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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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April 24, 2011
Holy Pascha
The Feast of Feasts
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)
To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen! Χριστός Ἀνέστη!
On this great and glorious feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts are filled with unspeakable joy, our minds embrace the light of truth, and our souls are transformed by His presence in our midst and by His love for us.
This is most certainly a day of celebration, a day above all other days, which proclaims the triumph of life over death and offers a beautiful witness of the power of grace and faith. This Feast of Holy Pascha is also a day of renewal. In praise and thanksgiving, we present before all people the new life that is offered to us because Christ is risen from the dead!
Our commemoration of this great Feast through hymns, prayers, and the proclamation of the Gospel, leads us to consider the relationship of His Resurrection to all areas of our lives, to our innermost being, to our thoughts and actions, and to our aspirations and hopes for life now and for eternity. Just as we come with a candle and receive the light of Pascha, so too the light and power of our Lord's Resurrection should be received into our entire being. Through His presence and grace, we are transfigured from death to life, we are renewed in the image and likeness of God, and in newness of life we carry this light into all the world.
Pascha is a feast for our hearts, a celebration for our souls. Today, repentance is embraced with grace and forgiveness. Hope overcomes despair. Heavenly joy replaces grief. Divine and assuring peace reigns over our inner struggles. Our hearts are renewed with the strength to continue the journey of liberation from sin and evil.
Pascha is a feast for our minds. On this day, Truth is revealed as a superb light for all of humanity. Today, the light of Pascha illuminates our minds. We receive the gift of the divine wisdom that guides us through life. We are blessed with a vision of what is holy, pure, and just. In the light of Pascha, our minds contemplate all of the implications of our Lord's glorious Resurrection.
Today and in the days and weeks to come we will proclaim over and over again, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs bestowing life!" After Christ's Resurrection, the tombs are no longer places of death but of life, bestowed to us by Him as this most precious gift.
On this blessed Pascha, I offer to you and your families my warmest wishes for a beautiful day of celebration and fellowship. May our souls, hearts, and minds be filled with peace and love, and may our joy in Christ and His Resurrection be a true witness of the new life we have in Him.
With paternal love in the Risen Lord,
†DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
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CWNews.com - The writings of the Church Fathers have much to teach the world of modern psychology, according to a Russian Orthodox Church official.
“Modern science has not absorbed or insufficiently absorbed a wealth of heritage left by the early Christian spiritual and intellectual tradition,” said Vladimir Legoyda, head of the synodal information department. “Christian ascetics made such great discoveries in human nature that Freud couldn't even dream of … Christianity has gathered unparalleled experience analyzing human soul which is undoubtedly indispensable to modern science.”
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CWNews.com - Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai of Antioch, the new leader of the Maronite Catholic Church, met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on April 14.
The Maronite Patriarch was visiting Rome for the first time since his election on March 15 as the 77th Patriarch of Antioch. He succeeded Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who retired earlier this year at the age of 90 after 25 years as the leader of the world’s Maronites.
In his remarks to the visiting Lebanese prelate, Pope Benedict underlined the need to proclaim the message of the Gospel in the Middle East, where the world’s Maronite Catholics are concentrated. The Pontiff said that it is vital to maintain an active Christian presence in that region, and to “rediscover the enthusiasm of the first Christians.”
Speaking about the challenges that face the Catholic Church in the Middle East, the Pope offered a short summary of the message of last year’s special Synod of Bishops for the Middle East: This region of the world which the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and Christ Himself blessed with their presence and their teaching, aspires to the lasting peace that the Word of Truth, welcomed and shared, is able to establish.
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CWNews.com - Russia represents the best hope for Europe's future, according to a prominent official of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"Russia has no future without conscience, morals and normal human relations and without faith," Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told a Russian television audience. He said that Russia's abiding religious faith is the reason why the country represents "the best future" for Europe.
Other European countries, and the US, have lost their moral bearings because they have embraced secularism, the Russian cleric said. "The West is now that same godless system which has collapsed as Communism, it has collapsed as Nazism, and it will collapse as capitalism."
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CWNews.com - The Russian Orthodox Church’s chief ecumenical officer has expressed concern about recent and potential regime changes in North Africa and the Middle East.
“Changes in political regimes and a collision of interests of different social forces may lead to uncertainty, violence, and lawlessness,” said Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. “We have been observing growth in Christianophobia, which may deteriorate into a plunder of Christian churches and killings of Christians.”
“The world community must rise to defend the basic human right to freely choose a religion and to live abiding by the religious norms and principles,” he added.
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CWNews.com - The new head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church has said that he would like to meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, in a bid to resolve tensions between the Moscow patriarchate and the Byzantine Catholics of Ukraine.
“I am convinced that in peacefully and openly communicating with each other, we can relieve any tension,” said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who was enthroned last week as Major Archbishop of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian prelate said “we should heal the wounds rather than irritate and deepen them.” The Ukrainian Catholic Church--which was brutally persecuted during the Stalin era and emerged vigorously after the fall of the Communist regime—has been the frequent focus of criticism from Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church views Ukraine as part of its “canonical territory,” and resents the presence of a Byzantine Church in communion with Rome. Archbishop Shevchuk recalled that his predecessors have sought to restore amicable relations with the Russian Orthodox Church:
I remember how Patriarch Ivan Lubachivsky, who ordained me, after he moved to Ukraine, said: 'We forgive and ask for forgiveness.' It was a very deep call to reconciliation on his part. It was in the 1990s, at the time of the strongest confrontation, particularly in western Ukraine. There was the will for reconciliation on our part. Later, His Beatitude Lubomyr confirmed and repeated the same in the presence of Pope John Paul II who visited Ukraine.
(Although the Vatican has to date resisted appeals for recognition of a Ukrainian Catholic patriarchate, the faithful in Ukraine routinely refer to their leader as “Patriarch.”)
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