The Catholic churches of the Holy Land plan to observe Easter according to the Orthodox calendar, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land has announced. The change could come as early as next year.

Father Pierbattista Pizzabella explained that the change was prompted by a desire to strengthen ecumenical ties between Catholics and Orthodox, and also by pastoral concern for the many families in the Holy Land that include both Catholic and Orthodox believers.

The Orthodox churches set their liturgical feasts according to the old Julian calendar. For some years the Orthodox observe Easter on the same day as Catholics; in other years the dates may differ by either one week (as it does this year) or 5 weeks.

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(Editor’s note: See Pokrov.org for background on the St. Irene Monastery charges)

Constantinople (sedmitza.ru) — At a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, held on March 27, 2012, it was decided to remove from the rank of Metropolitan of Tyana Paisios (former abbot of St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria, NY) and his assistant bishop of Apameia Vikentios for the appropriation of the church funds, immoral behavior and insubordination to the Holy Synod.

Metropolitan Paisios arrived at the meeting of the Synod, while Bishop Vincent refused to leave the United States. Now both are in the category of simple monks, according to the the news agency Romfea.gr.

(Translation source)

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) at a recent lecture spoke of the inter-Orthodox cooperation in the preparation to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, the pre-Council process and expectations. He assured listeners that the Council will not be the Eighth Ecumenical Council and will not rescind or review the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

“The Council will not cancel fasts, nor will it introduce married episcopate or allow a second marriage to clergyman. It will not recognize the authority of the Pope of Rome over the Orthodox Church or sign union with the Catholics. The long and short of it is that the Council will do nothing of that what some “defenders of Orthodoxy” fear, displaying zeal that exceeds reason. In case something adverse to the spirit and the letter of the Seven Ecumenical Council happens, the Russian Orthodox Church will renounce this Council and its decisions as she renounced the Council of Ferrara and Florence in 1441. I believe, however, that the other Local Orthodox Church will renounce it, too.”

Source: http://www.mospat.ru/en/2011/11/03/news50931/

In recent times, since the killing of Osama Bin Laden, only alarming news has come out of Pakistan, but even before that it wasn’t the most joyful news. In particular, we regularly heard about the difficult condition of Christians in this predominantly Muslim country. Things being as they are, it would seem that there is no basis to hope for any sort of growth of Christianity among the inhabitants of Pakistan.

But, in fact, there is now a functional Orthodox mission in Pakistan, headed by a Pakistani priest, and already consisting of about five-hundred newly-converted Pakistanis. The center of the mission is located in Lahor, where Fr. John Tanveer regularly performs divine services in his own home. This is a very young mission, only a few years old. It began with a former Catholic priest.

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The patriarchs of three ancient Orthodox Christian churches met from 1-2 September in Istanbul to discuss the situation of Christian minorities in the Middle East, and perhaps an even more prickly topic – the move toward a historic pan-Orthodox council – removing major stumbling blocks to what would be the first such gathering in centuries – writes Sophia Kishkovsky.

The pan-Orthodox council is regarded with great interest by the world’s Orthodox churches, many of which are in unstable regions following revolutions in the Middle East, or in countries facing a third decade of economic and social transition following the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

“The patriarchs, and of course the Archbishop of Cyprus, they all expressed the readiness to proceed to the pan-Orthodox council that is forthcoming, and they said to me that they support the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarch to this direction,” said Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Proussa, former Chief Secretary of the Synodical Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, also known as the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The meeting, called a synaxis, was hosted by Patriarch Bartholemew of Constantinople and attended by Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus. Patriarch Igantius of Antioch was represented by a bishop.

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An announcement issued by the Office of the Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Sacred and Holy Synod, dated August 31, 2011, announced the convocation of a Synaxis of the Heads of the Ancient Patriarchates and the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus at the Ecumenical Patriarchate September 1-2, 2011.

The text of the announcement reads as follows.

“At the invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is also presiding over deliberations, the Synaxis of Heads of the Ancient Patriarchates and the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus is convening at the Phanar from September 1-2, 2011. The Synaxis will be personally attended by Their Beatitudes, Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, and Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, who are arriving today in Istanbul. Patriarch Igantius of Antioch, who ultimately was unable to participate, although he was the first among all invited Patriarchs to accept the invitation to attend the Synaxis, will be represented by His Grace Bishop Isaac of Apameia.

“Their Beatitudes the Patriarchs, the Archbishop of Cyprus and his hierarchal entourage, as well as the representative of the Patriarch of Antioch will concelebrate with His All-Holiness and the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne during the Divine Liturgy to be held on Thursday, September 1, 2011, on the occasion of the feast of the Indiction. They will also sign the relevant Act prepared for the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year.

“The sessions of the Synaxis will begin on the evening of September 1 at the venerable Patriarchal Church of the Phanar and will focus on the state of the most holy Orthodox Churches in the Middle East at this time, as well as on Orthodox affairs in general, including the matter of the way toward the Holy and Great Synod of the most holy Orthodox Church.”

Source

TheOrthodoxChurch.info writes:

Sharon Stone was photographed crying during her meeting with Iliya II, the Orthodox Patriarch of Georgia / Sakartvelo on 6 June 2011. It should be recalled that Ms. Stone had a brain hemorrhage in 2001 and she almost died from it. She reported that she had a near death experience and saw a white light during that time.

Perhaps the Light which she glimpsed then has touched her soul more deeply? Perhaps, as the Holy Fathers describe, she experienced holy tears? May it be so for her and for all. Lord have mercy.

Source with photo.

The Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats is regarded as a sacred cat haven in Cyprus, as it’s name has been linked to felines for almost 2,000 years.

The original monastery was built in 327 AD, by Kalokeros, the first Byzantine governor of Cyprus, and patronised by Saint Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. At that time, a terrible drought affected the whole of Cypus, and the entire island was overrun with poisonous snakes which made building the monastery a dangerous affair. Many of the inhabitants left their homes and moved off the island, for fear of the snakes, but Saint Helena came up with a solution to the plague – she ordered 1,000 cats to be shipped in from Egypt and Palestine to fight the reptiles.

In the following years, the cats did their duty, hunting and killing most of the snakes in the Akrotiri Peninsula, which soon came to be known as the “Cat Peninsula”. The monks would use a bell to call the cats to the monastery at meal time, and then the felines were dispatched to their snake-hunting duties. Pilgrims from all around Europe traveled to the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas to see its feline guardians, and the discovered documents of a Venetian monk describe them as scarred, missing various body parts, some completely blind as a result of their relentless battle against the snakes.

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A resolution introduced to the US Senate on Tuesday calls upon the Turkish government to facilitate the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki (or Heybeliada) seminary without further delay and to address other long-standing concerns regarding the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Benjamin Cardin, a US senator from Maryland from the Democratic Party who is also on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the US Helsinki Commission, introduced Senate Resolution 196.

The resolution indicated that the Senate welcomed the historic meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Patriarch Bartholomew I in August 2009 and applauds “positive gestures” by the Turkish government, including allowing the liturgical celebration by the patriarch at the historic Sümela Monastery and the return of the former Greek orphanage on the island of Büyükada to the patriarchate.

Cardin told the Senate on Tuesday: “I was privileged to again meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, during his 2009 visit to the United States. His impassioned request to those of us gathered was for our support for the reopening of the Theological School of Halki, forcibly closed by the Turkish authorities in 1971. In this year marking the 40th anniversary of that tragic action, I urge the Turkish leadership to reverse this injustice and allow this unique religious institution to reopen.”

Signed by the Democrats’ Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and senators Robert Menendez, Jeanne Shaheen, Olympia Snowe and Sheldon Whitehouse, in addition to Cardin, the Senate resolution was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Source

“As faithful disciples of the Lord of peace, we must constantly pursue and persistently proclaim alternative ways that reject violence and war. Human conflict may well be inevitable in our world; but war and violence are not.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew shared this message of peace at a Sunday ecumenical prayer service and celebration in Kingston, Jamaica, for the participants of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC).

Over the past four days, some 1,000 convocation participants have been exploring peace in the community, peace with the earth, peace in the marketplace, and will continue with peace among the peoples on Monday. On Tuesday they will release a convocation message.

The IEPC is co-sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) and the Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC). The convocation is being held on the grounds of the University of the West Indies (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=a62ebd8506419dfbf399 ).

The IEPC participants, who come from more than 100 churches around the world, are completing their work against a global backdrop of unprecedented challenges to peace, Bartholomew said in his video recorded message.

“First, never before has it been possible for one group of human beings to eradicate as many people simultaneously; second, never before has humanity been in a position to destroy so much of the planet environmentally,” Bartholomew said, acknowledging the precipice humankind stands on.

As the convocation participants have been pondering the tension and ties between the concepts of peace and justice, the patriarch stated that most peacemaking efforts fail because we are unwilling to forgo established ways of wasting and wanting.

“In peacemaking, then, it is critical that we perceive the impact of our practices on other people (especially the poor) as well as on the environment,” he said. “This is precisely why there cannot be peace without justice.”

“Move Your Foot”

Despite the growing knowledge at the IEPC of the monumental obstacles blocking the path to peace, songs performed by local Jamaican musicians ushered in a mood of celebration during the service.

The ecumenical service offered the opportunity for the participants to join as one voice both in their praise to God and their hope for the church to be united in peacemaking.

The Rev. Dr Ralph Hoyte, of the United Church in Jamaica, who was officiating the praise service with Dr Oluwakemi Linda Banks who is president of the Caribbean Conference of Churches, surveyed the congregants after the entrance song, and urged them to sing the refrain once again. He politely invited them to lighten up.

“This time,” he said, “move your foot.”

Just one foot. And they did, some tapping a toe, others hesitantly breaking into a slight sway, many finally dancing to the beat of steel drums played by the Bethel Steel Orchestra.

“When you are in Jamaica, you don’t celebrate with just your voice,” he said. “Move your foot. Move your body.”

Later the University Singers presented more classical choral music composed by famed Jamaica composer Noel Dexter.

After celebrating peace for children, women, men and youth, the congregants heard a message from the Rev. Dr Burchell K. Taylor, vice president of the Baptist World Alliance.

Burchell preached on the gospel of Mark 4:35 in which Jesus and his disciples leave a crowd and cross over the wind-swept waters. He portrayed the water in the passage as a troubled border that the disciples must cross in order to spread their message.

“Life is sharply and simply filled with borders, with boundaries and with frontiers that divide people, making them strangers and aliens,” he said. “Associated with this are nurtured and cultivated discriminations, mistrust and hostilities.”

Restoring peace in the world, he said, will depend upon peacemakers who are willing to “cross over” borders, or transform their relations based on a restored humanity signaled by a new order of God’s rule in Jesus Christ.

“These borders — legal, racial, national, ethnic, social, economic, cultural, gender, political and religious — are assigned values to define and identify those who are superior and those who are inferior, those who are entitled to be dominant and those who are predetermined to be dependent, those who are chosen to be at the center, and those who naturally belong to the margins.”

As IEPC congregants joined hands and sang, “We Shall Live in Peace” to the tune of the United States civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” they vowed to become living witnesses — within their families, communities and the world — to a new order of peace.

Burchell urged them to meet the challenges waiting for them in their home countries:

“Cross over, agents of peace,” he said.

Source: http://www.wfn.org/2011/05/msg00107.html