News

Historic church in Bursa province put on sale online

The Greek Orthodox Panagia Pantobasilissa Church, the first church in history whose walls were decorated with frescoes, has been put on sale by a real estate agent named Nusret Akyüz. In the advertisement, Akyüz asks for $1 million for the historic church in Tirilye, a town with several Byzantine churches and many old Ottoman houses. The building is not categorized as a “historical asset” but has rather been placed in the category “buildings older than 30 years.”

Sudan: Christian Girls Leaving Church Detained for Wearing ‘Scandalous Outfits’

On June 25, 12 Christian girls were detained due to their “scandalous outfits” by the Public Order Police as they left the Baptist church in El Izba, Khartoum.

The young women, wearing trousers and skirts, were transferred to a police station; two of them were acquitted on Friday, after the agents of the Public Order Police reconsidered their opinion about their clothes.

Bomb Placed by Coptic Church Dismantled Before Exploding

A bomb was placed by a Coptic Christian church in Egypt, but security was able to dismantle it before it exploded earlier today.

The bomb was placed adjacent to the building of the Virgin Mary Church in Helwan city, part of Greater Cairo.  It was reported immediately, and security came, effectively dismantling the explosive.

Egyptian School Principal: ‘As long as I am present in the school, no Christian pupils will be accepted

The principal of a preschool to primary school in Sohag, Egypt, has been openly refusing the enrollment of Christian students, simply on the basis of their religion.

When Copts and others protested—the current law of Egypt is on their side—the principal unabashedly declared that “As long as I am present in the school, no Christian pupils will be accepted in this school.”

The Icon of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide

On April 23, during the Canonization service of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, the icon of the Holy Martyrs was consecrated.

With the Pontifical blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the icon was placed in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin for veneration and prayers of our faithful.

In July, the icon will be taken to the Holy Archangel Church of the Mother See. In August it will be taken to the St. Gregory the Illuminator Mother Cathedral of Yerevan, and thereafter to every Diocesan Headquarter Cathedral of Dioceses within Armenia.

Source: OCP

Australian religious leaders call оn PM and Parliament to uphold true meaning of marriage

Forty-one of Australia's religious leaders, representing major religious traditions and a broad diversity of faiths and cultures, have written a public letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, urging him to resist attempts in Federal Parliament to redefine the meaning of marriage.