St.Sava College – The Next Step Forward

In the weeks leading up to Pascha, His Grace Bishop Irinej extended a heartfelt invitation to a number of individuals within the community to find their place and to offer their expertise and enthusiasm for a project which he said is, "perhaps the greatest challenge that our Serbian Orthodox Church in Sydney has undertaken, but one which is surely destined to become her greatest joy," referring to St.Sava College.

Restriction of religious teaching in public schools in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

An independent United Nations human rights expert expressed disbelief today at the backlash targeted against a recent court decision to restrict religious teaching in public schools in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Wrapping up a five-day visit to the country, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, issued a statement noting that the Constitution "provides that religious communities and groups are separate from the State and equal before the law.

Meeting of the Israel-Vatican Bilateral Commission held in Jerusalem

The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the State of Israel and the Holy See has held a Plenary meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel today, Thursday, 30 April 2009, for the purpose of advancing the negotiations pursuant to Article 10 §2 of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel (30 Dec.1993).

The Delegation of the State of Israel was led by Mr. Daniel Ayalon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was composed, in addition, of the following Members:

Epiclesis at the Patriarchate chapel

Today at the Patriarchate chapel in Belgrade Epiclesis was held before the general annual session of the Plenary meeting of the Patriarchate Head Board of the SOC. The meeting was presided by His Eminence Archbishop Amfilohije of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral.

Consecration of Russian church in Rome scheduled for May 24

The Board of Trustees of the Russian church of the Great Martyr Saint Catherine in Rome has lauded the progress of the final preparations for the festivities on the consecration of the church scheduled for May 24. "We are approaching the festivities. Tasks are being carried out. The mechanism of decision-making is clear to all," Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said at a meeting of the board in St. Daniel's Monastery.

UN conference in Geneva recognized the problem of Christianophobia

Participants in the Geneva UN conference against racism and xenophobia condemned discrimination of Christians. The Forum's final document voiced concerns with "incidents of racial or religious intolerance and violence, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and anti-Arabism," the Moscow Patriarchate official web site has reported. The Russian Church has recently urged the participants in the conference to introduce an idea of Christianophobia into international laws.