Pope Urges End to Venezuela Violence, Prays for Victims

Pope Francis is calling for an end to the violent anti-government protests in Venezuela and expressing solidarity with families of those killed. Francis led thousands of people in prayer for Venezuela on Sunday as he noted the country is to mark its independence on Wednesday.

He said, "I assure this dear nation of my prayers and express my closeness to the families who have lost their children in the protests. I appeal for an end to the violence and for a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis."

Metropolitan Porfirije received Bishop Kvarme from Norway

His Eminence Metropolitan Dr. Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana received His Excellency Ole Christian Kvarme, Bishop of the  Church of Norway with residence in Oslo. In a very cordial talk Bishop Ole Christian and Metropolitan Porfirije discussed many topics, such as theological, ecclesial, social and political. Metropolitan Porfirije informed Bishop Ole about the situation of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia as well as about a possible cooperation between the two Churches.

Tirana: Distinguished Friends from the Middle East at the Seat of the Holy Synod

Tirana: Distinguished Friends from the Middle East at the Seat of the Holy Synod
Tirana: Distinguished Friends from the Middle East at the Seat of the Holy Synod
Tirana: Distinguished Friends from the Middle East at the Seat of the Holy Synod
Tirana: Distinguished Friends from the Middle East at the Seat of the Holy Synod

 On Monday, June 12, 2017, at the Seat of the Holy Synod in Tirana, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, His Beatitude Anastasios hosted a delegation of distinguished personalities from Lebanon, of the Ghazanide prominent royal family, since the time of the Byzantine Empire until the 18th century, consisting of Sheikh Selim El Chemor, Beirut, Lebanon; Prince Gharios El-Chemor of Ghassan, Aman, Jordan; Mr. John Domonkos and Dr. Elie Gharios.

DC Bible museum collecting Bibles in more than 2,000 languages

The Museum of the Bible, set to open in Washington, D.C. in November, intends to present an exhibit dedicated to the thousands of Bible translations throughout the world, reports the museum’s site. The illumiNations: Global Bible Exhibit “will shed light on the sheer scale of biblical translation into thousands of written languages while simultaneously depicting how many languages are yet to have a translation of the Bible.” More than 600 Bibles in various languages and dialects have already been collected through the museum’s relationships with various organizations, including the Wycliffe Bible Translators, Biblica, SIL International, and many more.

US State Department calls on Turkey to preserve Agia Sophia’s special significance

The US Department of State has called on Turkey to respect and preserve the special historical significance of the great Agia Sophia church in Constantinople. The call came in yesterday’s press briefing, with department spokesperson Heather Nauert responding to a question about the reading of the Koran that took place in Agia Sophia on Wednesday evening—an action which caused international consternation.