Orthodox Churches

Request for declaring a state of emergency in Mount Athos

The Holy Community and the Civil Administration submitted a request to the Civil Protection to declare a state of emergency in Mount Athos due to the great damage caused in recent days by heavy rain that hit the peninsula.

The majority of the monasteries, hermitages and cells have been cordoned off due to damage to the forest road network, with the main road leading from the port of Dafni to the capital, Karyes, being cut in two.

Belarusian Church Minsk Diocese: “there Are Currently No Grounds for Closing Churches and Stopping Public Services”

“Taking into account the report of the Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus Elena Bogdan on the epidemiological situation and the current state of affairs in our country, the Diocesan Council unanimously decided that there are currently no grounds for closing churches and stopping public services,” His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk writes in an epistle following a meeting with the deans of the Minsk Diocese of the Belarusian Church and an invited expert from the Ministry of Health on Thursday, April 2.

Serbian seminarians will benefit from two planned gifts

In the last few years, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has seen an increase in students from the Serbian Church. Recently, SVOTS received a generous $25,000 gift earmarked for scholarships to Serbian students, from two recently reposed parishioners who left bequests through Holy Resurrection Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church in Steubenville, OH.

The bequests of the parishioners stipulated that the funds be used for seminary education. It was up to Holy Resurrection’s Executive Board to decide where the funds should be distributed, and they selected St. Vladimir’s Seminary, adding to the amount of the bequests with a contribution from the parish itself. 

Services of Holy Week to take place in Metropolis of Korea without faithful

The restrictive measures in the Metropolis of Korea are extended due to the coronavirus spread.

As the Metropolis points out in an announcement, on March 19 it was announced that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the temples of the Metropolis will remain closed until Saturday, April 11 (Lazarus Saturday).“Unfortunately, however, we are very saddened to announce that the restrictive measures will be extended even further until we receive new instructions from the authorities of our country.”

Statement by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America Concerning Holy Week and Easter

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America (ACOB-USA) recommends further compliance with the sanitary norms for Covid-19 prevention during the following period, when Orthodox Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, the Holy Week and Easter.

Romanian Orthodox Church initiates dozens of support measures for hospitals and people.

During the state of emergency, the Romanian Orthodox Church has intensified its presence both online and in society respecting all the required sanitary precautions.

Even before the state of emergency being declared in Romania, just as the authorities raised the level of alert regarding the coronavirus epidemic, the Church had started preparations to prevent a humanitarian crisis.