| 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 Interview given by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman, to Italian news agency SIR Interview given by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman, to Italian news agency SIR. – Can you tell us in which atmosphere and with what sentiments the Holy Synod in Minsk made the decision to break the Eucharistic communication with Constantinople? – The Statement issued by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 15, reads: “To admit into communion schismatics and a person anathematized in other Local Church with all the ‘bishops’ and ‘clergy’ consecrated by them, the encroachment on somebody else’s canonical regions, the attempt to abandon its own historical decisions and commitments – all this leads the Patriarchate of Constantinople beyond the canonical space and, to our great grief, makes it impossible for us to continue the Eucharistic communion with its hierarchs, clergy and laity.” The aforementioned “great grief” is not just a figure of speech: it was a very hard decision, but, regrettably, the latest steps taken by Constantinople left us no other choice. We had not closed doors to the dialogue. In late August, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited Istanbul to discuss the situation with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in a fraternal manner. Our Synod called and continues to call for the pan-Orthodox deliberations on the burning issues. By the way, other Churches put forward the same suggestions. However, Constantinople, following and advancing a theory of some special status of the Patriarch of Constantinople, comparable to the status of the Pope in the Catholic world, rejected all the appeals calling for the conciliar resolution of the problems and by its actions destroyed the unity of the world Orthodoxy. – Is it correct to speak of “schism”? And what does it exactly mean for the future of the inter-Orthodox relationships? |
| The Inter-Orthodox Council, with a token number of bishops from each of the fourteen Local Churches and supposed to take place in May 2016 to discuss administrative issues, is looking increasingly troubled. First, there is the schism between the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Antioch. Then there were rumours after contacts with top US officials that the US State Department was trying to set the agenda, specifically regarding homosexuality. Then there was news from the Russian Orthodox Church that delegates from several Local Churches, notably the Russian, the Romanian (the second biggest) and the Georgian, had failed to agree on the contents of several points in the seemingly US-determined agenda. Hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church then expressed popular concern that the Council was taking place at all. After all Constantinople had not long before sent schismatic representatives of the Ukrainian Church in Canada (the fraction under Constantinople) to Kiev for reasons which the Ukrainian Church naturally found sinister. After this came the news that the elderly Patriarch Bartholomew had erected a statue to himself and that he would never recognize the Carpatho-Russian Metr Rostislav as the representative of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Then came the Patriarch’s visit to Bulgaria when he insulted the Bulgarian people and a diplomatic incident followed and the Bulgarian Prime Minister refused to meet the Patriarch. Some even asked if Patriarch Bartholomew’s behaviour was designed to sabotage his own Council. After this the Synod in Constantinople sacked the hierarch appointed only two years before for the modernist Paris Jurisdiction, Archbishop Job. Next came the shooting down by Turkey – some say at US instigation – of a Russian aeroplane. The result of this is that the Russian delegation felt unable to attend the next preparatory meeting in Istanbul for the future Council. Indeed, the question was asked if the Council could even take place in Istanbul, as had been proposed. Some have suggested, as we suggested in our booklet, ‘The World Council of Orthodoxy’ in May 2007, that any future Council take place at the New Jerusalem Monastery outside Moscow, where alone a politically free Council could take place. |
| Fulani herdsmen pose for a picture in Zango, Zango-kataf local govt, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in March 22, 2014. Photo: Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde At least 20 Christians, including nine children, were massacred and killed by Fulani herdsmen during an attack on a Nigerian village last week, human rights watchdog organizations are reporting. International Christian Concern, a U.S.-based non-denominational advocacy group, announced in a press release shared with The Christian Post on Monday that 19 members of the Salama Baptist Church in the village of Ancha in the Plateau state were killed by Fulani herdsman in last Thursday’s attack, while one of the deceased was a member of a Methodist church. At least five other Christians were also injured in the assault and were taken to the hospital for treatment. The organization noted that the attack left one entire family with no surviving members. According to Morning Star News , an independent Christian organization dedicated to reporting on human rights abuses around the world, police believe the attack was an act of revenge after a Fulani boy who resided in the village was beheaded in a nearby village. John Bulus, church secretary of Salama Baptist Church in Ancha, told Morning Star News that those killed during last week’s massacre came from three different households in the 50-home village. Among those killed, he said, were children aged from three months old to 17. According to Bulus, the children killed in the attack are 3-month-old Azumi Monday, 3-year-old Lami Monday, 5-year-old Aveh Ishaya, 6-year-old Emmanuel Sunday, 7-year-old Deba John, 8-year-old Ishaya Sunday, 9-year-old Sati Ishaya, 10-year-old Ayo John and 17-year-old Friday John. The adults killed in the attack are 18-year-old Bala Ishaya, 19-year-old Sei Musa, 20-year-old Tona Monday, 21-year-old Musa Ishaya, 40-year-old Ishaya Ahmadu, 40-year-old Lami Ishaya, 45-year-old Laraba Bulus, 48-year-old Kande Ahmadu, 50-year-old Bulus Rohun, 75-year-old Gada Oda and 80-year-old Ahmadu Rohun. |
| Statement on the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Plans to Grand Autocephaly to Ukrainian Schismatics Source: OrthoChristian On September 17, 2018, we published the news piece, “ Greek Metropolitan Calls on Constantinople to Repent and Cease Communication with Ukrainian Schismatics ,” presenting thoughts from Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira and Antikythera on the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s ongoing dealings with Ukrainian schismatics, with the intention of granting a tomos of autocephaly and thereby creating a new Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarchate announced on September 7 that he was sending two exarch bishops to Kiev to oversee and facilitate this process—an uncanonical action, as no blessing was sought from nor given by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In response, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church announced on September 14 that it was ceasing liturgical commemoration of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and episcopal concelebrations, and that the Russian Orthodox Church was withdrawing from any organizations or committees chaired or co-chaired by representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Synod was also clear that this is not a break in Eucharistic communion. We now present here the full text of Met. Seraphim’s interview with Alexander Stefanopoulos, a Greek journalist in New York, for his “Greek American News Agency” and posted on Met. Seraphim’s diocesan website : I am deeply upset, dear Mr. Alexander Stefanopoulos, by the Russian Patriarch’s cessation of ecclesiastical communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch. 1 This sad and unfortunate result was brought about by the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s persistence in granting autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics who are cut off from our holy Orthodox Church, that is, from all Orthodox patriarchates and autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches, and who represent a negligible minority of the Ukrainian people. |
| Archive Bishop Irinej of Bac: Most Local Orthodox Churches continue to recognize canonical Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine while ignoring citizen Sergey Dumenko 17 January 2023 year 17:42 The official website of the Serbian Orthodox Church has installed the Nativity interview Bishop Irinej of Bac gave to Peat, a weekly Serbian magazine, which came out on December 30. In particular, it deals with the situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church enduring a new wave of persecutions. ‘In recent days, the state terror has been going literary through its peak. It is illustrated not only by the blasphemous invasion of the police and ‘security services workers’ into the greatest shrine of not only Ukraine but of the whole Russian Orthodox world - the Kiev Lavra of the Caves, but also by a threat that, if God will permit it’ ‘the pro-European’ and ‘democratically’-orientated Ukrainian state will simply ban, if not abolish it’, Bishop Irinej of Bac said, ‘It goes without saying that virtuous representatives of democracy and human, including religious, rights and freedoms on the both sides of the Atlantic wisely keep silent. In their opinion, in Kiev their ‘values’ and ‘ideals’ are defended knightly (!). The hierarch stressed that the hardening persecutions against the canonical Church is due to the deepening schism in Ukraine as a result of the uncanonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople which has created in this country ‘its own para-ecclesial structure’ and this ‘in contravention of the existing predominant canonical Church, which it itself had recognized until the day of the implementation of its decision and actually continues to recognize it, for it does not dare declare it uncanonical or non-existent’. The archpastor regretted to note that he himself and many authoritative people warned Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople against the negative consequences of the step he conceived - the granting of ‘fictitious autocephaly to a non-existent Church in Ukraine, or rather to two forcibly and temporarily united schismatic groupings’ headed by ‘unrepentant and graceless schismatics’. |
| Archive Consecration of restored Orthodox churches in Arbin and Az-Zabadani 23 January 2023 year 10:55 On January 22, 2023, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, took part in the Sunday Divine Liturgy at the Church of Great Martyr George the Conqueror in Arbin, Syria. This church was seriously damaged because of military actions near the Syrian capital during an active stage of clashes with militants. Recently the restoration work in it carried out at the expense of the Russian Federation and with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church has been completed. Before the Liturgy, the restored church was consecrated by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Great Antioch and All the East and Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk. His Beatitude’s concelebrants included Metropolitan Anthony, hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Antioch - Metropolitan Ephraim of Aleppo and Alexandretta, Metropolitan Nicholas of Hama, Bishop Moses of Dara, Bishop John of Sergiopolis, Bishop Arsenios of Hierapolis, the clergy of the Patriarchate of Antioch, as well as Metropolitan Anthony’s retinue including Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, adviser to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR vice-chairman; and Archimandrite Philipp (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. Worshipping in the sanctuary were Bishop Moses of Larissa and Bishop Roman of Seleucia. Among the worshipers in the church were Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia in Syria A. V. Yefimov; Commander of the Russian Federation Armed Forces Group in the Syrian Arab Republic Colonel-General A. N. Serdyukov, Executive Director of the Foundation for Support of Christian Culture and Heritage Ye. Skopenko, and representatives of local authorities. The service was held in Arabic and Church Slavonic. In his Primatial homily, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch congratulated those present on the restoration and re-consecration of the Church of Great Martyr George the Conqueror in Arbin. ‘We know this city very well. Living in it are people of Christian and Moslem communities, and they all deserve to live a life in goodness and dignity and to meet their spiritual needs’ His Beatitude stressed, ‘Today we thank the Lord for the opportunity to see, after all that happened here, how many buildings were destroyed in Arbin, that we, both Christians and Muslims have assembled in this church where the first Liturgy after the restoration has been celebrated’. |
| Archive Press conference in Moscow on persecution of Christians in Africa 4 February 2022 year 22:07 On February 4, 2022, a press conference took place at MIA Russia Today with the online participation of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Patriarchal Exarch for Africa, Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations and head of the Interreligious Working Group for defending the rights of believers from discrimination and xenophobia under the Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations. As Metropolitan Hilarion noted in his introductory remarks , every fifth Christian in African countries is subjected to persecution and each year thousands of African Christians have been deprived of life for their faith in Jesus Christ. “The Russian Orthodox Church considers the opposition to persecution on religious grounds to be one of its primary tasks on the international arena and for many years has given support to persecuted Christians in various regions of the world, including Africa”, the DECR chairman stated. He recalled that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia repeatedly urged “not to leave without attention the problems of Christians in African countries”. Metropolitan Hilarion pointed out that the work of the Moscow Patriarchate “concerns both the informational support of the persecuted Christians and projects for giving them humanitarian aid”. It is the task, in particular, of the International Working Group for defending the rights of believers fr om discrimination and xenophobia under the Russian Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations. “The Moscow Patriarchate has given support to persecuted African Christians, maintaining contacts with Christian Churches of the continent, including its largest ones - the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches”, the hierarch said, “The work with them is carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church as part of the work of the bilateral Commission for Dialogue. Thus, in Ethiopia, the Moscow Patriarchate has given support to local Christians who found themselves in a grave situation as a result of the actions of extremist groups and the development of civic confrontation. In 2019-2020, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia personally came out in defense of Christians subjected to organized attacks in central and western Ethiopia. “His voice was heard and the country authorities gave attention to this problem”, the DECR chairman said. |
| Natalia Kholmogorova explains the difference between the prohibition of abortion and its prevention and suggests her own view of this problem. Image: Video Blocks Runet was agitated with the news from the Penza region, Russia, for two day straight. Ivan Belozertsev, the local governor, announced a new initiative for the prevention of abortion among Penza citizens. Now, not only a psychologist, but also “representatives of the female community” and the head of the municipality should mandatorily have a meeting with a woman, who decided to have an abortion, in order to dissuade her from this decision. “We should talk with every woman, fight for the birth of every child”, stated Mr. Belozertsev. According to him, those of his subordinates, who will not actively engage in the prevention of abortion, that is those, in whose areas the number of abortions will remain the same, will be dismissed. This initiative causes ambivalent feelings. It is encouraging to hear that not all Russian officials maintain a well-known attitude, “We did not ask your parents to give birth to you!” If Penza values the life of every citizen including the life of the unborn, if abortion is viewed as a serious social evil, this can only be welcomed. It is also gratifying to hear that during these meetings and conversations Mr. Belozertsev requires, among other things, that a financial assistance is offered to a woman if problems with money or housing are what prevent her from having a child. Assuming that abortion can be a trouble for a woman herself and offering her help is already a way out of this vicious paradigm that pro-lifers and pro-choicers share. Yet the very concept, according to which abortion prevention begins in the antenatal clinic, where the pregnant woman comes for “referral”, and includes more important and eloquent people pressing this pregnant woman trying to “dissuade” her, is deeply flawed. Waiting at the gates of the antenatal clinic, blocking the women, who are going to kill their children, begging them not to commit this terrible sin, and then rejoicing that one more life has been saved! That is exactly how pro-lifers and their opponents see their work. Ordinary pro-lifers stand with posters and hand powerful leaflets out, organize “educational talks” with pregnant women. However, which worldview does this line of action come from? |
| Photo by engin akyurt/Unsplash Doctors from one county in California are warning they’ve seen more deaths due to suicide than as a result of the coronavirus. “The numbers are unprecedented,” Dr. Michael deBoisblanc of John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek told KABC-TV , noting he’s seen “a year’s worth” of suicides in the last month. As of Friday, Contra Costa County reported 36 deaths from COVID-19. According to a 2017 estimate , there are 1.14 million people living in the county. Later in his conversation with the local news outlet, deBoisblanc said he believes it is time for coronavirus-induced restrictions to be lifted, noting the original intent of the stringent lockdowns was to slow the spread of the infection, as to not overwhelm hospitals and to build up resources to care for those who need medical attention while fighting the virus. Kacey Hansen, a 30-year trauma nurse from John Muir Medical Center, said she has never seen anything like she’s seeing now. She is concerned not only about the rising number of suicide attempts, but also in the hospital’s ability to maintain its standard success rate in saving patients. “What I have seen recently, I have never seen before,” she reflected. “I have never seen so much intentional injury.” While members of the trauma team have expressed concerns about continuing the stay-at-home orders, the John Muir Health organization released a statement this week saying it supports the lockdowns: John Muir Health has been, and continues to be, supportive of the Shelter-in-Place order put in place by Contra Costa County Health Services to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We realize there are a number of opinions on this topic, including within our medical staff, and John Muir Health encourages our physicians and staff to participate constructively in these discussions. On Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told CNBC that remaining closed down for too long could cause “irreparable damage.” |
| Turkey Builds 9,000 Mosques, Bans Orthodox Christian Liturgy A total of 8,985 mosques were built between 2005 and 2015 by the Turkish government over the last decade in Turkey, according to statistics released by Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). The Central Anatolian province of Konya contained the highest number of mosques, Dogan News Agency reported on Sept. 16. Ankara, the southern province of Antalya, the Black Sea provinces of Ordu and Trabzon, and the southeastern province of Diyarbakr were among the other provinces with over 2,000 mosques. While the Turkish government has built so many mosques across the country with state funds, it has banned Orthodox Christian liturgy in the Sumela Monastery, a historic site in Trabzon. Sumela Monastery, located in the district of Macka -- or Matsuka in Greek -- in Trabzon province is one of the oldest monasteries in the Christian world. According to records, it was built by two Athenian monks, St. Barnabas and his nephew St. Sophronios, and was inaugurated by the bishop of Trabzon in 386 A.D. The province of Trabzon, located in the ancient region of Pontos, the northeast portion of Anatolia adjacent to the Black Sea, also has a long Greek and Christian history. The word “Pontos” means “sea” in Greek. “Trabzon was settled by Greeks probably by the 7th century BC,” writes researcher Sam Topalidis for the website Pontos World. “Trabzon was the ancient capital of the Greek speaking Komnenos Byzantine Kingdom (1204–1461). It survived until 1461, eight years after the fall of Byzantine Constantinople when both localities fell to the Ottoman Turks.” After the city’s invasion by the Ottoman Turks, the local demographic began to change; but for centuries, Christians were the majority in the city. According to Topalidis, Trabzon’s Muslim population increased dramatically under the Ottoman rule due to: “However, the most important reason for the conversions was probably due to the higher taxes paid by Christians (compared to Muslims), a strong economic incentive for the poorest Christians,” writes Topalidis. |
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