New Secretary General of World Council of Churches

Lutheran pastor from Norway, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected 7th general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Tveit has been in the past seven years the general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations. Otherwise, he was a parish priest in Haram and an army chaiplan.

Metropolitan Amfilohije serves in monastery of Moracha

His Eminence Archbishop Amfilohije of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral has served this morning with priesthood the Holy service of God in a monastery of Moracha. Metropolitan Amfilohije and the president of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic activated a mini hydroelectric power plant "Vrelo" which is located within the monastery compound.

Provocations in Djakovica

Several hundreds Albanians protested against Serbs who were coming to a consecration of a church in Djakovica. Thanks to the heavy forces of the Kosovo police and special units, Serbs managed to leave Djakovica after the liturgy. The Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija condemned the today's incident.

On the occasion of the Assumption of Virgin Mary couple of tens of Serbs participated in Djakovica during the Holy Liturgy and the consecration of the church of Assumption of the Mother of God. They came for the first time after 1999 in their home town.

Central committee of World Council of Churches begins to work in Genève – New Secretary General is Elected

The official representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church upon the invitation of the World Council of Churches participate at the session of the central body of this organization, which is being held from August 26 until September 2, 2009 at the seat of the World Council of Churches in Genève. The representatives which had been chosen, upon the suggestion of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the SOC, at the Assembly of the WCC in Porto Alegre, Brazil 2006, are His Grace Bishop Irinej of Australia and New Zealand, the member of the committee for Public Issues, and protopresbyter-staurophor professor Dr Vladan Perishic, the vice dean of the Faculty of the Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade, the member of the committee for nominations.

Visit to Patriarch Pavle of Serbia

The Orthodox Church celebrates today the Saint Prophet Micah. At the chapel of St Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher of the Patriarchate court His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral served the Holy Hierarhcal Liturgy with the concelebration of four priests and five deacons.

After the Holy Liturgy His Eminence Metropolitan together with His Grace Georgije of Canada, serving priesthood and deacons, visited and administered the Sacrament to His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade. On this occasion His Grace Georgije of Canada conveyed the greetings of Canadian Serbs to His Holiness, and His Holiness thanked for greetings and blessed Serbs abroad.

Athens fires driven back, nuns rescued

The efforts of thousands of Greek firefighters and soldiers combined with firefighting planes dispatched by Italy and France made progress against the worst wildfires around Athens in two years, creating optimism in Greece that the Athens suburbs are safe.

Morning winds on Monday had stoked the blazes that have been raging in Attica - the region that includes Athens' 4 million residents - for days, until Greek firefighting planes were joined by foreign forces, repeatedly dive-bombing the fronts with fire retardants.