Orthodox Churches

Russian Church to hold wide-scale celebrations for 1030th anniversary of Baptism of Rus’

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved at its latest session to celebrate the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ on a Church-wide level, in all dioceses, reports RIA-Novosti.

The Baptism of Rus’ refers to the mass Baptism of Kiev residents in 988 when St. Vladimir the Great and Equal-to-the-Apostles adopted Orthodox Christianity as the religion of his land. Though there were some Christians among them before this event, the Baptism is considered the wide-scale introduction of holy Orthodoxy to the Eastern Slavs.

Head of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church arrives in Moscow

On 15 May 2018, Patriarch and Catholicos Abune Mathias I of Ethiopia arrived in Russia with an official visit at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. It is the first visit of His Holiness Abune Mathias to the Russian Orthodox Church after his election to the Patriarchal throne in March 2013. Earlier, in July 1996, Patriarch Abune Paulos also visited Russia.

Representative of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to Patriarch of Great Antioch visits Vatican representation in Damascus

On May 12, 2018, Hegumen Arseniy (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Great Antioch and All the East, visited the Damascus representation of the Vatican and met with the Apostolic Nuncio in Syria, Cardinal Mario Zenari.

Hegumen Arseniy introduced the apostolic nuncio to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church’s representation in the Syrian capital city, whose work is now resumed, and invited him to take part in the celebration to take place in autumn 2018 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the representation.

2,300 candles lit in memory of victims of abortion in Russian heartland

Orthodox faithful and activists of the “For Life!” Orthodox pro-life movement came together on Monday in the village of Purekh in the Nizny Novgorod Province of Russia to light more than 2,000 candles in memory of and as a prayer for children who have lost their lives to the horror of abortion, the movement reports on its Vkontake social media page.

Moldovan Orthodox Church calls on gov’t to ban LGBT march

His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Chișinău and All Moldova has called upon the Chișinău government to ban an LGBT march planned for May 19, reports Interfax-Religion.

“This minority parade launches an offensive challenge at the societal values of the majority of our society, which is made up of 98% Orthodox Christians—the preservers of the teachings of the holy Gospel, according to which marriage is only between a man and a woman—not between people of the same sex,” the metropolitan’s letter reads, published in Romanian on the Moldovan Church’s site.

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman at the Patriarchate

On Sunday April 23/May 6, 2018, the Patriarchate celebrated the Sunday of the Samaritan woman at the shrine of Jacob’s well in Nablus of Samaria. This feast commemorates the meeting of the Samaritan woman with the Lord and the revelation that “He is the Messiah, God is spirit and those who worship Him should do so in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:264-26). This revelation made her believe in the Lord, and consequently led to her martyrdom as well as that of her family, sons and brothers, and thus she is honoured by the Church as Foteini the Great Martyr.