| Archive Children in Maaloula in Syria are given Christmas presents from Russia 24 December 2021 year 14:25 On 22nd December 2021, just before the feast of Christ’s Nativity, which the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch celebrates according to the new calendar, the Christian city of Maaloula in Syria was visited by a parliamentary delegation from Russia. Throughout the trip the guests were accompanied by members of the People’s Council of the Arab Republic of Syria and representatives of the Moscow city government. Members of the deputies’ group of the State Duma of the Russian Federation for relations with the Syrian parliament visited the city school wh ere almost 240 local children had gathered. The children performed Christmas songs and greeted guests in their native Aramaic language in Maaloula, the language which Christ himself spoke. The Russian parliamentarians presented as gifts to the nursery school educational games, toys and sports equipment and to the secondary school notebooks, printers and other stationary equipment donated by the Moscow city government. The small children of Maaloula were given presents of sweets which had been collected by the parishioners of the Moscow Church of the Resurrection ‘na Uspenskom vrazhke.’ The guests visited the convent of St. Thecla, restored with aid from Russia after its destruction by gunmen and venerated the holy shrines of the convent. In 2014 the city of Maaloula had been taken by gunmen and for more than a year and a half was under their authority. The convent’s inmates and the mother superior had been taken hostage, but later they were freed. Archimandrite Matthew (Rizk), who carries out his obedience in the convent, handed out the presents with the guests. He thanked warmly Russia and the Russian Church for the presents, emphasizing that Russians were always welcome in Syria and should feel themselves at home there. The coordinator of the deputies’ group Dmitry Sablin noted that Maaloula was in the hearts of every Orthodox Christian. He said that real aid for the restoration of church buildings and for supporting the civilian population would be continued. The guests congratulated mother superior Mariam, who had been held captive by terrorists, on the forthcoming feast of Christ’s Nativity. The members of the Russian delegation laid flowers at the memorial to the people of Maaloula who had been killed by gunmen for their refusal to renounce Christ and to those who had fallen during the liberation of the city. Now, after the restoration of the convent, with the support of the Russian Boevoye Bratstvo veterans’ organization, work has begun on setting up a museum of the convent of St. Thecla, which was founded in the fourth century. DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| Archive Inter-Orthodox consultations patterned after the Amman meeting are essential, believes Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk 13 February 2022 year 16:17 “Communication between the Orthodox Churches is absolutely essential. The fact that the Patriarch of Constantinople has abandoned the process whereby the Orthodox Churches are called together for mutual consultations does not mean that we cannot set up another format so that we can meet and talk. The Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus has proposed one such format,” said the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion, commenting in the Church and the World TV programme on the words of the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, who recently said in an interview that he is looking forward to new meetings in the Amman format. As the chairman of the DECR noted, the meeting in Amman in 2020 between primates and delegations of the Orthodox Churches took place in a brotherly atmosphere and was very successful. “I think such meetings are essential because otherwise it would be difficult for the Local Orthodox Churches to coordinate their actions,” said metropolitan Hilarion. He reminded viewers that the Churches often encountered common challenges and problems. One such relevant example would be the pandemic and the restrictions that it has imposed. “We do have things to speak about. We have experiences which we can exchange, and in this sense, consultations are very beneficial and important,” said the metropolitan. “And they are especially important in a situation in which division has arisen within the family of the Orthodox Churches, when as a result of the actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople a group of Churches has formed which have recognized a schism and people who have no canonical consecration are now recognized as bishops and they concelebrate with them.” Noting that similar situations had occurred throughout church history, metropolitan Hilarion emphasized that “in order to resolve the problem at the inter-Orthodox level such consultations are needed. We express our gratitude to the Patriarch of Jerusalem for the initiative which he has set in motion. If this initiative is repeated, then we of course will respond to this invitation.” DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| Archive Administrator of Moscow Patriarchate parishes in East and South-East Asia begins his trip to Philippines 22 June 2018 year 12:50 June 22, 2018 – the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in East and South-East Asia, Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, has arrived in Davao, the administrative center of Mindanao Island in Philippines. At Francisco Bangoy international airport, he was met by Hieromonk Pitirim (Dondenko), secretary of the administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate in East and South-East Asia and senior priest at the Dormition church in Singapore; Rev. Stanislav Rasputin, permanent priest of the Moscow Patriarchate parish in General Santos city; Hieromonk Corniliy (Molev), permanent cleric of the Parish of the Blessed Matrona of Moscow in Davao; Rev. Siluan Thompson (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia), rector of the church of St. John of Shanghai; wardens of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes on Mindanao Island, and staff members of the missionary center at the St. Matrona church. Archbishop Sergiy visited the St. Matrona church, in which he was welcomed by the Philippian students undergoing training before entering St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The young people greeted His Eminence and presented him with a basket with Philippian fruits. Later that day, the archpastor celebrated vespers at the St. Matrona church at the Davao missionary center. Through the efforts made by an initiative group of priest since 2015, Christian communities in Mindanao, founded in the early 20th century by Grigorio Aglipay, began to join the Moscow Patriarchate. From 2015 to 2016, the work was carried out to catechize the Philippians who embraced Orthodoxy; the Russian Orthodox clergy celebrated divine services; new churches were built; liturgical and sacred texts were translated into the Sebyano language. Due to a lack of possibility for permanent pastoral care for the parishes by Orthodox priests, missionaries taught wardens to celebrate using the lay order. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, by its decision of October 21, 2016 (Minutes 99), appointed Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk as administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in East and South-East Asia including in the Republic of Philippines. In fulfilling the will of the Supreme Authority, Archbishop Sergiy has worked to revive the Parish of Our Lady of Iveron in Manila, which has functioned since 1934. He has also organized pastoral care for Orthodox compatriots residing in Philippines and for converted local communities. At present, an administrative and religious education center is being created in Davao for coordination of pastoral care for members of the Moscow Patriarch communities in Mindanao, catechizing those who decided to embrace Orthodoxy and training candidates for studies at theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 April 2024 year |
| Archive On the Day of the Nativity of Christ, Patriarch Kirill celebrated Great Compline at the Church of Christ the Saviour 7 January 2018 year 21:28 In the evening of January 7, the Day of the Nativity of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated Great Compline at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. His Holiness was assisted by a great assembly of bishops and clergy. Among them were representatives of Local Orthodox Churches to the Patriarchal See of Moscow from the Orthodox Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Serbia, Jerusalem, Bulgaria and the Czech Lends and Slovakia. Among the numerous worshippers were mothers superior of Patriarchal convents, Moscow clergy, members of parish councils of Moscow churches, and staff members of synodal departments. The service was broadcast live by the TV Center and Soyuz TV channels. Patriarch Kirill read the beginning of the Gospel from the old altar-Gospel of the time of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, which is brought out of the Church of Christ the Savour’s altar twice a year: during the Christmas and Easter Great Compline. After the service, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna extended greetings to His Holiness on behalf of the plenitude of the Russian Orthodox Church. He spoke about new Christian martyrs who spilt blood in the last century of the Russian Orthodox Church, ‘And we can see that the Christian blood and prayers of new martyrs have proved to be capable of restoring the Russian Orthodox Church to her former magnificence’. He also praised Patriarch Kirill for his missionary efforts, saying, ‘We see the fruit of your missionary work in the Russian land, because since you became the Primate of the Russian land you have tirelessly repeated that our love, education and mission work should be addressed in the first place to the youth. May the Lord bless your Primatial ministry with many good years for the sake of the prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church and our beloved Motherland’. Maria Antipova, student of Moscow State University, and Mikhail Kotelnikov, chief conductor of the Youth Synodal Choir, brought greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on behalf of the Orthodox youth in Moscow. Then His Holiness addressed himself to the congregation with a primatial homily. This was followed by traditional greetings extended to the patriarch by bishops, clergy and laity. Patriarchal Press Service/ DECR Communication Service Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| Archive Serbian Orthodox Church Bishops’ Council expresses its position on situation resulting from Patriarchate of Constantinople’s actions in Ukraine 13 November 2018 year 11:51 The position taken by the Serbian Orthodox Church with regard to the church crisis in Ukraine caused by the recent decisions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been formulated by the Bishops’ Council which took place on November 6-7, 2018, in Belgrade. As is known, by its decisions of October 11 the Patriarchate of Constantinople ‘revoked’ the decision made over 300 years ago to transfer the Metropolitan of Kiev to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate thus encroaching on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church. In addition, in defiance of the canonical order, the Synod of the Church of Constantinople has admitted to communion the leaders of the Ukrainian schism and declared its readiness to implement a project ‘for Ukrainian autocephaly’. The Bishops Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church stated with regret that ‘the Patriarchate of Constantinople has made a decision not grounded on canons to rehabilitate and recognize as bishops the two chiefs of the schismatic groups in Ukraine – Philaret Denisenko and Makariy Maletich with their episcopate and clergy’. It is pointed out in the council’s decision that in due time the former was canonically deposed and later anathematized and the latter was deprived of the apostolic continuity as spiritually belonging to the sect of the so-called self-ordained ministers ‘due to which the Sacred Council of Bishops’ regards this decision of the Synod of Constantinople as not obligatory for the Serbian Orthodox Church’. As it is pointed out in the issued document, the Council of the Serbian Church does not recognize the above-mentioned persons and their followers as Orthodox bishops and clergy and therefore does not accept the liturgical and canonical communion with them and their supporters. The Council addressed the Patriarchate of Constantinople and all the rest Local Churches with a proposal to consider in the nearest future the issue of autocephaly and the topic of Orthodox Diaspora at a Pan-Orthodox Council ‘in order to reaffirm and strengthen the conciliarity and unity of the Orthodox Church and to avoid in the future the temptation through which Holy Orthodoxy is going now’. DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| International Orthodox Chaplains’ Association supports chaplains of canonical Ukrainian Church Moscow, March 9, 2017 Photo: http://news.church.ua The statement of the Third International Conference of Orthodox Military Chaplains, held October 17-21, 2016 by the Orthodox Ordinariate of the Polish army in Warsaw, was published on March 8 on the site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Synodal Department for Relations with the Armed Forces. The statement expressed approval and support for the decision to introduce military chaplains in Ukraine, reminding that the international Orthodox community recognizes only the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, reports the Information Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The self-styled and nationalistic “Kiev Patriarchate” and “Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church” are schismatic, in communion with no one. “Knowing about the difficult situation of religious life in Ukraine, in particular about the painful and tragic schism of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, we consider it our duty to remind those involved in the organization of military chaplaincy service that thus far all Orthodox military chaplains, regardless of nationality and citizenship, providing care and spiritual aid to soldiers in the army (in peacekeeping operations and other activities), were and are mutually recognized and interchangeable as clerics of canonical Local Orthodox Churches,” the document reads. Thus, the document continues, the conference hopes that in all future peacekeeping missions involving Ukrainian troops, spiritual nourishment will come from canonical chaplains of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Chaplaincy service from schismatic priests will most likely in the future create situations in which soldiers of another country will be cut off from access to spiritual help, and will have no liturgical services to attend, as Orthodox Christians do not participate in the worship of schismatics and heretics. The gathering of chaplains expressed hope for understanding and support from Ukrainian authorities. The statement was drafted on behalf of representatives of Orthodox chaplaincy services in Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Finland. 9 марта 2017 г. Подпишитесь на рассылку Православие.Ru Рассылка выходит два раза в неделю: Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Archive DECR Chairman meets with Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs 18 January 2022 year 10:41 On January 17, 2022, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, met with Mr Gordan Grli-Radman. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Participating in the meeting from the Croatian side were Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Croatia to Russia Tomislav Car, secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers Lara Romano, head of the Eurasia and Oceania section of the foreign affairs department of Croatia Dunja Sicaja, and press secretary of the minister Lovorka Šimievi. From the DECR there were Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, secretary for the affairs of the diaspora and Rev. Andrey Titushkin, a staff member of the secretariat for the affairs of the diaspora. Metropolitan Hilarion welcomed the head of the Croatian foreign policy department to the synodal establishment responsible for international relations of the Russian Orthodox Church. He informed the guest about the working agenda of the department, which includes interaction with Local Orthodox Churches, non-Orthodox confessions, traditional religious communities, foreign states as well as relations with compatriots residing abroad. Mr Grli-Radman, on his part, greeted the archpastor and asked him to convey his words of gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Russia for the warm expression of condolences upon the earthquake, which happened in late 2020 in Croatia. The DECR chairman told the high-ranking diplomat about the relationships between the Russian and the Serbian Orthodox Churches, including in the territory of Croatia. Metropolitan Hilarion expressed profound satisfaction with the fact that the Russian Church can take part in restoring Orthodox churches in Croatia, which were affected by the earthquake. They also dealt with the topic of support for Christians in the Middle East and discussed issues of mutual concern. DECR Communication Service /Patriarchia.ru Календарь ← 7 December 2023 year |
| Palestinian Christians: “They want to put us in a huge prison” Israelis destroy 2000-year-old olive trees Beit Jala ( a Palestinian Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank), August 25, 2015 Representatives of all the Christian communities of Palestine started a large-scale rally in the form of a joint procession of the cross in order to condemn the recent actions of the Israeli army, reports the Calam1 news portal with the reference to Tele Lumiere . As has been reported, Orthodox and Catholic clergy together with representatives of Protestant communities of the Holy Land in the morning of August 18 gathered in the centuries-old olive grove near the town of Beit Jala to express their indignation at the ongoing construction of the so-called “security fence” (or the “separation barrier”, “separation wall”) on private lands along with the felling of 45 centuries-old olive trees by the Israeli servicemen. “By means of this huge wall they are going to put us into a huge prison; that is why we are standing here and praying so that people at last could see the suffering of the Palestinian residents and stop this construction work here in Beit Jala. Peace is all what we need,” said cleric of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem Fr. Joseph Al-Houdli, who performed a prayer service together with his parishioners at the venue of the demonstration, to the journalists. Representative of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Fr. Aktham Saba Hijazin, explained the situation around the takeover by the military of a portion of the lands of farmer Isa Ash-Shatl, to the media: “This wall is virtually killing local families. According to the court ruling, the plan of the construction should be totally changed – but neither the Israeli army, nor the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu, nor highest judicial authorities know the word ‘justice’.” At the present time, construction in Beit Jala is still in progress in spite of the indignation of the Palestinian and Israeli communities: thus, several days ago soldiers of the Israeli Military Forces set about destroying another row of olive trees which are 2000 years old. 26 августа 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии sara 1 сентября 2015, 12:00 The population of Palestinian Christians has drastically decreased! why? watch Don " t forget the recent attack on the church by Israel watch Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Dvorkin also pointed out that when the chairman of the legislative committee of the Russian association of centers for the study of religions and sects, Alexander Korelov, came to Archangelsk, one of the local bloggers who is loyal to the “Kochetkovites” wrote an open letter to the director of the Dobroliubov library requesting that they forbid the expert’s public lecture. Ten people signed the letter—six “Kochetkovites” and four Scientologists. This is an “interesting union”, Dvorkin noted. “I cannot make decisions for the ruling hierarchs, but in any case there are very dangerous tendencies detectible in this movement, and I think that an unambiguous ecclesiastical evaluation should be given,” concluded Alexander Dvokin. Deacon Vladimir Vasilik Translation by OrthoChristian.com 14 марта 2013 г. ... Alexander Dvorkin, “The Kochetkovite movement needs to be given an unambiguous ecclesiastical evaluation”, http://www.pravoslavie.ru/smi/58502.htm (Russian). See the translation of this December 2012 news at the end of this article. Archpriest Evgeny Sokolov, “The community of Fr. John Privalov should repent of its heresy”, http://www.pravoslavie.ru/smi/58445.htm. From Wisdom 1:15. This is a translation from the Slavonic. In the English Septuagint, it reads: (For righteousness is immortal) . Wisdom chapter 2 not only refers to the immortality of the soul, but also outlines the reason why some deny it: For the ungodly said, reasoning with themselves, but not aright , Our life is short and tedious, and in the death of a man there is no remedy: neither was there any man known to have returned from the grave… For our time is a very shadow that passeth away; and after our end there is no returning: for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh again. Come on therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are present: and let us speedily use the creatures like as in youth. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and ointments… Let none of us go without his part of our voluptuousness…. Let us oppress the poor righteous man, let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the ancient gray hairs of the aged. Let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble is found to be nothing worth. |
| Посетила из Оосака группа гостей: Марфа, внучка Анны Кванно, бывшей начальницы здешней нашей Женской школы, ее муж доктор Сасаки, еще язычник, и прочие; принесли в подарок отличный чайный сервиз, для японского чая, кёотского фарфора. Я обещался одарить христианскими книгами, когда будут возвращаться из Сендая, куда едут посетить родных. Премьер граф Сайондзи прислал карточки, в ответ на мою, посланною ему в Новый год. 22 декабря 1907/4 января 1908. Суббота. Mrs. Gordon сегодня пишет: «Mr. Jynes Clinton (секретарь Общества Единения Англиканской и Восточно-Православной Церкви, в Лондоне) asks me to inform Your Grace with what very joyfull gratitude my cable grame [?], announcing your kindly consent to be a Patron of the A. Gk. Alliancë and how the news of it will be hailed outside the Union by the English Christians interested in foreign Mission, by whom You are held in great love and reverence, and who sympathized deeply with You during the late war». — Mrs. Gordon красные словца расточать мастерица. — Дальше она пишет: «Mr. Clinton desires me also to tell Your Grace that the work of the Union is progressing well, that in answer to the appeal of its American members eleven of the best Anglican bishops in America have signed; the Greek priest and the Gr. Consul General of New York have joined; and the Archbishop Plato had urged all his bishops and priests to unite». Хорошо бы, если бы все это было серьезно. Как бы я был рад, если бы, действительно, имелась надежда единения! Но кто сломит англиканскую гордость? А без этого не быть единению. Не мы пойдем к ним, бросивши истинные Христовы догматы, а они должны прийти к нам, принявши эти догматы. Продолжает Mrs. Gordon: «Mr. Clinton is anxious that Father Jefferys or I should be local Secretary for Japan. It is impossible for me to be so, and I am already overdone with writing, and Father Jefferys is too busy. Does Your Grace know any suitable person whom you would nominate to such a post?» В ответ на это я рекомендовал именно Rev. Jefferys’a как «exceedingly able for this post» (так как он большой болтун и писать мастер). Дальше: «Mr. Clinton holds very sanguine views about the destiny of the Russian Church to convert Asia and is anxious for statistics of its work in Japan — would Your Grace favour me with these?». |
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