. Marking this anniversary on Sunday , June16/29, during Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” the nominee of the Council of Bishops, Archimandrite Nicholas (Olhovsky), was consecrated to the episcopacy as Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, with the title of Bishop of Manhattan. The Council of Bishops congratulates His Grace Bishop Nicholas and wishes him Divine aid in his archpastoral service to the Holy Church, and asks the God-loving flock to remember the new Bishop Nicholas in their prayers. St John, the wonderful miracle-worker and Righteous saint of God was fated to become the first glorified Russian saint who shone outside of the borders of Russia, outside the borders of our Fatherland. The Lord manifested through him miracles of healing, here the love-filled heart of St John prayed for us with utter empathy, rejecting no one. The descendant of the southern Russian noble family of the Maximoviches, which had already given Rus a holy hierarch, Metropolitan John of Tobolsk, Vladyka John of Shanghai and San Francisco never forgot his earthly homeland—Kievan Rus. In his childhood and youth, he more than once visited Dormition of the Mother of God Lavra of Svyatogorsk, where in our days, almost within its very walls, blood is spilt by those who die in internecine war. |
| Moscow monument to Prince Vladimir provokes ire in Kiev The unveiling of a monument to Prince Vladimir of Kiev, who brought Christianity to Kievan Rus, in Moscow has caused a painful reaction in Kiev, which has accused Russia of a " hybrid appropriation " of Ukrainian history. Moscow points out that Vladimir brings people together with the help of Orthodoxy. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has responded to the erection in Moscow of a monument to Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr in Ukrainian), the man who brought Christianity to the medieval Russian state, by claiming that Russia is indulging in historical revisionism. " In these days, yet another monument has been opened: In the Kremlin, near the unburied Vladimir Lenin, they unveiled a monument to our equal-to-the-apostles Prince of Kyiv Volodymyr. This is yet another attempt of a hybrid appropriation of history, " said Poroshenko on Nov. 8 following the emergence of the 24-meter monument to the prince in the Russian capital. The monument to Prince Vladimir on Borovitskaya Square in Moscow, near the Kremlin, was unveiled on Nov. 4 in an official ceremony attended by senior officials and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Unveiling the monument, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that " this choice [Orthodoxy] has become a common spiritual source for the peoples of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. " According to Putin, Prince Vladimir is a particularly revered saint, statesman and warrior, as well as the spiritual founder of the Russian state. ‘Kind reminder’ from Kiev The emotional reaction of the Ukrainian authorities to the installation of the monument to Vladimir followed within a few hours after the ceremony in Moscow. Ukraine's official Twitter-account published a photo of another monument to Vladimir – the Kiev one – and a message in English: " Don't forget what the real Prince Volodymyr monument looks like. Kyiv brought Orthodox Christianity to the [sic] Rus. Kind reminder to @Russia. " |
| John Anthony McGuckin Relics MONICA M. WHITE Relics – objects connected with a holy person or event – are venerated in all Eastern Churches. Primary relics are from the body of a holy person (usually bones, but also hair, blood, etc.), while secondary relics are objects from an event in sacred history or with which a holy person has come into contact, most famously the True Cross. Relics can play an important role in the cult of a saint. The discovery of incorrupt relics has often been taken as a sign of sanctity, particularly in Kievan Rus, although this has never been an official requirement for sainthood (Lenhoff 1993). Relics can also help spread a saint’s cult by being broken up and distributed, or by exuding oil which can be collected by pilgrims. The healing power of relics is attested in the Old Testament. In 2 Kings 13.21 a dead man was revived when his body touched that of Elisha. Although the New Testament makes no reference to human remains effecting cures, it does describe miracles accomplished through secondary relics, such as the woman with a haemorrhage who was healed by touching the hem of Christ’s garment in Mark 5.25–9 (see also Acts 19.12). These stories shaped Christian beliefs about relics, encouraging the idea that the body of a holy person had a power which could be transferred to objects with which it came in contact, both before and after death. The practice of keeping relics in homes and churches may have originated in Egypt, where it was not unusual for pagans and Christians alike to store the mummies of relatives in their homes. Christians may have begun distributing pieces of such mummies, particularly if they had belonged to martyrs or holy men, in the belief that they had healing properties (Wortley 2006: 12–14, 18–27). Attempts by the authorities to discourage the distribution of relics (contrary to early Roman Law) were largely ineffectual, and their veneration quickly became widespread in the churches. As their popularity grew, so did the trade in them and the distribution of false relics. Athanasius of Alexandria and the Theodosian Code attacked these practices, apparently to no avail (Wortley 2006: 24–6). |
| St. Alexander Nevsky, Russia’s Knight in Shining Armor Commemorated November 23/December 6 and August 30/September 12 St. Alexander Nevsky was Russia’s “ knight in shining armor.” His reputation as a man of exceptional valor and surpassing virtue inspired a visit by a German commander who told his people when he returned: “I went through many countries and saw many people, but I have never met such a king among kings, nor such a prince among princes.” The Russians called him their “prince without sin.” He was born just four years before the fierce Tatars, under the leadership of Ghengis Khan, came galloping across the steppes of Kievan Rus. The once flourishing city state—whose social, cultural and spiritual achievements boasted few rivals in Western Europe—had been weakened by quarrelling princes and attacks of warring tribes, and it was an easy prey for the massacring and pillaging Asiatic aggressors. Fortunately, the Mongol Horde’s primary interest in conquest was financial gain, and although it imposed a heavy tax on its subjects, they were left to govern themselves and retained their traditions and religion intact, Nevertheless, the yoke of foreign sovereignty was burdensome; individual princes were reduced to acting as feudal landlords for their Mongol lords, and inclinations toward s national unity—the dream of Grand Prince Vladimir —were stifled. A strong leader was needed if the land of Rus’ was to have any hope of healing internal strife, of throwing off the Tatar yoke, and establishing its identity as a nation state. The baneful effect of internal dissension was a lesson which came early to Prince Alexander, as he witnessed his father, Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, struggle with the proudly independent spirited boyars of Novgorod, It was there that the boy grew up. Like most noble youth s of his time, he had barely learned to walk before he was lifted into the saddle. Training in the martial arts was combined with an education based upon the Scriptures. Under the influence of his mother, who was popularly called “the holy queen” on account of her piety and charitable deeds, the young prince developed a profound spiritual life. He engrossed himself for hours in reading the Old and New Testaments. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy The Serbian Patriarch pointed to the escalating intolerance of the Ukrainian authorities towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church DECR Communication Service, 27.02.2024. In response to the message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus " in which His Holiness shared his alarm over the consideration in the first reading of the discriminatory draft bill No. 8371 by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia suggested that this draft law " serves a hidden purpose - to completely prevent the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from further fulfilling its centuries-old salvific mission among the heirs of ancient Kievan Rus " . " " Being sincerely alarmed by the escalating intolerance of the Ukrainian authorities towards the only canonical Church in Ukraine, we are particularly concerned about their intention to give this lawlessness legitimacy through the adoption of discriminatory laws, " the Serbian Patriarch emphasised. - " Therefore, always and everywhere, according to the opportunities available to us, we bear witness to the suffering of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, appealing to all the representatives of the international community who use their power to prevent this injustice. The highest archpastoral authorities of Our Holy Church do not cease to call upon Our faithful people to pray for the Ukrainian Orthodox brethren and, if possible, to provide material and non-material assistance to those who have suffered damage in the conditions of hostilities and as a result of persecution by the godless authorities. " " We rely only on the Lord and pray to Him that He may remember, through the prayerful intercession of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God, the suffering people of Ukraine and grant them speedy deliverance from all the calamities that have befallen them, " His Holiness Patriarch Porphyrios emphasised. He assured that the Serbian Church will continue to " pray fervently for the long-suffering Ukrainian Orthodox Church and will continue to provide its hierarchy, clergy and faithful with every other kind of support that would help them to overcome all the trials they are currently experiencing " . |
| On December 3 through 7, Patriarch Kirill is expected to visit Paris and Zurich PARIS, December 3./TASS/. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Paris on his first pastoral visit as the Russian Orthodox Church’s head to consecrate the new cathedral of the Russian Orthodox diocese of Chersonesus in France’s capital, to pray with Russian and French Orthodox believers and hold talks with state officials. Photo: Press-service of the Patriarchate of the ROC/TASS archive “I am delighted to arrive in France to pray with my congregation,” Patriarch Kirill said at Le Bourget Airport. He was welcomed by Russia’s Ambassador to France Alexander Orlov, Permanent Representative to UNESCO Alexander Kuznetsov and clergymen of the diocese of Chersonesus. Consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral “The coming consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the diocese of Chersonesus will become a milestone both in the Orthodox presence in France and in humanitarian relations between the Russians and French,” said Priest Alexander Volkov, the patriarch’s press secretary. On Sunday morning, the Russian Orthodox Church’s head is due to consecrate the new Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is an architectural dominance at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center opened on October 19. The center comprises an exhibition hall, a Russian-French school and a building for the diocese authorities with a concert hall and living premises. Volkov said that the consecration of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the first divine liturgy officiated by the Russian patriarch in it “is a landmark event both for the diocese of Chersonesus and for Russian Orthodox Church’s all foreign parishes,” which laity had been increasing recently. Diocese of Chersonesus The Russian Orthodox diocese of Chersonesus was named after the city of Korsun. That was the name Ancient Rus gave to Chersonesos Taurica in Crimea, where Saint Prince Vladimir the Great was baptized. Afterwards, he converted Kievan Rus to Christianity. |
| St. Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov Commemorated on February 11 Holy Prince Vsevolod of Pskov, in Baptism Gabriel, a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was born at Novgorod, where in the years 1088-1093 and 1095-1117 his father ruled as prince. His father was the holy prince Saint Mstislav-Theodore the Great (April 15). In the year 1117, when Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh gave Mstislav Kievan Belgorod as his “udel” (land-holding), practically making him co-ruler, young Vsevolod remained as his father’s vicar in the Novgorod principality. Holy Prince Vsevolod did much good for Novgorod. Together with the Archbishop of Novgorod, Saint Niphon (April 8), he raised up many churches, among which were the cathedral of the Great Martyr George at the Yuriev monastery, and the church of Saint John the Forerunner at Opokakh, built in honor of the “angel” (i.e. patron saint) of his first-born son John, who had died in infancy (+ 1128). In his Ustav (Law code) the prince granted a special charter of lands and privileges to the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) and other churches. During a terrible famine, he exhausted his entire treasury to save people from perishing. Prince Vsevolod was a valiant warrior, he marched victoriously against the Yam and Chud peoples, but he never took up the sword for lucre or power. In 1132, upon the death of holy Great Prince Mstislav, Vsevolod’s uncle Prince Yaropolk of Kiev fulfilled the last wishes of his brother and transferred Vsevolod to Pereyaslavl, then regarded as the eldest city after Kiev itself. But the younger sons of Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrew Dobry, were apprehensive lest Yaropolk make Vsevolod his successor at Kiev, and so they marched out against their nephew. Hoping to avoid internecine strife, Saint Vsevolod returned to Novgorod, but was received there with disaffection. The Novgorodians felt that the prince had been “raised” by them and should not have left them earlier. “Vsevolod went to Rus, to Pereslavl,” noted the Novgorod chronicler, “and kissed the cross against the Novgorodians, saying, ‘I will kill you.’” |
| The history of Lithuanian Orthodoxy (a country first mentioned in 1009 in the German Annals of Quedlinburg recounting Catholic missionary efforts) is closely related to that of its southern neighbor Belarus, along with the latter’s neighboring countries of Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Poland. The religious history mirrors the fluid boundaries of these territories in the course of the last millennium. Lithuania, in the form of the Yatavag tribe, had Orthodox Christianity present (as a tiny minority) from the time of the 10th-century Kievan evangelization initiated by the Byzantines. Numbers of the Lithuanian Imuds also became Orthodox from the 15th century onwards. Belarus missionaries influenced some of the Lithuanian nobility, but the Christianization process did not progress very far, the Lithuanian state seeing Christianity chiefly in the form of the Teutonic Knights who wished to convert and annex it. The Lithuanian court culturally turned towards the East at first, using a form of Slavonic in its official records, but westward contacts and inclinations became increasingly strong. Lithuania conquered Ukraine by the beginning of the 14th century, a time when the metropolitanate of Kiev was being devastated by Mongol invasions, its hierarch eventually moving to Moscow and assuming the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and All the Rus. In 1316 the rulers of Lithuania gained from the patriarch of Constantinople the establishment of a separate metropolitanate for Lithuania, at Novahradak. Orthodox Lithuanians commemorate as their particular patron saints three Orthodox leaders martyred by pagans in Vilnius in 1347, namely Sts. Antony, John, and Eustathy. Soon afterwards, in 1385, there occurred the union of Lithuania and Poland by terms of royal marriage: a time when the Lithuanian prince Jaigalo adopted Roman Catholicism. After the Union of Lyublin in 1569, Lithuania was progressively absorbed into Poland’s slipstream and increasingly Latinized. The westernization of Lithuania was symbolically manifested at the Union of Brest-Litovsk in 1596, which created the “Unia.” Immense pressure was, after this point, placed on the Orthodox Church’s daily life. By the 19th century the Russian Church became Lithuanian Orthodoxy’s dominant patron, abolishing in 1839 the terms and existence of the Unia, a deed which proved to be a dubious liberation for Orthodoxy in the country, since it was locally seen as an attempted suppression of Lithuania’s political existence as other than a Russian satellite. |
| UNESCO Deputy Director General Francesco Bandarin has asked the Russian authorities to put off the installation of a monument to Grand Duke Vladimir, the baptizer of Kievan Rus, on Borovitskaya Square in Moscow a stone's throw from the Kremlin until the UNESCO World Heritage Committee discusses the issue at a conference in June. He told reporters on Thursday after a discussion of the monument's design there should be no hurry with the installation and the time before June was to be used for a comprehensive review of the situation around the project instead of just simply collecting the 'yes' and 'no' opinions about the monument itself. Although UNESCO's decision has the character of a recommendation, history does not know a single case where Russia's practical steps would contravene such recommendations, Bandarin said. He recalled that Russia was a signatory to the World Heritage Convention and it was abiding by its provisions, although UNESCO was aware of how much time this observance was taking up. Considering the importance of the object, UNESCO realized all the seriousness of its decision and that is why the World Heritage Committee will continue the process of scrutiny in June. Bandarin said the monument to Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev was a Russian Orthodox once and that is why the UNESCO officials and experts would like to discuss its link to Borovitskaya Square. He stressed the importance of permanent attention to the criteria that made it possible to put the Kremlin on the list of global cultural heritage facilities. Along with it, UNESCO does not have objections against the changes that may increase the value of a world heritage site, he said. The problem of position of the monument is very acute in case of the monument to Grand Duke Vladimir and it should not be limited to open voting in the Internet because such problems are never resolved by open voting, as decisions on them should be taken in a different context and by other methods, Bandarin said. |
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