Christian world

Holy Synod regards unia as running sore in Orthodox-Catholic relations

At its session on April 16, 2016 in St. Petersburg, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his visit to Latin America (Minutes No. 2).

Assessing the results of His Holiness’s meeting with Pope Francis of Rome, which took part during his visit and which resulted in signing a Joint Statement, the Holy Synod made special reference to the leaders’ statement that “the past method of ‘uniatism’ understood as the union of one community to the other, separating it from its Church, is not the way to re–establish unity”.

Two Christian Bishops Were Kidnapped : Has a ‘Silent’ World Forgotten Them?

It’s been two years since two top Christian clergymen were kidnapped by gunmen in Syria, prompting the brother of one of the victims – himself a senior cleric – to raise alarm that “the world is silent.”“We hope that the bishops are alive, but unfortunately, the world is silent and nobody has provided physical evidence,” Orthodox Patriarch John X of Antioch said last week on the anniversary of their disappearance. . .

The two religious leaders, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi, were kidnapped by gunmen in April 2013 when they were on their way back from the Turkish border to their city of Aleppo.

The Turkish Media Continues to Cover the Story of the Case Presented to the Turkish Constitutional Court by the Catholicosate of Cilicia Demanding the Return of Its Historical See

On 21 March 2016, “Haber Turk” interviewed Cem Sofuoglu, the Turkish lawyer representing the Catholicosate of Cilicia at the Constitutional Court of Turkey. In response to the questions of the journalist, Sofuoglu explained the reasons for the litigation and said that if the Turkish Constitutional Court rejects the case, the Catholicosate will go to the European Court of Human Rights. He also revealed that His Holiness Aram I refused any offer for negotiations. The Catholicos demanded the return of the properties that have belonged to the Church for over 800 years; Sofuoglu reported that His Holiness Aram I’s view that a positive response by the Constitutional Court would demonstrate Turkey’s goodwill towards rapprochement with Armenians.

Assyrian Organizations Send Open Letter to U.S. Presidential Candidates

An open letter by eleven Middle Eastern, European and American Assyrian organizations has been sent to the crop of U.S. presidential candidates. The letter asks the candidates what steps they would take to stop the genocide of Assyrians, Yazidis and other groups by ISIS.

ISIS destroys 2,000-year-old legendary ‘Gate of God’ in Iraq

The IS has destroyed a 2,000-year-old gate near the Iraqi city of Mosul. The structure is known as the Gate of God, and used to guard the ancient Assyrian city Nineveh.

Lambeth Cross awarded to His Grace Bishop Angaelos

At a ceremony hosted by Lambeth Palace in London yesterday the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism was awarded by Archbishop Justin Welby to three leading ecumenists. Amongst the three was the co-chair of the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom.