News

Pope Plans 1-day Visit to Sarajevo in June

Pope Francis said Sunday he will make a one-day trip in June to Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, his latest visit to a country where Islam is the dominant religion amid growing persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

Francis told pilgrims after the weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square that he would visit Sarajevo June 6 to pray for peace and inter-religious dialogue in the Muslim-majority city that became a bloody symbol of the Balkans wars of the 1990s.

His trip will be the first papal trip to Sarajevo in 18 years. Francis called on the faithful to pray that his visit would be a boost for the Catholic population, and "give rise to the development of good and contribute to the consolidation of brotherhood and peace."

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.

First Century Copy of Gospel of Mark Found in Mummy Mask

A recently developed technique is uncovering many previously unknown ancient documents, from copies of Homer and personal letters to writings of the New Testament.

A text that may be the oldest copy of a gospel known to exist — a fragment of the Gospel of Mark that was written during the first century, before the year 90 — is set to be published.

At present, the oldest surviving copies of the gospel texts date to the second century (the years 101 to 200).

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.

Assyrians March in Sweden for Genocide Recognition

More than two thousand Assyrians marched for genocide recognition on Sunday in six cities in Sweden. The marchers held torches and Assyrian flags as they walked silently in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Norrkoping, Linkoping, Jonköping and Orebro.

The march was organized by the Assyrian Federation of Sweden and its affiliated organizations to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Turkish and Kurdish genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Pontic Greeks. The genocide occurred between 1915 and 1918 and claimed the lives of 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 1.5 million Armenians and 500,000 Pontic Greeks.