A five-day debate began today in Greece’s Parliament on possible revision of eligible constitutional articles, roughly a week after the current center-right Greek government opted not to re-institute a provision in the country’s penal code prohibiting insult to religion. One of the constitutional articles eligible for revision is Article III, the definitive text in…

On Saturday, November 3/16, 2019, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of St. George the Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer at his holy Church in Lydda. On this day the Church celebrates the translation of the relics of St. George from Rome where he suffered a martyr’s death, in 4th century A.D., to his hometown Lydda, and…

  But wealth, someone may say, bring honor to those who possess them, and give them the power to take vengeance on their enemies easily. Tell me, is this really a reason why riches seem desirable to you and worth striving for—that they nourish the most dangerous passion in our nature? That they lead anger…

His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey has released his Christmas Fast Encyclical. Read the full text below:   The Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy Esteemed Members of the Metropolitan Council, Esteemed Members of the Parish Councils, Philoptochos Sisterhood, Faculty and Students of the Catechetical and Greek Afternoon Schools, Directors and Participants of all Youth…

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev joined celebrations of the feast of the Zographou Monastery, the Bulgarian monastery in Mount Athos, on Saturday. Hundreds of pilgrims from Bulgaria and the Balkans flocked to the place for the occasion, the President’s Press Secretariat reported. Radev said: “The Zographou Monastery is one of the most cherished and important spiritual…

Mount Athos has had a beneficial impact on the Orthodox community centuries on end and I hope that its relations with Bulgaria will continue to develop and deepen. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at a meeting with Protepistate Hieromonk Stephen and the Holy Community of Mount Athos – the Holy Koinotita,…

Patriarchate of Georgia calls for ‘immediate release’ of Georgian doctor from Tskhinvali custody and releases the following statement. ‘We are deeply saddened by the imprisonment of Georgian doctor, the president of the Georgian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Vazha Gaprindashvili. Everyone knows this person as a highly experienced surgeon who has saved many people’s health…

UK Christian religious freedom charity Release International has shifted their focus to Pakistan on this year’s International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which was on Sunday. Although 17th November has been set aside for Christians in the UK and Ireland to pray for persecuted Christians, people are being urged to set aside…

On November 15 and 16, the International Day for Tolerance, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II received leaders and representatives of various religions and confessions existing in Georgia at the Patriarchate’s residence. The Guests included leaders of the Jewish community, the Muslim Division, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Latin Catholics, Yezidi…