| 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 Delegation of abbots and monks from Egyptian monasteries arrives in Russia DECR Communication Service, 21.08.2023 . On August 21, 2023, at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and with a blessing of His Holiness Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, a delegation of abbots and monks from Egyptian monasteries arrived in Moscow for a pilgrimage to Orthodox monasteries in Russia. The pilgrimage is held in the context of developing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church as part of the work of the relative Commission for Inter-church Dialogue and as part of the recent programme of mutual visits of representatives of Russian and Egyptian monkhood. The delegation includes Bishop Discoros, father superior of the Monastery of St. John Kolov in El-Alamein, Matrouh Province - head of the delegation; Bishop Joseph, ruling bishop of the Diocese of Luxor; Bishop Joachim, vicar of the Diocese of Luxor; Bishop Thomas, father superior of the Monastery of Venerable Martyr Thomas and the Monastery of Venerable Martyr Victor in Khattab, Southern Sinai Province; Bishop Arsenios, father superior of the Monastery of St. Bakhomios the Great, Asian Province; Archpriest Abraham Emil Nagi, executive secretary of the Patriarchal Residence in Alexandria; Hieromonk Anthony El-Bachomi, administrator of the Monastery of St, Paul of Thebes near Red Sea; Hieromonk Cherubim anba-Poupa, monk of the Monastery of St. Paul of Thebes; Dr Anton Milad, an adviser to the Patriarch; Dr. Adel Elmenchavi, leader of the church construction projects. In Domodedovo international airport, the guests were welcomed by Bishop Tikhon of Vidnoye, vicar to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; Hieromonk Stephan SECR secretary for inter-Christian relations; Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov), representative of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monastics; Hieromonk Daud el-Anthony, representative of the Coptic Church in Russia; Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov), a monk of the Sretensky Srauropegial monastery; S.G. Alferov, DECR staff member; and representatives of the Coptic community in Moscow. |
| 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 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Church has completed its work DECR Communication Service, 08.09.2022. The 11 th General Assembly of the World Council of Church was held from August 31 to September 8 in Karlsruhe, Germany. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church was headed at the assembly by the Chairman of the External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate and Patriarchal Exarch for Western Europe, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk. The delegation included Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, Patriarchal Exarch for South-East Asia; Metropolitan Leonid, Patriarchal Exarch for Africa; Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, vicar of the Diocese of Astana; Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), vice-chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR acting vice-chairman; Archpriest Nikolay Gundyaev, representative of the Russian Orthodox church to the World Council of Churches and international organizations in Geneva; Archpriest Valentin Vasechko, vice-chairman of the Education Committee, associate professor at the St. Tikhon Orthodox University of the Humanities; Archpriest Vladimir Khulap, pro-rector for training, St. Petersburg Theological Academy; Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations; Rev. Iliya Kosykh, head of the DECR communication service; Rev. Vyacheslav Zavalny, reviewer, DECR branch in St. Petersburg; Rev. Alexander Ershov, adviser to the DECR chairman; Hierodeacon Petr (Akhmatkhanov), a staff member of the DECR secretariat for inter-Christian relations; V.V. Kipshidze, vice-chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and Mass Media; Ms. M. B. Nelyubova and P. V. Champion, staff members of the DECR secretariat for inter-Christian relations; Ye. V. Bartosh, a methodologist of the training methodology department of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of the Byelorussian State University. |
| John Anthony McGuckin Poland, Orthodox Church of JOHN A. MCGUCKIN The Polish Orthodox Church takes its origins from two chief periods of establishment; the first in the 10th century, and the second revival after the political union of Lithuania and Poland in the 14th century. Its history and development have been closely bound up with the ebb and flow of the religious affiliations of the rulers of the area, the proximity and great influence of Russia, and the ascendancy of Catholicism. When the nation of Poland was politically dismembered in 1722, its Orthodox population was absorbed by the Russian church. When the country was reconstituted as a sovereign independent state after the cessation of World War I in 1918, her new borders contained about 4 million Orthodox faithful, mainly Ukrainians and Belo-Russians who inhabited the eastern part of the country. They had all belonged up to that time to the jurisdiction of the patriarch of Moscow. The Moscow patriarch of that time, St. Tikhon, was willing to grant autonomous status to the Polish church, but the new government, eager for all signs of national independence, was pressing the Polish hierarchy to declare their complete independence from Russian control by making a declaration of autocephaly. The senior Polish hierarch Archbishop George Yoroshevsky was attempting to resolve the tensions, and pressing towards a more limited autonomous status in 1923, when he was assassinated by a mentally deranged Russian monk who believed the hierarch was leading the Church into schism. The degree of scandal this murder caused occasioned the Polish government to appeal directly to the patriarch of Constantinople for the award of autocephalous status, and this was granted sui jure by Constantinople in a Tomos of 1924. The Moscow patriarchate did not recognize this situation until the country was subjugated under Russia’s political control once more in 1945 and then, in 1948, the Moscow Patriarch Alexei wrote to the Phanar announcing that the Russian Orthodox Church had itself conferred auto- cephaly upon the Polish Orthodox. |
| Moscow Representation of the OCA Celebrates Commemoration Day of St. Herman of Alaska Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru On 9 August 2019, commemoration day of St. Herman of Alaska was celebrated at St. Catherine the Great Martyr Church in-the-Fields, the Representation of the Orthodox Church in America to Moscow Patriarchate. Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, OCA, and Bishop Dionisy of Voskresensk, first Patriarchal vicar for Moscow, ROC, officiated. Concelebrating at the Divine Liturgy were Archpriest Daniel Andrejuk, rector of church and representative of the OCA to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), representative of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Kakhaber Gogotishvili, Georgian Orthodox Church, a cleric of the Church of St. George the Victorious in Moscow; Hegumen Iosif Kryukov, head of the representation of the Valaam Monastery in Moscow, Archpriest Valery Bulannikov, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Moscow; Rev. Pavel Zuyev and Ioann Ignatov; deacons Timofei Schipachev, Dimitry Asratyan and Rustik Kartashev. After the Liturgy, a prayer service to St. Herman of Alaska was celebrated and Many Years were proclaimed to the Primates of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in America. Archpriest Daniel addressed words of greeting to Archbishop Michael, Bishop Dionisy, representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, clerics, parishioners and guests. He expressed special gratitude to the archpastors for concelebration and asked them to convey his gratitude to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada for their unswerving attention and fatherly care for the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr. Fr. Daniel expressed his joy over the celebration attended by representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches and his hope that the Lord will keep the unity of world Orthodox through the prayers of St. Herman. |
| ROC Holy Synod Integrates Head of the Archdiocese of the Western European Parishes of Russian Tradition Source: DECR orthodoxie.com On September 14, 2019, the Holy Synod considered an appeal from Archbishop Ioann (Renneto), head of the Archdioceses of Western European Parishes of Russian tradition, to consider the desire of a majority of the Archdiocese’s clergy and parishes to preserve its existence through accepting it in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church and asked for the entry in canonical communion with the Moscow Patriarchate together with those clergy and parishes who wish to follow him. Archbishop Ioann also informed the Holy Synod that an assembly of representatives of these parishes would take place in the nearest future to send their proposals on the canonical form of their organization to His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod. Having considered this appeal through remote connection, the Holy Synod resolved (Minutes No. 122): The Archdiocese of Western European Parishes of Russian Tradition was founded in 1921 when the Most Rev. Archbishop Eulogius (Georgievsky) was charged with temporary administration over Russian churches in Western Europe by a decree of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council. Due to historical circumstances, in 1931 the parishes headed by Metropolitan Eulogius were temporarily accepted as an exarchate in the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, while Metropolitan Eulogius stressed that ‘it is only a temporary interruption of official administrative relations’ until ‘the generally recognized central church authority and normal conditions of life are restored for the Russian Orthodox Church’. In 1945, Metropolitan Eulogius and his two vicars – Archbishop Vladimir and Bishop Ioann appealed to His Holiness Patriarch Alexis I to accept them together with their parishes to canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. On September 7, 1945, the Holy Synod resolved: ‘Having thanked the Lord God, we consider Metropolitan Eulogius and his vicars – Archbishop Vladimir and Bishop Ioann with all the 75 parishes to be united with the Mother Church and accepted in the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Exarchate of Western European churches to be hereinafter preserved in its existing boundaries and headed by Metropolitan Eulogius as Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate on the basis set forth in the respective Provision on the administration of these churches’. |
| Five young adults representing the Orthodox Church in America are among the forty-plus participants from around the world attending the international Orthodox youth festival, “Attaining Conciliarity,” at the Monastery of the Annunciation’s Academy here during the last week of August 2015. In the Warsaw Seminary chapel are [from left] Victor Lutes, Janine Alpaugh, John Shimchick, and Joseph Green. Sponsored by Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth and hosted by the Orthodox Church of Poland , the gathering marks the first time since 1998 that youth from the OCA are participating in such an event. In early 2015, each OCA diocese had been asked to select a young adult to participate in the festival. Representing the Archdiocese of Washington is Victor Lutes, while Janine Alpaugh, William Kopcha and Joseph Green are representing the Dioceses of New York and New Jersey, New England and the South respectively. Also representing the Diocese of New York and New Jersey is John Shimchick, who had visited the Church in Poland several years ago. Archpriest Dr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY, is the keynote festival speaker. His topic is “The Conciliar Model of the OCA: The Dream of Saint Tikhon.” Also slated to address the gathering is Archpriest Vladimir Misijuk of Bialystok, Poland, who will speak on “Attaining Conciliarity: The Task of our Daily Life.” Father Vladimir is an alumnus of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary and former Syndesmos General Secretary. “Since its establishment in Paris, France in 1953 as a way to connect Orthodox youth and young adults the world over, Syndesmos has worked closely with youth in North America, Western Europe and the traditional ‘Orthodox homelands,’” said Andrew Boyd, OCA Youth Director . “This was especially crucial in the late 20th century as the only means to connect Orthodox youth in eastern and central Europe with their counterparts elsewhere. While still a university student, the late Father John Meyendorff was among Syndesmos’ founders, while other Influential members of Syndesmos as young adults and beyond include the late Father Alexander Schmemann, the late Patriarch Ignatius of Antioch, Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, and countless others. The OCA has a strong tradition of supporting Syndesmos through its general secretariat, elected vice-presidency and board membership and by providing interns and staff members. In 2009, I had the honor of serving as a Syndesmos intern.” |
| His Grace Bishop Nicholas is elected First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Source: ROCOR On Tuesday, 13 September, 2022, the election of the new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia by its Council of Bishops took place. In accordance with the Act of Canonical Communion, signed on 17 May, 2007, the Council will send the Act of the election, drafted by the counting committee to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with a request to bless the electee to assume the duties of the First Hierarch entrusted to him by his brethren archpastors, and for confirmation of the election by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. The rite of enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, newly-elected First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, will take place on Sunday, 18 September. The schedule of divine services associated with the enthronement is as follows: Saturday, 17 September all-night vigil at the Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady “of the Sign” at 6 pm. At the end of the service, the newly-elected Primate will emerge through the Royal Doors in a black klobuk and common bishop’s mantle and face the congregation. Two senior hierarchs will then present a white klobuk and blue mantle, which the newly-elected First Hierarch will don, aided by subdeacons. At this moment, the senior-most hierarch will announce “Axios” (“he is worthy”) which will be repeated first by the bishops then by the choir. After this, the Primate will bless the clergy and congregants. Before this, the blue mantle and white klobuk will be blessed with holy water by the most senior of the hierarchs of the Russian Church Abroad during the reading of the First Hour. Sunday, 18 SeptemberDivine Liturgy at the Cathedral at 9:30 am. After the reading of the entrance prayers and the customary vesting of the two senior hierarchs, the new Metropolitan will be escorted to the vesting area, when “Axios” will be repeated by the hierarchs and clergy, then by the choir. Divine Liturgy will commence in the customary manner. After the service, a moleben will be performed along with the entrusting of the archpastoral staff to the new Primate, which was blessed on the crypt of St Tikhon, All-Russian Patriarch and Confessor. |
| Photo: mospat.ru On 19 October 2019 the Orthodox Church honours the memory of the Holy Apostle Thomas who, according to the church tradition, preached the word of God in Asia and reached China. Metropolitan Anthony of Korsun and Western Europe, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Dormition located in the territory of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the People’s Republic of China. Praying at the church together with many representatives of the international Orthodox community of Beijing were H.E. Andrei Denisov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Ivan Zhelokhovtsev, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy; Mr. Sergei Chernenko, Russian Consul General in Shenyang; Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, a staff member of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR). After the divine service, Metropolitan Anthony warmly welcomed the worshippers and conveyed to the blessing and greeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with the 10th anniversary of the consecration of the church which has become a centre where Orthodox compatriots and citizens of other countries living in Beijing are gathering. Metropolitan Anthony underscored that the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, while being the DECR, was paying great attention to the revival of the Dormition Church in the capital of China. His Eminence noted the high symbolic value of the celebration of the church’s 10 th anniversary on the commemoration day of St. Thomas who has brought Christ’s good news to China. Metropolitan Anthony presented a gift to the church – an icon of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia, and a shrine with a set for the sacraments of baptism and anointing. Hieromonk Innokenty expressed heartfelt gratitude to Metropolitan Anthony for common prayers and attention to the only Orthodox church in Beijing and presented him an icon of St. Innocent of Irkutsk, the first bishop appointed to serve in Beijing, with a part of his relics. |
| Working Group for Cultural Cooperation between the ROC and the Roman Catholic Church Holds its Regular Meeting in Moscow Source: DECR Photo: mospat.ru On 13 February 2019, an annual session of the Joint Working Group for Cultural Cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church took place at the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Representing the Russian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman; Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov, chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture; Hieromonk Pavel (Scherbachev), vice-chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations; Rev. Alexy Dikarev, DECR staff member; Hieromonk Pavel (Cherkasov), acting vice-rector for education at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies; and Mr. Alexei Puzakov, artistic director of the Moscow Synodal Choir. Taking part in the meeting on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church were Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation; Rev. Carlo Casalone, staff member of the Pontifical Academy for Life; Rev. Hyacinthe Destivelle, staff member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; Rev. Kirill Gorbunov, representative of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow; and Mr. Pyotr Gumenyuk, staff member of the Aid to the Church in Need Foundation. As Metropolitan Hilarion noted, opening the session, this year the Joint Working Group for Cultural Cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church holds its fifth meeting since its establishment in 2015. Over these years the working group demonstrated its efficiency in organizing various joint cultural events both in Russia and in Italy, helping people learn more about the spiritual traditions of the Churches of the East and the West and promoting mutual understanding between the Orthodox and Catholic Christians. |
| 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 Security service executes a search of the Ukrainian Orthodox hierarch who defends the rights of believers DECR Communication Service, 27.02.2024. On February 22, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) came with a search to the place of residence of Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkassy and Kanev currently in Kiev, thus disrupting the planned celebration of the Liturgy on the commemoration day of St. Patriarch Tikhon. During the search, representatives of special services did not find anything illegal, but told Metropolitan Theodosius that in addition to other charges against him he is suspected of illegal public defense of a convent in Cherkassy seized by raiders on November 20, 2023. The use of force by the SBU and the frustrated Divine Liturgy caused a pre-stroke condition of Metropolitan Theodosius and an acute hypertensive crisis diagnosed by an emergency physician, press service of the Cherkassy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) reports. Hospitalization issue was brought about. The diocesan press service reports that the search was executed on February 22, the day after a long online talk of Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkassy and Kanev with Ms Julia Jones, director of the UK Parliamentary Committee on International Freedom of Religion. This committee is composed of more than one hundred and seventy parliamentarians. During the talk, Metropolitan Theodosius informed Ms Jones about the bill banning the UOC prepared for passing by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, about the facts of seizures of churches, criminal cases against metropolitans, decisions of local authorities to cancel the rights of religious organizations of the UOC to land plots, about sanctions against the UOC bishops, and reverse restitution (expropriation) of historical buildings of churches and monasteries, as well as many other things. |
|
|
