News
Byzcath.org News provides news focusing on the Christian East from varous sources and offers links to other sites dedicated to providing the news about the Church.
Churches and organizations that provide news about the Eastern Churches are invited to submit their news stories to us for publication here (use the contact page for submission)..
Materials from the Vatican Information Service, Zenit, CWNews.com and other sources are published here with permission of their owners but may not be republished further without the permission of their original publishers. Please visit these sites to obtain additional general news about the Church. In addition to these sources EWTN News also provides a good general news summary.
Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
- Details
22 to 25 February 2010
Patriarch Gregorios III has been pleased to accept an invitation to attend the 22nd Conference of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, on the theme of "The objectives of Islamic Sharia and the great questions of our time." More than eighty countries have so far sent representatives to participate in the work of the conference meeting in Cairo which has received a message of encouragement from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who himself expects to attend the conference.
On the fringes of the conference, talks between Muslim and non-Muslim thinkers from East and West will be held on the relationship of Islam with other religions, in an attempt to rebuild trust and to draw together perspectives between different civilizations, with a view to reaching a common basis for that positive co-existence, which is in the interest of all humanity.
It should be noted that from 22 to 26 February 2010, there will be held the annual talks between the Vatican and Al Azhar University, presided over by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Grand Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi.
News item with acknowledgement to Le progrès égyptien. Le Caïre 17 February 2010.
- Details
(February 21, 2010)
BARTHOLOMEW
By God’s Grace
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Fullness of the Church, Grace and Peace
From our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Our most holy Orthodox Church today commemorates its own feast day, and – from this historical and martyric See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – the Mother Church of Constantinople directs its blessing, love and concern to all of its faithful and dedicated spiritual children throughout the world, inviting them to concelebrate in prayer.
Blessed be the name of the Lord! Those who endeavored over the ages to suppress the Church through various visible and invisible persecutions; those who sought to falsify the Church with their heretical teachings; those who wanted to silence the Church, depriving it of its voice and witness; they all proved unsuccessful. The clouds of Martyrs, the tears of the Ascetics, and the prayers of the Saints protect the Church spiritually, while the Comforter and Spirit of Truth leads it to the fullness of truth.
With a sense of duty and responsibility, despite its hurdles and problems, as the First-Throne Church of Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarchate cares about protecting and establishing the unity of the Orthodox Church, in order that with one voice and in one heart we may confess the Orthodox faith of our Fathers in every age and even in our times. For, Orthodoxy is not a museum treasure that must be preserved; it is a breath of life that must be transmitted and invigorate all people. Orthodoxy is always contemporary, so long as we promote it with humility and interpret it in light of the existential quests and needs of humanity in each historical period and cultural circumstance.
To this purpose, Orthodoxy must be in constant dialogue with the world. The Orthodox Church does not fear dialogue because truth is not afraid of dialogue. On the contrary, if Orthodoxy is enclosed within itself and not in dialogue with those outside, it will both fail in its mission and no longer be the “catholic” and “ecumenical” Church. Instead, it will become an introverted and self-contained group, a “ghetto” on the margins of history. This is why the great Fathers of the Church never feared dialogue with the spiritual culture of their age – indeed even with the pagan idolaters and philosophers of their world – thereby influencing and transforming the civilization of their time and offering us a truly ecumenical Church.
Today, Orthodoxy is called to continue this dialogue with the outside world in order to provide a witness and the life-giving breath of its faith. However, this dialogue cannot reach the outside world unless it first passes through all those that bear the Christian name. Thus, we must first converse as Christians among ourselves in order to resolve our differences, in order that our witness to the outside world may be credible. Our endeavors for the union of all Christians is the will and command of our Lord, who before His Passion prayed to His Father “that all [namely, His disciples] may be one, so that the world may believe that You sent me.” (John 17.21) It is not possible for the Lord to agonize over the unity of His disciples and for us to remain indifferent about the unity of all Christians. This would constitute criminal betrayal and transgression of His divine commandment.
It is precisely for these reasons that, with the mutual agreement and participation of all local Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has for many decades conducted official Panorthodox theological dialogues with the larger Christian Churches and Confessions. The aim of these dialogues is, in a spirit of love, to discuss whatever divides Christians both in terms of faith as well as in terms of the organization and life of the Church.
These dialogues, together with every effort for peaceful and fraternal relations of the Orthodox Church with other Christians, are unfortunately challenged today in an unacceptably fanatical way – at least by the standards of a genuinely Orthodox ethos – by certain circles that exclusively claim for themselves the title of zealot and defender of Orthodoxy. As if all the Patriarchs and Sacred Synods of the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, who unanimously decided on and continue to support these dialogues, were not Orthodox. Yet, these opponents of every effort for the restoration of unity among Christians raise themselves above Episcopal Synods of the Church to the dangerous point of creating schisms within the Church.
In their polemical argumentation, these critics of the restoration of unity among Christians do not even hesitate to distort reality in order to deceive and arouse the faithful. Thus, they are silent about the fact that theological dialogues are conducted by unanimous decision of all Orthodox Churches, instead attacking the Ecumenical Patriarchate alone. They disseminate false rumors that union between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches is imminent, while they know well that the differences discussed in these theological dialogues remain numerous and require lengthy debate; moreover, union is not decided by theological commissions but by Church Synods. They assert that the Pope will supposedly subjugate the Orthodox, because they latter submit to dialogue with the Roman Catholics! They condemn those who conduct these dialogues as allegedly “heretics” and “traitors” of Orthodoxy, purely and simply because they converse with non-Orthodox, with whom they share the treasure and truth of our Orthodox faith. They speak condescendingly of every effort for reconciliation among divided Christians and restoration of their unity as purportedly being “the pan-heresy of ecumenism” without providing the slightest evidence that, in its contacts with non-Orthodox, the Orthodox Church has abandoned or denied the doctrines of the Ecumenical Councils and of the Church Fathers.
Beloved children in the Lord, Orthodoxy has no need of either fanaticism or bigotry to protect itself. Whoever believes that Orthodoxy has the truth does not fear dialogue, because truth has never been endangered by dialogue. By contrast, when in our day all people strive to resolve their differences through dialogue, Orthodoxy cannot proceed with intolerance and extremism. You should have utmost confidence in your Mother Church. For the Mother Church has over the ages preserved and transmitted Orthodoxy even to other nations. And today, the Mother Church is struggling amid difficult circumstances to maintain Orthodoxy vibrant and venerable throughout the world.
From the Ecumenical Patriarchate, this sacred Center of Orthodoxy, we embrace all of you lovingly and bless you paternally, praying that you may journey in health through the holy period of contrition and asceticism known as Holy and Great Lent in order that you may become worthy of celebrating the pure Passion and glorious Resurrection of our Savior Lord with all faithful Orthodox Christians throughout the world.
Sunday of Orthodoxy 2010
+ Bartholomew of Constantinople
Fervent supplicant to God for all
+ Constantine of Derkon
+Evangelos of Perge
+ Kallinikos of Lystra
+ Michael of Austria
+ Alexios of Atlanta
+ Joseph of Proikonnisos
+ Demetrios of Sevasteia
+ Irenaios of Myriophyton and Peristasis
+ Chrysostom of Myra
+ Emmanuel of France
+ Makarios of Gortyna and Arkadia
+ Amphilochios of New Zealand
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106 * Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
- Details
No victims or injured were reported. The fire emerged in the morning, and fire fighters managed to extinguish it in two hours, spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry Igor Krol told the journalists.
The church is obliterated, but the bell tower survived the fire.
The church was an architectural monument of local importance.
- Details
CWNews.com - Moscow's Latin Catholic archbishop laid heavy emphasis on respect for the Russian Orthodox faith in an interview with an Italian magazine, Vita e Pensiero. “It is obviously impossible to be Catholics in Russia without deepest respect to the Russian Orthodox Church, without sincerest and ardent wish to unite with her," said Archbishop Paolo Pezzi in the interview, which has now been translated into Russian. Clearly sensitive to Orthodox complaints about Catholic "proselytizing" in Russia, the archbishop said that he sees the goal of Catholic clerics "not as parallel or competing with the mission of the Orthodox Church, as if we were trying to convert more Russians to Catholicism, but as truly ecumenical." Ultimately, he said, all Catholics want to achieve full unity with the Orthodox Church, which represents "part of the richest spiritual tradition of this nation."
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
- Details
CWNNews.com - In Mosul, Iraq, two Christian merchants have been killed this week, one wounded, and a fourth taken hostage by kidnappers demanding a heavy ransom. The violence against the Christian minority, carried out by organized armed gangs, continues unabated. Iraqi Christians have complained repeatedly about the failure of police to respond to the campaign of violence and intimidation. The attacks are having the desired effect: driving more and more Christians out of Mosul.
Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
- Details
13/02/10
To our dear brother bishops, members of our Holy Synod,
Superior generals, mother generals,
Our sons, the priests,
Sons and daughters of our eparchies and parishes of our Melkite Greek Catholic Church
In Arab countries and throughout the world,
Quadragesimal greetings, with affection, blessing and prayer!
"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17: 21; Mark 9: 29)
Thus Jesus addresses his disciples, who were asking him why they had not been able to eject the evil spirit from the possessed man.
This teaching is directed to us all and in my turn, I pass it on to you, dear friends, at the beginning of Great and Holy Lent. The basic Lenten programme consists of fasting and prayer, which form the introduction to the practice of Christian virtues and Gospel values. They are our guidelines towards loving God, worshipping him, encountering him and loving our fellow humans.
The first point is prayer: at home, with Gospel reading, then participating in the beautiful Lenten services of Great Compline, the Presanctified Liturgy, the Akathist to the Theotokos, the Lenten Sunday processions with icons and with relics, the Veneration of the Holy Cross, and the Liturgy of Saint Basil, with its fine, theological prayers.