One hundred and seventy-nine clergymen, monks and laypeople sent an open letter to the Primate and episcopate of the Orthodox Church of Greece, expressing their concern and alarm over the uncanonical granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian schismatics. The text of the letter is given below. The Greek original with the list of signatories can be found here Your Beatitude, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, Most Reverend Metropolitans of the Church of Greece, Your Beatitude, Your…

Der Ökumenische Patriarch von Konstantinopel, Bartholomaios, hat das Geschenk von Reliquien des Apostels Petrus als „wichtigen Schritt auf dem Weg der Einheit“ gewürdigt. Papst Franziskus hatte dem Patriarchen Ende Juni einige Knochenfragmente aus dem Petrusgrab unter der vatikanischen Basilika übergeben. Er müsse „zugeben, dass wir am Anfang sehr überrascht waren“, so das in Istanbul residierende Ehrenoberhaupt der Weltorthodoxie in einem Gespräch mit Vatican News. Normalerweise seien solche E…

A 100-year-old building in the city of Haugesund in southwestern Norway was given new life on Sunday, as it was consecrated as a parish church of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The new church, the first Romanian Orthodox parish in Norway, is dedicated to the “O All-Hymned Mother” Icon of the Theotokos, as well as Sts. Macarius the Great and Macarius of Alexandria, reports Doxologia. According to OrthodoxWiki, there are 16 other parishes operating in Norway, divided between the Russian Church, th…

A joyful event marked the first day of school in Lovech, Bulgaria, as the Orthodox Church opened its first school in the country. The moleben for the beginning of the school year with the blessing of water at Seven Saints Elementary School was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Gabriel of Lovech, reports predanie.bg. The school is so named because the Church has placed it under the spiritual patronage of seven great missionary saints closely associated with writing and education in Bulgari…

Mit Blick auf die neue Orthodoxe Kirche der Ukraine (OKU) hat die Hl. Synode der Griechischen Orthodoxen Kirche (GOK) einen doppelten Beschluss gefasst. An ihrer Sitzung anerkannte sie entsprechend dem Vorschlag der beiden Synodalausschüsse für dogmatische Fragen bzw. für interorthodoxe und zwischenchristliche Beziehungen zur Ukraine-Frage das kanonische Recht des Ökumenischen Patriarchats von Konstantinopel, einer Kirche die Autokephalie zu verleihen. Zugleich anerkannte sie das Privileg ihres…

Der katholische Bischof von Požega, Antun Škvorčević, hat Übergriffe auf Serben in Knin und anderen slawonischen Ortschaften verurteilt. In einer Predigt zur Amtseinführung des Pfarrers von Daruvar, Zdravko Radoš, am 25. August drückte er den Opfern sein Mitgefühl aus. Dabei verwies er auf die Universalität der Erlösung, die gerade für die Tätigkeit des Pfarrers von Daruvar wichtig sei, da in seiner Gemeinde Kroaten, Tschechen, Serben und andere Nationalitäten lebten. Er müsse nicht nur Toleran…

The worldwide religious community recognizes the role of the Archbishop Anastasios of the Albanian Orthodox Church in guaranteeing international peace, Romfea News reports. Archbishop Anastasios is a pioneer in the peaceful coexistence of religious communities in Albania, thereby contributing to social cohesion. He was recently re-elected honorary president of the Religions for Peace International, which held its 10th Assembly, at Lindau, Germany. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (9. September 2019)

Der Klimawandel und die aktuelle Umweltproblematik zeigten auf, „dass die Welt eine Einheit bildet, denn unsere Probleme sind global und allen gemeinsam“. Um die Gefahren abzuwehren, bedürfe es deshalb eines gemeinsamen Weges und Handelns. Das schreibt der Ökumenische Patriarch Bartholomaios in seinem Hirtenbrief zum Schöpfungstag (1. September). „Es ist unvorstellbar, dass die Menschheit in Kenntnis der Größe dieser Problematik sich weiterhin so verhält, als ob sie keine Kenntnis davon hätte“…

(Radio Free Europe, www.rferl.org, 5. September 2019) A court in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, convicted four people on September 4 for planning terrorist attacks on international peacekeepers, Orthodox churches, and night clubs as well as abroad in France and Belgium. They were handed prison terms ranging from one to 10 years. Two others were ordered to serve shorter terms for failing to inform authorities of the conspiracy. In October, the four were charged with planning attacks on NATO troops…

Am alljährlichen Jugendfestival in Međugorje haben dieses Jahr erstmals hohe Vertreter aus dem Vatikan teilgenommen. So feierte der Generalvikar von Rom, Kardinal Angelo de Donatis, mit den über 50‘000 Jugendlichen den Eröffnungsgottesdienst und übermittelte dabei Grüße und Segenswünsche von Papst Franziskus. Ebenfalls anwesend waren die Kurienerzbischöfe Rino Fisichella, Präsident des Päpstlichen Rates für die Förderung der Neuevangelisierung, und Jose Rodriguez Carballo, Sekretär der Kongrega…

In a study of „Gallup International“ done on the occasion 30 years of the onset of political changes in the country shows that the institution with the highest level of trust among Bulgarian citizens is precisely the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. After brief fluctuations, after the election of Patriarch Neophyte in 2013, church confidence remains at levels between 40 and 50% and is generally lasting higher than mistrust. Gallup points out that the activities of sects, the role of atheist governme…

His Beatitude Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, the current primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, celebrates Friday his 27th enthronement anniversary. His Beatitude Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, was born on November 4, 1929, in Piraeus, Greece. Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) Professor of History of Religions (1972-92) and Dean of the Theological Faculty of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1983-86). B.D. and Th.D. (with…

Albania’s old Orthodox churches, forgotten and abandoned for many decades because of the religious persecution by the atheist state, are being restored by both the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Institute of Cultural Monuments in Albania. The interest of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, in this direction is continuous, substantial and effective. Although restoration work is difficult in many cases, experts point out that the restoration of the temples is still possible…

His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama consecrated a newly built church at the hut of the Annunciation at Lakkoskiti in honour of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos. This is the first church serving a Romanian community on the Holy Mount to be dedicated to St Paisios. The consecration ceremony took place on July 25, the feast day of St Paisios according to the unrevised Julian calendar. The church was also offered a second Patron Saint, the holy and righteous King David. Weiterlesen auf basilica…

A group of tech-savvy Romanians are currently testing Sotiras, a new social platform that could be an Orthodox alternative to Facebook. Their initiative has the blessing of the Romanian monks from the Annunciation Kellia of the Romanian Lakkoskete on Mount Athos. The new social networking website ‘aims at promoting beauty, normality, and Christian values’, reads a statement of the founders published by Marturie Athonita. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (22. August 2019)

Die Hl. Synode der Griechischen Orthodoxen Kirche hat entschieden, einen kirchlichen „Tag des ungeborenen Kindes“ einzuführen. Der Tag soll jeweils am Sonntag nach Weihnachten gefeiert werden. In der Bekanntmachung heißt es, der Beschluss solle Kinder schützen und dazu beitragen, das demografische Problem des Landes zu beheben. In einem Vortrag in Athen hatte Metropolit Ignatios (Georgakopoulos) von Dimitrias 2017 geschätzt, dass die griechische Bevölkerung in den nächsten 20 Jahren um eine hal…

MP Daniel Gheorghe has submitted a draft law to parliament that declares August 16 an official Remembrance Day of the Holy Brancoveanu Martyrs and a National Day of Awareness of Violence against Christians. If the draft law will be approved by the Parliament, the following buildings will be illuminated in red on August 16, between 20:00 and 24:00: the Romanian Parliament, the Government of Romania, the central and local public authorities, the Arc de Triomphe and the Mogosoaia Palace. The bill…

Der neue griechisch-orthodoxe Erzbischof von Thyateira und Großbritannien, Nikitas (Loulias), ist in der Londoner Hagia Sophia-Kathedrale feierlich in sein Amt eingeführt worden. Mit Erzbischof Nikitas sind jetzt die neuen geistlichen Oberhäupter aller drei englischsprachigen Erzeparchien des Ökumenischen Patriarchats von Konstantinopel – außer Großbritannien auch Australien und Nordamerika – installiert. Bei der Liturgie zur Amtseinführung von Erzbischof Nikitas in London hatte – in Vertretung…

As Pravoslavie.ru reports, extremely rare footage from Mount Athos, shot in 1917 and 1918, has recently come to light online. The video is hosted on the YouTube channel “Mount Athos Film Archive / Αγιορειτική Ταινιοθήκη”, which was created not long ago. The first part of the video actually contains footage of the famous Greek monastery of the Great Meteoron, part of the larger Meteora complex, which is not located on Athos, but in the mountains overlooking the legendary plains of Thessaly. The…

COMMUNIQUÉ oft he 22nd Church Assembly-Sabor of the Serbian Orthodox Dioceses in the United States of America, July 13-16, 2019: 800 Years of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church: Endowed by God, Treasured by the People: The hierarchs, clergy and delegates representing parishes and diocesan bodies from the three Dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States of America met July 13-16, 2019 at New Gracanica Monastery in Third Lake, Illinois and St. Sava Monastery in Liber…