Orthodox Churches

The Ascension of the Lord means the deification of the human being - Speech of Patriarch Daniel

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD TO HEAVEN -
THE GLORY OF THE DEIFIED HUMAN BEING*

The joy that we live today is really great! We are glad because the concelebration and discussion with Your Holiness provided us a blessed occasion to live in the unity of the Spirit and bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). We enjoy, especially today, at the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the crowning of the mystery of the ascension into eternal glory of our human nature, and, through it, of the entire creation, not from the lowest ones of the earth to the earthly ones, but from the earthly ones to the heaven of heaven and to the throne beyond them of the One Who rules over everything", as Saint Gregory Palamas says so nicely.

Your Holiness,
The wonderful mystery of the Ascension to heaven of Jesus Christ, our Lord, has multiple and deep significance. We only want to emphasise three of them.

Speech of Patriarch Daniel delivered in the Hall of the Throne of the Patriarchal Residence in Constantinople

Your Holiness,
Your Eminences and Your Graces,
Your Excellencies,
Reverend monks and fathers,
Beloved faithful,

He is Risen Indeed!

First of all, we would like to thank Your Holiness for the welcome speech and nice appreciations, which greatly honour us, and which we consider as being addressed not to us, personally, but especially to the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Church born through the preaching of Saint Andrew the Apostle, which, by the mercy and grace of God, we serve as Patriarch.

Musical compositions by Romanovs to be first performed at Christ the Savior Cathedral

Recently found musical compositions by Romanovs will first be performed at a charitable concert in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on October 21.

Musical program includes compositions by Alexander II, Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna and Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. Most arrangements is to be performed by the Grand Symphony Orchestra for the first time, the art director of the Globalis Symphony Orchestra Leonid Butinsky has said at an Interfax press conference.

Patriarch Kirill to visit Middle East

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will soon visit the Orthodox Church of Antioch in the Middle East. Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Russian Ambassador to Syria Sergey Kirpichenko and Antiochian Patriarch Ignatius discussed the upcoming visit in Damascus, the Moscow Patriarchate website said.

Bartholomew I appeals to the European Court in Strasbourg against Ankara

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I has announced his intention to appeal to the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg over violations against the Orthodox community and its foundations, unjustly expropriated of lands and buildings by Ankara's Direction for Religious Foundations.

Speaking to faithful in St Georges' Parish, close to the Byzantine walls of Istanbul, the Patriarch affirmed that the decision to go to the Strasbourg court was made by the Synod.

Russian Orthodox Church warns Europeans of fatal effects of Christian phobia

The Russian Orthodox Church believes that the European community should take urgent measures to combat Christian phobia in today's Europe. "We should become aware that Christian phobia was generated by Christian civilization, or whatever we call European civilization now. Christian phobia is nothing else but malignant cancer which threatens European civilization with fatal effects," Russian Church representative at the European Council Hegumen Filaret (Bulekov) said at the Dialogue of Civilizations World Public Forum in Prague.