Orthodox Churches

Elder Ephraim of Arizona passed away

Elder Ephraim of Arizona fell asleep in the Lord early this morning (EET) at the age of 91 after a long illness.

Elder Ephraim, also known as Ioannis Moraitis, was born on June 24, 1928, in Volos, Greece. He spent his childhood in poverty helping his father with his work, but he always followed the example of his mother (who later became a nun and bore the name “Theophano”).

Removal of religion from school diplomas

From the next school year, secondary school diplomas and any proof of study in secondary education will be issued without mentioning religion or citizenship.

This is stated by an order of the Ministry of Education, according to the website kathimerini.gr, with the aim of harmonizing the current regime with the decision of the Plenary Council of State, following the Principle on Personal Data Protection, which considered that the mandatory or optional indication of religion on these documents constitute an infringement of Article 13 of the Constitution, Article 9 of the ECHR, as well as of provisions of the personal data protection legislation.

Archbishop Anastasios: The principle of the unity of Orthodoxy is Council

Archbishop Anastasios, Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, explained his position regarding the support of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly to resolve the “Ukrainian issue”, reports the Greek outlet “Democracy”.

Meeting of the Joint Commission of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the United States

 Representatives of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches met Dec. 4, at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

The meeting of the Joint Commission of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches in the United States (Joint Commission) was the continuation of a first encounter that took place on October 8, 2019 at the Armenian Cathedral of St. Vartan and participated in the revival of the Joint Commission’s work.

Archbishop Elpidophoros to offer blessing at St. Nicholas National Shrine

Archbishop Elpidophoros, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, on Friday, December 6, 3:00 p.m., is going to offer a blessing at St. Nicholas National Shrine on the occasion of the Feast Day of St. Nicholas.

Located in the Financial District, St. Nicholas Church was the only building not part of the World Trade Center complex to be completely destroyed in the September 11 attacks. Its rebuilding would serve as a symbol of resilience and a spiritual beacon of hope for generations to come.

Ecumenical Patriarch at the Cell of St. Barbara

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited today the cell, where Saint Barbara was imprisoned in Nicomedia. There the Ecumenical Patriarch offered the service of Paraklesis.

Source: Orthodoxtimes.com