Orthodox Churches

Over 70 lost old icons given to the Church

Over 70 antique icons that had been taken out of the Russia following the revolution and during WWII were handed over today by patron Sergei Shmakov as a gift to the Russian Orthodox Church. This charitable act was part of a project blessed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. It took the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Avdeev, and the businessman-patron many trips abroad over the course of a year to find these unique examples of Russian iconography.

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrates Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at the Ascension Monastery in Bancheny

On 2 October 2011, the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, consecrated the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at the Ascension Monastery in Bancheny and officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church.

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates Divine Liturgy at Catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome

On September 28, 2011, the commemoration day of the Holy Protomartyr Nicetas, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome. The service was organized with the support of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Archbishop:Turkey destroys religious heritage in occupied Cyprus

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II has indicted Turkey for the destruction of holy sites in the northern Turkish occupied areas of the island, calling on the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Georgia, Elias, to assist in any way possible and to exert pressure on the matter in the international arena.

The Archbishop, who paid an official visit to the Orthodox Church of Georgia, at the invitation of Patriarch Elias, was speaking at a concelebrating ceremony on Sunday in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

Public officials propose a new solution to the problem of St. David of Garedja Monastery

The St. David of Garedja Lavra, founded in the early sixth century by the great Georgian ascetic, Abba David, during the Soviet period suddenly found itself on the territory of Azerbaijan. Today public officials from both Georgia and Azerbaijan are proposing new solutions for an old problem.

Primate of the Orthodox Church in America attended the ceremony marking the opening of the 66th UN General Assembly

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, was among the religious leaders invited to attend ceremonies marking the opening of the 66th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly at the Church of the Holy Family here Monday, September 12, 2011.

The ceremony was hosted by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

For many years, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, as well as representatives of other Orthodox Churches, have attended the annual event.