Belgrade-Born Charles Simic is US Poet Laureate
9. May 2008 - 9:19
In the U.S, poetry's most visible ambassador is the Poet Laureate of the United States, an honorary position bestowed upon our most distinguished bards by the Librarian of Congress, usually for a year. VOA's Adam Phillips spoke with the newest Poet Laureate of the United States: 70 year old, Belgrade-born, Charles Simic, and prepared this profile.
Russian Church calls for bigger protection of Christians worldwide by EU
8. May 2008 - 8:25The European Union should give better protection to Christians worldwide, Russian Church Representative to European International Organizations, Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria said at a Monday meeting between EU officials and European religious leaders in Brussels. "Tolerance should not cause detriment to Christians, who still make up the majority of the European population. Phobia and discrimination of Christians should be condemned officially," he said.
Moscow wants to join restoration of Kosovo Orthodox monuments - Foreign Ministry
8. May 2008 - 8:21The Russian Foreign Ministry is weighing up a plan to help in the restoration of Orthodox monuments in Kosovo. "The Russian president has instructed the Foreign Ministry to come up with a plan to help in the restoration of Orthodox monuments in Kosovo under a UNESCO project, and make funds available for this project," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Medvedev: Special relations with Orthodox Church will be maintained
8. May 2008 - 8:19Special relations between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church will be kept and further developed, President Dmitry Medvedev has said. After conducting a prayer "For the Beginning of the Lofty Endeavor" in the Kremlin's Cathedral of the Annunciation, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia conveyed good wishes to the newly sworn-in head of state.
"The Church is ready to continue cooperating [with the state], since we have one Fatherland, one history and one future," Alexy II said.
Marmara Foundation conference
7. May 2008 - 7:54Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos addressed the annual conference of the Marmara Foundation in Istanbul on Sunday, calling on all believers in God to interpret their faith in a way that promotes "divine volition".
"All who believe in the living God are called on to interpret their faith in a way that promotes the divine desire and to enjoy all the fruits of the earth fairly, without dealing blows to each other and without abusing the planet's resources," the Patriarch said.
