Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: ‘Patriarchate is dying’

’We cannot breathe, the Patriarchate is dying,’ says patriarch ASLI AYDINTAŞBAŞ ISTANBUL – Milliyet Thursday, December 24, 2009 Following criticism of his controversial statement to a U.S. television network describing his community’s problems, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew says his comments were emphasized, but the serious problem of opening Halki seminary needs to be addressed. Criticized [...]

Eve of the Nativity of Christ

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2AfqVNs_50[/youtube] Kontakion in the Third Tone On this day the Virgin cometh to a cave to give birth to God the Word ineffable, Who was before all the ages. Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing the gladsome tidings; with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him Who is willing to be gazed on [...]

Wave of Clergy Killings in Russia

Source: Voice of America Peter Fedynsky | Moscow 23 December 2009 The second murder of a Russian priest in as many months has prompted a call by the Orthodox Church for Russians to think about their country’s spiritual and moral condition. The killings follow more violence this year directed against Muslim clerics in Russia’s troubled [...]

Report: Phanar backtracks on crucifixion remark

From Today’s Zaman (Dec. 24). No statement yet on the Patriarchate’s site. The patriarchate’s statement said: “There are similar idioms in all languages, and they are not evaluated in their narrow meanings but in their broad sense in that language. While answering questions in that regard, the patriarch obviously did not intend to imply any [...]

Before the Manhattan Declaration: ‘A Letter from America’s Religious Leaders in Defense of Marriage’

Given the vitriol, smug arrogance, and sectarian sentiment with which some Orthodox Christians have greeted Orthodox Christian participation in the Manhattan Declaration, let us review the 2006 letter below which was signed by Archbishop Demetrios and Metropolitan Herman. In fact — and this may be upsetting to some readers so brace yourself — Archbishop Demetrios [...]

Battle looming over icons and prayers in Greek schools

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MbEL-C7ypU[/youtube] The head of the Greek Orthodox Church has warned the country’s new socialist government that it faces a major battle over removing religious symbols from schools. The European Court in Strasbourg has ordered Italy to take down crucifixes from its classrooms, and Greece’s Justice Minister has acknowledged that it may have to follow suit. [...]

To the anonymous priest-critic of the Manhattan Declaration

George Michalopulos answers the “Orthodox Priest” (name withheld) whose critical comments about the Manhattan Declaration were posted on The Observer (here) by Harry Katopodis: A Response to an Orthodox Priest Regarding the Manhattan Declaration Dec 21, 2009 Reverend Father, bless! Christ is in our midst! As you can tell by my name, I am a [...]

Orthodoxy and Hellenism group cites Islamic charter in defense of Patriarchate

An unsigned “call to action” in defense of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was published today on the “Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism” Web site. This appeal asks readers to sign a Web-based petition which demands that the “Turkish government … take steps to guarantee the recognition, safety, and protection of His All Holiness, Ecumenical [...]

Turkish journalist: ‘We are crucifying the patriarch’

By Mehmet Ali Birand in Hurriyet (Monday, December 21, 2009): It might be true, we are crucifying the patriarch I don’t agree with Foreign Minister Davutoğlu. The patriarch is right. The state, with its ignorance of a Turkish institution for 38 years, has not been able to keep its word and has crucified the patriarch. [...]

Editorial: Who will pay the taxes?

From the National Herald: Judging from the massive, angry reaction of our readers so far, it is obvious that we have hit a nerve with our editorial in last week’s edition entitled “Give Us Your Property”, rejecting Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s demand for “at least” a building from each one of our nine metropolises, in order, [...]

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on CBS 60 Minutes: Text and video

Watch CBS News Videos Online Also see video “extras” on CBS site. Transcript from CBS via National Herald: Text of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s interview on CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ (CBS) Would it surprise you to learn that one of the world’s most important Christian leaders, second only to the pope, lives in a country where 99 [...]

Science and the Demands of Virtue

A new commentary by Fr. Jensen (Source: Acton Institute, Dec. 15, 2009) —– Science and the Demands of Virtue by Rev. Gregory Jensen Contrary to the popular understanding, the natural sciences are not morally neutral. Not only do the findings of science have moral implications, the actual work of scientific research presupposes that the researcher [...]

In Memoriam: His Eminence Archbishop Job, Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest

Posted 12/18 SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — On Friday, December 18, 2009, His Eminence, Archbishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest unexpectedly fell asleep in the Lord. His Eminence, Archbishop Job was born Richard John Osacky in Chicago on March 18, 1946. He completed university studies at Northern Illinois University and, after graduating from Saint [...]

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: ‘I feel crucified’

Watch CBS News Videos Online (CBS) — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the 300 million-member Orthodox Christian Church, feels “crucified” living in Turkey under a government he says would like to see his nearly 2,000-year-old Patriarchate die out. His All Holiness speaks to 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon for a story to be broadcast [...]

Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission completes its work

Source: Moscow Patriarchate (12/17/09) The Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission, meeting in Chambesy, Switzerland, closed its work on December 16 with a thanksgiving. The Commission, whose task is to elaborate the agenda of a Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, continued to consider the problem of autocephaly and ways of declaring it – the discussion [...]

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on 60 Minutes

The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle announced today that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew “will be featured on the CBS News program 60 Minutes reported by Bob Simon, scheduled to air on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST. The segment will focus on the Orthodox Church, the most ancient Christian church, and its development [...]

Archbishop Hilarion’s interview with Der Spiegel

Source: Moscow Patriarchate 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 was published in Der Spiegel’s issue No. 51, 2009. (This transcript is the source of [...]

Moscow thanks Pope for not pressing on meeting

From Interfax (2009-12-16): Moscow — The Moscow Patriarchate is grateful to Pope Benedict XVI for understanding problems between the two Churches and not pressing on with visiting Russia and meeting with the Patriarch. “Pope Benedict XVI perfectly understands the existing difficulties and therefore is not pressing on his meeting with the Patriarch, not to mention [...]

‘Orthodoxy is the key to the Russian soul’

Archimandrite Zacchaeus, the Dean of the American Orthodox Church in Moscow, talks about Orthodoxy as he walks the Russia Today crew around the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr. “It’s very important for someone from the West coming to Russia to learn as much as possible about the Orthodox faith,” says Archimandrite Zacchaeus, “Because [...]

Moscow clarifies its position on Orthodoxy in America

Source: Yahoo! Groups [From the December 2009 Orthodox Christian Laity newsletter, vol. 5, Number 2] The following letter translated from the Russian dated November 13, 2009 was received at the OCL Office via fax November 16. It is addressed to former OCL President Peter Petkas. It is from the Moscow Patriarchate, Russian Orthodox Church Holy [...]

U.S. Ambassador praises Egypt’s Freedom of the Press and Human Rights; Copts say otherwise

A friend sent me this translation of an original article in Arabic here. During her visit to Tanta University Scobey praises Freedom of the Press and Human Rights in Egypt Monday 14th of December 2009 Gharbia: Hend Adel Margaret Scobey, the United States of America’s Ambassador to Egypt affirmed that there is no differentiation between [...]

Green Patriarch on Copenhagen

Interviewed on Al Jazeera: And a statement (Source: ANA-MPA): ISTANBUL — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called for a legally binding international agreement to avert the overheating of the planet, in a letter addressed to the leaders of the international community in view of the UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen. Reaching a beneficial agreement within [...]

The agenda at Chambesy

12. December 2009 – 9:00 (Source: Serbian Orthodox Church) The Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission, responsible for preparation of agenda of an upcoming Holy and Great Assembly of the Orthodox Church, began working 10th December at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, near Geneve. The Commission will discuss the three topics from pre-prepared catalogue: [...]

‘Europe, spiritual homeland’

In “For Rome and Moscow, It’s Spring Again,” Sandro Magister on Chiesa looks at the book, in Italian and Russian, presented to Pope Benedict recently by Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk. It is a collection of the main speeches of Benedict, as cardinal and pope, on European culture made over the past ten years. The title [...]

Armenians petition Turks for new patriarch

I post this for the benefit of Greek Orthodox bishops in America who have aspirations to Turkish citizenship. Make sure you don’t displease the Pasha. He’ll round file your job application. From the Dec. 10 issue of Today’s Zaman: Turkey’s Armenian Orthodox community seeks co-patriarch The Armenian Patriarchate in İstanbul is seeking permission to designate [...]

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