Archbishop Anastasios, the science lover who became an apostle of peace
30. December 2015 - 11:24
Renowned for his friendly, peaceful attitude and his inspiring speeches, nothing seems impossible for this man. He has struggled and faced a multitude of difficulties including severe illness and persecution, and he was asked to take up a new position at age 62. He committed to a country whose language and culture were unknown to him, arriving in the only officially declared atheist state, asked to rebuild the church.
In Tirana, Albania, 24 years later, he hosted the Global Christian Forum (GCF) consultation from 1-5 November. There, 150 high-level leaders and representatives of various church traditions from more than 60 countries gathered to listen and learn, and to stand in solidarity with churches and Christians experiencing discrimination and persecution in the world today.“It’s the fruit of our work together in Albania,” said Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania.
St. Vladimir's Cathedral in St. Petersbug Opens After Restoration, First in 225 Years
28. December 2015 - 16:25
One of the largest and most known churches in St Petersburg, the St. Vladimir cathedral has opened after a a major restoration, the first since the commissioning of the edifice 225 years ago.
Also on Sunday, an episcopal liturgy was held in the cathedral to close out the St. Petersburg part of the festivities for the 1,000th anniversary since the death of Vladimir the Duke of Kiev, who baptized the early medieval kingdom of Kievan Rus in 988.
"The were no redecorations in the cathedral from the time of its opening and it has undergone restoration for the first time," a spokesman for the St Petersburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church told TASS.
"This is one of the few churches in this city that has never been closed, although four attempts were made in the 1930's to close it down," he said.
Greetings of Metropolitan Hilarion to Metropolitan Amfilohije on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his episcopal consecration and the 25th anniversary of his election to the See of Cetinje
25. December 2015 - 22:59
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent a message of greetings to Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and Primorje.
Monk Wins The Voice TV Singing Contest in Russia
26. December 2015 - 22:10
An Orthodox Christian monk has defeated all competitors to win first place in The Voice of Russia reality TV singing contest.
Hieromonk Photy Mochalov, 30, a priest and monk of the St.-Pafnutiy Monastery in Borovsk, an area southwest of Moscow, has won the Russian franchise of famous television singing contest, The Voice. The finals were broadcast live on TV Channel One late Friday.
Patriarch Kirill greets Metropolitan Amfilohije with the 30th anniversary of his episcopal consecration and the 25th anniversary of his election to the See of Cetinje
25. December 2015 - 19:55
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent greetings to Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and Primorje, a hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on the occasion of two memorable dates in his life. The text of the message is given below.
Your Eminence, dear Vladyka,
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the 30th anniversary of your episcopal consecration and the 25th anniversary of your election to the See of Cetinje.
You were carrying out your archpastoral ministry aimed at reviving the church life in Montenegro at a rather difficult time when the Orthodox people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as in other parts of Serbia, were enduring great sufferings.
