Meeting of the Israel-Vatican Bilateral Commission held in Jerusalem
1. May 2009 - 8:24The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the State of Israel and the Holy See has held a Plenary meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel today, Thursday, 30 April 2009, for the purpose of advancing the negotiations pursuant to Article 10 §2 of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel (30 Dec.1993).
The Delegation of the State of Israel was led by Mr. Daniel Ayalon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was composed, in addition, of the following Members:
Russian bishop: Europe is exposed to threat of weak Christianity rather than strong Islam
15. April 2009 - 8:16Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Bishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk urges European countries to be more active in promoting Christian value system instead of talking about islamisation. "Today there's a lot of talking about islamisation of Europe, about demographic conquest of Europe. Big Muslim families shouldn't irritate us, it's natural to have a lot of children. We should better think why Christians prefer to have so few children?" the Bishop said at a Moscow meeting with Italian Ambassador in the Russian Federation Vittorio Claudio Surdo on Tuesday.
Russian parish in Venice fundraises for victims of Aquila earthquake
15. April 2009 - 8:00The Russian Orthodox parish of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women in Venice fundraises for victims of the recent earthquake in Aquila. "On the day of God's visitation, when Italians faced the trial, our Orthodox duty is respond to grief of people who lost their relatives, houses, are deprived of hot food and warm cloths," the address is quoted as saying by the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church relations press service on Tuesday.
Holy Fire to be delivered from Jerusalem to Moscow on Easter eve for the seventh time
15. April 2009 - 8:11The Holy Fire, which miraculously descents in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, will be delivered by a special flight at 10.30 p.m. to Vnukovo airport on April 18, Saturday. The shrine will be taken to Christ the Savior Cathedral and conveyed to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for the Easter service, press service of St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation has told Interfax-Religion on Tuesday.
Lukashenko hopes Russian Church to actively help in strengthening Slavic unity
15. April 2009 - 8:10Byelorussian President Alexander Lukashenko believes the Russian Orthodox Church will be more active in building unity between Byelorussia and Russia. "We much anticipate and believe that the Russian Orthodox Church should become a more active participant in the process of uniting our states, and perhaps even in uniting Slavic civilization based on Byelorussia, Ukraine and Russia," Lukashenko told journalists in Minsk speaking on the results of his Friday meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
