Christian world

ISIS Enters Assyrian Town in Syria & Removes Church Cross

Two pickups carrying twenty armed members of ISIS entered the Assyrian town of Tel Hormizd in Hassaka, Syria yesterday and forced the residents to remove the cross from the church tower. The town is located on the Khabur river, in the Assyrian section of Hassaka which contains thirty five Assyrian villages.

US Senate Calls for the Establishment of a Province for Christians in Nineveh Plain

17 members of the US Senate Foreign Minister, John Kerry called to support the Iraqi government’s efforts to establish a province in Nineveh Plain that includes Assyrians and other Christian minorities inhabiting the area.

The senator’s call came in a letter sent to Kerry and included signatures of highest-level Democrat in the Intelligence Committee, Dane Feinstein, a member of the Armed Services Committee, Ted Cruz, the official for voting of Democrats , Senate Richard Durbin, tthe member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Council, Jane Shaheen, and the member of the financial allocations Commission ,Mark Kirk.

New British Orthodox Mission begins in Swindon

On Wednesday, 21st January, the first liturgy of the British Orthodox Community of St Martin in Swindon was celebrated in the Church of St Mary, Commonweal Road, Swindon. The Church had been made available thanks to the kind hospitality of the Dean of Swindon, the Revd. Simon Stevenette, who has been entirely and generously supportive of our British Orthodox missionary activity in the town.

The small, 1960s building is just the right size for our Community and has an attached hall and kitchen, providing all the necessary facilities for worship, fellowship and teaching.

Launch of new British Orthodox community in Bristol

The new British Orthodox community in Bristol, under the patronage of Saint Cyril the Great, was launched with a celebration of the Divine Liturgy led by Father Simon Smyth on Sunday 4 January. The Bristol Fellowship meets for worship in the Church of Saint Peter (Church of England), Church Road, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7BL. The beautiful Lady Chapel in which the Divine Liturgy was celebrated had a strong sense of prayer.

Pontifical Enclytical by Patriarch Aram I dedicated to the Centenary of the Armenian genocide

2015 is not just another year. As the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, it carries a special meaning, a special message and a special purpose. Every Armenian and the entire nation should reflect on the unique significance and special importance of the occasion.

The Armenian Genocide has left its permanent scar on the common memory of the Armenian people. There is not a single Armenian on earth who has not had the Genocide blended with his blood and cemented with his life. There is no Armenian family on earth who has not been affected by the Genocide and its repercussions.

For one hundred years, we have remembered with prayers and vigils our one and a half million martyrs who were the victims of a carefully planned and systematically executed genocide of the Ottoman-Turkish government in Western Armenia and Cilicia.

Libby Lane: First female bishop to be consecrated

The Church of England will consecrate its first female bishop during a ceremony at York Minster later.

The Reverend Libby Lane, 48, will be ordained as the new Bishop of Stockport, in what she says will be a "profound and remarkable moment". The Church formally adopted legislation last November to allow women bishops.