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

28.07.2009, [12:54] risu.org.ua // Foreign relations //

KYIV—On 27-28 July, 2009, on the eve of commemoration of the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Patriarch Kirill conducted an All-Night Vigil at the Kyiv Caves Monastery.

Concelebrating with the patriarch were the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a synaxis of archpastors, and clergy.

The liturgical service lasted about three hours, and a reliquary with a particle of relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr was on the altar the whole time.

The All-Night Vigil was performed on the square in order to host the large number of believers who were expected to attend.

In addition, a broadcast of the vigil was displayed. Several Ukrainian TV channels transmitted a TV broadcast of the service (in particular, TV channel INTER made live stand-ups in the news). The radio audience of Radio-station Era and Internet users also had a chance to witness the festive event at the Kyiv Caves Monastery.

Details

CWNews.com - "The great desire of the Ukrainian people is to live in a single national apostolic Church," Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has told the visiting Russian Orthodox leader, Patriarch Kirill. The president's statement addressed the fractures within the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Moscow patriarchate recognizes only one of three competing groups, and claims that group (the Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Moscow patriarchate) is the sole legitimate representative of the country's Orthodox faithful. Yushchenko's statement appears to favor the rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Kiev patriarchate, which broke from Moscow in the 1990s to establish an independent national body. Supporters of the Moscow-backed group have frequently complained that Yushchenko shows undue preference for the Kiev patriarchate.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

Details

27.07.2009, [16:03] risu.org/ua // Orthodox //

KYIV—On July 27, 2009, for the first time in modern history, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is holding a session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kyiv, reports Interfax information agency.

"Today we will discuss important issues relating to internal life and the outside activities of our Church. Just one thought of the great importance of the Kyiv Cave Monastery for the fate of Russian Orthodox faith makes one uplifted and energized. We are meeting in a place that is holy to our Church, to our Orthodox brethren," said the patriarch as he opened the meeting.

The patriarch also pointed out the historic nature of today's meeting of the synod "in the southern capital of Russian Orthodox faith" and recalled that the previous meeting of the synod, which was held in the Alexander Nevskyi Monastery in St. Petersburg, was also historical.

The meeting of the synod was timed to fall within the Patriarch's visit to Ukraine and is a traditional summer meeting of top Russian Orthodox clergymen. According to an earlier report published by Interfax-Religion, "the hierarchs of the Russian Church, who have come from different regions to the old southern capital of Russian Orthodox faith, will discuss a wide range of various issues relating to church life."

The meeting traditionally involves seven permanent members of the synod and five temporary members.

http://www.interfax-religion.com/

Details

On July 26-28, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church will celebrate the 1021st anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’-Ukraine. All the Liturgies will include a reading of the “Appeal of Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for the special occasion of the day of Saint Volodymyr and Baptizing of Rus’-Ukraine.” Also, after every Liturgy, priests will conduct for the whole community the rite of cross vows, blessing of water and the faithful.

On Sunday, July 26, 2009, at 10:00am, in the Patriarch Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Kyiv, 5 Mykil'sko-Slobids’ka St.), the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy will take place, which will be led by His Beatitude Lubomyr, Head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, after which He will communicate with the press. Sunday’s program will be include a festive concert on the grounds of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

It should be noted that on July 19, a week before this celebration, all Liturgies in the churches of the Kyivan Archeparchy of the UGCC, included a reminder from priests about this important event for Ukraine, which is already celebrated in the Archeparchy for the third consecutive year. Additionally, as per the request of Reverend Bishop Joseph (Milyan), auxiliary bishop of Kyiv, every parish through the initiative of the church choirs, catechetical school, youth’s and parochial activists should organize concerts.

Information Department of the UGCC

Details
Los Angeles, CA – Calling it a “scandalous and cynical act, reminiscent of the totalitarian era,” a spokesperson for the Romanian Greek-Catholic Association provided to reporters documents released by the Greek-Catholic Parish of Budesti (Romania), which revealed the abuse of the local authorities that offered lands that belonged to the Jewish holocaust victims to compensate the local Greek-Catholic Parish for its legal claims.

In the documents, The Maramures County Commission For Applying the Law of Land Fund, a Romanian governmental institution at the county level that oversees the restitution of the properties seized by the communist regime, ruled that the Greek-Catholic Parish of Budesti should receive 12 acres from the land that belonged to the parish prior of being confiscated by the communists in 1948. Despite this decision, the local officials from Budesti offered to the Greek-Catholic Parish land that formerly was owned by Romanian Jews who were uprooted to Nazi death camps during World War II. The original Greek-Catholic land has been given by the authorities to the Romanian Orthodox Church which didn’t have any properties prior to 1948 in Budesti.

The Greek-Catholic Parish has refused to accept the offer because “it would serve as a grave injustice not only for us, but for the families of the Jews that were exterminated in the Nazi’s concentration camps,” stated Father Calin Hosu, the Greek-Catholic priest from Budesti, in his release.

In 1948, two Greek-Catholic churches and 40 acres of land were taken from Budesti Greek-Catholic Parish by the Communist regime. Now, more than sixty years later, the parish hasn’t yet received any of the properties back. “At the current moment we are still celebrating our religious services in a private house while our churches are kept locked, unavailable for our community to worship in”, says Fr. Hosu.

Father Chris Terhes, President of the Romanian Greek Catholic Association, which brought this subject to the attention of the American media, called the action “scandalous,” and a “reminiscent at the local governmental level of totalitarian behavior”.

"Our Church is simply demanding restitution of our rightful properties that we were deposed of by the communist regime, and we are not interested in barbaric offers from Romanian authorities such this one,” Fr. Terhes said.

According to the Association, about 2,500 Greek-Catholic churches along with parish houses, cemeteries and other type of properties were confiscated by the communist regime in 1948, in an effort to eradicate the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania. In 20 years after the fall of the communism, the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church was able to recuperate only about 200 churches.

“For the faithful of our Church this situation, perpetuated by the Romanian Government, has serious human rights implications, in that they are being deprived of their universal right to worship freely in the manner of their choice. In Budesti, for example, from two churches confiscated from us by the communist regime in 1948 we didn’t get anyone back, therefore our believers have to pray, even today, in a private house like the first Christians that tried to hide their belief because were threaten with the persecution by the Roman Empire,” said Fr. Terhes.

“This case is symptomatic for the situation in Romania, where the Government at the top level tries to present itself as one that honors the international conventions and offers equal access to justice for all its citizens, while at the local level the abuses and injustices are perpetuated by many officials that consider themselves above and untouchable by the law,” he continued.

“Besides the violation of the human rights, this situation has serious implications for Americans or anyone wishing to do business with Romania, in that they could never be assured of honest and equitable enforcement of law or court judgements there,” stated Fr. Terhes.

“We ask the international community to help us putting an end to these abuses and injustices that are still taking place in Romania, and help everyone there to have open access to the universal right of worshiping according to their conscience,” Fr. Terhes concluded.

The documents released by the Greek-Catholic Parish from Budesti can be downloaded from here: 2009-07-22 - Budesti - Greek-Catholic Parish - Press Release.pdf

For pictures and other details please visit: http://tinyurl.com/budesti

Romanian Greek-Catholic Association is a non-profit organization located in South of California which supports the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania, assists the needy in Romania, and provides public awareness about the discrimination and persecution of the Greek-Catholic minority in Romania.

# # #

Fr. Chris Terhes
President
Romanian Greek-Catholic Association
www.rogca.org - Help a Church in need
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
714-746-0623

Details

General Report on the Bimillennial Year of the Birth of Saint Paul

In Damascus, City of Paul, Apostle to the Nations

28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009

 

Proclamation and Preparation

After the proclamation of the Year of Saint Paul by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, Patriarch Gregorios III and his Vicar General, Archbishop Joseph (Absi) went to the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Doctor Bashar al Assad to inform him officially about the year and to ask what could be done. His Excellency's reaction was very positive and he offered help in every way, especially from the Ministries of Tourism, Information and others.

The Patriarch wrote a letter in readiness for the Opening of the Year (see the Patriarchal website) to all his bishops, priests and laity in Syria and around the world outlining the plans for the forthcoming year and explaining its spiritual significance.

  1. UGCC Rep: Recognition of Historical Repression of UGCC Will Help Its Current Needs
  2. President of Ukraine Lauds Church’s Role
  3. UGCC Head Knows Moscow Patriarchate Complicates Patriarchate Status of UGCC
  4. Msgr. Nikola Kekić Consecrated as Bishop of Križevci

Page 469 of 857