Orthodox Churches
50 parishes of Ukrainian Orthodox Church seized in recent years—Pat. Kirill
1. March 2018 - 16:39
According to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, 50 parishes of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been forcefully seized by schismatics in recent years, reports Interfax-Religion.“It’s a very difficult situation in Ukraine right now; there’s real persecution against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 50 churches have been forcefully seized in recent times. There are constant attacks on churches and priests are beaten… There’s shots where a priest in vestments is covered in blood, and they’re calling him an occupier, but he’s a Ukrainian, born in Ukraine, and speaks only Ukrainian. They beat him only because he’s in the canonical Church, which the local authorities call an occupying Church,” the patriarch said in an interview with Bulgarian media, on the eve of his visit to Bulgaria.
The Alexandrian Primate speaks at an International Conference in Vienna
1. March 2018 - 16:14
On 27th February 2018, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa participated as a speaker in the deliberations of the international conference on : «Promoting peaceful coexistence and common citizenship», taking place in Vienna, organized by the Interfaith Institution «ΚAICIID Dialogue Center» concerning dialogue for peace.
Holy Synod of Ukrainian Church to consider canonizing five new saints
28. February 2018 - 12:57
Materials relating to the lives of several people venerated throughout Ukraine have been sent to the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be considered for official glorification among the saints, reports the site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
300-year-old Athonite icons stolen from Ukrainian Church
28. February 2018 - 11:55
The Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Klynove in the Kirovograd Province in western Ukraine was broken into and robbed overnight from Monday to Tuesday. Two ancient Athonite icons were stolen, and holy items in the altar were desecrated, reports the Kirovograd Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Holy Sepulchre reopens after three-day closure
28. February 2018 - 9:49
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in all of Christendom, reopened early this morning following a three-day closure in protest of the municipality’s plan to begin collecting back-taxes on Church-owned properties. The issue has been resolved, at least for now, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped in to halt the measures that had angered the Orthodox Church and the various Christian confessions represented in the Holy Land, reports The Jerusalem Post.
New York: Diocesan Archpastors lead divine services for Triumph of Orthodoxy in Synodal Cathedral
28. February 2018 - 9:26
On Sunday, February 25, the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, Divine Liturgy in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City was celebrated by the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America & New York, co-served by diocesan vicar Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan. Concelebrating with the hierarchs were: Archimandrite Maximos (Weimar; abbot of St. Dionysios Monastery in East Setauket, NY), Archpriest Andrei Sommer (senior priest of the cathedral), Hieromonk Tikhon (Gayfudinov; abbot of Holy Protection Skete in Buena, NJ), and Archpriest Edward Chervinsky, Protodeacons Nicolas Mokhoff & Vadim Gan, and Deacon Pavel Roudenko (cathedral clerics).
