Orthodox Churches

Austria: 450,000 Orthodox believers live in the country

The number of Orthodox Christians living in Austria today is 400,000 to 450,000, according to a cover story in the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), for the Clean Monday celebration by the Orthodox and the religious customs of the Great Lent.

As pointed out, the exact number of Orthodox believers in Austria is not known, as there are no newer official figures since the last census that had taken place in the country in 2001.

The Foreign Minister of Turkey met with the Metropolitan of Smyrna

Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna attended a meal with Turkish Foreign Minister MevlutCavusoglu.

Georgios Theodoridis, president of the Orthodox Community of Smyrna and pastors of the Anglican community, of the Protestants and the Baptists of the city, as well as representatives of the Jewish community, were also present at the meal.

Schismatic parishes abroad violating tomos of autocephaly, refusing to transfer to Constantinople

According to conditions laid out in the tomos of autocephaly given to the Ukrainian schismatic church by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, all parishes outside of Ukraine itself are to be transferred to Constantinople’s jurisdiction. The tomos also stipulates that it is given on the basis of all the conditions mentioned therein.

Volunteers to restore 30 churches in Pskov with presidential grant

Thirty churches in the Pskov Province will soon be renovated as part of the Russian Church’s volunteer project “Our Ancient Churches.” The necessary equipment will be purchased with funds from a presidential grant, said Alexander Shepelev, a representative of the Andrei Bogolyubsky Foundation, at a press conference last week, reports Pskov Newsfeed.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with Mr. Franklin Graham, President of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

On 3 March 2019, at the residence of the Church of ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’ Icon of the Mother of God in Bolshaya Ordynka Street, Moscow, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, met with Mr. Franklin Graham, President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, who had arrived in Moscow on a visit.

Ukrainian hierarch calls prodigal defector bishop to return to Father’s house in the Church

His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye and Melitopol has written a heartfelt letter to the former Metropolitan of Vinnitsa Simeon Shostatsky, who departed from the Church of Christ when he attended the scandalous “unification council” on December 15 and joined the schismatic body created there. Invoking the Gospel parable of the prodigal son, Met. Luke calls upon the former hierarch to come to himself and return to his father’s house.