Year: 2009

We’ve moved!

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Easier than we thought too!

Many thanks to Fr. John Schroedel of Orthodox Internet Services (the man behind the wheel) who loaded the truck and moved us into our new home — all the way from Hawaii!

What will you see? In addition to the great commentary and timely news you have come to expect from the AOI Observer, you should see faster load times, the elimination of time-outs (the dreaded “internal server errors”) and a smoother operation overall.

Looking for a good and reliable host for you website? Truck on over to Orthodox Internet Services. Great prices and most of all great service. Again, many thanks to Fr. John Schroedel and Orthodox Internet Services for a job well done.

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Der Speigel interviews Abp. Hilarion (Alfeyev)

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Ed. The secularized west meets the Orthodox east. From the Russian Orthodox Church Department of External Church Relations website.

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Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk

Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations, answered questions from Der Spiegel magazine. Below is the text of the talk His Eminence Hilarion had with the magazine’s correspondents.

The interview is published in Der Spiegel’s issue No. 51, 2009.

How would you explain the difference between the Orthodox, the Catholic and the Protestant Churches?

The Orthodox and the Catholic Churches have only some differences in theology and models of church order. Thus, we do not recognize the supreme authority of the Pope of Rome over other Churches. However, the differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism are not fundamental. We recognize the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. If a Catholic priest moves over to Orthodoxy we accept him as priest. As for Protestant churches, we do not recognize them as Churches, seeing in them only communities of Christians. We have fundamental differences in theology and ethics.

What are they exactly?

Many Protestant churches have liberalized their notions of ethics, giving a theological justification to homosexuality and blessing same-sex couples. Some refuse to consider abortion to be a sin. We do not share the understanding of the Church and church order, especially as the Protestants, unlike the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, ordain women. Continue reading →

Fr. Peter-Michael Preble interviews Fr. Hans Jacobse about the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Orthodox Church built in the ancient style in Owego, NY

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Stone masons build an Orthodox Church in the ancient style, block by block.

Met. Jonah: Why I signed the Manhattan Declaration

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Met. Jonah explains why he signed the Manhattan Declaration. H/T Peter and Helen Evans

Interviewer: Why did you sign the Manhattan Declaration?

Met. Jonah: …I believe in the same basic principles that are enunciated in the Manhattan Declaration. I believe also that many of them are the basic teachings of the Church regarding human life and how we are supposed to live — first and foremost the stance on pro-life, the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, and how critically important it is to protect that every step of the way…

See the complete interview and more interviews with Orthodox signers (and others) on the Peter and Helen Evans website (website under construction).

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