Orthodox Churches

The Minister of Defense of Serbia visits the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Monday evening, 11th/24th July 2017,  the Minister of Defense of Serbia Mr. Aleksandar Vulin visited the Patriarchate, escorted by his associates and by the Deputy Head of the Embassy of Serbia in Israel Mr. Dejan Blagojevic.

Sculptures of Moscow patriarchs to be installed along walls of Christ the Savior

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill familiarized himself on Tuesday with the draft memorials to the patriarchs of Moscow and All Russia which will be installed along the walls of Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, reports patriarchia.ru. Full-sized models of the monuments have been placed on the cathedral’s stylobate base.

Jerusalem’s Patriarch Theophilos III awards Georgian Prime Minister

Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine has awarded Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili with the Golden Cross with Crown, Wreath, and Star. It was for the first time this award has been granted to a high-ranking official by the Patriarch. Theophilos III stressed it was an honor for him to host the Prime Minister of Georgian in the Holy Land.

Ecumenical Patriarch recalls 50th anniversary of historic papal visit

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor in Eastern Orthodoxy, recalled the 50th anniversary of Blessed Paul VI’s historic visit to Istanbul—the first visit by a Roman Pontiff to the See of Constantinople in over a millennium.Blessed Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras had first met in Jerusalem in January 1964. Three years later, on July 25, 1967, Pope Paul visited the Phanar (Fener), where the patriarchal cathedral is located, setting a precedent followed by subsequent popes.

Moleben on Kiev’s Vladimir Hill and procession to be live broadcast on YouTube

A live broadcast of a moleben on Vladimir Hill in Kiev and the following cross procession will be shown on the station “Inter” on Thursday, beginning at 1:00 PM Kiev time (6:00 AM Eastern), reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Atheists drop from 26 to 13% in Russia in 3 years

The percentage of Russians identifying themselves as atheists has fallen from 26 to 13% in the past three years, while those identifying themselves as “religious people” has risen from 35 to 53%, according to new research from the Moscow-based Levada Analytical Center.

The survey was conducted June 23-26 with a sample of 1,600 urban and rural 18-years and older Russians in 137 localities of the country’s 48 regions.