Bulgarian bishop taking a stand against crematorium

His Eminence Metropolitan Ioann of Varna of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has spoken out against the crematorium that is being built in his city. The hierarch called the groundbreaking ceremony, held on Thursday, “tragic, unfortunate, and terrible".

The site is expected to be opened in February or March of next year, the bishop notes in his address.

While the bishop says he understands that there are issues with finding new sites for cemeteries in overly-populated cities, crematoria are not the answer, he affirms, as they would represent an eradication of the people’s customs.

Other Orthodox nations, such as Greece, have grappled with the same issue.

Russian New Martyrs and Confessors exhibition opens in Rome

An exhibition detailing the historical path of the Russian Orthodox Church during the times of the atheistic persecutions of Soviets through the prism of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church has opened in the Lateran Palace in Rome.

The exhibition is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of a truly tragic page in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church: the execution of the Holy Martyr Emperor Nicholas II and his family, as well as the beginning of the persecution of the Russian Church by the Bolsheviks.

Procession with wonderworking Kursk Root Icon to mark 400th anniversary in June

This year will mark a major milestone for the miraculous Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. The icon regularly resides in New York, but it returns to Kursk, Russia every year for the consolation of the faithful, who participate in a procession with the icon by the thousands. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the holy procession. The procession, to be held on June 8, will go from the Znamenny Monastery in Kursk to the Kursk Root-Nativity of the Mother of God Hermitage.

Stefan Djoric graduates with SVOTS Class of 2018

Stefan Djoric graduates with SVOTS Class of 2018
Stefan Djoric graduates with SVOTS Class of 2018
Stefan Djoric graduates with SVOTS Class of 2018
Stefan Djoric graduates with SVOTS Class of 2018

At its Commencement Ceremonies Saturday, May 19, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) conferred degrees upon twenty graduates, including thirteen Master of Divinity, five Master of Arts, and two Master of Theology students, and also awarded three honorary doctorates.

Address of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Faithful on the Possibility of Granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine

The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

To the bishops, clergy, monastics, and laity
concerning the initiative for the “granting of a tomos of autocephaly
to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine”