Ein Brand hat am 11. Mai die Basilika Mariä Himmelfahrt in Budslau, ein Nationalheiligtum der römisch-katholischen Kirche in Belarus, schwer beschädigt. Dabei wurde das Dach über dem Hauptschiff vollständig zerstört und stürzte ein. Die Löscharbeiten des am frühen Morgen entdeckten Feuers dauerten mehrere Stunden.

Zwei Theater in der tschechischen Stadt Brno müssen sich nicht beim Prager Erzbischof Dominik Kardinal Duka für kontroverse Inszenierungen entschuldigen. Der Oberste Gerichtshof der Tschechischen Republik bestätigte in dritter und letzter Instanz zwei vorangegangene Richterentscheide und wies Dukas Berufungsklage ab, wie tschechische Medien berichten. Bei den Theateraufführungen, die 2018 für einen öffentlichen Eklat gesorgt hatten, habe es sich weder um eine Diskriminierung von Christen noch...

Der ungarische Regierungschef Viktor Orbán hat sich in einem Interview ausführlich zu den Themen Liberalismus und Christdemokratie geäußert. Aufgabe christdemokratischer Politik sei „nicht die Beschützung kirchlicher Prinzipien“, weshalb er einen Ausdruck wie „politisches Christentum“ nicht benutze, sagte Orbán dem konservativen slowakischen Onlineportal Postoj (5. Mai). Die „zentralste Schlüsselfrage unseres Seins, ob wir erlöst oder verloren sein werden“, sei „keine politische Frage, obwohl...

The Transcarpathian Greek Catholic Union, named after Ivan Margytych, appealed to the pope to facilitate the reunification of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and remove from the leadership of the diocese those who oppose such unity. This is stated in a letter that the faithful of Transcarpathia sent to the Ecumenical Bishop, reports ZakarpattiaOnline. We submit the full text of the document: To His Holiness the Ecumenical Bishop Francis, the ...

On April 20, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece unanimously decided that all parishes were to celebrate Pascha several hours early, beginning no later than 9:00 PM on Holy Saturday evening, in order to accommodate the state-ordered curfew. The move proved controversial. While many welcomed the measure, as it allowed them to celebrate Pascha as opposed to last year, others argued that it is impermissible to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection before Sunday. At least a handful of pri...

The Synod of the UOC-MP instructed the Kyiv Theological Academy, with the participation of representatives of local churches, to hold events dedicated to the theological and canonical understanding of the principle of conciliarity and the issue of primacy in the Orthodox Church. This is reported by the Information and Educational Department of the UOC-MP. They plan to hold such a discussion this year. The Moscow Patriarchate claims that the Ecumenical Patriarch allegedly violated the princi...

An event was held on May 11 dedicated to the cultural-monastic landscape of Vânători-Neamț and the proposal to include the monasteries in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Vânători-Neamț is a commune in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania. The area includes 6 large monasteries, including the famous Neamț Monastery, and 10 dependent hermitages, with about 1,000 monastics. Between all the monasteries and churches in the area, there are 40 altars where the Holy Mysteries are served, which is u...

The Russian Orthodox Church has a strong presence in prisons throughout the country, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said in a video message at the opening of the 29th International Educational Readings in Moscow on May 17. According to the statistics brought forth by the Russian primate, there are more than 640 churches and chapels and more than 390 prayer rooms in penitentiary institutions. “Another 40 churches are under construction,” His Holiness added, reports the press service of the Russ...

After several months of lockdown restrictions, Mt. Athos is finally open to pilgrims again, starting May 11. The decision to reopen the Holy Mountain was made by the Sacred Community—the governing body of Mt. Athos, consisting of one representative from each of the 20 ruling monasteries, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency. The number of pilgrims allowed on the Mountain at one time will be strictly limited: Each monastery may issue 10 diamontirions (a visa-like document needed to enter the Hol...