| The Hungarian government is donating million to help with the restoration of Christian churches in Lebanon, government records revealed. The Sourp Nshan Armenian church in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. The donation, which will help fund the restoration of 31 churches, is part of the Hungarian government’s efforts to support Lebanon’s Christian community so that they could continue living in their own country, and help preserve the Christian identity and presence in the Middle East. Apart from funding the project, Hungary will also be involved in coordinating the restoration of the churches. According to Hungarian Free Press, the project will be overseen by the Embassy of Hungary in Beirut, as well as Hungarian academics from Pázmány Péter Catholic University and Lebanese specialists from the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslikot. The government is also funding the restoration of Christian minority places of worship in Hungary. A total of 100 million forints (about has been allocated for the restoration of an Orthodox church in Budapest and 2.4 billion forints (about million) has been pledged to support properties in Hungary that are associated with the Moscow Patriarchate. The conservative publication Magyar Nemzet has suggested that the government’s support for the Russian Orthodox Church stems from the political alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who closely follows the fate of Orthodox communities outside Russia. Hungary has shown its eagerness to support Christians in the Middle East, and it was the first country in the world to create a government office that aims to support persecuted Christians in the region. In January, the Hungarian government announced that it wants the country to become a “hub and supporter” of groups that assist Christians who are being persecuted for their faith. The announcement was made during an international conference in Budapest where leading advocacy groups gathered to discuss the persecution of Christians across the globe. |
| " Russian Communists are turning to Christ, " Newsweek trumpets, as if the magazine discovered the wheel. It almost deserves one of our " Got News? " logos. Almost. The article does have a few things going for it – starting with the first three strong paragraphs: What do Vladimir Lenin, founder of the officially atheist Soviet Union, and Jesus Christ have in common? Not much, one would think. Yet according to Gennady Zyuganov, the veteran leader of Russia's modern-day Communist Party, both men sought to " save humanity " with a message of " love, friendship, and brotherhood " . Speaking in Moscow in front of a crowd of red-flag-waving supporters on the 145th anniversary of Lenin's birth late last month, Zyuganov also declared that the Soviet Union was an attempt to establish " God's Kingdom on Earth " . Had he heard that speech, Lenin would likely have turned over in the Red Square mausoleum, where his embalmed corpse has been on public display for the past 91 years. After all, some 200,000 members of the clergy were murdered during the first two decades of the Soviet era, according to a 1995 Kremlin committee report, while millions of other Christians were persecuted for their faith. The story then traces reactions to Zyuganov's recent speech in Red Square. Some critics " pointed out the apparent contradictions inherent in his mingling of communist and Christian beliefs. " Other critics regard Zyuganov's talk a " cynical ploy " to gain support from party members and Eastern Orthodox Christians alike. And Newsweek itself says he is a " former Soviet 'agitation and propaganda' official. " Newsweek then reports some intriguing cross-fertilization between church and state. It says Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to portray himself as a defender of " Orthodox Christian values. " It notes that a priest singing a " popular Soviet-era song " went viral. And it says church motifs have often served the state, such as religious icons of Josef Stalin – and the decision to embalm Lenin's body for a mausoleum in Red Square. |
| President Vladimir Putin meets His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill admin 29 May 2013 May 27, 2013 On 27 May 2013, President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, received His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the presidential residence in Sochi. President Putin greeted the guests and thanked His Beatitude Theophilos for supporting an initiative to build Pilgrims’ House in Jordan. He mentioned good relations with Jerusalem and noted traditional presence of the Russian Orthodox Church there, saying also that many Russian pilgrims are visiting the Holy Land. The President expressed his satisfaction with good relations between the two sister Churches and his hope to see Patriarch Theophilos at the celebration of the 1025 th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia and wished him interesting and pleasant stay in Russia. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill thanked President Putin for the meeting that will help strengthen relations between the two Patriarchates and promote good peace initiatives of Russia in the Middle East. He underscored the importance of participation of church circles in the peace process in this land sanctified by our Lord and Saviour. His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos said that he considered his visit to Russia as an important and historical one. He thanked President Putin for his active interest to the Holy Land and its holy sites and for his contribution to the peace process in the Middle East. Source: DECR Tweet Donate Share Code for blog President Vladimir Putin meets His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill admin May 27, 2013 On 27 May 2013, President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, received His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the presidential residence in Sochi. President Putin greeted the guests ... |
| Pope Francis And Vladimir Putin Discuss Catholic-Orthodox Relations And Kiss Madonna Icon At Vatican admin 25 November 2013 VATICAN CITY (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin showed off his religious side during a visit Monday to the Vatican, stopping to cross himself and kiss an icon of the Madonna that he gave to Pope Francis. But Moscow’s improving relations with the Vatican went only so far: Putin didn’t invite Francis to visit. Photo: RIA Novosti. Mikhail Klimentiev The Vatican said Monday that ecumenical relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches weren’t really discussed during the 35-minute discussion between Putin and Francis in the pope’s private library, though Putin brought greetings from Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Rather, the discussions between Putin and the pope, and then Putin and the Vatican’s top diplomats, focused on Syria and the role of Christianity in society. Putin thanked Francis for his September letter to the Group of 20 meeting in St. Petersburg, in which Francis urged world leaders to abandon the “futile pursuit” of a military solution in Syria and lamented that one-sided interests had prevented a diplomatic end to the conflict. Francis mobilized hundreds of thousands of people around the globe to participate in a daylong fast and prayer for peace, as the U.S. threatened military strikes following an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus. Moscow opposed military intervention as well. Francis gave Putin a ceramic mosaic of the Vatican gardens, and Putin presented Francis with an image of the icon of the Madonna of Vladimir, an important religious icon for the Russian Orthodox faithful. After they exchanged the gifts, Putin asked Francis if he liked the icon, and Francis said he did. Putin then crossed himself and kissed the image, and Francis followed suit. The Argentine pope is particularly devoted to Marian icons. Long-running tensions in Russia between Orthodox faithful and Catholics in Russia prevented Pope Benedict XVI and before him Pope John Paul II from achieving their long-sought dreams of a Russian pilgrimage and meeting with the Russian patriarch. Recently officials have floated the idea of a meeting in a third country, but the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said ecumenical issues weren’t discussed Monday. |
| President Putin Venerates Shrines in Jerusalem and Bethlehem President Putin venerates the Stone of the Anointing During the night of June 26, 2012, while on a working visit to Israel, President Vladimir Putin visited the Church of the Lord’s Sepulchre. At the church entrance, the head of the Russian State was welcomed by His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, together with members of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. Among the welcoming party were also Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s office for institutions abroad, Archimandrite Isidore (Minaev), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, as well as his deputy, Hegumen Feofan (Lukyanov) and secretary of the Mission, Hieromonk Anthony (Gutnik). Entering the church, Vladimir Putin kneeled at the Stone of the Anointing. It was at this place that Righteous Joseph and Nicodim laid the lifeless body of Jesus after taking Him down from the Cross and anointed Him with incense and wrapped Him in the Shroud. After that the president was taken to the Kuvuklia, the chapel erected at the place of the three days-long burial of the Saviour. Then Mr. Putin ascended Golgotha, the place where the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was crucified and after that descended to the cave in which St. Helen Equal-to-the-Apostles found Christ’s Life-Giving Cross. President Putin presented Patriarch Theophilos with an icon of the Saviour. In the morning of June 26, Mr. Putin came to the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem, a Byzantine basilica with the 5 th century mosaics built over the cave in which Jesus Christ was born. In the church the head of the Russian State was welcomed by Archbishop Theophylactos of Jordan (Patriarchate of Jerusalem), who told him the story of the basilica. Then Mr. Putin was presented with a token, a copy of the Star of Bethlehem executed by Palestinian masters. The president lighted a candle at the place where Christ was born. |
| Putin meets with Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Source: Interfax-religion Natalya Mihailova 10 February 2015 Cairo, February 10, Interfax - During his official visit to Egypt on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa, with whom he discussed the situation in the region and bilateral relations. The president said he is hoping for successful cooperation with the Christians of Egypt in the fight for common moral values and ideals. Putin said Russia has a centuries-old tradition of special relations between people of different religions on the basis of mutual respect. “I know that the current administration of Egypt now occupies the same position. I hope that by acting together in this way and by promoting this approach in the relations between people and representatives of different religions we will work together to fight for our common moral values and ideals,” the Russian president said. Putin said he had discussed this issue and other issues in his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Patriarch Theodoros II, for his part, said he is doing everything to ensure that the Christians and Muslims of Egypt live in peace, adding that the president of Egypt is doing the same. “I am confident that progress will be achieved,” he said. The patriarch, who is Greek, thanked Putin for the development of Russian-Greek relations. “Alexis Tsipras, new prime minister of Greece, loves you,” Theodoros II said. The patriarch also said he has warm memories about the years he spent in the Soviet Union. “may God give you health and happiness, health, a long life,” the patriarch told Putin in Russian. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Putin meets with Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Natalya Mihailova The president said he is hoping for successful cooperation with the Christians of Egypt in the fight for common moral values and ideals. Putin said Russia has a centuries-old tradition of special relations between people of different religions on the basis of mutual respect. " I know that ... |
| Putin praises Russian Patriarch’s care for citizens’ concerns admin 02 February 2013 President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his enthronement day. Moscow, February 1, Interfax – President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his enthronement day. “You have assumed enormous responsibility for the entire Orthodox flock, and your heart is filled with concern for each churchgoer, for each of the smallest of the parishes,” Putin told the Patriarch on Friday. Putin also said he had discussed various aspects of life in Russia on many occasions with Patriarch Kirill. “I know – not by hearsay – that you are one with the country and with the people in tackling tragedies and in celebrating successes,” he said. “You have been doing a great deal to bring up the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism and to help our compatriots abroad maintain contact with their homeland,” the president said. The Patriarch thanked the president for his greetings and for his being open for meetings and discussions of the most pressing problems. He also said that since he was enthroned four years ago, dialogue between the church and the state has been broadening. “This dialogue helps solve many problems arising in Russian citizens’ lives,” the Patriarch said. “Quality of life is measured by spiritual values, not only material wealth,” he said. “Relations between church and state in Russia help the church to fully administer its service, inspire people in their spiritual and material life, engage in charitable activities, and take care of the younger generation, and disabled and elderly people,” he said. Source: Interfax Religion Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Putin praises Russian Patriarch’s care for citizens’ concerns admin [caption id="" align="" width="" ] President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his enthronement day.[/caption] Moscow, February 1, Interfax - President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Patriarch ... |
| Putin Denies Sending Russian Troops to Crimea Natalya Mihailova 05 March 2014 MOSCOW, March 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has not deployed any troops in Crimea recently and has no plans to annex the peninsula. President Vladimir Putin (right) facing journalists at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence to answer questions concerning the situation in Ukraine, March 4, 2014. Ukrainian officials and media have claimed in recent days that clandestine Russian army troops without insignias were deployed in the southeastern Ukrainian region, which has a majority ethnic Russian population. When asked about the identity of the troops, Putin told a press conference that they are “local militias.” They are wearing Russian-style fatigues because such attire is available in army shops across the former Soviet Union, Putin said. Putin said, however, that up to 22,000 Ukrainian army troops with heavy military equipment are now under the control of local militias. Ukrainian authorities earlier denied any mass desertions in Crimea-based army units. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based in Crimea, with a bilateral deal authorizing deployment of up to 25,000 Russian troops at the fleet’s bases. Russia has denied that the fleet’s troops are involved in the standoff. Official Moscow said earlier that it was ready to launch an invasion in Crimea and other predominantly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine to protect locals from the threat of nationalist violence in the wake of last month’s revolution in Kiev, which was spearheaded by Ukrainian nationalist groups. Speaking about a possible annexation of Crimea, Putin said it is up to the local population to decide. “I believe only residents of a territory can and should decide their own future, provided they have safety and freedom of vote,” Putin said. Crimean authorities have announced plans to hold a referendum on the peninsula’s status later this month. The majority of the local residents are Russian speakers who support close ties to Moscow, though not necessarily secession from Ukraine. |
| Putin, Obama congratulate Orthodox believers on Easter admin 06 May 2013 May 5, 2013 Russian and U.S. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama have sent their Easter greetings to all Orthodox believers. Putin congratulated Orthodox Christians and all Russians celebrating Easter today and wished them good health. “Easter gives joy and hope to millions of people, and inspires for good deeds and noble aspirations,” said Putin who attended the central Easter liturgy at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral last night with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Itar-Tass has reported. The Russian president added that “it is important to point to the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in maintaining civil peace and accord in Russia and developing inter-confessional and inter-ethnic dialogue”. “The Church incessantly cares about strengthening high moral and ethical ideals and family traditions in society and upbringing the younger generation. Aside from that, the Church significantly contributes to solving current social issues,” Putin noted. Obama has also congratulated Easter to all Orthodox Christians in the U.S. and worldwide on his own and on behalf of his wife Michelle, Religious Information Agency (VIA) has reported. The U.S. president sent his best wishes to all Orthodox believers and stressed that “Christ’s path of love and hope should be followed”. “It’s especially important to remember this year, as members of the Orthodox community have been confronted with persecution and violence, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. For centuries, the region and the world has been enriched by the contributions of Orthodox communities in countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq,” Obama said. “As a nation, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting universal human rights including the freedom of religion,” he concluded. Source: B92 Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Putin, Obama congratulate Orthodox believers on Easter admin May 5, 2013 Russian and U.S. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama have sent their Easter greetings to all Orthodox believers. Putin congratulated Orthodox Christians and all Russians celebrating Easter today and wished them good health. “Easter gives joy and hope to millions of people, ... |
| Putin hopes Orthodox Church will make its contribution to establish peace in Middle East The Russian president also said that the people of Russia were watching the events in Eastern Ukraine with anxiety and grief Natalya Mihailova 19 July 2014 SERGIEV POSAD, July 18. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that the Orthodox Church will make its contribution to establishing peace in the Middle East. © ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Klimentyev Putin, who met representatives of local Orthodox Churches at the Holy Trinity — St. Sergius Monastery on Friday, wished Metropolitan Timothy of Vostra, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, success in serving in a unique place like Jerusalem, the cradle of Christianity. Regrettably, the president said, the Middle East had been torn by various conflicts for many years. “Today, we can see a new conflict flaring up there again — with bloodshed and human casualties. We are anxiously watching what’s going on (in the Middle East),” the Russian leader went on to say. “But I am sure that the presence of the Orthodox Church will play a positive role in reconciling the warring parties,” the president stressed. “In the end, everybody comes to peace. Only, it is important to make this road as short as possible and avoid inflicting huge casualties on the way to peace,” Putin said. He also urged Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill to make a strong contribution to pacifying the warring parties in Ukraine. “I think that all of us should be out to achieve this goal. I am going to ask the patriarch to make his strong contribution to this pacification,” Putin said. “We believe that peace should come to the land of Ukraine as soon as possible. All the warring parties should establish direct contacts with each other as soon as possible,” the president emphasized, adding that all the parties in conflict should immediately stop military hostilities and sit down to peaceful talks. Putin also said that the people of Russia were watching the events in Eastern Ukraine with anxiety and grief. “This just is terrible. It is a tragedy,” the president stressed. |
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