Senior bishops have made it clear that in 2009 Bulgaria might celebrate
Christmas on December 25 for the last time, if the Church decides to renounce
the Gregorian Calendar.
Bulgaria switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1916, and has been celebrating
Christmas on December 25 since it was restored as an official holiday after the
end of the communist regime.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church may decide in favor of restoring the Julian
Calendar, which means that Christmas will have be celebrated on January 7
instead of December 25.

Senior bishops have made it clear that in 2009 Bulgaria might celebrate
Christmas on December 25 for the last time, if the Church decides to renounce
the Gregorian Calendar.

On December 20, 2009, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is going
to hold a meeting to consider the plea of a group of believers and their priest
from the village of Chelopechene, asking that Christmas be celebrated on January
7. The plea was filed on November 20, 2009.

The local priest Mariy Dimitrov has been serving according to the Julian
Calendar for the last 20 years in his parish with the special permission of
Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim.

Those who filed the plea remind that a similar case for the restoration of the
Julian Calendar in 1997 attracted the support of five bishops.

Bulgaria switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1916, and has been celebrating
Christmas on December 25 since it was restored as an official holiday after the
end of the communist regime.


source:
http://www.directionstoorthodoxy.org/n/bulgarian_orthodox_church_considers_chang\
ing_date_of_christmas.html

http://www.huliq.com/1/89248/turkey-feels-pain-swiss-minaret-ban

Turkey Feels The Pain Of Swiss Minaret Ban

The Swiss Minaret ban has drawn many critical voices from around the world. The
majority of Muslims in Switzerland are from Turkey and some from the Balkans.
Turkey feels the minaret decision pain as number of Christian churches (namely
Armenian and Greek) in Turkey are either closed or turned to museums.

Nearly 57 percent of the voters in Switzerland voted to ban the building of
Minarets in this picturesque country opening a door for a Europe-wide debate on
the issue of religious dialogue throughout the old continent and the Middle
East. This was a nationwide referendum, which was supported by Switzerland's
right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP). The Swiss People's Party is widely
associated with anti-immigration campaigns.

Observers report that the Swiss Minaret vote indicates the rise and strength of
far-right groups in Switzerland. However, others observe that this vote may the
first indication of how the Europeans may feel about the limits that the
Christians and Christian churches have to face in number of Muslim Countries.
The development is indeed very worrying and calls for removing all the barriers
around the world for the freedom of religious worship.

Switzerland has nearly 7.5 million population. The Muslism comprise the small 5
percent of the population with 400,000. They are the second minority next to the
Roman Catholic. The country has 150 Mosques where the Muslims worship and only 4
of them have Minarets. Most of the Muslims are from Turkey.

Turkey, on the other hand is one of those countries where the opposite problem
exists. While most Muslim countries and many Christians strongly criticized the
Swiss Minaret vote, no one in the Muslim world or even in Europe seems to really
care about the situation of the Christian churches and seminaries for
preparation of schools in Turkey.

Churches Turned Into Museums in Turkey

While many Christian churches operate in Turkey number of others are closed or
turned into museums. Halki Seminary, the main school of theology of the Eastern
Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, was closed in 1971
and not opened to this date.

The most beautiful church of the Orthodox Christianity, the cathedral of Hagia
Sophia was turned into a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was
converted into a museum in 1935 by the Republic of Turkey. One begs the
question, "Why not turn it back to a church and give it back to the rightful
owner, which is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Turkey." In fact, this church
is so beautiful and awe inspiriting that it served as a model for many Muslim
mosques, like Sultan Ahmed in Istanbul.

Consider the St. Sophia Museum, which was built in covered Greek cross
architecture during the reign of King Manuel I Kommenos in 13th century. Today,
St. Sophia church is converted into a museum and is located in 3 kilometers west
of Trabzon. The "conversion" of this church into a museum took place in 1964.

To the credit of the current Turkish government it should be noted that some
churches, such as the Armenian church in Aghtamar Island in the Eastern Turkey
are restored. However, they are not houses of worship yet.

How different is the Swiss Minaret ban from Turkey's restoring the Armenian
Church Aghtamar, turning it into a museum and not yet allowing to put a cross on
the top of the church building? Turkey completed the controversial restoration
of Aghtamar Armenian Church in 2006. Armenian religious leaders invited to
attend the opening ceremony opted to boycott the event, because the church was
being reopened as a secular museum.

As to the Armenians living in Cyprus, the condition of their religious and
cultural properties is a repeated tragedy of living under the condition of
systematic violations of their rights, reminding them of the horrors of genocide
during the period of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th and the beginning
of the 20th century. The survivors of this first genocide found refuge on the
island with the hope of rebuilding their homes and churches. Today, the
Armenians who have been forcibly expelled from the occupied part of the island
are totally deprived of their cultural and religious rights while their churches
and monasteries have been purposely damaged. An example is the fate of St. Makar
Monastery in, which is located in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus. This
ancient and important religious site of the local Armenian community has been
extensively looted and offered for leasing as a hotel". Armenian community in
the Greek part of the island enjoys extensive religious and cultural freedoms.

Religious freedom and the freedom of worship is dear to every human being in the
world. The Swiss Minaret issue is indeed worrying, but equally worrying is the
condition of the Christian minorities in Turkey and in the Middle East.

Now is the time for the secular and religious leaders of Europe and the Middle
East to sit down and resolve the issues of the freedom of worship in the entire
continent. Now is also the time for Turkey to reevaluate its museum policies
ahead of the country's EU aspirations.

If there had not been so much limitation on the Christian minorities and their
properties in Turkey and the Middle East (in some Arab countries Christians have
broad religious freedom) perhaps the voters in Switzerland would have thought
differently about the Minarets. Perhaps the issue wouldn't even come up.

Written by Armen Hareyan

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=8039

News
December 1, 2009

Russian Orthodox uneasy with Protestant trends

by John Dart

In October, Lutheran Bishop Margot Kässman of Hanover, Germany, was elected as
the first woman and, at 51, the youngest cleric to head the Evan gelical Church
in Germany (EKD), an umbrella body of Protestant churches with 24 million
members. She is known for her frank views and books about faith in daily life,
including a book published in September recounting her diagnosis with breast
cancer and subsequent divorce. The mother of four daughters was elected to chair
the EKD Council for a six-year term.

In November, a cold wind from Moscow blew over the EKD decision.

Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hil arion, who directs external relations for that
church, said on November 11 that Kässmann's election as chairperson of EKD could
terminate the half-century-old dialogue between the two churches.

The 50th anniversary of ecumenical discussions on November 30 "will be come
simultaneously the end of this dialogue because I don't see the possibility of
it continuing now in those forms in which it existed," said Hilarion at a media
conference reported by Ecumenical News International.

"And one of the reasons for this is that a woman has become the head of this
church," said the archbishop. Hil arion said the Russian Orthodox Church does
not recognize women's ordination or female bishops, although it continued
dialogue "even though this wave of ordination of women existed in the Lutheran
Church in recent years."

Hilarion said "there will be a certain reexamination" of inter-Christian
relations in light of Kässmann's election and other unnamed "processes that are
taking place, in particular in Protestant churches."

Moscow-based Sergei Chapnin, who is in charge of the official newspaper and
magazine for the Russian Orthodox Church, told the Century by e-mail: "I can
only say that our dialogue with different Protestant denominations is a subject
for growing disappointment for . . . thousands of members of the Russian
Orthodox Church."

Researcher Alexey D. Krindatch, who analyzes Eastern Orthodox trends, called
Hilarion's threat to end relations with the German church "one more indication
of the increasing conservative sentiments and forces within the Russian Orthodox
Church." The growing conservative camp within the Moscow Patriarchate expresses
"its desire to decrease ROC's ecumenical involvement in general," Krin datch
said in an interview.

The election of a woman to chair EKD's council, a "rather loose union of 22
independent regional church bodies," he said, "is simply a convenient pretext
rather than a substantial reason to break ties with EKD." Krindatch is research
director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, an affiliate of the
Graduate Theological Union in Berke ley, California.

The only specific problems raised by Kässmann's election were matters of
protocol, according to Hilarion, who asked: "How will the Patriarch address her
and meet with her? Will he congratulate her on holidays? Will he address her as
bishop, or how?"

German church officials reacted with "surprise and incomprehension" to the
"inappropriate" statements by the Rus sian archbishop.

Kässmann and another bishop said in a letter to Patriarch Kirill I that they
wished to continue theological dialogue on "central Christian issues," noting
that women in ministry had not been a barrier in the past. There is also, they
said, "a Christian imperative for mutual respect in the way that we deal with
each other."

No reports indicated that Kässmann's divorce was an issue. In her book, In der
Mitte des Lebens (In the Middle of Life), she wrote that after being diagnosed
with breast cancer in August 2006 she received wide sympathy and support. When
she announced in June 2007 that she did not have the strength "to keep up the
façade" of a 26-year marriage, she said her church and synod stood by her but
she faced an avalanche of hate letters.

Mixed signals also have appeared on the Russian Orthodox horizon regarding
ecumenical priorities. Hilarion's critical remarks occurred at a news conference
called to present a new biography he wrote about Patriarch Kirill based on the
patriarch's statements, sermons and writings.

In the book, according to ENI, Kirill blames a crisis in ecumenism on the
Protestant churches. But Kirill is also highly critical of Orthodox
conservatives in Russia who want to stop all ecumenical dialogue and leave the
World Council of Churches.

Russian Orthodox leaders often identify more closely with the Roman Catholic
hierarchy and its conservative values—despite sporadic accusations by the Moscow
Patriarchate that Catholic parishes in Russia engage in sheep-stealing, a charge
the Vatican denies.

But Hilarion, according to Russia's Interfax news agency, said at his No vember
11 news conference that relations with Rome had now improved enough that "we are
moving toward the moment where it will be possible to start preparing a meeting
between the pope of Rome and the patriarch of Moscow."

_________
John Dart is news editor at the Century.

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2009/11/27/the-modern-russian-and-his-religion

Blog Opinion: The modern Russian and his religion

November 27, 2009 Friday, 04:44 PM

Yen Feng learns why Russians in Singapore want their children to have faith.


----------------------------


THE limited popularity of Singapore's Russian Orthodox Church calls to attention
the uneasy relationship modern Russians have with religion.

Since it was set up two years ago, Russian Orthodox Church members have
increased from 10 to 100, but that is still only a small fraction of the 3,000
Russians who live here.

Most churchgoers are professionals in their 30s or 40s, with young families.
Last Sunday, a quarter of the 40 devotees in church were under 12-years-old.

History, from 1922 to 1991, gives an insight into why Russians remain tentative
about practising their faith.

For 70 years in the Soviet Union, the Party regarded religion as an ideological
rival to Communism. Churches were flattened, or converted into prisons and
warehouses.

Historians estimate as many as 20 million Christians killed or thrown into
labour camps and mental hospitals. Many fled. Those who stayed were re-baptised
as Communists. Lenin became their new god.

Mr Evgeny Shmelev, born in 1975, had not stepped into a church until 2006. A
newborn converted the born-again Christian.

The recent father, who now goes to church weekly with his three-year-old son,
said: "I want my boy to know religion. It will be a good guide for his life."

To church member Sergeui Zagriatski, it was both paternal and romantic love that
opened his heart to the holy connection.

The self-professed Christian confessed it was not until he met his Singaporean
wife (who converted to Russian Orthodox) that he became religious.

The Holy Spirit, he said, has helped him become more grounded, and he wishes the
same for his two young daughters.

"When the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, it was a time of maximum spiritual
emptiness," said the 34-year-old, who moved to Singapore two years ago.

"It was complete devastation, a collapse of all references. After going through
such a vacuum, I would like my daughters to have some moral and religious
reference points they can use later in their lives."

On Sunday, the children obediently took turns to offer their sacrifice of lit
candles – no easy feat for those who were shorter than the candle-stand.

Even though the service was conducted in Church Slavonic, an old language used
nowhere else besides in Orthodox prayers, Sasha, Mr Zagriatski's five-year-old
Eurasian daughter, took to the syllables easily, with practice.

Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, Russia, who founded the Church here in 2007,
described it earlier this month as fundamental to the modern man.

"For many Russians today, religion is like bread and love – it is basic."

But if the young families of the Orthodox Church are representative of their
generation, the modern Russian's re-introduction to religion will require first
filial love as a matchmaker.

Those who were parents and grandparents in the Soviet Empire remember giving up
their faith to protect their young.

It makes sense that generations later, when parents themselves, modern Russians
will recover what was lost to do the same.

http://www.aoiusa.org/blog/

Orthodox Priest launches "The Orthodox Leader" website
December 1, 2009 by Fr. Johannes Jacobse ·

In a move sure to make some uncomfortable, strike fear in the hearts of others,
and raise the ire of many, Fr. Basil Biberdorf, a married priest in the Orthodox
Church in America, launched "The Orthodox Leader." Fr. Basil writes:

We have a problem in Orthodox North America. Worse than matters of theft and
malfeasance, we have sexual sin among some of the clergy – fornication,
adultery, homosexuality, and, dare I say it, pedophilia – that is all too often
being passed over by hierarchs and church administrators. Some priests, deacons,
and bishops who should be serving, caring, and interceding for their flocks are
instead defiling themselves and, in some cases, ravaging the flock for their own
base appetites…

It is time for action, Fr. Basil adds:

It must stop. If we are to have any Christian integrity, if we are to
demonstrate Christian leadership, if we are to show the barest shred of concern
for the preaching of Christ's Gospel, we (corporately and individually) must
stop aiding and abetting evil by refusing to restrain those guilty of these
offenses.

As a priest myself, I am concerned that these unchecked evils cast a shadow over
all of my brethren. How many times are devoted, pious clergy having their
integrity silently questioned: Is he gay? Is he faithful to his wife? Can I
trust him around my children? The vast majority of my brother clergy are
absolutely principled on all these points. The sorry reactions that have been
given to the few transgressors, though, make it perfectly reasonable for the
faithful to have these questions.

This article is a plea for our leaders in the Church – hierarchs, chancellors,
deans, and officials – to restrain evil rather than simply tolerating it.
Suspension from clerical duties is insufficient. If a clergyman is not faithful
to his wife or his celibacy, he should be deposed. If he has molested a child or
seduced an adolescent, he should be deposed. If he has responded to a penitent's
confession with a sexual advance, he should be deposed. The action should be
taken quickly and publicly, not with the intent to humiliate or to deny
repentance and forgiveness to the guilty, but to proclaim that Christ's Church
stands against evil in all its forms. It must be done with regard solely for the
care of the injured parties and the integrity of the Church, not with any regard
for the reputation of the guilty or the legal consequences that might result.


The Orthodox Leader:
http://orthodoxleader.paradosis.com/

 http://portal-credo.ru/site/?act=news&id=74668&cf=
 
Patriarch Kirill awarded an Order of the ROC/MP to Mufti Tajuddin
 
 
On December 1 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presented an award in
honor of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow (II degree) to the Chairman of the
Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Mufti Talgat Tajuddin
Order of the ROC MP.

According to the correspondent of Interfax-Religion, the award was given in the
House of Unions in Moscow.

Presenting the Certificate to the Mufti, Patriarch Kirill noted that
it had signed still been signed by the late Patriarch Alexy II. "That is why
this Certificate - is from both the deceased, and the still living (the
Patriarchs - IF). Accept our deepest gratitude for your service to Russia" -
said the Patriarch Kirill, calling T. Tajuddin  "dear brother. "

Mufti confessed that for him to receive an Orthodox award is a "great honor",
 and he expressed the hope that he would continue to "serve to strengthen our
relations."

"Without the Russian Orthodox Church, we could not imagine the activity of the
Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims. We are part of one whole, unified
homeland -- Divinely protected  Russia, Holy Russia", - said T. Tajuddin.
 
 
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fr. Nektarios Serfes"
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 4:32 PM
Subject: School Children in Kosovo Freeze, by Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

IC/XC   NI/KA
Press Release  [PLEASE READ BELOW]

  Please kind share the attached with others.
  May our Gracious God always bless you and yours!

It's getting cold in the region of Kosovo/Metohija being that it's December and
we can well imagine how cold it really gets when you do not have any means to
keep warm.

Also the Decani Fund is trying to raise enough money to also support the Serbian
families during the holidays in purchasing 200 pigs that will feed more then 200
families.

The Decani Monastery Relief Fund needs our warm Christian love at this time.

Please kindly read the attached.
Thank you!
God love and bless you!

Humbly in Christ our Lord,
+ Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
  President Decani Monastery Relief Fund Inc. USA
  Who prays for you!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

School Children in Kosovo Freeze

By Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

President of the Decani Monastery Relief Fund USA

December 2009



Beloved Friends in Christ our Lord,



May the great peace and joy of our Lord God always be with you!



Once again Kosovo faces a humanitarian crisis, yet another horrific freezing
winter, typically ten to twenty degrees below zero for several months.



This year is different because of an electricity problem which makes the
freezing conditions even more challenging to the Serbian population in
Kosovo/Metohija.



The new independent government is now charging their Serbian customers 29 Euros
a month, and incredibly large percentage of their monthly income. If seventy
percent of a Serbian village in Kosovo doesn't pay their bill the whole village
will have their electricity turned off.



Schools and the homes of the Serbian population therefore face a problem unlike
any other year in recent memory. Putting aside of the question of a permanent
solution to the energy crisis in the region of Kosovo/Metohija we offer a
partial short term answer for this winters heating crisis. Many buildings and
homes in the region have wood stoves, and, as we all know, wood and fire wood
have been in short supply for many decades.



Here is what we can do for these suffering people!  We can help provide heated
school buildings for Serbian children by supplying fire wood to the four schools
we support as well as the homes that these children live in.



Send a donation of your choice to the Decani Monastery Relief Fund designating
your donation to: Firewood for Schools in Kosovo:



Decani Monastery Relief Fund USA

C/O Very Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

2618 West Bannock Street

Boise, Idaho 83702

USA



God bless and reward you for your kindness! Peace to your soul!



Humbly in Christ our Lord,

+ Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

President Decani Monastery Relief Fund Inc. USA

Who prays for you!




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.rferl.org/content/Murder_of_Priest_Highlights_Missionary_Role_In_Russ\
ian_Church/1892040.html

December 01, 2009
Murder Of Priest Highlights Missionary Role In Russian Church
by Kevin O'Flynn

MOSCOW -- Flowers still decorate the gates of St. Thomas, the small wooden
church in the south of Moscow where Father Daniil Sysoyev served. They represent
an outpouring of grief for the priest who had built his parish from nothing and
hoped to eventually build in place of the modest wooden structure a brick church
big enough to hold 2,000 people.

Four red carnations adorn a photo of the priest, who was murdered November 19
after an unidentified gunman entered his church and shot Sysoyev twice. Someone
has pinned up a poem dedicated to him. A sign nearby notes that surveillance
cameras have been installed at the church in the wake of the tragedy.

St. Thomas held a service on November 28 to mark the ninth day after the
killing. Sysoyev was only 35 years old but had already built a reputation as a
priest who stood out for his proselytizing work among Russia’s Muslim
community -- a relatively new phenomena for the Orthodox Church.

Andrei Zolotov, a journalist specializing in religious issues, says Sysoyev was
known for his missionary zeal.

“He was one of the several most prominent missionaries, and also someone who
was known as a bit controversial -- one of those who insisted on the necessity
of missionary work among Muslims,” Zolotov says.

Sysoyev actively sought to convert Muslims, working in the capital city’s
Muslim communities and reaching out to the thousands of immigrant workers who
have come to Moscow from Central Asia, the North Caucasus, and elsewhere. He
would routinely go to the city’s construction sites, where many immigrants are
employed, and successfully converted as many as 80 people.

But his work didn’t stop there. He also wrote books warning Christians not to
marry Muslims and posted online videos that attacked Islam. Copies of his book,
“An Orthodox Response to Islam,” have sold out at St. Thomas in the days
since his death.

Sysoyev also posted videos of himself on YouTube, in which he would often be
heavily critical of the Muslim faith. In one of them, he ends his lecture with
an expression of hope that all Muslims would eventually convert to Christianity.

"That’s it. May God help all of us," he says in the video. "We will pray so
that Muslims will come to Christianity and not follow the conspiracy of the
Prophet.”

'I'm Already Used To It Now'

Sysoyev’s outspokenness did not go unnoticed, and he wrote that he was
continually threatened by Muslims angered by his work.

"You're going to laugh, but the Muslims have again threatened to kill me. The
threat was by telephone this time," Sysoyev wrote on his blog in October. "It's
already the 14th time. Before it scared me, but I'm already used to it now."


After his murder, his wife, Yulia, wrote in a letter of his premonition of
death.

“He told us which vestments to bury him in. Then I joked that there was no
need to speak about that, we still did not know who would bury whom," Yulia
says. "He said that I would bury him.”

The Orthodox Church has come around to the importance of missionary work in
Russia in recent years. Zolotov says it is a trend that has been especially
evident under the new patriarch, Kirill, who has led the church for less than a
year.

“In the last several years, missionary work has been increasingly recognized
as a top priority, or one of the top priorities," Zolotov says. "Basically, the
election of Patriarch Kirill to a large extent was the manifestation of this
recognition that we need to carry out a mission. It is not enough to just be
reconstructing the church or sit there saying how important we are for Russian
history.”

Part of that mission is to reach out to nominal Russian Orthodox Christians who
do not attend church. Different figures show that only between 3 to 10 percent
of Russians attend Orthodox Church services, when as many as 80 percent identify
themselves as Orthodox.

But many in the church believe that missionary work extends beyond activating
dormant Orthodox Christians to attempting to convert members of the Muslim
community as well.

Zolotov says while official church policy does not publicly endorse
proselytizing of Muslims, it does not discourage priests from missionary work.
Patriarch Kirill presided over Sysoyev’s funeral, a gesture that many saw as
emphasizing the Orthodox Church’s tacit support for conversion work.

Struck A Nerve

Sysoyev was one of only a few Orthodox priests active in full-time proselytizing
work. One of his parishioners, Larisa Vasilieva, was brought up in Kazan, the
capital of the Muslim-majority republic of Tatarstan, where her mother was a
Muslim and her father an Orthodox Christian. She says Sysoyev struck a nerve by
speaking openly about what otherwise remains a hushed battle by the church for
influence over what may be as many as 20 million Muslims in Russia.


“Nobody speaks out about it [in Kazan]. But here [in Moscow], he spoke openly
and wrote openly about his views, and that is what they did not like," Vasilieva
says. "He wrote about what other people think but are too afraid to say.”

With the stark exception of the federal wars in Chechnya and spreading unrest
through much of the North Caucasus, experts say contemporary relations between
Muslims and Orthodox Christians have rarely been confrontational.

But there are fears that may change as the Orthodox Church, with the explicit
backing of the Kremlin, seeks to assert its role as the standard-bearer of
Russian national identity. The Sysoyev murder, it is feared, will bring latent
tensions between the two communities out into the open.

(And the November 27 bombing of a Moscow-St. Petersburg railway, in which 26
people were killed, may stoke Christian-Muslim tensions further. No one has yet
claimed responsibility for the blast, but terror attacks in Russia frequently
provoke speculation of a North Caucasus link.)

In the wake of Sysoyev’s murder, religious leaders from Russia’s Orthodox,
Muslim, and Jewish communities called the killing of a priest in his church a
“mortal and unforgivable sin” and warned that “the tragedy might be used
by extremist forces to foment interethnic and inter-religious conflict.”

Not all parishioners are convinced that an Islamic extremist was to blame for
the killing, however. Some point instead to a land dispute. St. Thomas was
facing problems getting permission to construct a larger building on its
grounds. Some of Sysoyev’s followers say that his death may have been
connected to that dispute and not to his proselytizing work.

http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/120109_Data_Center_Underneath_Orthodox_C\
hurch_To_Heat_Helsinki_Homes

Data Center Underneath Orthodox Church To Heat Helsinki Homes

By David Hamilton, December 01, 2009

(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Set upon a hillside overlooking Helsinki, the main
cathedral of the Finnish Orthodox Church will be housing a computer room that
will generate enough heat to warm 500 single-family houses.

Located in a cave below Helsinki's Uspenski Cathedral, this two-megawatt
capacity data center project could result in the world's most efficient computer
room, according to Finnish energy company Helsingin Energia (www.helen.fi),
which will be pumping heat from the servers to Helsinki buildings. The data
center's location is another bonus for security -- it is being building the room
in a former bomb shelter, which was carved by a WWII fire brigade underneath the
cathedral as a refuge for city officials from Russian air raids.

IT and telecom services company Academica is building the data center, and
expects the data center will go online at the end of January, and will measure,
at first, 500 square meters. Its energy output will be roughly equivalent to
that of a large wind turbine.

While its heat is being used for good, the data center will also take great
measures to limit its heat production by keeping its efficiency high. The
facility is aiming for a power usage effectiveness rating of less than 1.5 --
placing it among the most efficient data centers.

This sort of synergy between energy companies and the data center industry is
likely to be a recurring trend because data center managers want to reduce their
energy demands and energy companies can use excess heat as alternative energy.
This week, data center cooling solutions provider AdaptivCool
(www.adaptivcool.com) partnered with Massachusetts-based Bluestone Energy
Services (www.bluestoneenergy.com) to provide data center energy-efficiency
solutions in National Grid and NSTAR utility territories across the state.

The re-purposing of data center waste energy has also been being experimented
with elsewhere. For instance, as part of its billion-dollar Project Big Green
initiative, IBM (www.ibm.com) launched a Zurich, Switzerland, facility that uses
waste heat to warm up a public swimming pool for local residents.

http://www.oca.org/CHRIST-life-article.asp?SID=6&ID=187
 









December 2009, Article #1

Roe v. Women

Written by the Very Rev. Steven Kostoff / Terrell Clemmons

 
Fr Kostoff recently posted this article on his parish website,
http://www.christthesavioroca.org/. It is largely based on an article that
appeared in the journal Salvo, No. 10, autumn 2009, and is reprinted here with
permission.
 
I am browsing through the newest edition of Salvo, a journal with a very
contemporary look and feel, though as an offshoot of Touchstone, it is something
of a young adult's version of that journal's traditional Christianity. The
articles are geared toward offering Christian responses to contemporary social
and moral issues. The new issue contains a contribution by Terrell Clemmons,
entitled "Roe v. Women -- Pro 'Choice' Clearly Harms Those It Claims to Help."
The overall intent of the article is to make the point that after thirty-six
years of living under Roe v. Wade, studies are now revealing the traumatic
after-effects of abortion on women. For example, Dr. Priscilla Coleman, research
psychologist at Bowling State University, conducted a study of women and their
post-abortion lives. In the Journal of Psychiatric Research in 2008, she drew
this conclusion:
 
"Abortion was found to be related to an increased risk for a variety of mental
health problems (panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, PTSD, bipolar
disorder, major depression with and without hierarchy, substance abuse
disorders) after statistical controls were instituted for a wide range of
personal, situational, and demographic variables."
 
Clemmons writes further on in the article:
 
"In contrast to grief following natural miscarriages or other death of a child,
interviews and surveys show that feelings of distress and regret over abortion
tend to increase, rather than decrease, over time. So common are these symptoms
in post-abortion women that the syndrome has been given a name: Post Abortion
Syndrome, or PAS."
 
Clemmons quotes Dr. Coleman as concluding: "The scientific evidence is now
strong and compelling. Abortion poses more risks to women than giving birth."
 
A revealing and poignant part of the article is subtitled "Choice, Coercion &
Desperation." Here Clemmons touches on an issue that is not given much
attention, namely, the pressures put upon a woman to have an abortion, even
though she is not so inclined. She refers to David C. Reardon, Ph.D, who began
research in this field as early as 1983, and is now an internationally known
expert on the subject. In his book entitled Making Abortion Rare: A Healing
Strategy for a Divided Nation, Reardon writes: "It is common knowledge that
abortion often suits lovers and parents more than pregnant women themselves."
And further: "It takes no leap of imagination to understand how these other
persons often pressure, badger, and blackmail a woman into accepting an unwanted
'safe and legal' abortion because it will be 'best for everyone'." Clemmons even
cites a "prominent abortion proponent," ethicist Daniel Callahan, who concedes:
the fact that "men have long coerced
  women into unwanted abortion when it suits their purposes is well-known but
rarely mentioned."
 
Most Orthodox Christians are familiar with the writer and speaker, Frederica
Mathewes-Green. Clemmons includes some of her observations about the reluctance
of many women to abort their children:
 
"The core reason I heard was, 'I had the abortion because someone I loved told
me to.' Again and again, I learned that women had abortions because they felt
abandoned, they felt isolated and afraid. As one woman said, 'I felt like
everyone would support me if I had the abortion, but if I had the baby I'd be
alone.... I felt like I didn't have a choice. If only one person had stood by
me, even a stranger, I would have had that baby....' No one wants an abortion as
she wants an ice-cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal,
caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg."
 
At this point in a woman's life, as Clemmons points out "the abortion industry
leaps to her side." She continues with the following description of one of our
nation's most prominent "helpers":
"Planned Parenthood, the abortion industry leader, promotes itself as a provider
of 'vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions
of women, men, and young people worldwide.' It's true that Planned Parenthood
provides 'services' other than abortion. A shrewd marketer, it conducts sex-ed.
classes and dispenses birth-control information and products. When the sex-ed.
succeeds and the birth control fails, Planned Parenthood is already in the
picture, offering, like a fairy godmother, to make it all go away."
 
A former (abortion) counselor, Debra Henry wrote this of her experience in that
field: "We were told to find the woman's weakness and work on it. The women were
never given any alternatives. They were told how much trouble it was to have a
baby."
 
Money has a good deal to do with it. Consider the following: "According to a
June 23, 2008, Wall Street Journal article, Planned Parenthood, which performs
about 20 percent of the abortions in the United States, reported a record $1
billion in annual revenue in a recent financial report."
 
Ellie Dillion, of Missouri Right to Life, summarizes in the following emphatic
way the article's intent to show how abortion causes women to suffer:
 
"Abortion is not a true 'choice' for a woman; it is an act of despair. The
psychological impact of abortion is so profound because women are acting against
their maternal instincts and consciences. They react with guilt, anger,
depression, substance abuse and suicide. The only people who are empowered are
men. They can have sex without any responsibility to their partner or their
unborn children."
 
Terrell Clemmons concludes her article with these thoughts:
 
"To pit the right of prospective mothers against the rights of their unborn
children is to begin the discussion with a false presumption -- namely, that the
interests of the two parties are at odds with one another. They are not. To harm
the child is to harm the mother, and vice versa."
 

 
 
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.st-catherine.ru/index.php?lang=eng&sitepartid=9&id=1662&level=0
 

[See also/Russian]:  http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/99472.html
 
 




2nd December 2009

His Beatitude Metropolitan JONAH of All America and Canada sends greetings on
the eve of the 15th Anniversary Celebration for St Catherine Church in Moscow


Just one week prior to his arrival in Moscow, His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH
of All America and Canada sent videotaped greetings to the Very Reverend
Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Dean and the entire community of St. Catherine the
Great Martyr Church on the occasion of their celebrating the 15th year
anniversary as the Moscow Representation of the Orthodox Church in America.
 

His Beatitude’s greetings, which can be now viewed on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z-_NZUjKvE will be included in a short
documentary film about the life and activities of the Moscow Representation of
the Orthodox Church in America as a “Podvorie” of a Local Autocephalous
Church in addition to being a typical Moscow parish.
 
In addition to His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH, video recorded congratulations
by His Holiness, Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia as well as His
Excellency, Mr. John Beyrle, the Ambassador of the United States of America to
the Russian Federation will also be included in the film about St. Catherine the
Great Martyr Church.
 
His Beatitude is expected to visit Moscow on an Archpastoral visit to the flock
at his Representation church from December 5-9, 2009 where he will concelebrate
the Primatial Divine Liturgy at St. Catherine the Great Martyr Church with His
Holiness, Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia on December 7, 2009.  
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://en.rian.ru/world/20091202/157070468.html

Minsk suggests hosting first meeting of Orthodox, Catholic leaders

16:4802/12/2009

A senior Belarusian official invited the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Church
leaders to have their first meeting in Belarus in efforts to end the 950-year
schism.

Speaking during an online news conference on Wednesday, Leonid Gulyako, an
official in charge of religious and ethnicity affairs, said Belarus was an ideal
place for the historic meeting.

"In Belarus, the Orthodox Church has not distanced itself from the Catholic
Church. A husband and wife in a family belonging to the two different religions
is a common thing in Belarus," Gulyako said adding however that 85% of believers
in the country are Orthodox and 12% are Catholics.

The statement echoes an earlier appeal by the ex-Soviet state's leader,
Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko was received by Pope Benedict XVI while visiting Italy in April. He
invited the Pope to visit Belarus, hinting at his possible meeting with
Patriarch Kirill of Russia's Orthodox Church to bridge the schism in 1054 that
divided the Christian churches and resulted in political and theological
differences.

High-level visits between the churches have become more frequent under Benedict
and Kirill, who took office in February after the death of his predecessor, with
both churches pledging to improve their relations.

The Moscow patriarchy is yet to permit a pope to visit Russia. Church officials
in Moscow have accused Catholics of proselytizing in Russia and highlighted a
number of differences on which there is no room for compromise.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is set to meet Pope Benedict XVI for the first
time this week while on his visit to Italy, the Kremlin said earlier giving no
details about their possible topics of discussion.

Former president and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Benedict XVI
in the Vatican in March 2007.

MINSK, December 2 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6697

02 December 2009, 11:58
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill to visit Kazakhstan

Astana, December 2, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is
expected to visit Kazakhstan in early 2010.

The visit of Patriarch Kirill is expected at some time after the Orthodox
Christmas (January 7), the Kazakh issue of the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily said
on Wednesday. Patriarch Kirill is expected to consecrate the new Dormition
Cathedral in Astana.

The Patriarch was invited to visit Kazakhstan by Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, Archpriest Alexander Ivlev, press secretary of the Russian Orthodox
Church's diocese in Almaty told the newspaper.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church will meet with the parish, the newspaper
said. "As for the Orthodox believers, for us, of course, this is a great joy and
opportunity to talk to the Patriarch," said Father Alexander.

Apart from Astana, Patriarch Kirill will also visit Almaty where he will conduct
a service at the Ascension church and meet with the parish.

The construction of the Dormition Cathedral in Astana which began in 2004 was
completed this year. The domes were put up in August. "This is the only
cathedral built in Central Asia over the past 20 years and is meant to become
the spiritual center of the Russian Church in the region," Astana's official
website said.

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=zenit&id=27714

Moscow Patriarchate Publishes Book of Pope's Words


ROME, DEC. 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Russian Orthodox Church has published a
book in Italian and Russian with texts from Benedict XVI on the culture of
Europe.

This is the first time the Moscow Patriarchate is publishing a compilation of
texts from a Pope. It is titled "Europe, Spiritual Homeland," and includes
addresses by Joseph Ratzinger during the course of more than a decade.

The presentation of the book will take place Wednesday in Rome during a round
table on "The Role of the Churches in the Cultural Integration of Europe."

The volume will be introduced by the chairman of the Department of External
Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev.

"This book is an event of unprecedented historic scope in the millennial history
of Catholics and Russian Orthodox," explained the editor of the book, Pierluca
Azzaro. "But before and above all, it is a great testimony of love of Christ and
between Christians. From this love springs -- should spring -- European culture
in all its manifold expressions: a living culture, imbued with an authentically
creative moral energy, all together geared to the building of a good future for
all."

The editor reflected on the way the volume presents the continent.

"Europe -- the Pope, and Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk in the beautiful
introduction, tell us -- is a cultural continent that with its two wings, the
Church of the East and of the West, rises above the narrow duality
Russia-Western Europe," he said. "Europe is thus presented to our eyes as the
common 'spiritual homeland,' according to the beautiful expression used by the
Pope in his last journey to the Czech Republic."

Azzaro contended that only by jointly rediscovering and reaffirming this "vital
dimension of Europe" will a "downward decline" be warded off.

A vice-chairman of the patriarchate's department of external affairs, Hieromonk
Philip (Riabykh), said the book is a "testimony of the absolute identity of
views and positions between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in
regard to modern social processes."

He added that it is "at the same time proof of the enormous possibility of
Catholic-Orthodox cooperation."

Article: SNAP Press Release: Former Toledo priest subject of search warrant

Link: http://pokrov.org/display.asp?ds=Article&id=1191

Date Published: 12/3/2009

Publication: Pokrov.org

Related Document: Warrant

Police in Houston believe defrocked clergyman in possession of child pornography

Support group commends the citizens who came forward and the peace officer who
followed through

Due to volume of materials seized, investigation expected to extend into next
year

SNAP urges anyone with additional information to contact the Houston PD

A support group for people who were sexually abused by priests has learned that
a former Toledo area clergyman was the subject of a search warrant in Houston,
Texas, following a tip provided by two concerned citizens.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, recently became aware
that a search warrant was executed on the home, business and person of the
former Archimandrite Gabriel Barrow on September 9, 2009. The affidavit
accompanying the warrant alleged that Barrow was in possession of child
pornography. A copy of the warrant, which includes the supporting affidavit, as
well as a list of the items seized, is linked above.

"I am so proud of the young men, including one survivor, who provided
information to the Houston Police Department, said Cappy Larson of San
Francisco, California. Larson is the co-founder of SNAP Orthodox. "It's not
everyday that you find concerned citizens who is willing to go the extra mile to
help protect kids."

Larson also commended the Houston Police Department, Juvenile Sex Crimes/Houston
Area Cyber Crimes Task Force (FBI), especially Officer John Barnes, for their
efforts in this case.

"Officer Barnes took the tipsters' information and ran with it," said Larson.

Barrow was serving at St. Elias Church in Sylvania, Ohio in the mid to late
1970s when he was suspended by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of
North America in the wake of credible charges that he had sexually abused
teenaged boys.

In the mid-1990s Barrow was received into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America, and began serving at St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church in
Webster, Texas.

When victims from Toledo discovered that the priest was again serving in a
parish, they brought the matter to church court. The clergyman was suspended
from the priesthood in 2004, and defrocked the following year.

Larson urged anyone who has additional information about Barrow to contact
Officer Barnes at 281-957-5179.

Larson stressed that victims can also contact SNAP, the nation's oldest and
largest support group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. "We let victims know
they are no longer alone, that they are supported no matter how they choose to
start their healing journey, and that despite the pain, there is hope," said
Larson.

SNAP has a nation-wide toll-free hotline, 1 877 SNAP HEALS. The organization's
web site is SNAPnetwork.org

--- In Orthodox-Forum@yahoogroups.com, "Harold" <hankleaf@...> wrote:

While his Beatitude Jonah is planning his trip to Russia, his Eminence
Archbishop Seraphim is engaged in a trip to Ukraine:

In attendance at liturgy for +Metropolitan Vladimir's birthday
http://orthodox.org.ua/eng/files/imagecache/image1up/files/image1/IMG_6025.JPG


Listening to Archbishop +Ilarion's Oratorio performed in honor of +Vladimir's
birthday
http://www.mospat.ru/ru/2009/11/24/news9071/

Harold G.

--- End forwarded message ---







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Originally published in Russian by DECR Communication Service
November 21, 2009
English translation by Katherine Ilachinski

Stay Concluded in China of Delegation headed by Archbishop Hilarion

November 21, 2009 concluded a visit to China of the delegation of the Russian
Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations and the
Department for External Church Relations, headed by a member of the Council, the
metropolitan Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

The delegation included also executive secretary of the Russian Presidential
Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations, the adviser of the Office
of the President for domestic policy A.I. Kudryavtsev, deputy chairman of the
DECR, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR officers D.I. Peter and I. M. Kopeikin.

During the seeing off of the delegation at the airport of Shanghai, the director
of the department of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA)
Spokesman Liu Jinguang, who accompanied Archbishop Hilarion on the trip around
the country, expressed deep satisfaction with the visit of Russia's delegation,
during which an agreement in principle to the positions of both sides on key
issues was consolidated on further development of Russia-China interaction in
the field of religious communication and cooperation. The representative of the
State Administration for Religious Affairs stated that over sixty years of the
PRC and for the entire period of administration this is the first visit at the
invitation of SARA of such a delegation, that included religious leaders. This
unprecedented event, according to Liu Jinguang, is due to the special nature of
relations between Russia and China, aimed at strategic cooperation and
strengthening of friendship between the two countries, transmitted from
generation to generation.

During the talks of the delegation with the SARA leadership and the relevant
territorial administrations, it was noted that the aim of further contacts
between the parties is the practical implementation of the relevant parts of the
Action Plan to implement the provisions of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness,
Friendship and Cooperation between Russian Federation and PRC in 2009-2012 aimed
at promoting dialogue and cooperation between the major religious organizations
in Russia and China, and the Interreligious Council of Russia and China
Association for Cultural and Religious Affairs.

The leadership of SARA expressed gratitude to the Russian Orthodox Church for
its constant attention to the development of Orthodoxy in China and concern
shown in this regard. Chinese side noted that Orthodoxy is "an integral part of
the life of the people of Russia", and in China "are well known the wide
influence and great role of Orthodoxy in Russia."

SARA leaders of PRC asked to convey greetings of good wishes to His Holiness
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with whom representatives of China,
met several times during the stay of His Holiness as the chairman of the
Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. "With his
usual wisdom, Patriarch Kirill makes a very big contribution to the development
of contacts of Russia and China on the lines of Orthodoxy," - said during the
talks, Deputy Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs of
China, Jiang Jianyong.

Such words have been heard several times during the visit of Russian delegation
to Harbin and Shanghai. Representatives of the State and Territorial
Administration for Religious Affairs expressed hope that as a result of joint
ventures with the Russians long-term effort Orthodoxy in China will develop
further, providing a positive influence on the formation of a harmonious
society, as well as contributing to the sustainable, healthy and stable creation
of Russia-China relations, partnership and strategic interaction.

It was stated that there is a solid foundation for further development of
Sino-Russian cooperation and contacts in the field of religious relations, built
on principles of mutual respect, independence of parties and non-interference in
internal affairs of each other.

http://www.examiner.com/x-30912-Cleveland-Eastern-Orthodox-Examiner~y2009m12d1-B\
ulgarian-Orthodox-consider-Julian-Christmas-date

Bulgarian Orthodox consider Julian Christmas date
December 1, 2:48 PM
Cleveland Eastern Orthodox Examiner
by Peter Simko

Bulgarian Orthodox Church may be close to marking this year's Christmas as the
last to be celebrated on December 25 in Bulgaria. The Holy Synod will meet in
three weeks to decide if a move needs to be made back to the Julian Calendar. If
this decision is to be made, Christmas will once again be celebrated on January
7.

The plea to make this choice was filed in late November, a similar argument
having been made in 1997 with the agreement of only five bishops at the time.
Currently, the Church is set to the Gregorian Calendar, which was put in place
in Bulgaria in 1916. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has celebrated Christmas on
December 25 as an official holiday since the fall of communism.

[Machine translation.  The only English language reports available thus far
pre-date this article]
 
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/news/print33011.htm
 
 
Synod of the Church of Greece agreed to increased taxation on Church's
real estate



 


Moscow, December 3, 2009
 
On December 1 the Synod of the Church of Greece, at a special meeting, agreed to
the triple increase in tax of the Church's real property (from 1% to 3%). 
However, the agreement applies only to property of the metropolias, but not
to temples, monasteries and other legal entities, and applies only to 2009, said
REGIONS.RU.
 
For its part, the Greek Economy Minister George Papakonstantinu said that the
government is ready to begin a dialogue with the Church on all the contentious
economic issues, "from scratch" and without any preconditions. He asked that the
Church to determine who on its behalf, will conduct this dialogue.
 

The Minister also confirmed that the tax increase is temporary and applies only
to the current year; in 2010 the same year the rate will be discussed
separately.  The tax increase, he said, is due to budget constraints in the
financial crisis.  In addition, the tax increase does not apply to all
real estate, but only to that which generates income.
 

 In Greece, the relations between the Church and the new socialist government
deteriorated almost immediately after the election, when the Government put
forward amendments to the tax law, increasing the tax on Church property almost
threefold. .As noted by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, tax innovations
in violation of the principle of equality, do not affect property belonging to
ministries, public organizations, universities and other entities of
a non-commercial nature. There was no tax increase on real estate which is used
for commercial purposes.
 
The compromise reached in 2009, according to the Church, is motivated by a
desire to begin negotiations with the state and the duty to help the Greek
people in crisis -- although the tax increase will impede her charitable work.
The Synod's decision  stresses that the Church of Greece has 700 charitable
institutions in the country, and its social spending amounts only to 100 million
euros a year.
 
The Synod also agreed with the other requirements of the Ministry of the Economy
- in particular, the requirement to limit the [horse] power (and therefore the
cost)  of the metropolitans' cars, but only in cases where the costs are borne
by the State.
 
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Pope, Russia agree to upgrade diplomatic ties
 
By DANIELA PETROFF
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 3, 2009 3:09 PM
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/03/AR2009120303017.\
html?referrer=emailarticle
 
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI and visiting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
agreed Thursday to upgrade Vatican-Kremlin relations to full diplomatic ties,
the Vatican said.
The step forward on the diplomatic front comes at the same time as a warming in
previously tense relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican.
 
A Vatican statement said Benedict and Medvedev agreed that Russia will upgrade
its representation at the Vatican from a special mission to embassy level and
that the Vatican will reciprocate in Moscow.
 
The two men also discussed challenges to "security and peace" in the world and
"themes of mutual interest such as the value of the family and the contribution
of believers to the life of Russia," the Vatican said.
 
Medvedev, on a one-day visit to Rome, met with the German pope for 30 minutes,
speaking through interpreters. He had earlier met with Premier Silvio
Berlusconi.
 
After decades of hostility between the Vatican and the Kremlin during the Cold
War, the major breakthrough came when former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met
with Pope John Paul II in December 1989.
 
But the lifting of restrictions on religion led to new tensions with the
Orthodox church, which accused the Vatican of poaching for souls in traditional
Orthodox territory - a charge the Vatican denied.
 
The standoff prevented John Paul II of fulfilling his wish of making a
pilgrimage to Russia.
Vatican officials, however, say that despite improved atmosphere such a trip is
not on Benedict's agenda now. The Vatican statement after Thursday's meeting did
not mention it.
Benedict had met with Medvedev's predecessor, Vladimir Putin, two years ago. As
a gift, Medvedev presented Benedict with 22 volumes of an encyclopedia on the
Russian Orthodox Church to complete a set brought by Putin.
 
 
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=dujour&div=68


2009-12-04 00:00:00
Russia to seek embassy level for diplomatic relations with Vatican

Moscow, December 4, Interfax - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree
concerning the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Vatican," the
Kremlin press service said.

According to the document, the Foreign Ministry is instructed to hold talks with
the Vatican to establish the diplomatic relations at the level of Russia's
embassy to the Vatican and apostolic nuncio to the Russian Federation and seek
embassy status for the Russian mission to the Vatican.

Medvedev ordered "to confirmed reached agreement with relevant documents."


Photo by ITAR-TASS




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.examiner.com/x-30912-Cleveland-Eastern-Orthodox-Examiner~y2009m12d3-P\
opes-message-to-Patriarch-of-the-Church-of-Constantinople

Pope's message to Patriarch of the Church of Constantinople

December 3, 8:58 AM
Cleveland Eastern Orthodox Examiner
by Peter Simko

In a message delivered to the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of
Constantinople, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Bishop of
Rome, Benedict XVI, made the statement that the Christian witness to the
faith--compelled by the memory of the Church martyrs--would "surely be all the
more credible if all believers in Christ [were] 'of one heart and soul.'"

The Bishop of Rome was openly critical, however, of those hindering the path to
reestablishing the communion between the East and West. He asked the Patriarch
to continue in dialog and united works despite those the Bishop said were
blocking the Holy Spirit. After citing Saint Ignatius of Antioch and Saint
Gregory, he noted that the Church should be inspired by the model of the first
millennium concerning the role of the leader of the See of Rome.

The whole letter was assertive in denying that historical differences could keep
the Church permanently split. After expressing his appreciation of the
Patriarch's current initiatives, the Bishop of Rome concluded his letter with
prayers that "the Triune God may bestow abundant blessings of grace and light on
[the Patriarch's] lofty ministry for the good of the Church."

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/missionaries-face-fines-for-sharing-t\
heir-faith/390816.html

Missionaries Face Fines for Sharing Their Faith
03 December 2009
By Alexander Bratersky

Ordinary believers face fines for sharing their faith with strangers in the
metro or on the street under amendments drafted by the Justice Ministry that are
stirring worries among Protestant groups about a clampdown on religious freedom.

Under the proposed changes to the Law on Religious Activity, only leaders of
registered religious groups and their officially authorized missionaries would
be allowed to pass out religious literature, preach and talk about their faith
in public, according to a draft of the amendments published in Kommersant on
Wednesday.

Anyone else who shares their faith would face a fine of 2,000 rubles to 5,000
rubles ($65 to $170) for individuals and 5,000 rubles to 7,000 rubles ($170 to
$230) for legal entities.

Currently, no permits are required for missionary activities.

The amendments are expected to benefit the dominant Russian Orthodox Church,
which rarely engages in missionary work, to the detriment of other Christian
groups, which it regularly accuses of poaching believers.

Some Protestant groups said Wednesday that the amendments were a violation of
Jesus' call in Matthew 28:19 to "go and make disciples of all nations."

"Missionary activity is part of the Christian religion, and these proposals
target not only our church but the Christian religion itself," said Elder
Mikhail Fadin of the Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.

He said it would be "unrealistic to issue permits to preach" and the amendments
contradicted the Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom.

Andrei Sobentsov, secretary of the governmental commission in charge of
religious organizations, confirmed that the amendments violated the Constitution
and called them "unacceptable," Kommersant reported Wednesday.

Justice Ministry officials were not available for comment after office hours
late Wednesday.

No date has been set for the bill to be submitted to the State Duma, but it has
a high chance of being passed because it faced no opposition from within the
political establishment, said Alexander Soldatov, head of the Credo.ru religious
news wire.

In fact, the Russian Orthodox Church, which enjoys a cozy relationship with
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev, is one of the
forces behind the bill, Soldatov told The Moscow Times.

"The Russian Orthodox Church is among the initiators of this bill because it
sees a danger for itself from other faiths," Soldatov said.

The church, which counts about 70 percent of the Russian population as members,
makes no effort to win new members through missionary activities, he said.
Instead, the church considers most Russians as Orthodox believers "by default,"
seeing those not active in performing religious duties as people who "haven't
realized their faith," he said.

Russian Orthodox officials offered no comment about any church role in the bill,
but they welcomed it as a way to prevent people from masquerading as Orthodox
priests.

"A person might be dressed as an Orthodox priest but be a con artist," said
Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the department for church and society affairs in the
Moscow Patriarchate.

"Every missionary activity should be within the framework of law," he said in a
telephone interview. "People should have the right to know who a priest
represents."

The bill defines missionary work for the first time as an "activity among
nonbelievers and nonmembers of a religious organization aimed at bringing them
into the religious organization."

It also expressly bans preaching near religious centers belonging to other
faiths without the written approval of the religious group that controls the
center.

The number of religious groups working in Russian exploded after the 1991 Soviet
collapse, and the government granted a privileged status to four faiths under a
1997 law — Russian Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Religious experts
estimate that about 20,000 Protestant groups are currently active in Russia.

Members of some religious groups fear that the new bill could be used to stifle
activities other than traditional missionary work.

"If the authorities don't like something about us at a certain moment in time,
they might call it a missionary activity. And if people come to us in order to
help others, will it be called a missionary activity if we pray together with
them?" said Vadim Khurin, deputy head of the St. Petersburg branch of the
Salvation Army, an evangelical movement known for its charitable work.

Khurin noted that his organization has a good relationship with the Russian
Orthodox Church. "They often call us and ask us to pick up things for the
needy," he said.

While the bill favors the Orthodox Church, it could hurt it as well, said Remir
Lopatkin, an expert on state-church relations at the Russian Academy of State
Service.

"There are missionaries among the Orthodox churches, even radical ones," he
said, citing as an example Priest Daniil Sysoyev, who was shot dead last week in
his church in southern Moscow.

Sysoyev often publicly clashed with Muslims and neo-pagans, calling on them to
turn to the Orthodox Church.

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=17031&geo=1&size=A

» 12/03/2009 13:48
TURKEY – ISLAM
Switzerland may have acted badly, but is the Church truly free in Turkey,
Turkish journalist asks
by Geries Othman

Turkish leaders react to Swiss referendum that bans minarets. Muslims are asked
to withdraw their money from Switzerland. But some wonder whether the Turkish
government should look into its own "nasty little secrets" to see the denied
permits to build or restore churches and the promises made but never kept with
regards to Saint Paul's Church in Tarsus and the Orthodox theological school in
Halki.


Ankara (AsiaNews) – Amidst the noise caused in Turkey by the Swiss referendum on
minarets, some courageous voices can be heard questioning how real is religious
freedom guaranteed by the Turkish government. Turkish journalist Serkan Ocak,
writing on Radikal yesterday, notes with extreme lucidity that whilst
Switzerland acted badly, "is the Church in Turkey truly free?"

Turkey is among the first Muslim countries to react to the outcome of the Swiss
referendum. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the moderate Islamist
Justice and Development Party, had harsh words, calling the outcome a "sign of
an increasing racist and Fascist stance in Europe." Turkish President Abdullah
Gul said the vote was a "disgrace" for Switzerland. Turkey's Minister for EU
Affairs Egemin Bagis made an appeal to Muslims on Hurriyet in which he asked
them to withdraw their money from Swiss banks, and urged his compatriots to
choose Turkish banks.

"The doors of Turkish banks are wide open," he said. Switzerland should
"backtrack on this wrong decision" to ban minarets. "We need to empty Swiss
banks coffers," he said

As opposed to such heated reactions, other voices in Turkey have called on Turks
to look into their own nasty little past. "Switzerland may have acted badly, but
. . . is the Church truly free in Turkey?" Turkish journalist Serkan Ocak titled
his article in Radikal yesterday. In a clear analysis, he raised questions about
religious freedom in his country, showing that, despite angry words by Turkish
authorities about the racist scandal in Switzerland, it is practically
impossible to build a new church in Turkey, or even return an old unused church
to its original use.

"Since 2003 in accordance with a European Union directive and Turkey's building
code, it is possible to open a new church," Serkan said. "In practice however,
it is not easy to do."

In his in-depth article, he gave an example of the situation. "The Protestant
Church of Salvation applied for a permit to build ten religious buildings seven
years ago, and is still waiting for one. The law says that authorisation can be
granted to build churches but the power to grant the permit is left to district
prefects, who are not inclined to issue any. Even in Ankara, the prefect turned
down an application for a Protestant place of worship in Cankaya neighbourhood
on the ground that "there is not enough space".

In Turkey, a great number of restrictions apply to religious freedom. Serkan
cites another example. In 2003, lawyer Orhan Kemal Cengiz obtained the
authorisation for one or two buildings. However, even though "a right is
recognised and granted to a minority, certain conditions are imposed that make
it virtually impossible for that right to be exercised."

Some time ago, "a circular was issued, saying that places of worship must cover
at least 2,500 m2. It is obvious that this creates huge difficulties. The same
applies to restoration work or architectural changes. According to the law, only
foundations are entitled to carry out such work. Thus, using certain
technicalities, issues are never solved. Because of this, the Catholic Church is
still not recognised as a legal person."

The situation concerning Saint Paul's Church in Tarsus is also at an impasse.
The building was turned into a museum years ago, but Christians want it back to
use as a place of worship. Whilst pilgrims who visit the church for mass are no
longer required to pay an entrance fee, problems remains and are quite real.

Mgr Luigi Padovese, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Turkey and
apostolic vicar for Anatolia, explains, "In addition to the practice adopted by
Turkish authorities at the end of the Pauline Year, which forces groups to
reserve at least three days ahead of time for any Eucharistic celebration,
uniformed police have now begun entering the church during functions; ostensibly
for "security reasons". If at least they would come in plain clothes to avoid
causing any alarm among pilgrims. Turkish minister of Culture and Tourism had
raised hopes when he said that this "museum" in Tarsus could become a church
again, but now no one knows when the situation will actually change."

Many promises were also made to the Orthodox Church, but nothing has been done.
Despite Erdogan's nice words when he met on 15 August of this year the Greek
Patriarch Bartholomew I and the heads of other religious minorities, the
Orthodox theological school of Halki has still not reopened after it was
shutdown in 1971. More importantly, there is no sign it will be reopened anytime
soon.

The problem in Turkey runs deeper than seeing parallels between the fate of
minarets and Church bell towers. Since 2002, the Turkish government has been
reassuring the Vatican and the Orthodox Patriarchate that steps would be taken
towards respect for religious freedom.

Even though Turkey's secular constitution guarantees everyone complete freedom
of worship irrespective of religion, Christians continue to have a hard time
finding a church that is open. Many of them also continue to experience social
discrimination and so choose not to show their religious identity in public.

http://www.oca.org/news/2020
 

OCA Treasurer issues 2009 nine-month financial report
Posted 12/03
 
SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] -- Newly-appointed Treasurer of the Orthodox
Church in America, Ms. Melanie Ringa, has issued her report of the OCA's
finances for the first nine months of 2009.
 
In her report, Ms. Ringa notes that "the results through September 30 show a
surplus of $91,811.89 after mortgage principal payments. This reflects a
positive variance of $34,260.85 from the budget."
 
She also noted that "the revised budget as approved at the September 2009
Metropolitan Council meeting projected an operating surplus of $75,867 for 2009
after mortgage principal payments. Although our surplus for the first three
quarters of the year was $91,811, we expect that this surplus will be reduced
somewhat due to increased activity on pending litigation during the final three
months of the year, with a final result close to the anticipated budget."
 
OCA Treasurer's 2009 Nine-month Report
http://www.oca.org/PDF/finances/2009-0930-treasurer-9-month-report.pdf
  
Year-to-Date September 2009 Financial Report
http://www.oca.org/PDF/finances/2009-0930-ytd-financial-report.pdf
 
 





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http://www.cerkva.info/2009/12/03/zvernennja_z_privodu_dalogu.html


To the Episcopate, clergy and faithful
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
in the unity with the Moscow Patriarchate

Your Eminences and Graces, Reverend Fathers,
dear brothers and sisters!

As you know, on October 2, this year, for the first time ever in the period of
the division of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church there was held an official meeting
of the working groups, set up by the Holy Synods of the UOC (MP) and the Kyivan
Patriarchate and charged with responsibility of preparation of the dialogue
between the two Churches. The meeting and its results, outlined in the Summary
Record, were positively accepted among the believers of the Kyivan Patriarchate
and in the society. I hope that among you there is a majority of those who
believe that the dialogue between the Kyivan Patriarchate and the UOC (MP) is
better than the preceding confrontation and enmity, perilous for the Orthodoxy.

What is our view of the task and perspective of our dialogue on the part of the
Kyivan Patriarchate?

In the first instance everyone has to realize that the Kyivan Patriarchate is
neither a creation of the politicians, nor a whim of a few people. Irrespective
of whether it is recognized or not, the Kyivan Patriarchate is the Local
Orthodox Church. We unfailingly keep the orthodox faith, confess its dogmas and
adhere to the Orthodox Church canons.

Though, at the will of those who deny the independence of Ukraine, and even the
very being of the Ukrainian people as a separate nation, of those who postpone
the unity in Christ to the political civilizational concepts and preservation of
the imperial power, our Church found itself artificially and externally isolated
and yet remains unrecognized. However, we are sure that it is just the matter of
time, since all the newest Local Orthodox Churches have passed the same
difficult way to the recognition of their autocephalous status before us.

We are convinced that the canons of the Church and someone's arbitrariness of
their interpretation are not the same things, even if this arbitrariness is
formalized in the resolutions of the high assemblies. For Christ Himself was
given up for crucifixion with reference to the fulfilment of the requirements of
the Law of God. Such Holy Hierarchs as John Chrysostom, Philip of Moscow and
Arseny Matsievych were tried first for "breaking of the canons" and "defrocked"
by conciliar decision, and later were glorified among the saints.

We are much reproached for having no Eucharistic communion with the other Local
Churches. But it was not us who broke this Eucharistic communion, and it was not
broken for the considerations of faith confession. If a priest bans a
parishioner from the Holy Communion because of the hostile attitude towards him
- does he ban him from the Body of Christ and the Church? If the other priests
recognize such ban on account of the friendly relations or a profit - will it
become truer?

In the history of the Church in general and of the Moscow Patriarchate in
particular one can find lots of examples of the hierarchs and their councils
pronouncing unjust anathemas and excommunications. Previously I have mentioned
these examples and here I will give one more - the Great Moscow Council of
1666-67 pronounced anathema to the old rituals and all those keeping to them,
noting that no one should ever withdraw this anathema. In 1971 the Local Council
of the Russian Orthodox Church withdrew this anathema for the sake of the
dialogue with the Old Ritualists. If the Moscow Patriarchate conducts the
dialogue with those whom it had called not otherwise than schismatics - why do
some people are so biased against the dialogue with the Kyivan Patriarchate?
For, unlike the Russian Orthodox Church and the Old Ritualists, we have no
differences either in the doctrine or in the worship.

Previously the possibility of the dialogue with us was denied with the hope that
the Kyivan Patriarchate would disappear soon. The time has proved futility of
these hopes. In spite of the very difficult conditions, for the last 20 years
the Kyivan Patriarchate has expanded, has strengthened and spiritually grown. We
are not a marginal or a temporary organization that could be taken no notice of,
whose existence could be ignored. Many of you did it before, but to think like
that now is to ignore the apparent things.

The Kyivan Patriarchate is the large Orthodox Church with dozens of bishops,
thousands of priests and millions of faithful, having immense public authority
and influence. It grows and strengthens from year to year. Some people might
expect it to fall to decay with the change of the Primate of the Kyivan
Patriarchate, but these hopes are futile. For many of those who had been looking
for that passed to the Lord, and the Kyivan Patriarchate lives on.

We are bringing up a generation of the young priests and bishops, who will be
able, to my conviction, to carry on worthily the matter of construction of the
Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church. For the history of the struggle for autocephaly
of the UOC in the 20th century testifies - though hierarchs pass away and
generations change, the desire of the believing people to have their ecclesial
independence remains unchanged. And this desire cannot be changed either by
particular hierarchs or their councils, or by unjust sentences and anathemas.
And the ones working for the fulfillment of this desire had and are to have
support of the people and God.

I'm writing all that not with a view to praise the Kyivan Patriarchate or to
blame someone, but in order to explain the necessity of the dialogue between it
and the UOC (MP). The Ukrainian Orthodoxy is divided and all of us - we and you
- suffer because of that. The Orthodox Church as such suffers from that, since
it makes a temptation to people, amenable to the spirit of this world or to the
ones accepting the propagation of the newest and non-traditional teachings that
have widely spread their nets in Ukraine to catch the souls of those seeking
God.

Many times we have called to begin the dialogue in order to see in the Christian
spirit of love what unites us and to exchange opinions on what separates us. We
have not received positive response for those appeals. Instead, we have learnt
from the mass-media of a new repetition of the accusations against us, which
contained no constructive suggestions.

We were suggested, and some people are suggesting us now to return to what had
been in the past. But all of us have to be clearly conscious that return to the
past is impossible, no matter how much some people might want it. The only thing
possible is the search of what we have to do at the present moment in order to
achieve the church unity in future.

All those who care of the future of the Orthodoxy in Ukraine realize that the
dialogue is necessary. We have to speak about what we have to do in order to
overcome the division, to make the Ukrainian Church unified again. Not to
present ultimatums, not to put forward predeterminedly unacceptable demands. Not
just to speak, but to listen, and what is most important - to hear the opinion
of the other party. And those who do not understand it and even do not want to,
are similar to the Pharisees, comforted by their imaginary righteousness,
considering themselves saved and thinking those disagreeing with them to be
sinners and enemies, including the Savior Himself. One may apply to them the
words of the Lord about hypocritical Pharisees, who sit in the Moses' seat, and
neither go in the Kingdom of God themselves, nor allow those who are entering to
go in (cf. Matthew. 23:2,11). That is what they are doing - doing nothing for
the unity of the Church and condemning those who want t
o do something.

We understand all the complexity of the process of the dialogue, because our
vision both of the present and future of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church differs.
The Kyivan Patriarchate believes that in Ukraine there must be the unified Local
Ukrainian Orthodox Church - autocephalous in its organization, but spiritually
unified with the other Local Orthodox Churches in the Orthodox faith and the
Sacraments. Subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate is essential for you. But
we are united by our desire to overcome the division of the Orthodoxy in Ukraine
- and this is the basis of the dialogue and understanding together with the
unity in the Orthodox faith.

There are other difficulties in the dialogue process. If in the Kyivan
Patriarchate it is treated positively, the attitude inside the UOC (MP) is
controversial. In fact, apart from the dialogue with us, the party representing
your Church has to conduct two additional dialogues - with the Moscow Patriarchy
and the "zealots" in Ukraine. The latter are critical towards the very idea of
the dialogue, but suggest nothing constructive.

All that is a vivid illustration of contradictoriness of the present status of
the UOC (MP). While the "independence and autonomy of governance" is declared,
the UOC meets difficulties in adoption of some principal decision, if this
decision is not likely to be authorized by Moscow actually, not only formally.
And we can well enough see that though at the present the Moscow Patriarchy does
not speak against the dialogue of the UOC (MP) with the Kyivan Patriarchate, the
Ukrainian hierarchs opposing the dialogues are not instructed by the Moscow
Patriarchy to obey their Primate and the Synod. Let us recall, that once the
division between the Primate and the episcopate has already been brought about
in the UOC - and it has done no good to the Church. At present we observe once
again the attempts to destroy the reputation of the Primate of the UOC (MP), and
to curtail the rights of the "independence and autonomy of governance" once
again, though informally, but effectively - this
way has proved to be ineffective before and will not be of use in future.

Lots of rumors are spread by the ill-wishers in the process of the dialogue. The
question arises - what will happen to the bishops and priests of the both
Churches after the reunification? Our position in this issue is simple and clear
- every bishop will further on administer the parishes under his jurisdiction,
every dean will head his deanery and every priest will head his parish further
on. If the hierarchs and the clergymen of our Churches may co-exist at present,
having no communion, all the more so they will be able in case our Church
becomes unified. We are not the enemies to one another, since we have the only
enemy - the devil (cf. Ĺphesians 6:12). Therefore we are not to fight one
another, but to join our efforts in the struggle with him.

And in conclusion I'd like to emphasize that the way of the dialogue between the
UOC (MP) and the Kyivan Patriarchate from our viewpoint is the best way to
overcome the division of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy. But this way is not the only
one. We cannot forget that the Mother-Church of Constantinople has the desire,
authority and the necessary awareness of the Ukrainian matters in order to be
not simply a side or an intermediary of the dialogue, but also the center of
reunification of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy. And unlike the Moscow Patriarchate,
for that purpose the Church of Constantinople conducts negotiations with us at
the highest level possible, including the Primate of the Kyivan Patriarchate in
his own person.

We highly appreciate that and reserve for us the possibility to consider all the
constructive propositions of the Mother-Church of Constantinople, leading to
reunification of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy. We also hope that opening of the
representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine might work both for the
better mutual understanding between the Orthodox people in Ukraine, and for the
better provision of information for Patriarch Bartholomew on the life of the
Ukrainian Church.

Some representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate believe and convince the others
that the way to the canonical recognition of the Kyivan Patriarchate runs solely
through subordination to Moscow. Let them not forget that the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople is generally recognized and the first one among
the Churches, the Mother-Church for Ukraine, and the Moscow Patriarchate is the
fifth, therefore it has no monopoly for "canonicity". And we will remember the
instructions of Christ: when they persecute you in this place, flee to the next
(cf. Matthew 10:23).

Those who want to overcome the division of the Church will seek the
opportunities for that end, those unwilling will always find justification of
their unwillingness. We believe that the former among you and us outnumber the
latter. And may the Lord help us in the cause of reunification of the Ukrainian
Church!
On behalf of the Holy Synod
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate

FILARET,
Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine

Kyiv, 3 December 2009

Click on the 3rd photo to see the 'humongrous' number of women in the Great Hall
of Church Councils in Christ the Savior Cathedral.
 
http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/956660.html




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Fifth meeting of the Catholic - Oriental Orthodox Forum took place at St
Yeghiche Armenian Orthodox Church on Thursday, 26th November, 2009. The Catholic
Church in England and Wales was represented by the Most Reverend Kevin McDonald,
Archbishop of Southwark; the Right Reverend Paul Hendricks, Auxiliary Bishop of
Southwark; and Monsignor Andrew J Faley, Assistant General Secretary, Catholic
Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. While the Oriental Orthodox Churches
were represented by His Grace Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian, Primate of the
Armenian Church in the United Kingdom; His Grace Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic
Orthodox Church; His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of the British Orthodox
Church within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate; and His Grace Dr. Mathews Mar
Thimotheos of the Indian Orthodox Church. The Syrian Orthodox Church was
represented by Father Ishak Tuza. Father John Samuel accompanied His Grace Dr.
Mathews Mar Thimotheos, while Father Peter Farrington, Secretary of the Council
of Oriental Orthodox Churches, attended with His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim,
and acted as Co-Secretary to the Forum with Monsignor Andrew Faley.

The purpose of the Forum is to facilitate the Roman Catholic and Oriental
Orthodox Churches working together on matters of common interest and concern, as
well as to allow the results of various international dialogues and ecumenical
processes to be discussed and received as appropriate.This was the fifth meeting
of the Forum.

The meeting began in the Armenian Orthodox Church of St Yeghiche with a short
service of prayer led by His Grace Bishop Nathan. During this fifth meeting a
discussion took place regarding the development of a policy to enable children
of the Oriental Orthodox communities to more easily access Roman Catholic
educational establishments. A lively and positive discussion of some of the
matters which cause a separation of the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox
communities also took place. There was also an opportunity to consider and agree
upon the purpose of the Forum. During the meeting, the aims and purpose of the
Forum were affirmed, including opportunities for appropriate shared pastoral
work and worship.

It was agreed that the joint statements which have been issued over the last
decades between the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox Churches should be collated
in booklet form to be issues by the Forum.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Single women need to make a living -- as well as divorced/abandoned women who
often support a family]
 
http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6703
 

 
03 December 2009, 15:40
Patriarch Kirill wants women-believers to be active, but warns against "unwise
mannishness"

Moscow, December 3, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia
believes a woman should have an active position in society, but remember about
her top-priority duties of wife and mother.

"Active participation (of women - IF) in all spheres of social life is needed,
it will make the society hear voice of believers. At the same time, woman's role
as wife and mother, keeper of the house, in no event can be reformed," Patriarch
Kirill said on Thursday at the opening of the first All-Russian Forum of
Orthodox Women in Moscow.

The Patriarch believes nowadays many Orthodox families practice
"hyperpatriarchate" when woman willfully refuses her professional realization,
work and social calling.

However, the Patriarch says this "hyperpatriarchate" is often "a reaction on
atmosphere of today's world," when false understanding of "equity" with man is
imposed on woman and she is forced to imitate worst muscular qualities:
aggression, will to competition, strive to make a career neglecting the family."

"Woman's happiness is first of all in being wife and mother. If our society
doesn't learn to back up this role of a woman, it doesn't have future. On the
Creator's intention, woman should be far from unwise mannishness," Patriarch
Kirill said.

However, the Primate of the Russian Church is sure that "today an Orthodox
Christian woman should stick to an active social position and be a keeper of
Christian moral values in family and society."

According to him, a Christian woman, besides realizing herself as wife and
mother "should realize herself as an active member of civil society responsible
for the country's future."

"Church, Motherland and the whole world awaits vigorous steps from
women-believers," Patriarch Kirill said.
 
 




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6709

04 December 2009, 15:17
Patriarch Kirill believes Orthodox and Catholics should jointly
oppose world atheism

Moscow, December 4, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All
Russia stresses importance of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue in opposing
the challenges of atheistic society.

"Today we're facing the challenges of secularism. We need to respond
the challenges together basing on historical experience," Patriarch
Kirill said at his Thursday meeting with a delegation of the Roman
Catholic Church in France at Moscow patriarchal residence in Chisty Pereulok

Welcoming the guests, the Patriarch emphasized importance of the
dialogue with the Catholic Church, but noted that relations among
Christians were complicated with numerous problems arisen recently
including crisis in the modern ecumenical movement.

"Therefore Churches working in apostolic tradition are called to
close interaction," Patriarch Kirill said.

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6704

03 December 2009, 16:42
Adherents of "Kiev Patriarchate" attempt to seize a church in the
Sumy Region, Ukraine

Kiev, December 3, Interfax - Bishop Eulogy of Sumy and Okhtyrka
stated that adherents of the "Kiev Patriarchate" attempted to seize
the Church of Archangel Michael in the Ukrainian town Okhtyrka in the
Sumy Region.

Believers consider "such disregard of their interests" an attempt to
destabilize situation in the region "using religious factor," the
Bishop said in his telegram to the head of regional administration
Nikolay Lavrik conveyed to Interfax-Religion on Thursday.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia conducting negotiations
with Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko in July touched upon the
problem of Orthodox believers' rights in the Sumy Region where some
churches of the canonical Ukrainian Church had been seized. European
MP Tatyana Zdanoka also expressed her concerns with seizure of
churches in the region.

As was reported, adherents of the "Kiev Patriarchate" under false
pretences captured a building and property of St. Paraskeva Orthodox
Church in the Gudymy village and seized the Transfiguration Church in
the village of Beyevo on Easter eve.