Christian world

DECR Chairman meets with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States

On November 9, 2021, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk met with the Holy See Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher who came to Moscow for Russian-Vatican consultations between the external policy departments.

Melkite-Catholic Patriarch Youssef Absi visits Romanian Patriarchate

Patriarch Youssef Absi, the Melkite-Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, visited the Romanian Patriarchate on Friday, September 24, 2021. He was welcomed at the Palace of the Patriarchate by the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploieşti. After the meeting, Patriarch Youssef Absi shared his impressions of his “visit-pilgrimage” to Romania.

Josquin, 500 years ago the death of the "Michelangelo of music"

On 27 August 1521 Flemish composer Josquin Desprez died in Condé-sur-l'Escaut, in northern France. He served the popes for several years in the College of Choir Chaplains. The Vatican remembers him with a concert this autumn in the Sistine Chapel, sponsored by the Dicastery for Communication, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel Choir.

Nationwide digital churchyard mapping project begins

The first of 19,000 churchyards will be surveyed as part of a Church of England project to create a free digital map of every grave and feature in every churchyard in the country.  The ancient church of St Bega on the shores of lake Bassenthwaite in the Diocese of Carlisle is the first churchyard to be scanned by surveyors using sophisticated laser equipment, as part of the national programme. A new website will go online next year giving free access to the map which is expected to be of special interest to local community groups, conservationists, and those researching family history. The website will also enable the charting of biodiversity and green technology.

'Wake up world!’ – Bishop calls for action to protect God’s creation after climate report

The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, has called for immediate action on climate change in light of the IPCC report. He was speaking as the major UN scientific report was published. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, the Church of England’s lead bishop for the environment, said: “The message of today’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report is loud and clear: ‘Wake up world!’

New research reveals significant contribution by cathedrals to local economies and communities

A new report has highlighted the hugely positive economic and social impact England’s cathedrals have on the cities and communities they serve and the effect the pandemic has had on their contribution. In 2019, England’s 42 Anglican cathedrals contributed £235m to their local economies. They provided 6,065 jobs full time equivalent jobs and volunteering posts for 15,400 people who gave 906,000 hours of their time. They welcomed more than 14.6 million visits, 308,000 by schoolchildren for educational events, and 9.5m from tourists.