News

US Ignores UN Session on Christian Genocide in Mideast

As Christians and other minorities continue to be purged in the Middle East in general under the Islamic State and other jihadi organizations in particular, France sponsored an open UN Security Council meeting on March 27, to discuss “The Victims of attacks and abuses on ethnic and religious grounds in the Middle East. ”

While several Western nations sent high ranking officials to attend, the United States did not.

Catholicos of All Armenians Received Participants of International Media Forum “At the Base of Mount Ararat”

 On March 19, in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; received the participants of the 5th international media forum “At the Base of Mount Ararat”.

World Council of Churches team visits Ukraine

A World Council of Churches delegation led by the WCC's general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit is visiting Ukraine from March 17 to 20 to explore supporting peace initiatives in the country.

"We hope that this visit can be seen as an expression of how the whole ecumenical family prays and acts together for justice and peace for the people of Ukraine," said Tveit.

"We go together to see, to listen and to discern what our future steps together can be," he said, the WCC said in a statement avialable on March 17.

Historic Orthodox Church in south Turkey to be renovated after 142 years

Approximately ten miles from the Alanya city center, near the resort town of Antalya and within the limits of the village of Hacı Mehmetli is the Greek Orthodox Agios Georgios Church, now being restored by municipality.The Alanya municipality is supervising the TRY 138,000 renovation. The church will be used as house of worship, cultural center and multi-purpose hall.

New magazine launched by Russian Orthodox Association to promote contemporary Christian art

A group of Russian Orthodox artists and intellectuals has launched an arts journal in an effort to promote the role of religious art in today’s increasingly secular society.

The launch of Dary, or “Gifts”, which is published in a glossy magazine format, came just before Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian Orthodox Church publicly denounced Kazimir Malevich’s Black Square, 1915 as a “black and frightening” reflection of darkness both in the soul of the artist and in society at large.

The magazine is published by Artos, an association created to promote Christian contemporary culture. “Artos” is a Greek word that the Russian Orthodox Church uses to signify “communion bread”. The association’s statement of purpose reads: “In the modern era, which some characterise as ‘post-Christian’, there are artists who are inspired by the Bible and the teachings of the Church, and who feel a strong connection with tradition. At the same time they are searching for a new figurative and artistic language.”

ISIS Destroys Assyrian Churches : Hostages Still Being Held

 ISIS has posted pictures, on its twitter accounts, of its members destroying the St. George Monastery in Mosul. The pictures show ISIS members using sledgehammers to smash crosses and icons, and removing the cross from the dome and replacing it with the black ISIS flag.