Einer der angesehensten Hierarchen der russischen Auslandskirche (ROCOR), Erzbischof Mark (Arndt) von Berlin, hat in einem "Offenen Brief" an die Mitglieder der "Orthodoxen Bischofskonferenz in Deutschland" zur Krise um die Ukraine Stellung genommen. Darin übt er heftige Kritik an der neuen unabhängigen orthodoxen Kirche in der Ukraine, an der ukrainischen Regierung wie auch am Patriarchat von Konstantinopel. Zugleich zeigt er sich davon überzeugt, dass die Zusammenarbeit zwischen den orthodoxe…

A memo to a Christian voter and a Christian politician was issued by the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, led by Patriarch Sviatoslav. The document was published by the UGCC Department of Information on February 14, as the election race is gaining momentum in Ukraine. The Bishops of the UGCC emphasize that every citizen must realize their duty to participate in the social and political life of the Motherland and to perceive it as an integral part of their own Christian vocation…

(Radio Free Europe, www.rferl.org, 14. Februar 2019) A senior official in Tajikistan's Customs Service has confirmed that the authorities have confiscated and burned 5'000 evangelical Christian calendars ordered by a Baptist church in the Central Asian country. Rahmonali Rahimzoda, who heads the enforcement branch of the Customs Service, told RFE/RL on February 14 that the calendars were confiscated at Dushanbe International Airport in December and later burned. Rahimzoda said that the calendar…

In 2019 the new manuals of the history of Ukraine will be published, they will cover the information of receiving Tomos on the autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The press service of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine reported this, according to UNN. “Students study the history of independent Ukraine in the 11th grade, and this year we will publish new manuals. When we received Tomos on the autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. I instructed…

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 C…

In an interview with the Polish Catholic News Agency, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cchurch, Patriarch Sviatoslav, told Russia is still looking for a way to conquer Ukraine, touched on the issue of the election campaign and indicated which model of national existence could ensure Ukraine's success. According to the Department of Information of the UGCC, the Primate noted that currently the Ukrainian society reminds him of a large volcano, in which different worldviews, hot political…

Am 3. Februar ist Metropolit Epifanij (Dumenko) von der neu gegründeten Orthodoxen Kirche der Ukraine (OKU) in sein Amt eingesetzt worden. Das Kirchenoberhaupt wurde bei einem Festgottesdienst in der Kiewer Sophienkathedrale von drei Metropoliten – Emmanuel (Adamakis) von Paris vom Ökumenischen Patriarchat, Simeon (Schostazkij) und Makarij (Maletytsch) – inthronisiert. Damit hat Epifanij nun offiziell die Leitung der OKU übernommen.

Anlässlich seines zehnjährigen Amtsjubiläums als Patriarch hat der russische Präsident Vladimir Putin Kirills Leistungen gelobt und die „gemeinsamen Pflichten“ von Staat und Kirche hervorgehoben. Beide müssten die „spirituell-ethische und Wertegrundlage bewahren und stärken sowie an die Jugend weitergeben“. Zudem würdigte Putin die soziale und Bildungsarbeit der Russischen Orthodoxen Kirche (ROK), die in den letzten Jahren ausgeweitet worden sei, als „unschätzbar“.

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations appealed to a number of institutions to facilitate the release of captive Ukrainians, political prisoners and other hostages held in Russia and in the occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. Letters signed by the Chairman of the AUCCRO Rabbi Yakov Dov Bleich were sent both to the leadership of the Russian Federation and to the World Council of Churches, the Interreligious Council of Russia and other interdeno…

On January 22, the Ministry of Justice registered the civic association All-Ukrainian Council. Evangelical Churches, known religious and public figures initiated the foundation of this association, the Institute of Religious Freedom reports. The Spiritual Council of the All-Ukrainian Council includes the chairman of the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Church of the Evangelical Christians Mykhailo Panochko, Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Union…

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was conferred on the title of Honorary Doctor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. President of the Academy Andriy Meleshevych made a public announcement. “By decision of the Academic Council of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy of December 20, 2018, His Holy Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew was conferred on the title of Honorary Doctor of NaUKMA. Thereby, the Mohyla Academy community “marked his merits as a scholar and popularizer of research,” he wr…

On 24 January 2019, a multimedia round table ‘Violation of Believers’ Rights in Ukraine’ organized by the Russian Association for the Defense of Religious Freedom took place at the International multimedia press centre MIA ‘Russia Today.” Among those attending were Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and Mr. Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Me…

Das Oberhaupt der Ukrainischen Griechisch-Katholischen Kirche (UGKK), Großerzbischof Svjatoslav (Schevtschuk), hält die Einheit zwischen Katholiken und Orthodoxen nicht für utopisch. So sieht er langfristig die Einheit zwischen der UGKK und der vor kurzem gegründeten Orthodoxen Kirche der Ukraine (OKU) im Bereich des Möglichen, wie er in einem Fernsehinterview erklärte. Das sei eine „freudige Aussicht“, denn die ganze christliche Welt suche nach Wegen zur Einheit.

Der ukrainische Präsident Petro Poroschenko hat Filaret (Denisenko) den Titel „Held der Ukraine“ verliehen. Filaret, der am 23. Januar 90 Jahre alt wurde, stand der Ukrainischen Orthodoxen Kirche–Kiewer Patriarchat vor, bis diese am 15. Dezember 2018 in der neu gegründeten Orthodoxen Kirche der Ukraine (OKU) aufgegangen ist. Filaret ist „Ehrenpatriarch“ der OKU und soll bei ihrer Entwicklung helfen.

Bartholomew, by God’s mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch: “You have come to Mount Zion . . . and to the Church of the first-born” (Heb. 12.22–23), as the blessed Paul, apostle to the nations, declares to all the faithful, appropriately likening the Church to a mountain to affirm conviction and recognition as well as steadfastness and stability. For although the Church of God both is and is called one flock and one body of Christ—everywhere sharing the confessio…

On January 17, Ukraine’s Parliament passed bill No. 4128-d, which stipulates the procedure for changing the subordination of religious communities. For its adoption, 229 deputies voted YES. This is reported by Cerkvarium website. According to the Ukrayinska Pravda, during the discussion of the document, the majority of deputies expressed their support for the draft law. MPs of the "Opposition bloc" faction spoke against it. During the voting, the head of the opposition faction Vadym Novinsky ra…

Passend zu der bis am 25. Januar dauernden "Ökumenewoche" (Weltgebetswoche für die Einheit der Christen) ist erstmals von der Diözese Rom ein orthodoxer Heiliger in ihrer Kathedrale geehrt worden. Es handelt sich um den großen russischen Ikonographen Andrej Rubljow (gestorben 1430), dem am 20. Januar in der Kathedral-Basilika San Giovanni in Laterano ein Festkonzert gewidmet wurde. Der Moskauer Synodalchor, der römische Diözesanchor und das Symphonieorchester "Fideles et Amati" brachte dabei ei…

A new Orthodox pilgrimage service has launched, offering prayerful English-language tours to some of Russia’s holiest sites. “Way of a Pilgrim” was developed by two faithful Russian Orthodox women who initially met by chance at a remote skete and realized they had a common goal and vision of providing English-language pilgrimage resource tools. The abbot of the skete supported and blessed their endeavor. According to the site, “Our vision is to become a Christian missionary guide and an Orthod…

Am 9. Januar hat die Schweizerische Bibelgesellschaft (SB) in der russisch-orthodoxen Auferstehungskirche in Zürich der Öffentlichkeit die deutsche Übersetzung der Evangelien nach der byzantinischen Texttradition „Byzantinischer Text Deutsch“ (BTD) vorgestellt. Laut SB unterscheidet sich diese Übersetzung von anderen Bibelübersetzungen, weil sie auf dem in den orthodoxen Kirchen anerkannten griechischen Evangelientext gründet und die Auslegungen der grossen Theologen der Orthodoxie berücksich…

Radio Free Europe: Following an outcry from its academics, the Russian Academy of Sciences has decided to retract its decision to name the head of the Russian Orthodox Church an honorary professor. Patriarch Kirill was due to formally accept the award at the academy's headquarters in Moscow on January 22 along with Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko. The decision to bestow the title on the speaker of the upper house was also reversed. "The question of awarding the title of hono…