Orthodox Churches

IOCC Leadership on the Ground in Kosovo and Metohija

In October of this year, International Orthodox Christian Charities-IOCC board chair, Mark Stavropoulos, along with IOCC executives Dean Triantafilou and Stacey Mason visited project sites in Europe. While they were in the Balkans. In addition to spending time with some of the people IOCC serves, the leadership team met with His Grace Bishop Teodosije of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church (pictured, second from left) and presented IOCC staffer Nenad Prelevic (right) with a memento commemorating his 20 years of work with the organization.

Simferopol Airport Could Be Renamed for St. Luke of Simferopol

More than 500 people have voted for the Simferopol airport to be renamed in honor of the great surgeon and Holy Hierarch St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) of Simferopol and Crimea, reports the site of the Diocese of Simferopol and Crimea.

Thanks to these votes in the second round of the contest, St. Luke’s name will move on to the third round vote, which will be held from November 12 to 30. Votes can be cast at the “Great Names of Russia” website, and also on various social media platforms and at the airport and on flights.

Patriarch Kirill: There is no conflict between Constantinople and Moscow but there is Moscow’s defence of inviolable canonical norms

On October 28, 2018, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, presided over the Divine Liturgy at the church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted (the Transfiguration of the Lord) in Bolshaya Ordynka, Moscow.

The service was followed by a common meal during which the Primate made a speech about the spiritual unity of the people in the pastoral care of the Russian Orthodox Church and about the disorders in the world Orthodoxy brought about by unfriendly actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus returns to duties after surgery

His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus returned to his official duties this morning, feeling strong and renewed following his two-week stay in London, where he had undergone laparoscopic surgery to remove two tumors on his liver, reports the site of the Church of Cyprus.

The Cypriot primate underwent surgery on the evening of October 16, after which doctors announced they were satisfied with the outcome of the surgery and that His Beatitude was recovering. He had publicly announced just a few days prior that he had been battling cancer all summer.

Ecumenical Patriarch attends new Turkish airport inauguration

At the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew witnessed on Monday the inauguration of Istanbul’s new airport, on the 95th anniversary of the day when Turkey was declared a republic, marking the end of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate ‘Satisfied’ with the St. Andrew’s Church in Kiev?

On October 18, Ukrainian Parliament approved the handover of St. Andrew’s Church in Kiev to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. During the second hearing, 237 deputies voted for the bill (first, 216 deputies gave their votes). The project was personally initiated by President Poroshenko. It is reported that Parliament obliged the Cabinet to complete the handover in one month since the bill is adopted.

St Andrew’s Church was constructed between 1747 and 1754, to a design by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, and is rightfully considered one of Ukraine’s most beautiful religious structures.