News

27.11.2009 18:45:00

Patriarch Kirill suggests introducing term "a Russian world country"

Moscow. A new term could be introduced which would denote a community of the countries united by the Russian culture, said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

«The term 'a Russian world country' could be introduced into usage. It would mean that a country sees itself as part of the Russian world, if it uses Russian as the language of international communication, promotes the Russian culture, and preserves the general historical memory,» Patriarch Kirill said at the opening of the 3rd Russian World Assembly in Moscow on Tuesday.

Today the nations inhabiting the area of the historical Rus should «realize their being part of the same civilization and see the Russian world as their common supranational project,» the Patriarch said.

Read more

25.11.2009 22:42:00

MP Threatens To Break Ties with the EKD over Female Bishop as Head of the German Body

Dialogue between the MP and the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of Germany (EKD) was amicable for 50 years. In fact, the two churches are planning to celebrate this long relationship in late November. However, that celebration will be the last official contact between the two religious groups, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. The election of a divorced female as the head of the EKD outrages many clergy in the MP. The Orthodox Church does not allow women to become priests, let alone take on leadership roles. Rev Georgy Zavershinsky noted that this election now makes dialogue between the two churches impossible. «A female bishop is a contradiction of evangelical principles», Fr Georgy said. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all the Russias still has to rule on the matter. Conservative members of the MP support threats to ostracise German Protestants [over this matter]. Russian Orthodox priest Alexander Prilutski called the election of a woman [as the presiding bishop of the EKD] a «sign of crisis in Western society».

Read more

18.11.2009 18:39:00

Meetings of the European Episcopal Commission for Media to take place in the Vatican

Over 100 participants, including bishops, who are responsible for the means of public communication of the European Episcopal Conferences, press secretaries and representatives of Episcopal Conferences, and also representatives of popular Internet social service sites, like the multilingual network encyclopedia Wikipedia, the video service YouTube, the social network site FaceBook, and others, are meeting in the Vatican during the Plenary Assembly of the European Episcopal Commission for Media, which will be conducted from November 12 to 15, 2009. The commission is part of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences and gathers every three years.

Read more

15.11.2009 18:34:00

Serbian Orthodox patriarch dies

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, has died in Belgrade, the Church has announced.
The patriarch, 95, became leader of the Church in 1990. He was admitted to the city's military hospital two years ago.
Though he reportedly suffered from heart and lung conditions, the Church did not specify the cause of death.
Most of Serbia's population of seven million people are Orthodox Christians. President Boris Tadic said this was «an irredeemable death» for the nation. 
Bells tolled from Serbian churches, as the government announced three days of mourning, beginning on Monday.

The Church's highest body, the Holy Synod, may announce as early as Monday when a new patriarch will be chosen — usually after at least 40 days.

Read more

14.11.2009 19:30:00

Russian Archbishop Comments on Catholic-Orthodox Relations

MOSCOW. According to an Interfax report of November 12, 2009, Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk of the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of the Department for External Church Relations, said that relations between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches are improving and a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, may be on the cards.

«Today it can be said that we are moving to a moment when it will be possible to prepare a meeting between the pope and the Patriarch of Moscow,» Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, told reporters in Moscow.

Read more

14.11.2009 18:27:00

President Meets Patriarch Lubomyr Husar

President Viktor Yushchenko met with the major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar).

During the meeting they discussed the current state of church-state relations. The president of Ukraine stressed the importance of improving inter-denominational relations in Ukraine and expressed readiness to promote constructive undertakings in this direction.

Patriarch Husar informed the president on the preparations for the next Synod of the Greek Catholic Church, which will be held later this month.

14.11.2009 18:21:00

“The Argument that Autocephaly in Ukraine is Impossible Because Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus Constitute One Indivisible Spiritual Space Is Powerless if We Take into Account the History and Modern System of the Orthodox Church”

Interview with Archimandrite Job (Getcha), Doctor of Theology, clergyman of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the significance of the primacy of Constantinople, world inter-Orthodox relations, and the issue of Ukraine

Archimandrite Job (Getcha) is a member of the Kyivan Religious-philosophical society, Society of Eastern Liturgy, Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and the Orthodox-Catholic Work Team of St. Hereneus, a professor at the Catholic and Orthodox institutions. A year ago he was the only Ukrainian member of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate during the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Ukraine. The archimandrite is well acquainted with the relations between the world Orthodox centers, is familiar with the state of affairs of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, and supports it from the depth of his heart. Therefore, RISU editors approached him with a few urgent questions.

Read more

13.11.2009 18:09:00

Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church

The eleventh meeting of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church took place in Paphos, Cyprus, a city with a rich history, having received three Apostles, Paul, Barnabas and Mark. The meeting took place from 16-23 October 2009, generously and fraternally hosted by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

Twenty Catholic members were present; several more were unable to attend. All the Orthodox Churches, with the exception of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, were represented, namely the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Serbia, the Patriarchate of Romania, the Patriarchate of Georgia, the Church of Cyprus, the Church of Greece, the Church of Poland, the Church of Albania and the Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia.

Read more