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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

JOHNSTOWN, PA --- With thankfulness to Almighty God, the Diocesan Chancery has announced that a Special Assembly of Diocesan Priests will be convened on Saturday July 14, 2012 in Christ the Saviour Cathedral by His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of America, Diocesan Locum Tenens for the purpose of nominating a candidate for ruling Bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A.

The calling of the Assembly follows a year-long search for a worthy candidate to succeed to the throne of our beloved late Metropolitan of Amissos, the Most Reverend Nicholas R. Smisko

After a diligent search both within and outside the Diocese, with the blessing of Archbishop Demetrios of America, our Diocesan Locum tenens and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a worthy candidate has been found in the person of the Very Rev. Archimandrite Grigorios Tatsis.

Father Grigorios is American-born of parents of Greek origin. He is currently serving as Dean of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans, LA. He is a well-educated and well-respected priest who is willing to accept the call to lead the Diocese in the years to come in accordance with all its venerable Carpatho-Russian traditions, which under the omophorion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate have been preserved at the highest level of respect and honor.

Since Father Tatsis is not known to the members of the Diocese, there will be an opportunity for our diocesan priests to meet and speak with him before the Special Assembly. He will be at Camp Nazareth for the day on Sunday, June 10, 2012 at the celebration of Family Day, and at St. George's Church in Taylor, PA on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM. A cordial invitation is extended to all diocesan priests, to come to one of these locations and meet with Father Grigorios.

The Assembly will begin at 9:00 am on Saturday July 14, 2012 with the celebration of Divine Liturgy. Following Liturgy, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Diocesan priests will cast their votes for a successor to Metropolitan Nicholas. In addition to Fr. Tatsis, other worthy candidates may be considered from amongst names submitted for consideration by diocesan clergy in advance of the Special Assembly. The Archbishop will formally designate the candidate receiving the majority of ballots as the nominee and submit his name to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Canonical Election.

Lay representatives from our Diocesan parishes are invited to be in attendance to witness this historic event in the life of the diocese.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

CWNews.com - The Coptic Catholic bishop of Giza has expressed concerns for the future of Christians in Egypt if the Muslim Brotherhood emerges victorious in the nation’s elections.

“The Muslim Brothers say one thing then tomorrow they do another thing,” said Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Guizeh (Giza). “They don’t maintain their promises--that’s the problem.”

“Whoever will guarantee liberty and democracy and a good constitution for Egypt will have our vote,” he added. “He needs to guarantee the minimum of liberties we seek.”

Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, will face former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik in a runoff election on June 16-17.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

CWNews.com - Two months after Christians fled al-Qusayr, a city of 30,000 in west-central Syria, a priest who prefers anonymity is devoting himself to constant prayer and fasting there for the sake of peace and reconciliation.

In a city where “hell is unleashing,” the priest says that he wants to be a “strong indication of nonviolence, a testimony of faith and love for the Syrian people.”

He adds that he wishes to “remind all men, who are fighting and killing, that the only source of hope is God: the God of life, the God of peace, the God of reconciliation, which makes us brothers and not enemies.”

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

CWNews.com - The Coptic Catholic bishop of Giza has expressed concerns for the future of Christians in Egypt if the Muslim Brotherhood emerges victorious in the nation’s elections.

“The Muslim Brothers say one thing then tomorrow they do another thing,” said Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Guizeh (Giza). “They don’t maintain their promises--that’s the problem.”

“Whoever will guarantee liberty and democracy and a good constitution for Egypt will have our vote,” he added. “He needs to guarantee the minimum of liberties we seek.”

Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, will face former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik in a runoff election on June 16-17.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

CWNews.com - The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has recounted how his priestly vocation developed in the midst of Soviet persecution.

“I grew up in a completely atheistic society where all forms of the transcendental were eliminated,” recalled Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, now 42. “We were taught that there is no God … For the first time I met a priest who came in the middle of the night to celebrate the funeral and then would quietly disappear. And, like a small boy I was curious as to who this person – the priest - was and what was he doing. I saw in that person a real witness of the presence of Christ. This priest was imprisoned twice because of his ministry and through this priest, I really found someone and something worth giving one’s life for. This was an alternative, especially for us young people, to the official values that society was teaching us.”

Later, as a teenager, he began his seminary formation.

“I met my seminary professors at least once every two months and when I met with them, I was always given a book,” the prelate said. “I would then copy and study the book for two months. This method allowed me to study and have a copy for myself of the Gospel of St. Luke for example. This is how my initial formation began. This kind of formation would have taken years to prepare me properly for the priesthood and I know that it was not enough, but this is how I started my priestly formation.”

“As a teenager, at that time I was not aware of the dangers because it was completely a secret and every teenager had his own secret,” he added. “Neither my mother nor my father was aware of this, and this was my personal secret. It was after a year that I understood the dangers that could have resulted had I been discovered by the secret police.”

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Vatican City, 27 May 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a message to His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, for the fiftieth anniversary of his consecration as bishop. In the letter, written in English, Benedict XVI recalls the patriarch’s visit to Rome in 1994 for the signing of a Common Declaration on Christology, his presence at the funeral of John Paul II, and his visit to Rome in 2007 during which the Pope had expressed his hope that they would continue their "common journey towards the re-establishment of full communion".
"I thank the Lord for the many blessings he has bestowed on the Assyrian Church of the East through your ministry, and I am grateful for your commitment to promoting constructive dialogue, fruitful cooperation and growing friendship between our Churches".

"I wish also to reiterate my solidarity with the Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, praying that effective forms of common witness to the Gospel and pastoral collaboration in the service of peace, reconciliation and unity may be deepened between the Catholic and Assyrian faithful".

The Holy Father concludes his letter by invoking the blessings of the Blessed Trinity upon the Patriarch.Message from Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East