In his letter to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Primate of the Syrian Orthodox Church His Holiness Mar Ignatius Aphrem II expressed great concerns about ‘the magnitude of hardships endured by and coercion exerted on the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine.’ We recall ‘dark episodes of the church history where believers…

On 27 February 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), met with Archbishop Tapio Luoma, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF). The meeting took place at the DECR premises. Archbishop Luoma arrived in Russia on official visit after his election as head of…

His Most Divine All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, will visit the United States in July, following an invitation by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. His All Holiness will address a conference on the environment. According to reports by the “National Herald” and “Kathimerini”, the Ecumenical Patriarch has…

Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, addressed the opening of a two-day seminar on the issue of “Ecclesiastical Diplomacy”, which began in Athens son Thursday at the foreign ministry.  Referring to issue of the seminar, Ieronymos emphasized the importance of ecclesiastical diplomacy, which he said is better described as “inter-ecclesiastic relations…

A closely watched meeting of the Church of Greece’s standing Holy Synod is scheduled for next week. According to reports by the Orthodoxia news agency, members of a committee of dialogue tasked with holding talks with the relevant education ministry will be present. Church hierarchs are expected to discuss a multi-page “implementation plan” submitted by…

His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, celebrates Thursday his 79th Birthday. The Patriarch was born on February 29, 1940, and in the non-leap years, he is used to celebrating his birthday on February 28. Born Demetrios Archondonis on 29 February 1940 on the island of Imvros (today, Gökçeada, Turkey), His All-Holiness…

  His Most Divine All Holiness, Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, will visit the United States in July, following an invitation by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. His All Holiness will address a conference on the environment. According to reports by the “National Herald” and “Kathimerini”, the Ecumenical Patriarch…

  Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, addressed the opening of a two-day seminar on the issue of “Ecclesiastical Diplomacy”, which began in Athens son Thursday at the foreign ministry. Referring to issue of the seminar, Ieronymos emphasized the importance of ecclesiastical diplomacy, which he said is better described as “inter-ecclesiastic…

  A closely watched meeting of the Church of Greece’s standing Holy Synod is scheduled for next week. According to reports by the Orthodoxia news agency, members of a committee of dialogue tasked with holding talks with the relevant education ministry will be present. Church hierarchs are expected to discuss a multi-page “implementation plan” submitted…