Orthodox Churches

Archbishop Hilarion venerates old shrines in Cyprus

Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for external church relations, visited the Stavrovouni Monastery of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of Our Lord, the oldest monastery in Cyprus founded in the 4th century by the Holy Queen Helen Equal-to-the-Apostles.

He and his party were welcomed by the father superior, Archimandirte Athanasios and the brethren. After greeting them, Archbishop Hilarion venerated the monastery's main shrine - a particle of the Holy Cross. At the father superior's request, he signed the honorary visitors' book.

Patriarch Kirill’s message to the 5th Conference on Religions in Modern System of International Relations

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent the following message to the 5th Conference on Religions in the Modern System of International Relations, which opened on 23 October 2009 at the department of international relations of St. Petersburg State University:

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Officially Opens Eighth Environmental Symposium in New Orleans

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officially opened today the Eighth Religion, Science and the Environment (RSE) Symposium, entitled "Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River," which takes place here for the next five days under his high patronage and includes a large and diverse group of theologians, scientists, policymakers, environmentalists, representatives of business and NGOs, and media.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch and read a cordial, prayerful and personal message from Pope Benedict XVI in which he conveyed his support and solidarity in the effort of caring and protecting the environment and "the safeguarding of God's creation."

Patriarch Bartholomew to visit Annapolis

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the global leader of the 300 million-member Orthodox Christian Church, will visit Sts. Constantine and Helen Church in Annapolis next month as part of his sixth visit to the United States.

Styled "The Green Patriarch," the ecologically aware Bartholomew was to arrive in New Orleans on Tuesday to preside over the eighth Religion, Science and the Environment Symposium around the subject of "Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River." He is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of Archbishop Demetrios of America as the primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America next week in New York.

Patriarch Bartholomew - A Passion For Peace

"War in the name of religion is war against religion"

The true peacemakers of history not only struggled to reduce conflict among others, they also showed compassion toward people who persecuted them. In recent times, they have included Martin Luther King, Andrei Sakharov, Aung San Suu Kyi, Shimon Peres, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

SCOBA Hierarchs Convene For Special Session

A Special Session of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) met on September 25, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., hosted by the Chairman of SCOBA, Archbishop Demetrios of America, at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in Manhattan. The session was attended by the following Members of SCOBA: Archbishop Demetrios, Chairman (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Philip, Vice-Chairman (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Christopher, Secretary (Serbian Orthodox Church), Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese), Metropolitan Joseph (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox Church in America) Archbishop Antony (proxy, Ukrainian Orthodox Church) and Archpriest Alexander Abramov (Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA).
Also present were the General Secretary and members of the SCOBA Study and Planning Commission representing the SCOBA member Churches.