News

Orthodox Missionary Brotherhood in Africa celebrates its 50th Anniversary

 The Pope (Patriarch) Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa has congratulated the Orthodox Missionary Brotherhood, which was founded in 1963, on its "golden" anniversary, thanking it for its self-sacrificing work that now embraces the whole continent.

First service in Sochi church built for the Olympics to be celebrated on Christmas

The Church complex of the Image of Christ the Savior "Made Without Hands" in Sochi is to be consecrated on January 3, reports Interfax-Religion.

According to the press service of the head of the Krasnodar territory, the first service in this Church will be celebrated on Christmas, reported its rector to the Krasnodar Territory governor Alexander Tkachev during the latter’s visit to the Church on Friday.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s condolences over the death of Nelson Mandela

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed his condolences to the South African President, Mr. Jacob Zuma, over the death of Nelson Mandela, a fighter against racial discrimination and the former president of the Republic of South Africa. The text of the message is given below.

2nd Archon International Conference on Religious Freedom

On December 4, 2013, His All-Holiness greeted the Second International Conference on Religious Freedom organized and hosted at the historic Adlon Hotel in Berlin by the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Liaison Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany.

First Turkish university to bestow honorary doctorate on His All-Holiness

On Tuesday morning, November 12, 2013, His All-Holiness received a group of representatives from Bogazici University, the successor of Istanbul's Robert College founded in 1863.

The group included Professors Gulay Barbarosoglu, Rector of the Bogazici University, Dilek Calgan, Acting Secretary General, Orhan Yenigun, Director of the University's Institute of Environmental Sciences, and Vangelis Kechriotis of the Department of History.

DECR chairman meets with President of the Italian Republic

On 12 November 2013, Metropolitan Hilarion met with the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Giorgio Napolitano.

They were joined in the meeting, which took place at Palazzo del Quirinale, by counselors to the President, Antonio Zanardi Landi and Carlo Guelfi, deputy minister of foreign affairs, Marta Dassù; Russian Ambassador to Italy, Sergei Razov; archimandrite Antony (Sevryuk); hieromonk Giovanni Guaita and Rev. Alexei Dikarev, staff members of the DECR.