Orthodox Churches

The Patriarch of Alexandria in the Land of Blood Diamonds

Late on the afternoon of Thursday 8th November 2018, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Arica arrived in the country of the blood diamonds, Sierra Leone, accompanied by Archimandrite Athanasios Kayembe. At the airport His Beatitude was welcomed by the local Metropolitan His Eminence George of Guinea, the Ambassador of Egypt, the Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Guinea Fr. Themistocles Adamopoulos, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Holy Clergy of Sierra Leone.

12th enthronement anniversary of Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus

On 12 November 2018 His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, celebrates the 12th enthronement anniversary.

He was born in Tala village, Paphos. At the age of 10 he lost his father and two years later, after finishing his elementary education, he joined the monastery of Ayios Neophytos in Paphos. He also attended Paphos Gymnasium, graduating in 1963. On 3 November, of the same year, he was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Trimithounda, Georgios.

Divine services to be celebrated at the historical church in Istanbul

On 11 November 2018, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen the Equal-to-the-Apostles, located in the territory of the summer residence of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul, by Rev. Georgy Sergeyev, appointed acting rector of the church by the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

The first in the years of war wedding ceremony was held in Damascus

On 11 November 2018, the Divine Liturgy and the Sacrament of Marriage were celebrated at the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus by Hegumen Arseniy (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.

10th anniversary of consecration of Russian church in Havana celebrated in Cuba

On 1-6 November 2018, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Archbishop Antony of Vienna and Budapest, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad, visited Cuba. The visit was timed to the celebrations marking the 10^th anniversary of consecration of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Havana. The archpastor was accompanied by Deacon Sergy Kalashnikov, a staff member of the Administration for Institutions Abroad.

Three Ukrainian churches vandalized

Provocative graffiti appeared around three Ukrainian Orthodox churches in Lvov over the weekend, accusing the clergy and faithful of the canonical Church of being agents of the Russian government, reports the Ukrainian site Capital.

As the site reports, the Lvov city branch of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists “gleefully” reported the news on their Facebook page, calling the parishes of the canonical Church “so-called ‘churches’” and referring to the perpetrators as “patriots.”

Statement on the Recent Attack in Thousand Oaks, California

Deeply saddened and profoundly concerned, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America condemns the heinous and murderous shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California.

Regrettably, it has become all too common for peace to be broken by bloodshed. Nearly one year ago, after the horrific shooting in Las Vegas, we stated, “we witness one more egregious act of hatred and terror. Unfortunately, such sights have become all too familiar in our society; they are the antithesis of love and the worst example for our children of what mankind can be. We are called to rise up in witness of a love that conquers fear and hatred, and to bear witness before society and all civil authorities of the need to eliminate violence.” We are distraught that today the opposite is manifest, and, in this case, even some of the same people were re-victimized.