(Radio Free Europe, www.rferl.org, 5. September 2019) A court in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, convicted four people on September 4 for planning terrorist attacks on international peacekeepers, Orthodox churches, and night clubs as well as abroad in France and Belgium. They were handed prison terms ranging from one to 10 years. Two others were ordered to serve shorter terms for failing to inform authorities of the conspiracy. In October, the four were charged with planning attacks on NATO troops…

Am alljährlichen Jugendfestival in Međugorje haben dieses Jahr erstmals hohe Vertreter aus dem Vatikan teilgenommen. So feierte der Generalvikar von Rom, Kardinal Angelo de Donatis, mit den über 50‘000 Jugendlichen den Eröffnungsgottesdienst und übermittelte dabei Grüße und Segenswünsche von Papst Franziskus. Ebenfalls anwesend waren die Kurienerzbischöfe Rino Fisichella, Präsident des Päpstlichen Rates für die Förderung der Neuevangelisierung, und Jose Rodriguez Carballo, Sekretär der Kongrega…

In a study of „Gallup International“ done on the occasion 30 years of the onset of political changes in the country shows that the institution with the highest level of trust among Bulgarian citizens is precisely the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. After brief fluctuations, after the election of Patriarch Neophyte in 2013, church confidence remains at levels between 40 and 50% and is generally lasting higher than mistrust. Gallup points out that the activities of sects, the role of atheist governme…

His Beatitude Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, the current primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, celebrates Friday his 27th enthronement anniversary. His Beatitude Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, was born on November 4, 1929, in Piraeus, Greece. Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) Professor of History of Religions (1972-92) and Dean of the Theological Faculty of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1983-86). B.D. and Th.D. (with…

Albania’s old Orthodox churches, forgotten and abandoned for many decades because of the religious persecution by the atheist state, are being restored by both the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Institute of Cultural Monuments in Albania. The interest of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, in this direction is continuous, substantial and effective. Although restoration work is difficult in many cases, experts point out that the restoration of the temples is still possible…

His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama consecrated a newly built church at the hut of the Annunciation at Lakkoskiti in honour of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos. This is the first church serving a Romanian community on the Holy Mount to be dedicated to St Paisios. The consecration ceremony took place on July 25, the feast day of St Paisios according to the unrevised Julian calendar. The church was also offered a second Patron Saint, the holy and righteous King David. Weiterlesen auf basilica…

A group of tech-savvy Romanians are currently testing Sotiras, a new social platform that could be an Orthodox alternative to Facebook. Their initiative has the blessing of the Romanian monks from the Annunciation Kellia of the Romanian Lakkoskete on Mount Athos. The new social networking website ‘aims at promoting beauty, normality, and Christian values’, reads a statement of the founders published by Marturie Athonita. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (22. August 2019)

Die Hl. Synode der Griechischen Orthodoxen Kirche hat entschieden, einen kirchlichen „Tag des ungeborenen Kindes“ einzuführen. Der Tag soll jeweils am Sonntag nach Weihnachten gefeiert werden. In der Bekanntmachung heißt es, der Beschluss solle Kinder schützen und dazu beitragen, das demografische Problem des Landes zu beheben. In einem Vortrag in Athen hatte Metropolit Ignatios (Georgakopoulos) von Dimitrias 2017 geschätzt, dass die griechische Bevölkerung in den nächsten 20 Jahren um eine hal…

MP Daniel Gheorghe has submitted a draft law to parliament that declares August 16 an official Remembrance Day of the Holy Brancoveanu Martyrs and a National Day of Awareness of Violence against Christians. If the draft law will be approved by the Parliament, the following buildings will be illuminated in red on August 16, between 20:00 and 24:00: the Romanian Parliament, the Government of Romania, the central and local public authorities, the Arc de Triomphe and the Mogosoaia Palace. The bill…

Der neue griechisch-orthodoxe Erzbischof von Thyateira und Großbritannien, Nikitas (Loulias), ist in der Londoner Hagia Sophia-Kathedrale feierlich in sein Amt eingeführt worden. Mit Erzbischof Nikitas sind jetzt die neuen geistlichen Oberhäupter aller drei englischsprachigen Erzeparchien des Ökumenischen Patriarchats von Konstantinopel – außer Großbritannien auch Australien und Nordamerika – installiert. Bei der Liturgie zur Amtseinführung von Erzbischof Nikitas in London hatte – in Vertretung…

As Pravoslavie.ru reports, extremely rare footage from Mount Athos, shot in 1917 and 1918, has recently come to light online. The video is hosted on the YouTube channel “Mount Athos Film Archive / Αγιορειτική Ταινιοθήκη”, which was created not long ago. The first part of the video actually contains footage of the famous Greek monastery of the Great Meteoron, part of the larger Meteora complex, which is not located on Athos, but in the mountains overlooking the legendary plains of Thessaly. The…

COMMUNIQUÉ oft he 22nd Church Assembly-Sabor of the Serbian Orthodox Dioceses in the United States of America, July 13-16, 2019: 800 Years of the Autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church: Endowed by God, Treasured by the People: The hierarchs, clergy and delegates representing parishes and diocesan bodies from the three Dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States of America met July 13-16, 2019 at New Gracanica Monastery in Third Lake, Illinois and St. Sava Monastery in Liber…

Die neue konservative Regierung Griechenlands hat sich von dem Plan der Vorgängerregierung verabschiedet, Kirche und Staat stärker voneinander zu trennen. Ministerpräsident Kyriakos Mitsotakis versicherte Erzbischof Hieronymos (Liapis) von Athen, die entsprechenden Art. 3 und 13 in der griechischen Verfassung nicht zu ändern. Er freue sich auf eine „sehr effektive Kooperation“ mit dem Erzbischof. Viele Fragen müssten angesprochen werden, aber „immer in gutem Glauben“ und in Respekt vor den betr…

The faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro are raising their voices against a draft law that threatens to seize property from the Church. Thousands attended a Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro, in mid-June to show their support for the rights of the persecuted canonical Serbian Church, in protest of the bill. The Church has also been collecting signatures for a petition against the bill at its parishes throughout the country…

Meeting at Valaam Monastery, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement concerning the present persecution and legal threat against the Serbian Orthodox Church on the territory of Montenegro, reports Patriarchia.ru. In May, the Montenegrin Cabinet approved a draft law according to which, “All religious buildings that were property of the State of Montenegro before the loss of its independence and merging into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, and which sub…

Mit der Einschätzung, welche die Venedig-Kommission zum Entwurf eines neuen Religionsgesetzes in Montenegro abgegeben hat, sind sowohl die montenegrinische Regierung als auch die Serbische Orthodoxe Kirche (SOK) zufrieden. Die Kommission, ein juristisches Beratungsorgan des Europarats, beurteilte den Gesetzesentwurf als Schritt nach vorn, rief die Regierung aber auch zu Konsultationen mit der Öffentlichkeit, inklusive Vertretern der Religionsgemeinschaften, auf.

Eine Geste von außerordentlicher ökumenischer Bedeutung hat Papst Franziskus beim jüngsten Rom-Besuch einer Delegation des orthodoxen Ökumenischen Patriarchats von Konstantinopel gesetzt. Wie die Stiftung Pro Oriente und das Portal Vatican News berichteten, überreichte der Papst dem Leiter der orthodoxen Delegation beim römischen Patronatsfest Peter und Paul, Erzbischof Job (Getcha), im Vatikan ein Reliquiar mit Reliquien des Apostels Petrus. Seit vielen Jahrhunderten pilgern Christen aus aller…

The Albanian Orthodox Church issued a statement on June 24 condemning the misuse of Orthodox churches for political electioneering. “In recent days, in two cases, in the pre-election campaign, there has been an unacceptable use of ecclesiastical premises for political purposes,” the statement published on the Church’s official website reads. “The use of the inner church premises for political activities in election campaigns constitutes an insult to community and institutional religious feeling…

The Bulgarian church will add Georgia to a list of pilgrimage destinations, including countries the local church advises its parish to visit, the Georgian parliament reports. The step will encourage religious tourism in Georgia and increase interest in Georgian holy sites, the parliament’s press office stated after the meeting of Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze with Bulgarian Patriarch Neofit yesterday. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (19. Juni 2019)

The Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia was built in honor of the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War in 1877-1878 that liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke and was thus named in honor of the great Russian prince and warrior. Now, the monument to brotherhood and common faith will again see Bulgarian-Russian cooperation. Specialists in the conservation and restoration of frescoes from the Russian Ministry of Culture recently visited St. Alexander…