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Old December 26th, 2020 #121
Alex Him
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Archpriest Andrei Novikov: crocodile tears of Phanar hierarch



17 December 2020 - 09:40







On the 28th of November 2020, at his Phanar residence in Istanbul, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople delivered a sermon marking the Holodomor Remembrance Day commemorated by the Ukrainian state. In his speech, Bartholomew voiced an extremely tendentious interpretation of the dreadful 1932–33 famine as “genocide” of the Ukrainian people, which is in line with the position of the biased Ukrainian nationalistic historians: “The goal of the Great Famine in Ukraine was to kill from seven to ten millions of the pious Ukrainians during the most horrible years of the Soviet regime, from 1932 to 1933… The Ukrainian term Holodomor refers to the man-made famine which was a part of the diabolic plan of the Stalinist system aimed at carrying out genocide of a particularly devout people in order to eradicate Christian faith and the Orthodox Church, while… the Ukrainian people had been blessed by an abundant harvest of grain and other crops. As human beings were starving, the Soviet regime was exporting their grain crops, creating an illusion that Ukraine was a prosperous country.”

Of course, one would find it hard to disagree with the assertion that the 1932–33 famine was a part of the Stalinist system’s plan (yet, why just Stalinist – Bolshevist in general), that the blow fell on one of the most pious social stratum, peasantry, that the Soviet regime continued, in spite of the mass mortality from starvation among the population of its own country, to export grain crops, and that the regime liked creating abroad an illusion about itself.

However, having told a part of the truth, Patriarch Bartholomew blends it with a fabrication. As is clearly evidenced by widely available facts, the famine of the early 1930s, man-made and instigated by the Soviet authorities, was aimed not against the ethnic group of Ukrainians or Ukraine as a national and territorial unit within the Soviet Union, but against the country’s peasantry as a whole, which the regime considered to be the backbone of the old Orthodox Russia and the major factor of opposition to the Marxist reforms. By continuing to export grain crops the theomachist rulers did not, certainly, mean to destroy the Ukrainian nationality; what they had in mind was profit in foreign currency, so precious to them. And, needless to say, the Soviet propaganda tried to create an illusion about the whole USSR thriving, not just Ukraine. It is easy to verify by examining articles published in the Soviet press or propaganda posters of the time.

The numbers, which actual historians working with archives, and not propagandists, refer to, indicate that the 1932–33 famine caused by the Bolshevists was not the genocide directed against Ukraine in particular. Prof. N.A. Ivnitsky, Doctor of History, an outstanding expert in the history of collectivization and dekulakization of the Soviet village, who is widely acknowledged in Russia and abroad, presents the following data: “The famine of 1932–33 struck a vast territory of the Soviet Union with the population of over 50 million people, including Ukraine, the North Caucasus, Kazakhstan, the Volga Region, southern districts of the Central Black Earth Region and the Ural, Western Siberia and partly other USSR regions… At an approximate estimate, in 1932–33 some 7 million people died from starvation and related diseases, including from 3 to 3,5 million people in Ukraine, at least 1 million people in the North Caucasus, 1,3 million people in Kazakhstan, and over 1 million people in the Volga Region, the Central Black Earth Region in the Ural and Western Siberia; some 7 million people in total”[1]. As for the percentage of the victims among the peasantry population, the tragedy was even more terrible for Kazakhstan and the Volga Region. “The comparative analysis of the materials of the censuses conducted in 1926 and 1937 demonstrates the following rural population decrease in the USSR regions which the famine struck in 1932–33: by 30,9% in Kazakhstan, by 23% in the Volga Region, by 20,5% in Ukraine, and by 20,4% in the North Caucasus,” Prof. V.V. Kondrashin writes[2].

In his article “The Famine of 1932–33 in Villages of the Volga Region”[3], Prof. Kondrashin points to the horrifying scope of the famine in the Volga Region, in particular. He mentions names of the villages and entire collective farms in the Volga Region where almost all residents perished and presents a shocking list of numerous settlements, in which cases of cannibalism were officially reported (and in how many villages such cases went unreported?!). In the memory of peasants in the Saratov and Penza regions for a long time there lived the following chastushka (ditty): “In the year thirty-three all the goosefoot plants were eaten. Swollen arms and swollen legs, people died, with hunger beaten.”

The aforementioned Prof. Ivnitsky, who was born in the Belgorod Region in Russia, experienced first-hand the famine of the 1930s. His father, a poor Russian peasant, was arrested and, sentenced by the OGPU troika (three officials of the Unified State Political Directorate), was sent to the White Sea–Baltic Corrective Labour Camp. His mother was left destitute, with two small children. “I was an eyewitness of how the forced collectivization and savage dekulakization were carried out in 1930–31, and I myself suffered in full measure from the 1932–33 famine. Our whole family swelled because of starvation, and my mother was taken to hospital and only by chance did not die. But we saw our fellow villagers (south of the Central Black Earth Region) and refugees from Ukraine and the North Caucasus perishing,” Prof. Ivnitsky recalls[4].

Unlike Patriarch Bartholomew, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia knows by his own experience about the sufferings of the Russian people in 1932–33. When his grandfather, a confessor of Orthodoxy, was sentenced to many years’ imprisonment in labour camps, the family, which lived in the Volga Region, suffered to the full extent from the horrors of starvation. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill recalled: “So, when not a gram of flour was left in the house, in the evening my grandmother baked bread for seven children, gave it to them and said, ‘Children, we have nothing left to eat for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will start dying.’ And at night something happened which I as a believer call miracle. There was a tap on the window, and my grandmother heard a voice saying, ‘Missus, come out and take the goods.’ She went out and saw no one, but next to the door there was a sack of flour. That sack of flour saved my family and gave me an opportunity to be born” [5].

The Russian Orthodox Church prayerfully commemorates victims of the 1932–33 famine instigated by the theomachist authorities. It swept down on the Russian Church’s, not Phanar’s, canonical territory. Among those who died in torment during that famine were great many clergymen and church workers of the Russian Church, as well as millions of its laypeople. However, while commemorating these victims, our Church does not permit itself to play politics on their blood – does not permit, precisely because preserves their memory.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, whose words stand in striking contrast to Bartholomew’s bilious politicized attacks, said as far back as 2008: “The famine – terrible starvation caused by absolutely concrete political reasons and exacerbated by natural cataclysms – resulted in the death of great many people in Ukraine, in the Volga Region, in the North Caucasus, in the Southern Ural, in Western Siberia, in Kazakhstan. It was a calamity that affected all our peoples who at the time lived in one country. Therefore, it is by no means surprising that we pray for innocent victims, commemorating those who died. And while commemorating them, we at the same time pray that no such thing may ever happen again, that no such events from our history may ever be seen as a barrier to fraternal communion, that no historiosophy which incites hatred between brothers may ever spring from these tragic circumstances of our history. Together we should pray and work so that our world become a better place, our peoples live a better life, and innocent victims do not ever pass away unto God in peacetime” [6].

The Russian Orthodox Church’s position, conforming to the historical reality, instead of the nationalistic doctrines created in order to cause division between the Orthodox nations, was also voiced by the chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Legoyda, who said in 2009: “The forced mass famine of 1932–33 in the Soviet Union struck not only Ukraine, but also the Volga Region, the North Caucasus, the Southern Ural, Western Siberia, and Kazakhstan. Starvation did not choose among people who spoke different languages – the Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian… It ruined the lives of millions of people who lived in the Soviet Union, bringing many of them to the grave. The Church calls upon the faithful to actively preserve in their hearts the memory of all these victims. In their homilies bishops and priests of our Church often say that the best we can do for our deceased loved ones is to pray for them. Not speeches, not rallies, not despondency, not desperation, but prayer is the best tribute to someone’s memory. Speaking of what happened at that time, the Church often reminds people: millions of deaths by starvation is the price paid for an attempt to create a paradise on earth without God. We see a lesson in this – a terrible lesson that became important in the scope of the entire Slavic civilization. Largely for this reason, our Church believes that any attempt to politicize the situation with the mass starvation (to accuse Russia as the USSR’s successor state of the genocide of the Ukrainian people) is inadmissible and in some sense blasphemous. One must not be allowed to use the human tragedy as a political instrument for achieving tactical goals. It profanes everything that people associate with those events: sorrow, pain, memory, prayer… Politics are a transient thing. And what occurred in the Soviet Union back in 1932–33 is more than politics” [7].

The very terms Holodomor and “genocide” in relation to the great famine of 1932–33 were first used by radical nationalistic Western Ukraine’s immigrants in the USA and Canada who were sympathetic to Nazism and often collaborated with it. These terms were and still are used in the narrow political, propaganda way. It has to be stated with regret that among those involved in this political propaganda campaign, based on falsehood and manipulations, is Patriarch Bartholomew who is personally responsible for the attempt to legitimize the schism which creates disastrous division between the fraternal Orthodox nations and Churches and pits consanguineous fellow-believers in Christ against each other. For many years Bartholomew was not at all concerned about the topic of the 1930s famine. Yet, as soon as it became politically expedient, the head of the Phanar seized the opportunity to profiteer on someone else’s sorrow, on the greatest tragedy and pain of the peoples of the former USSR, emphasizing the sufferings of some and ignoring the adversities of others. The words about “genocide” sound especially cynical as coming from the man who himself got actively involved in the efforts directed against the canonical Ukrainian Church and, therefore, the majority of the Orthodox population of Ukraine, who associated himself with the regime which unleashed repressions and war against its own citizens refusing to submit to the lawlessness.

Frequently and untimely, Patriarch Bartholomew likes to speak about the “history” which, according to him, is to become a “judge” for everyone who disagrees with him. However, being deeply immersed in the dubious game of politics, he might have forgotten about the One Whom an Orthodox clergyman must remember above all – the true and unprejudiced Judge. It is to Him that everyone will inevitably have to give an account.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5736681.html






Syrian children receive presents from Russia on St. Nicholas commemoration day



20 December 2020 - 13:42







On 19th December 2020, commemoration day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a party for children was held at the premises of the Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church of Antioch. The party was organized with the assistance of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus, the All-Russia Public Organization of Veterans “Battle Brotherhood”, the Embassy of Russia in Syria, the Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides, and the Russian Center for Science and Culture.

Refugee children from Zabadani received presents from Russia. Among those who sent the presents were parishioners of the Moscow Resurrection Church in Uspensky Vrazhek who are patrons of the Sunday schools of the Orthodox Church of Antioch. Zabadani was in the hands of terrorists for several years and is coming back to a peaceful life. Russia is restoring a church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God in the city.

Bishop Ephrem of Seleucia, a vicar of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, thanked the guests for making the day for children and for their help in erecting Christmas trees at the Patriarchate in Damascus, in the Dormition Church in Zabadani and in several other Syrian towns.

The day before, a Russian party for Sunday school children was held at the Church of the Holy Cross, the largest church of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. Among those having come to congratulate the children were representatives of the “Battle Brotherhood”, servicemen from the Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides, and Mr. Timofei Bokov, cultural attaché of the Russian Embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5739637.html






Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates Divine Liturgy on the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari



20 December 2020 - 14:33







On 19th December 2020, commemoration day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, while on a working visit to Bari, Italy, officiated at the Divine Liturgy in the Basilica of St. Nicholas, on the holy relics of this saint.

Concelebrating with the archpastor were Archpriest Vyacheslav Bachin, rector of the Patriarchal Metochion of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari, and Archimandrite Avgustin (Morozov), rector of the Parish of the Holy Apostle Matthew in Salerno.

After the Litany of Fervent Supplication Metropolitan Hilarion lifted up a prayer read at the time of baneful pestilence.

The Liturgy was followed by a homily, in which the archpastor said, in particular:

“Dear fathers, dear brothers and sisters,

“I wholeheartedly greet you with the commemoration day of St. Nicholas the Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.

“Today once again, like in the previous years, the Lord has gathered us, despite the difficult circumstances, here, in this sacred basilica where the healing relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker have reposed for many centuries.

“He is a saint venerated all over the world, in the East and the West, in the North and the South. In every corner of the earth people turn to St. Nicholas in prayer and miraculously receive assurances that he hears and answers their prayers. I believe that in the life of all those who have assembled here and those who in other places are celebrating the commemoration day of Nicholas the Wonderworker today, there were such occasions which clearly showed St. Nicholas’s presence in our life. These are great miracles and lesser miracles, as well as the occasions when St. Nicholas responds to our supplications pertaining to some mundane matters. There are great many stories of the kind, and were every one of them to be described, “the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (Jn 21:25).

“Our Lord Jesus Christ brought into this world a special mode of holiness. For centuries the saints who were following the path of the Lord’s commandments, looking at His sacred image and imitating Him, became a rule of faith and an image of humility. Fearlessly, they confessed the Orthodox faith. Had heresies emerged, they fought against them; had a schism or other hardships for the Church arisen, they devoted all their energy to defending the unity of the Church. Yet, at the same time they remained meek and humble in the image of the One Who said about Himself: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).

“When coming to our Lord Jesus Christ with a prayer of repentance or thanksgiving, when coming in order to partake of His Holy Mysteries during the Divine Liturgy, we take in the Most Pure Body and the Most Precious Blood of our Lord the Saviour and feel this Divine world entering and filling our hearts.

“When praying to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, we sense his presence in our life. We see him, a rule of faith, an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence, helping us in our life’s journey, in our endeavours. We pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for ourselves and for our beloved ones. We pray to him for our nations and our countries. And in these days and months of hardships for our countries, when many people are ill, when those unable to overcome the disease are dying, when a special ordeal, allowed by God, has befallen the whole of humankind, the whole world, we are praying to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker that He intercede for our salvation and eternal life and entreat the Lord to show His mercy and end this tribulation.

“We pray to the Lord and to the saint pleasing unto Him in supplication that He may preserve us in peace, godliness and purity. We pray to the Lord for the repose of all those who passed away. Every day in the news we hear that more and more people died, and we pray that the Lord may give rest to them with the saints, where sickness and sorrow are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

“Despite all the restrictions and difficulties, the Lord has vouchsafed us to arrive in this holy place today in order to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. We have prayed here not only on our own behalf, but on behalf of all those who wanted to come, but could not do it by force of the circumstances known to us. We have prayed for our relatives and friends, for our peoples, countries and the whole world.

“Now we will go down into the crypt, to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and once again offer him our ardent prayer and ask for his mercy and help in our life’s journey. Let us pray at his relics, entreating him to be our merciful intercessor and to help us overcome all afflictions and temptations of this transient life, and to lead us on the path to the Heavenly Kingdom.”

A prayer service on the saint’s relics followed. Fr. Giovanni Distante, rector of the Basilica of St. Nicholas, greeted Metropolitan Hilarion and presented him with a vessel containing the myrrh from the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Having expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, Metropolitan Hilarion said, “I would like to cordially thank Father Giovanni and the Friars of the Dominican Monastery who for many centuries have cherished the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and in the past decades opened the doors of this church to Orthodox pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and other countries, coming here to venerate the saint held in reverence in the East and the West, in the North and the South. Dear brethren, I would like to wish you the soonest cessation of the ordeal that has befallen all of us.”

That same day Metropolitan Hilarion departed for Moscow.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5739644.html






His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Primate of Orthodox Church in America hold telephone conversation



22 December 2020 - 09:41







On December 21, 2020, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia spoke on the phone with His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.

The Primates exchanged greetings on the occasion of the upcoming feast of the Nativity of Christ, which the Orthodox Church in America will celebrate on December 25, according to the Revised Julian calendar.

During the conversation, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill shared with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon warm memories of his visits to America, including Alaska.

As His Holiness noted, the year 2020 marks a jubilee: fifty years ago, on April 10, 1970, Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Russia, of blessed memory, signed the Tomos of Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill invited His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon to visit Russia when the sanitary and epidemiological situation allows it.

Having expressed condolences over the demise of the former OCA Primate, Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), who fell asleep in the Lord on October 19, 2020, the Primate of the Russian Church shared recollections of his meetings with Metropolitan Theodosius over the years. His Holiness also offered condolences to His Beatitude Tikhon over one more loss that had befallen the Orthodox Church in America: Archbishop David of Sitka and Alaska passed away in November 2020. His Holiness mentioned, in particular, that this hierarch had been among those accompanying His Beatitude Tikhon on his visit to Moscow in 2019.

His Beatitude Tikhon expressed condolences over the demise of Metropolitan Feofan of Kazan and Tatarstan, with whom he had been personally acquainted.

During the conversation, His Holiness Kirill noted with gratitude the position of the Synod of the Orthodox Church in America on the situation in Ukraine.

The Primates discussed how the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in America were coping with the restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Among other issues raised during the conversation was the completion of restoration works at the Church of St.Catherine the Great Martyr in-the-Fields – the OCA Representation in Moscow.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5740567.html






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Patriarchal service on Thursday of the first week of Great Lent. Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow (March 5, 2020)








































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 26th, 2020 #122
Alex Him
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Patriarchal service on Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent. Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow (March 4, 2020)






































































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Patriarchal service on Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (March 4, 2020)































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 30th, 2020 #123
Alex Him
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DECR chairman speaks at on-line conference in defence of African Christians



23 December 2020 - 11:17







On 22nd December 2020, on the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Association for Protection of Religious Freedom, an online conference on the Plight of Christians in Africa took place at the venue of Rossiya Segodnya Media Group.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, opened the conference. In his address he spoke of the large-scale persecutions to which Christians are being subjected in Africa, especially in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia, and emphasized that rendering support to suffering brothers is seen by the Russian Orthodox Church as its historical mission. As Metropolitan Hilarion noted, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia devotes the closest attention to the issue of defending the persecuted Christians, having raised this topic, for instance, at the interfaith summit in Baku on 14th November 2019. “The major goal of this conference is to consolidate efforts of the Christian confessions and international organisations supporting African Christians,” the DECR chairman also said and on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church called upon “all the concerned parties, first of all, Christian Churches and associations, to form an alliance in defence of the persecuted Christians in Africa” in order to render aid, in coordination with local church communities, to the persecuted Christians.

Mr. Sergei Melnikov, president of the Russian Association for Protection of Religious Freedom, supported Metropolitan Hilarion’s proposal and put forward an idea of drawing up the UN convention on the rights of believers.

The participants in the meeting were greeted by His Holiness Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Church, who thanked the organisers of the conference and called for a wider coverage of the persecutions of Christians on the African continent, as the situation has especially worsened there at the time of the pandemic.

Speaking on behalf of the World Council of Churches was Mr. Peter Prove, chairman of the WCC Commission on International Affairs. He shared the WCC’s experience of its work on the African continent and stressed the necessity for regional response to the persecutions of Christians.

Participating in the conference were representatives of the Protestant Churches of Nigeria and the Presbyterian Church in Rwanda.

Among the speakers were also Mufti Albir Krganov, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia; Rev. Igor Kovalevsky, representative of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow; and Presiding Bishop Sergei Ryakhovsky of the Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals). They supported the proposal to form the alliance in defence of the African Christians and to draft the convention on the rights of believers.

Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and Mr. Sergei Melnikov acted as moderators of the conference.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5741984.html






Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: Russian Church has called for alliance in defence of African Christians



23 December 2020 - 11:30







Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, spoke at an international online conference on the Plight of Christians in Africa. The text of his address is given below.

Dear fathers, brothers and sisters,

I greet you at an international online conference on the Plight of Christians in Africa and thank the Russian Association for Protection of Religious Freedom and Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency for organising this meeting. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have an opportunity to discuss the topic of great importance.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by large-scale persecutions of Christians in various regions of the world. For a long period, Christians in the Middle East, especially in Syria, were in desperate plight. At some point, there was a threat of total extinction of Christians in that ancient Biblical land. I believe that through concerted efforts we managed to prevent it. Today, peaceful life in Syria is already returning to normal. Thanks to the Russian state and the Russian religious communities, the restoration of the country’s infrastructure, schools, churches and monasteries is under way. Gradually, Christians and other Syrian citizens are coming back home.

Rendering support to suffering brothers is seen by the Russian Orthodox Church as its historical mission. Devoting the closest attention to the issue of defending the persecuted Christians, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia points out that Africa has now become the epicentre of oppression. Almost each and every day our Christian brothers and sisters are being killed and persecuted for their faith there. Meanwhile, in Africa today there is the world’s fastest-growing Christian community. Terrorists’ attacks can break this tendency.

Particularly hard is the plight of Christians residing in the regions south of the Sahara. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in his address at the interfaith summit in Baku on 14th November 2019, noted that Christians in Nigeria were subjected to real genocide, and called upon the world religious leaders to raise their voice in their defence.

Indeed, in Nigeria terrorists are destroying entire Christian villages, persecuting their residents on religious grounds. Only a short time ago, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram terrorist group (banned in the territory of Russia – note), claimed that it had been responsible for the abduction of over 300 schoolboys in Katsina state on 12th December this year. Boko Haram has also announced that Christians should await new bloody attacks on Christmas eve.

Another hotbed of persecutions is in East Africa, namely Somalia, Kenya and neighbouring countries. Responsible for the persecutions of Christians there is militant group al-Shabaab. These terrorists’ favourite tactic is to attack intercity buses. During the attacks, they separate Muslims from Christians and kill the latter.

While crushed in the Middle East, ISIS (banned in the territory of Russia – note), has step up its presence in the African countries. Earlier, Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabaab (banned in Russia – note) in Somalia expressed their solidarity with ISIS. Lately, the Islamic State Central Africa Province has been increasingly active, having claimed responsibility for a number of terror attacks and assaults on civilians in the territory of Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Causing concern is the situation of Christians in Algeria, where recently the state has been clearly trying to put Christian communities under stronger pressure. In particular, they are being denied re-registration more frequently now, and security officials are compiling a register containing information about religious affiliation of school teachers.

Ethiopia has also become a new hotbed of persecutions of Christians. Against the background of a political crisis that began in the country in the middle of 2019, the Ethiopian Church and its faithful have been subjected to targeted attacks. Hundreds of Christians fell victim to horrible massacres; thousands of them are now refugees in their own country.

The major goal of this conference is to consolidate efforts of the Christian confessions and international organisations supporting African Christians. We should regularly exchange information on the latest developments and, first and foremost, lay the groundwork for the voice of the suffering African Christians to be heard. At the same time, we need to look at the ways to combine our efforts in implementing joint humanitarian initiatives on the African continent.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation have already taken steps in this direction. For instance, we have put forward a proposal to add the issue of persecution of Christians to the agenda of the Russia–Africa Summit.

On behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church, I would like to call upon all the concerned parties, first of all, Christian Churches and associations, to form an alliance in defence of the persecuted Christians in Africa. I believe that a strong platform for such alliance must be created as the result of today’s discussions.

While exerting humanitarian efforts, the Russian Orthodox Church adheres to the rule, according to which any such actions must be coordinated with local church communities and organisations. One cannot express a wish to help persecuted Christians and at the same time ignore their point of view. I am convinced that we need to follow the same rule in the case of Africa. Only together we will be able to successfully accomplish the task ahead.

Thank you for your attention!




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5739527.html






His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs Holy Synod’s last session in 2020



29 December 2020 - 12:03






On 29th December 2020, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia chaired the last in 2020 session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.





The Primate of the Russian Church participated in the Holy Synod’s session remotely, from the Patriarchal residence in Peredelkino. His Holiness was in the hall where the Holy Synod had historically held its sessions.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addressed the Synod members with an opening speech, presenting the agenda of the meeting.





The list of permanent members of the Holy Synod includes: Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine; Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova; Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, head of the Metropolitan area in the Republic of Kazakhstan; Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the Metropolitan area of Central Asia; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; and Metropolitan Dionisy of Voskresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate.





Invited to participate in the winter sessions (September – February) were Archbishop Aksy of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Kurily; Bishop Yefrem of Borovichi and Pestovo; Bishop Alexy of Buzuluk and Sorochinsk; Bishop Simon of Shakhty and Millerovo; and Bishop Milety of Roslavl and Desnogorsk.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5743808.html






Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church to take place in November 2021



29 December 2020 - 16:57







During the session held on 29th December 2020, the Holy Synod members discussed an issue of convening the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2021 (Minutes No. 103).

According to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church (Chapter III, par. 3), “the Bishops’ Council shall be convened by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (or the Locum Tenens) and the Holy Synod no less than once in four years.” The previous regular Bishops’ Council took place on 29th November – 2nd December 2017.

The Holy Synod resolved to convene the next Bishops’ Council on 15th–18th November 2021.

In preparation for the Bishops’ Council, a plenary session of the Inter-Council Presence will be held from 26th to 28th May 2021.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5743837.html






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Patriarchal service on 29th Sunday after Pentecost in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (December 27, 2020)

























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Patriarchal service on Tuesday of the first week of Great Lent. Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo in Moscow (March 03, 2020)















































































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old December 30th, 2020 #124
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Patriarchal service on Tuesday of the first week of Great Lent. Morning service at the Zachatyevsky Monastery - (March 03, 2020)























































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 16th, 2021 #125
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Christmas Message by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia



6 January 2021 - 09:00







Christmas Message by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church.



Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

From the depths of my heart I congratulate you all on the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Today the Church in heaven and on earth is triumphant as she rejoices at the coming into the world of our Lord and Saviour and lifts up praises and thanksgiving to God for His mercy and love for the human race. It is with spiritual trembling that we listen to the words of the hymn: “Christ is born; glorify Him! Christ comes from heaven; go out to meet Him” (Hirmos for the Canon of the Nativity of Christ). With reverence and hope we set our gaze upon the cave of Bethlehem where the Divine Infant lies wrapped in swaddling clothes in a lowly manger.

Truly, today there has been revealed the great “mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels” (1 Tm 3:16). It is not possible for the human intellect to penetrate the depths of the mystery of the Divine Incarnation. It is not possible to comprehend fully how the One Who is the fount of life for all that exists is now warmed by the breath of animals! The Creator of the universe humbles Himself in taking upon Himself the image of creation. The Son of God becomes the Son of Man! “And ask not how,” St. John Chrysostom exhorts us, “for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He who is, is born; and He who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His” (Homily for the Nativity of our Saviour Jesus Christ).

As we celebrate the world-saving feast of Christ’s Nativity, we contemplate its unsurpassed spiritual meaning and fundamental significance for all of humankind. All of this is true; yet it is also important to grasp the personal dimension which the mystery of the Divine Incarnation has for each one of us, for it is not fortuitous that we turn to the Lord in prayer and call him our Saviour.

We know from experience that we cannot vanquish of our own accord the evil which is within ourselves, no matter how desperately we may try. Sin, which has so deeply smitten the human soul and distorted human nature, is impossible to overcome with spiritual practices and psychological trainings. God alone is capable of healing and restoring all of the human person to his or her original beauty. “For what purpose did God become clothed in human flesh?” asks St. Ephrem the Syrian and answers, “In order that the flesh itself may taste the joy of victory and be filled with and come to know the gifts of grace…, in order that people may ascend to Him as though borne aloft with wings and find comfort in Him alone” (Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, Chapter One). Christ’s incarnation liberates us from slavery to sin and opens up the path to salvation.

“I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness,” the Lord proclaims (Jn 12:46). Like the bright star of Bethlehem, which led the wise men from distant lands of the East to the Divine Infant, we Christians, being true sons and daughters of light (cf. Jn 12:36), are called upon to enlighten this world with the light of faith (cf. Mt 5:14) so that those around us, in seeing the example of our steadfastness and courage, long-suffering and spiritual nobility, magnanimity and unfeigned love for our neighbour, may “glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pt 2:12).

Today, when the peoples of the earth are enduring the arduous trial of a new disease, when peoples’ hearts are overwhelmed by fear and anxiety for the future, it is especially important that we strengthen our collective and individual prayer and offer to the Lord the diligent labours of good works. Many of our brothers and sisters, as a result of the devastating pestilence, no longer enjoy the opportunity of visiting churches. Let us lift up our petitions to the Merciful Lord that He may renew their bodily and spiritual strength, grant the soonest recovery to those who are sick and send down His help to the physicians and all medical workers who with self-sacrifice are doing all they can for peoples’ health and lives.

Let us recall that no problems are ever capable of breaking the human spirit if we retain our living faith and place our hope in God for all things. Let us therefore accept without murmuring the afflictions that have befallen us, for “if I put my trust in Him, He shall be my sanctification: for God is with us” (the Office of Great Compline), as Christ’s Church sings during these holy days of the Nativity. Let us pray that the lowly cave of our life be illumined by the incorruptible light of the Godhead, so that our contrite and humble hearts, like the manger in Bethlehem, accept with reverential awe the Saviour Who has come into the world.

God finds an expanse in the human heart if it is filled with love. “The one who labors in love will live with the angels and will reign with Christ,” St. Ephrem the Syrian tells us (Homily on the virtues and vices, 3). May these holy days of the feast become for us a special time for the accomplishing of good deeds. Let us use this grace-filled opportunity, too, to glorify Jesus Christ, Who is born, by displaying kind-heartedness to our neighbours, by rendering help to the needy, and by comforting the afflicted and, perhaps above all, those who are suffering from the coronavirus infection or its effects.

May the Lord illumine with the light of knowledge of Him the peoples of the earth, may He bless them with peace and may He help each and every one of us to be aware of our special responsibility for the present and future of the planet. May the Divine Infant send down His love and accord into our families and protect our young people and all of us from sin and dangerous errors. Once again, I cordially greet all of you, my dear, with the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ and wish you all good health, unceasing joy and the bountiful aid from God Who is “the true light that enlightens every man… coming into the world” (Jn 1:9). Amen.

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

Moscow
Nativity of Christ
2020/2021




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5732832.html






Patriarch Kirill Gives Christmas Interview to Rossia TV



7 January 2021 - 11:55






On 7th January 2021 on the feast of Christ’s Nativity Rossia TV channel broadcast the traditional Christmas interview of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Kirill. The first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church answered questions put to him by the political analyst of the Russian All-State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and anchorman for Vesti news programme Andrei Kondrashov. The text is published here in a shortened version.



Your Holiness, thank you for this opportunity to conduct this traditional interview with you on the day of Christ’s Nativity.

Thank you.

Allow me to ask you the first question. 2020 was a difficult and unusual year for all of us. What was this? A punishment, a trial? What has been sent down upon us?

It is absolutely right that what we see is called a pandemic. In translation from the Greek the word ‘pandemic’ means ‘the entire people’. Indeed, all people, all of the human race has had to endure this danger. In the past there have been all sorts of epidemics, quite often dangerous ones. For example, the plague in Western Europe – it took the lives of half of the population of Europe, it was a terrible trial, and this is why this epidemic was called a pandemic. Well, today too this word is used in the right context as there is no place we can hide from this disease. In other words, it is quite an extraordinary phenomenon linked to a an extremely dangerous virus, and as such there can be no room for a superficial and cavalier approach to what is happening.

Unfortunately, there is an opinion abroad that this disease is somewhere else, that I won’t catch it. Everyone today is falling ill – people in positions of authority, workers, the unemployed, old-age pensioners and the young, and so each person has to treat this disease in a particular way. And experience – especially the experience of history – has taught us that when society is able to take the appropriate consolidated anti-epidemic measures and use all necessary means, epidemics come to a halt. This was the case even in times of old. Let’s take the epidemic of the seventeenth century – a plague which began in Moscow and which led to terrible consequences. A huge number of priests simply died, there was no one to celebrate the services, churches were closed. Moreover, it was impossible to bury people – it had been forbidden to bury in church cemeteries those who had died of the plague. We can imagine the terrible picture and awfulness and nightmare that Moscow then endured. But Moscow survived it and drew the appropriate conclusions, and these lessons were not only etched in Muscovites’ memories but also were taken on board by the country’s politicians. When in 1837 plague broke out in Odessa, the governor Count Vorontsov and the local archbishop of Chersones and Taurida Gabriel took joint decisions which we are today trying to emulate. I can imagine how archbishop Gabriel felt – at a time when churches played a central role in peoples’ lives – when he ordered churches to be closed. Church buildings were closed for two months and after that access to them was limited: police detachments stood outside every church so that the number of people would not exceed the distance that had to be observed between them. And in addition to this it was not allowed to venerates crosses or icons. All of this has been documented historically and we know that it was sanctioned by the ecclesiastical authorities and supported by the state authorities.

Therefore, the fact that today we have to take anti-pandemic measures which sometimes cause people distress, including pious people, is no innovation. We are simply following in the tracks of our God-fearing ancestors. And as the measures they introduced did not give cause to suspect that the church authorities were acting in order to realize certain undeclared and dangerous aims, so too, I hope, today people trust those instructions which I have had to issue and which are aimed at limiting the chance of infection, including through attendance at worship in church.

Your Holiness, you will recall that during the first wave of the pandemic with your blessing services took place in churches with the minimum number of people present, that is, priests, choir and servitors. In your view, has this not left a negative impression on priests and the faithful? After all, the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church have always been open for everyone and now this?

Let me share with you my own deeply felt experience. For me it was extremely painful and upsetting to have to appeal to people in public via television not to visit God’s churches. All of my life, as I have already stated, has been dedicated to the opposite, that is, to calling upon people to go to church, to bringing people to church and to God. There is no other purpose to my life…

And then this happens…

And indeed, the Patriarch has to say: do not go to church. You know, it was hard not simply morally and spiritually but also physically to say these words. I was helped by the example of St. Mary of Egypt, the great fifth-century ascetic, who retreated to the desert and devoted all her life, decades, to living in the desert without visiting a church, and became a great saint of God. This means that in extraordinary circumstances it is quite possible not to go to church. But what should not be allowed to happen? Non-attendance of church should never weaken our faith, bring down the level of our life in the Church and worse still undermine the moral foundations of the Christian life. If alongside with non-attendance of church we cease to be good Christians or simply stop being Christians, then this is a great sin. But to be patient and wait awhile at a time when attending church could end up with very dangerous consequences for our health is also the duty of every Christian. Christians should look after themselves in order to accomplish future good deeds and to help their neighbour, and in general take care of themselves as this is the unfailing obligation of every person. This is why suicide is an unforgiveable sin. Life and health are a gift of God, and we bear responsibility for this gift. Therefor every act which can destroy human life and undermine peoples’ health – even if this act is prompted by a good, or in this case bad will – is without doubt a sin.

Your Holiness, may I ask you about Belarus as this country is part of the pastoral responsibility of the Russian Orthodox Church? For some time now there was been an uneasy situation between the authorities and part of society. This is now fading away, yet nonetheless some things still remain. The Belarus exarchate has called for an end to the violence and to conduct dialogue. Could you please tell us how the Russian Orthodox Church on the whole reacts towards civil unrest of this sort and how it is possible in Belarus to attain national reconciliations and accord?

Well, firstly, we fully support metropolitan Benjamin, the new head of the exarchate of Belarus and of the Belarussian Orthodox Church and all the Belarussian episcopate who have appealed to the people to stop the violence and go along the path of reconciliation. This appeal was made to everyone. The authorities permitted instances of unjustified violence and excessive use of force; yet on the side of the protesters there have also been instances of radical behaviour.

We have witnessed what happened in Ukraine. The word ‘Maidan’ now has a negative connotation. It is quite evident that the experience of Ukraine should teach all of us that change in society should happen in such a way that it is not accompanied by a growth in internal unrest and especially in the radicalization of relations between people. Indeed, how many revolutions and all sorts of coups have there been and yet where, by whom and by means of violent acts has peace, tranquility and prosperity have ever been achieved for society? After every revolution there is inevitably always a long period of rebuilding. Therefore, we should aim for what is best without destroying that which exists, while at the same time developing for the better, modernizing in the good sense of this word, improving both relations within society and the country as a whole.

This is why the appeal to Belarus, a country close to my heart and with which I have had close links during my time as metropolitan of Smolensk … I am very fond of the people of Belarus; I love the city of Minsk and the cleanliness and order of the region … So, this is why there is this pastoral appeal and pastoral advice: all issues should be resolved peacefully, but if there are issues, then they have to be resolved, and that is why I am appealing to the Belarussian authorities. It is wrong to put on a backburner issues which cause discord and unrest in society. Ways have to found for a wise, business-like discussion of problems with a view to concrete decisions. May God grant that all attempts to resolve these problems in Belarus through violent means will cease and may, through God’s grace, dialogue develop between the authorities and the people, the authorities and society, with the participation of all forces, including the faith communities, aimed at stabilizing the situation and the general growth of fraternal Belarus.

Your Holiness, it is well-known that for a long time now you have been a participant in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan, something you do in conjunction with the religious leaders of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. There has recently been a worsening of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Thank God, our peacekeepers are in place there now. What does the future hold, will there be peace – what do you think?

I personally hope that there will be peace and I go upon the stance taken by the church and religious authorities of both Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan. You are aware that the Russian Orthodox Church initiated discussion of the Karabakh problem with the participation of the Catholicos of All Armenians and with the participation of the Grand Mufti of Azerbaijan Allahshükür Pashazadeh. We conducted several rounds of negotiations and reached agreement upon many things. And I believe that the main result of these negotiations was that the two religious leaders representing a majority of people spoke with each other and that this discussion was very peaceful in the sense that there were no accusations and no tension. Although each had his own arguments, and these arguments were honestly expressed, there was no aggressive grinding of teeth when emotions take over and when dialogue practically degenerates into verbal warfare. Nothing of the sort took place, and this happened because it is the religious leaders who bear in full measure responsibility for the spiritual state of their nation. And what is a spiritual state? Whatever power takes the upper hand – whether it be the power of peace, love and tranquility or the power of evil – will determine too peoples’ behaviour.

This is why the role of religious leaders is important – we of course do not exaggerate it, nor do we underestimate it. And it is true that in the course of these negotiations concrete results were attained – an exchange of prisoners, the refusal to use religious symbols and religious rhetoric or a religious motivation to incite the warring factions. In removing the religious factor from this conflict, we have undoubtedly taken the heat out of it and all that ensues from it. Therefore, without wishing to exaggerate the role of religious leaders, we should in no way ignore this role.

The Church of Russia is also ready to take part in this process in order to make her contribution to peace for the resolution of this very difficult problem which, unfortunately, at the present moment had been halted only by the presence of Russian peacekeepers. May God grant that the peace-keeping potential of religions replace that of those who bear arms to keep the two warring sides apart.

You have already mentioned the Maidan which resulted in a profound split in Ukrainian society. But there then followed a church schism. The Phanar (the Church of Constantinople) of course took advantage of the time and situation… And now we see how deep the schism is within the Church. In general, Your Holiness, do you think it is possible for Orthodox unity be attained and how can this be achieved?

The Phanar did not simply make a mistake, but committed a crime. I say this with a sense of great sadness. The Patriarch of Constantinople did what he did not off the top of his own head and not upon his own say so. I would like to definitely emphasize that he was acting not off the top of his own head or upon his own say so because I have information at my disposal that Patriarch Bartholomew was under pressure from powerful political forces emanating from one of the world superpowers. As we know, his position in Turkey is very complex and difficult. We always pray for the Patriarch of Constantinople being fully aware of how hard it is for him to fulfill his patriarchal ministry. And yet, nonetheless, at a certain moment – I have no desire to teach my brother – but at a certain moment, perhaps, he should have summoned up to strength to say ‘no’ to these political forces. I believe that Patriarch Bartholomew did not say this and was drawn into the conflict. And what was the logic of those who were behind Patriarch Bartholomew, of those who properly speaking stirred up this conflict? The logic was to tear Russia, Orthodox Russia away from her Orthodox brothers and sisters in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Because, as these strategic analysts believe, Orthodoxy has played and continues to play far too big a role in the formation of a spiritual and cultural commonality, and, if these ties between Orthodox Christians are not broken off, it would be impossible to destroy this spiritual commonality by using external factors. So, the intention is quite simple: tear the Russia Church away from the Orthodox Christians of Greece, the Arab world and the Middle East so that Orthodoxy itself would be become weaker.

So, you believe that there will be such attempts in the future?

There will be such attempts in the future. Again, I have no desire to utter criticism towards my brother in Constantinople, but there can be no doubt that what happened afterwards in Constantinople, in Istanbul, is testimony to divine retribution. Patriarch Bartholomew has brought schismatics into the holy Church of Sophia in Kiev and lost the Church of Sophia in Constantinople as it has now become a mosque. I would like people to reflect upon what has happened. You have taken away the Church of St. Sophia in Kiev from Orthodox people, from the Orthodox Church, you have gone there and brought with you schismatics, and then you lost your own Church of St. Sophia… I believe that it is hard to imagine any clearer consequences resulting from God’s command, and these consequences came about rapidly because the sin was too great. Yet we must come out of this together. We have to pray for each other, at least in our personal prayers, if this is now almost impossible in public worship since we no longer commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople in the diptychs. Yet pray for each other we must and do all that which is within our power for this crisis in world Orthodoxy, imposed upon us from without, to be over as quickly as possible. The Russian Church is ready prepared to tread her part of this path in order to achieve this goal.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5746360.html






Representatives of Russian Ecclesiastical Mission congratulate Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem on the Nativity of Christ



8 January 2021 - 13:33







His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem officiated at the solemn divine service at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem on the night of January 7, 2021. Hierarchs and clerics of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem concelebrated. The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission was represented by hieromonk Dometian (Markarian), deputy head of the Mission with the blessing of its head, Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov).

On January 8, Archimandrite Alexander and members of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission attended a traditional reception given at the Great Hall of the Throne of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem along with the Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem Evangelos Vlioras, hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and clerics of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre. There were only some twenty persons attending due to the Covid-19 restrictive measures in Israel.

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem cordially welcomed them and congratulated on the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Representatives of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission congratulated the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, read out the congratulatory address of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and presented His Beatitude with flowers and Christmas gifts.

His Beatitude thanked them and conveyed his warm greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, saying: May the Saviour of the world born in Bethlehem help Your Holiness lead the flock entrusted to your care to the serene harbor of salvation. May the light of the Nativity originated with the Father of lights strengthen you in your primatial ministry to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem asked members of the Mission to convey his greetings to the head of the Russian State. “I would like to greet the Russian President Vladimir Putin, our beloved friend and defender of freedom of Orthodox Christians in his country and in the whole world and wish him the inexhaustible mercies from our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmastide,” Patriarch Theophilos said.

There were only some twenty persons attending due to the Covid-19 restrictive measures in Israel.

Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem cordially welcomed them and congratulated on the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

Representatives of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission congratulated the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, read out the congratulatory address of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and presented His Beatitude with flowers and Christmas gifts.

His Beatitude thanked them and conveyed his warm greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, saying: May the Saviour of the world born in Bethlehem help Your Holiness lead the flock entrusted to your care to the serene harbor of salvation. May the light of the Nativity originated with the Father of lights strengthen you in your primatial ministry to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem asked members of the Mission to convey his greetings to the head of the Russian State. “I would like to greet the Russian President Vladimir Putin, our beloved friend and defender of freedom of Orthodox Christians in his country and in the whole world and wish him the inexhaustible mercies from our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmastide,” Patriarch Theophilos said.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5749545.html






His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s condolences over passenger plane crash in the Java Sea



9 January 2021 - 22:20







His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed condolences to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo, over the Sriwijaya Air passenger plane crash in the Java Sea near Jakarta.



His Excellency Mr. Joko Widodo, President Republic of Indonesia

Your Excellency,

Dear Mr. President,

I was deeply grieved to learn about the crash of the Indonesian passenger plane near Jakarta which claimed the lives of dozens of people who were aboard.

Sharing the pain of this terrible tragedy with the people of Indonesia, I ask to convey my words of sincere compassion and consolation to the relatives and friends of the plane crash victims. May the All-Merciful God give them strength to endure the affliction that has befallen them.

With condolences,

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5748513.html






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Patriarchal Ministry in 2020 (December 31, 2020)



The press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia publishes photos of the service, meetings and trips of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in 2020. - https://foto.patriarchia.ru/news/pat...du-2020-12-31/






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Prayer singing for the New Year in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (December 31, 2020)




















































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Patriarchal service on the eve of the 30th week after Pentecost in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery (January 2, 2021)









__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 16th, 2021 #126
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Patriarchal service on Monday of the first week of Great Lent. Compline with the reading of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (March 2, 2020)








































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Patriarchal service on Monday of the first week of Great Lent. Morning service at the Sretensky Monastery (March 2, 2020) - PART I




























































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 16th, 2021 #127
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Patriarchal service on Monday of the first week of Great Lent. Morning service at the Sretensky Monastery (March 2, 2020) - PART II























































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 22nd, 2021 #128
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DECR chairman meets with chairman of Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee



19 January 2021 - 11:27







On January 18, 2021, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the DECR, met with the chairman of the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee of the Palestinian National Authority (in the rank of minister) Mr. Hussain ash-Sheikh, at the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR).

Participating in the meeting were also, from the Palestinian side, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine Abdel Hafiz Nofal, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Palestinian Embassy Avad Zaul, and from the DECR side, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary or inter-Orthodox relations.

Metropolitan Hilarion warmly welcomed the Palestinian state official to the synodal establishment that maintains the Russian Orthodox Church’s international contacts.

The sides discussed issues of mutual concern.

In the conclusion of the talk, they exchange tokens of the meeting.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5755344.html






Feast of the Baptism of the Lord celebrated in Jerusalem



19 January 2021 - 16:47







On January 19, 2021, the feast of the Holy Theophany – the Baptism of the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, led the solemn divine services at the Church of the Lord’s Sepulcher.

Traditionally on this day, water is blessed in the Catholicon prior to the Divine Liturgy. Then at the Kouvoulion His Beatitude, assisted by the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and clergy of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher, led the celebration of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

After the dismissal, Patriarch Theophilos, accompanied by the clergy, proceeded to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem where he personally congratulated his concelebrants upon the feast. With the blessing of the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), taking part in the celebrations was the treasurer of the Mission, Hieromonk Afanasy (Bukin).

On the same day, festive celebrations took place at the Mission’s church of the Great Martyr Empress Alexandra. They were led by Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov).

Assisted by the Mission members Hegumen Nikon (Golovko), Hieromonk Dometian (Markaryan) and Deacon Iliya Drachuk, the Mission head led the community in celebrating the Divine Liturgy. After it, the clergy sang the festive praise at the icon of the Theophany. Then parishioners partook of the Holy Gifts blessed at the Divine Liturgy and were given the holy water blessed prior to the Divine Liturgy.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5755356.html






The Epiphany is celebrated at the Russian Orthodox Church Representation in Damascus



19 January 2021 - 19:09







On 19th January 2021, the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, hegumen Arseny (Sokolov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of the Waters at the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Damascus.

Praying at the service were H.E. Alexander Yefimov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Syrian Arab Republic; staff member of the Russian Embassy; representatives of the Centre for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria; and Russian Orthodox Christians residing in Damascus and its neighborhood.

A festive tea party followed the office of the Blessing of the Waters.

That same day hegumen Arseny visited a unit of the Russian military police located in the Damascus region, congratulated the servicemen with the feast and celebrated the office of the Blessing of the Waters.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5755352.html






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Patriarchal service on the feast day of St. Peter of Moscow (January 3, 2021)
























__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 24th, 2021 #129
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Patriarchal service on Christmas Eve at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (January 6, 2021)




































































































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 29th, 2021 #130
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Cathedral of Russian Orthodox Church’s diocese of Spain-Portugal included in list of most beautiful churches in Madrid



20 January 2021 - 13:21







Spain’s El Mudo, the most quoted Spanish language mass media newspaper in the world (its website is recognized as the most visited website in Spain), has compiled a list of six the most impressive churches in Madrid. Included in this list, along with historic Catholic churches and cathedrals, is an Orthodox church of modern design – the Cathedral of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles, the cathedral church of the Russian Orthodox Church’s diocese of Spain-Portugal.

Along with the Russian church, the list includes the 18th century royal Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande, the 14th century Monastery of San Jerónimo de Cotalba, the San Ginés church built in the 17th century, the 17th century church of San Antonio de los Alemanes, and the 18th century museum-church of San Antonio de la Florida.

‘In Madrid, there are about one hundred churches and parishes, each remarkable in its own way. We have chosen six the most beautiful churches truly adorning the city, which must be visited’, the website of El Mundo reports.

‘The five cupolas crowning the Russian Orthodox church attracts the attention of everyone who is strolling along Gran Vía de Hortaleza (the street in which the cathedral is located – ed.). The modern white building constructed in the neo-Byzantine style was built in 2013 next to the Casa Rusia cottage and cultural center. Orthodox divine services are celebrated in it. There is also an opportunity to go on an excursion at 17:00 every Saturday’ El Mundo editors prompt.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760722.html






Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations meets for a regular session



21 January 2021 - 21:58







On January 21, 2021, the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of Russia met for a regular session. It was chaired by Mr. A. Vaino, head of the Presidential Administration.

The meeting was attended by religious leaders, experts, officials of the federal executive bodies and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar of the Diocese of Moscow; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations; Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church Education Committee; and Mr. V. Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations.

Mr. V. Legoida, a member of the Council, delivered remarks on the social service carried out by religious communities in the period of difficult and emergency situations. A high assessment was given to the cooperation of the state and religious organizations in implementing social and charitable projects during the pandemic. The Council members also pointed to the importance of vaccination against the coronavirus of a new type.

The meeting also considered the work with the faithful in the Russian Federation Armed Forces. A report on this topic was made by the first deputy head of the Main Political Directorate of the Russian Federation Armed Forces, Mr. A. Tsygankov.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in his remarks, underscored the importance of developing theology. At the proposal of Council members, a decision was made to establish a Council for Developing Theological, Religious and Spiritual-Ethical Education.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760736.html






Members of Interreligious Council in Russia meet with Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, UN Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for Alliance of Civilizations



22 January 2021 - 10:22







On January 21, 2021, the Interreligious Council in Russia (ICR) held an extraordinary session at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations to meet its guest, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). The UN delegation included Mr. Vladimir Kuznetsov, director of the UN Information Center in Moscow, and Mr. Nihal Saad, head of Mr. Moratinos’s office.

The meeting was addressed by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, a member of the ICR Presidium, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR). Speaking on behalf of the Interreligious Council in Russia, he warmly welcomed the UN Under-General Secretary, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.

Metropolitan Hilarion noted that Mr. Maratinos was invited to come to Russia by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parliament members to discuss preparations for a World Conference for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue to take place in May 2022 in Moscow. “I consider as very important”, he emphasized, “the fact that you meet today with heads and representatives of the traditional religious communities in our country, which are members of the Interreligious Council in Russia with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia as its honorary chairman. In Russia, people of various traditional religions and cultures have peacefully co-existed in Russia for many centuries and accumuled a great experience of interreligious dialogue and cooperation”.

The DECR chairman also said, “Representatives of the Church in their speeches at Alliance’s recent forums and meetings with its leaders voiced an important idea: this initiative could be even more successful if it would imply the development of a direct dialogue of religious communities with the world community. In this connection, we have proposed to form a consultative council of religions under the UN aegis. This idea has not lost its relevancy.

This Eminence also expressed a conviction that the preparations for holding a World Conference of parliament leaders and world religious leaders on inter-cultural and interreligious dialogue cannot be held without the participation of heads and representatives of traditional religions and expressed hope that the present meeting contribute to its preparation.

He introduced the guest to the principles of the IRC work, noting, “Throughout the years of its existence the Council has participated in the development of key decisions concerning the state-religions and interreligious relations in our country. It can be stated that the IRC’s work and its decisions have held the mirror up to the most important problems of concern for our society”. It was emphasized that the IRC’s work is based on the principles of direct, equitable and open dialogue: “It excludes debates on theological issues dividing us but is focused on topics of our common interest. Among them is the traditional family morals, protection of the life of unborn children, combat with the spread of the ideology of extremism and many other issues”.

In his remarks, the UN General Under-Secretary, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations stressed, “It is a great honour for me to be with you today. I remember my meeting with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in Baku about a year ago. I promised him that I would come to Moscow and meet with Metropolitan Hilarion and with all of you in order to promote our dialogue”.

Speaking about the World Conference on Interreligious and Interethnic Dialogue to take place next year in Russia, Mr. Moratinos said, “Some will ask: why is it important? What do religious leaders meet with politicians for? It is my conviction that we are living now in a new world, in the world of the 21st century when spirituality is returning. In spite of what Friedrich Nietzsche already said that ‘god is dead’, and it can be noted that the 20th century was secular in both Russia and abroad, religious traditions are now coming back to the world. Even such secular countries as France cannot ignore the fact that there is a religious element in the life of society. Nowadays any political leader is already aware that without religious traditions and people of these traditions it is impossible to establish a peaceful existence of society”.

It is for this reason, the guest believes, the initiative to hold a World Conference on interreligious and interethnic dialogue in Russia is so timely. “I am impressed by the work carried out by the Russian Federation in the process of preparing this conference”, he noted pointing to the importance of the participation of religious leaders in this process.

Making comments on the ideas expressed by Metropolitan Hilarion in his remarks about the need to set up a special consultative council of religious leaders under the UN, Mr. Moratinos expressed the conviction that it could be an excellent initiative for the future of the whole humankind. “As a man who has been working in diplomatic structures for a long time, I can assure you that it will not be an easy process and I can also say that it is not impossible. You can rely on my support in this because I believe that it is necessary. There is a UN Security Council, there is a UN Human Rights Council, just as there should also be a UN Council of Religious Leaders who could meet and make some decisions of their own”, he stated.

In the conclusion of his speech, Mr. Moratinos said, “I would like to point out that there are few countries with such an Interreligious Council as you have in Russia and religious leaders working together. I congratulate you and salute your work”.

Among the speakers was also S. V. Stepashin, chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and chairman of the IRC Committee of Patrons.

Brief remarks were also made by heads and representatives of centralized religious organizations, among them members of the Interreligious Council in Russia: Vice-Chairman of the Moslem Board in Russia Damir Mukhetdinov; Chief Rabbi of Russia Adolf Shayevich (Congress of Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations in Russia); representative of the Central Moslem Board in Moscow Shamil Kadyrgulov; President of Jewish Communities in Russia Alexander Boroda; plenipotentiary representative in Moscow of the Moslem Coordinating Committee in North Caucasus Shafig Pshikhachev. They spoke on such topics as relationships between religious traditions and existence of various ways of civilizational development, as well as preparations for the World Conference on Interreligious and Interethnic dialogue. Every speaker thanked Mr. Moratinos for his help in organizing the summit in May 2022 and recognition of the role played by traditional religions in the life of modern society.

Present at the meeting were also Rev. Dimitry Safonov, DECR secretary for interreligious relations; Mr. E. Zayalov, acting head of the International Organizations Department; and Mr. M. Melekh, head of the Department for Relations with the Federation Constituent Regions, Parliament and Public Organizations.

During the meeting, Mr. Stepashin awarded the Interreligious Council in Russia’s Medal “For Contribution to Fostering Interreligious Peace and Accord” to Sergey Melnikov, chairman of the Russian Association for Protecting Religious Freedom, who was a long-standing executive secretary of the Presidential Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations, and who became the head of the Russian Association for Religious Freedom in August 2020. The IRC award was established in the end of 2019; it is conferred by the unanimous decision of all the members of the organization.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760730.html






Address by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk at a session of the Interreligious Council of Russia attended by Mr. Miguel Moratinos, High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations



22 January 2021 - 10:37







On January 21, 2021, the Interreligious Council in Russia (ICR) held an extraordinary session at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations to meet its guest, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).



Dear participants in the meeting, I am glad to welcome you today to the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

At the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our parliamentarians Mr. Miguel Moratinos, High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, has arrived in Russia to discuss preparations for the World Conference on Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue due to take place in Moscow in May 2022. Dear Mr. Moratinos, allow me to cordially greet you on behalf of the Interreligious Council of Russia.

I know that you have already had fruitful meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, and with the Speaker of the Federation Council, Ms Valentina Matviyenko, as well as with the leadership of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. It seems very important to me that today you are meeting with the heads and leading representatives of our country’s traditional religious communities, who are members of the Interreligious Council of Russia. Chairman Emeritus of this organisation is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. In Russia, representatives of different traditional religions and cultures have peacefully coexisted for many centuries, which helped the country accumulate extensive experience of interfaith dialogue and cooperation.

We immediately expressed our support for an idea to set up the Alliance of Civilizations High-Level Group which since 2005 has been functioning under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, and over the years that followed we have been watching its activities with interest. Speaking at the Alliance Forums and at the meetings with its leadership, the Church representatives have voiced an important thought: this initiative could be even more successful if it implied promoting direct dialogue between religious associations and the world community. In this regard, we proposed to establish an advisory council of religions under the UN auspices. This idea has not lost its relevance. We are convinced that preparations for the international conference on intercultural and interfaith dialogue due to take place in Russia in May 2022 and bring together heads of states, parliamentarians and world religious leaders cannot be carried out without the participation of the heads and representatives of traditional religions. I hope that today’s meeting will make its contribution to the preparatory work.

I would like to say a few words about the Interreligious Council of Russia. The Council was established 23 years ago, in December 1998, by the leaders of our country’s traditional religions – Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. The Council has been successfully providing the opportunity for maintaining interfaith accord and resolving various arising issues that pertain to the dialogue between the religion and the state.

The Interreligious Council of Russia is guided in its activities by the principles of direct, equitable and open dialogue. It leaves out debates on theological issues which divide us, focusing instead on the topics of common interest, such as traditional family morality, protecting the life of unborn children, fighting against the spread of the extremism ideology, and many others.

Since its foundation and to this day, the Interreligious Council of Russia has been actively engaging in working out key decisions in the sphere of state-religious and interfaith relations in our country. We can state that the Council’s activities and statements have reflected the most significant problems and developments which concern our society. It shows that today religious communities play a pivotal role in the life of the country and can make a great contribution to the strengthening of social peace and solidarity.

It is crucially important to us that the leaders of different religions represented in the Council almost always hold the same views on topics under discussion. It enables us to express consolidated position on various public, moral and social issues, while each of the religious communities preserves its doctrinal integrity.

As an example of achievements of the Interreligious Council of Russia, I can mention the recognition of theology as an academic discipline in Russia. After decades of theomachy, after a long and difficult period of fighting, religious communities in our country managed to ensure fairness in the attitude towards the theological science.

We are well aware that concord in relations between traditional religions is a pledge of strong and thriving society, as well as the best preventive measure against radicalism. Our country does not know such phenomena as Islamophobia and antisemitism. The Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation fulfils its major function by providing opportunities for the interaction between the President and the religious organisations, helping strengthen social concord, tolerance, and mutual understanding and respect with regard to the freedom of conscience and belief.

The last time the Interreligious Council of Russia convened was in the late February 2020. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic changed the Council’s plans for 2020. To our great regret, some of our communities’ members, who for many years actively promoted interfaith relations, have passed away, falling victim to the aftereffects of the COVID-19 infection. The Congress of the Jewish Religious Organizations and Associations in Russia, which was one of the founders of our Council, suffered an irreplaceable loss on 1st May 2020: Zinovy Kogan, eminent Russian religious and public leader, died at the age of 78. Zinovy Kogan had been an active member of the Interreligious Council of Russia from the moment of its establishment. He had outstanding charisma, sense of humour, profound worldly wisdom and cordial kindness appreciated by everyone who knew him. On behalf of all the Council’s members I would like express condolences to Chief Rabbi of Russia Adolf Shayevich who is present here.

The pandemic has become a serious challenge for our country’s religious communities. We have lost many of our brothers and sisters. I know that each of our communities has been working intensively, rendering aid to those affected by the epidemic.

Religious communities of our homeland have always emphasised the significant role that the United Nations play in promoting peace and mutual respect on the planet. For instance, in 1977 religious leaders from all over the world gathered in Moscow for a world conference. During that conference they stated: “We confirm our resolute support for the United Nations as the humanity’s instrument for ensuring peace and safety. The UN is a hope for humankind, and despite its limited powers, we support it, inasmuch as there is no other alternative for the human race. Religious leaders and believers should play an important role in rendering assistance to the United Nations.”

Over the subsequent years, our country’s religious leaders supported in every possible way various interfaith initiatives and organisations, including the World Conference of Religions for Peace affiliated with the United Nations.

Today we have a new reason to speak about the global interfaith conference due to take place in Russia in May 2022. So, I would like to give the floor to our guest who supervises this matter on behalf of the United Nations. Mr. Moratinos, we will be glad to hear you. You have the floor.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5756369.html






Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnitsa tells about unprecedented pressure on the clergymen of Vinnitsa diocese during creation of OCU



22 January 2021 - 12:39







In 2018-2019, the clergymen of the Vinnitsa diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church experienced the unprecedented pressure on the part of the former bishop and government agencies that had tried to transfer all parishes of the canonical Church to the newly created schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”(OCU). Metropolitan Varsonofy of Vinnitsa and Bar gave interview on the topic to Nikolay Sapsay of the press service of the Serbian Orthodox Church.



‘Let’s say that Vinnitsa was a kind of an epicenter. Similar events took place in Kiev, too, but if we look at the regions, we will see that Vinnitsa was a strategic place at which the former President Poroshenko decided to test a pattern of transferring our churches to the new structure that they called a church structure. Vinnitsa was something of an experimental field. The Presidential Administration had a programme of transferring the communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and putting pressure on the bishops and clergymen. A pattern of a business structure was applied to the Church. However, they had not taken into consideration the fact that the believers would not change the most precious to them faithfulness to Christ for anything in the world,” Metropolitan Varsonofy said.

According to him, the pressure on the clergymen had begun in December 2018, even before the ‘Unity Council’ was held in Kiev.

“In Vinnitsa, the former Metropolitan Simeon had been making preparations for that move; keeping up pressure on the clergymen and urging them to change church calendar for a new style. Also, he had forced them to change the parish statutes so that in case of liquidation all property would have been handed over to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. At that time many priests had not understand it, but later the orchestration of events became clear. The city authorities also put pressure on the clergymen, summoning them and persuading to join the new structure with a promise of assistance. In short, the authorities wanted just to buy our clergymen. Thank God, the clergymen remain faithful. Only some twenty priests, almost totally dependent on the former ruling bishop, were an exception. But over two hundred and sixty priests have remained faithful to Christ despite the harassment on the part of the local authorities.”

Metropolitan Varsonofy also noted that in all districts of the region the authorities had to report on the number of priests who had joined the OCU. Later, in a private talk, the chairman of the Vinnitsa state regional administration admitted the failure of the plan.

“It had been planned that during December, up to fifty, and towards Easter even seventy percent of church buildings would be taken away. They also had expected that the same percentage of priests would change jurisdiction, but understood later that their plan had failed despite the adoption of the unconstitutional bills.

One of these bills demanded re-registration of all our communities. Many of our lawsuits are pending, even in the Constitutional Court. The second bill was an illegal bill, like a raider attack. Under this bill re-registration was done by voting of the residents of a village. It means that even non-church people could take part in the voting on the destiny of the parish, and often enough they were brought by buses from other villages. Over two hundred church buildings had been taken away in Ukraine illegally,” Metropolitan Varsonofy added.

He also told about the pressure put on him by the authorities after his appointment to the diocese of Vinnitsa.

“I was appointed a ruling bishop of the diocese of Vinnitsa at the session of the Synod on 17 December 2018. Soon after, I heard on the phone: ‘You are banned from going to Vinnitsa.” I was told later that the chairman of the regional state administration had a talk with the heads of all power structures who had received an order from Kiev to impede the arrival of the newly appointed Metropolitan Varsonofy in every possible way. I had been banned from coming to my diocese on the state level. It had been a gross violation of my rights. On what grounds was I banned from coming to my flock? People were waiting for me. It was a difficult situation. The authorities wanted to frighten us and even do away with us using administrative pressure,” Metropolitan Varsonofy said.

He added that the diocese of Vinnitsa of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was still defending its rights on the seized parishes, the cathedral church and the building of the diocesan administration which the schismatic Metropolitan Simeon (Shostatsky) had unlawfully re-registered to the OCU. Unfortunately, justice today depends on political trends.

“Many people say that there was no political will to support us, and without it courts deliver judgment against us. Regrettably, we have been living in this falsehood during two years,” Metropolitan Varsonofy said in conclusion.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5761904.html






DECR chairman meets with newly appointed ambassador of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Russian Federation



25 January 2021 - 15:36







On January 25, 2021, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk met with H. E. Khaled Shawabkeh, ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Russian Federation, at the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR).

They were joined in their talk by Mr. Amjad Al-Momani, deputy ambassador, plenipotentiary minister, from the Jordanian embassy side and Archpriest Sergiy Zverev, secretary for the far abroad from the DECR side.

Metropolitan Hilarion warmly welcomed the guest to the synodal department responsible for international relations of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The DECR chairman told the ambassador about the meetings His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia had had with the King of Abdullah II of Jordan. The hierarch gave an account of close relations between the Orthodox Churches of Russian and Jerusalem and the situation in the inter-Orthodox relations, including divisions generated by the interference of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the affairs of the Ukrainian Church.

In his turn, the Jordanian ambassador attested to the hospitality given by the land of Jordan to pilgrims and tourists from Russia.

The both sides expressed hope for further development of cooperation between the Department for External Church Relations and the Jordanian diplomatic mission.

In conclusion of the talk they exchanged tokens of the meeting.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760740.html






Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk meets with head of French diplomatic mission in Moscow



25 January 2021 - 20:47







On January 25, 2021, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France in Russia, H. E. Pierre Levy.

Paricipating in the meeting were also, from the French side, Mr. Nicolas Broutin, first secretary, and interpreter Serge Dersin, and Archpriest Sergiy Zvonarev, DECR secretary for the far abroad,

Metropolitan Hilarion warmly welcomed the high guest and his retinue to the synodal department, the church analogue of a secular ministry for foreign affairs.

At the ambassador’s request, the hierarch spoke of the efforts made by the Church to help believers during the coronavirus infection pandemic.

The talk focused on the history and the present situation of the Russian Orthodox Church. The DECR chairman cited the growing number of its parishes and monasteries and shared an account of the presence of the Moscow Patriarchate outside Russia, in the territory of other countries outside its canonical responsibility. Touching upon the situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion drew the diplomat’s attention to the recent unlawful interference of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the life of Orthodoxy in the Ukrainian land.

Among other topics of the talk was the situation in inter-ethnic and interreligious relationships in Russia and France, including the work of the Interreligious Council in Russia and the legislative foundations of the functioning of religious organizations.

They also discussed challenges brought to the state and society by extremism and terrorism parasitizing on people’s religious feelings and religious conciseness.

In conclusion of the talk, the sides agreed to continue communicating and exchanged tokens of the meeting.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760744.html






An old church in Granada is officially transferred to the Russian Orthodox community



27 January 2021 - 10:34







On January 23, 2021, a ceremony of the official transfer of the 16th century church of St. Bartholomew to the local Russian Orthodox community took place in Granada, Spain.

The agreement on the transfer was signed in furtherance of accords reached at the meeting of Archbishop Nestor of Madrid and Lisbon, a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, with His Excellency Francisco Javier Martinez Fernández, the Archbishop of Granada, on October 13.

The transfer ceremony began after the divine service at St. Bartholomew church celebrated by Archbishop Nestor. Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin, secretary of the diocesan administration, archpriest Maksim Prikhodko, archpriest Mikhail Ustimenko, and deacon Gleb Zaika concelebrated.

At the ceremony, Archbishop Nestor expressed profound gratitude to Archbishop Francisco Javier Martinez Fernández for his assistance to the local parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in getting the place for worship.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5761880.html
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 29th, 2021 #131
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A patriarchal service on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (January 7, 2021) - Part I






































































































__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old January 29th, 2021 #132
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A patriarchal service on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (January 7, 2021) - Part II



































































































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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 4th, 2021 #133
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Metropolitan Hilarion: Politically correct rules must never interfere with that which is sacred to millions of people



25 January 2021 - 19:58







The chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion answered questions put to him by the presenter of The Church and the World programme Yekaterina Gracheva which was broadcast on 23rd January 2021 on Rossia-24.



Ye. Gracheva:

Hello. This is The Church and the World on Rossia-24 where we will be putting questions to the chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion. Hello, Your Eminence.



Metropolitan Hilarion:

Hello, Yekaterina. Hello, dear brothers and sisters.



Gracheva:

Within Russia so called ‘Covid passports’ are being issued – this is a document with information on vaccinations against coronavirus, if they have been done. It’s possible that this passport will be necessary, for example, even for travel abroad. There are reasonable concerns that not having this official document will lead to the violation of the rights of those who have not had the vaccination. What is the Church’s position regarding this and your own view? Is this passport necessary?



MH:

I think that here I should formulate my own personal stance as the position of the Church on this issue has yet to be discussed at a session of the Holy Synod. Our common position, however, should be that there should be no discrimination against citizens regardless of whether they have had the vaccination against coronavirus or not.

It is another issue whether airlines choose to introduce whatever rules and then countries may introduce these rules, and then it will be down to each person how to decide how he or she should adapt to these rules. I can foresee a situation whereby vaccinations and vaccine certificates will not only be required from people, but also, for example, whereby Western countries will not recognize the Russian vaccine but will only recognize their own vaccines and will require Russian citizens to receive vaccines that have been certified in the West. If this happens, then serious problems will arise with our citizens travelling in Western countries. But so far, we do not have such a situation as the borders are in fact closed.



Gracheva:

At the end of last year, we discussed the possibility of raising income tax for the wealthy so this money should go where it is intended, that is, on medical aid for gravely ill children. It has been reported that Vladimir Putin has signed a decree for the setting up of a foundation to support children suffering from rare diseases and that the head of this foundation will be Father Alexander Tkachenko, the founder of the first children’s hospice in Russia. In reality we have a situation whereby a priest is in charge of a state foundation with a budget of tens of millions of roubles. We may ask in this regard whether it is possible to combine ministry to God with the mission of an official.



MH:

Firstly, this is not the ‘mission of an official’, but aid to children. Father Alexander Tkachenko has distinguished himself in this field as he set up the first hospice in Russia to help sick children and for his work he has been awarded a state prize by the Russian Federation. I believe this to be a very proper decision.

Secondly, when there was talk of income tax being raised and the money going to children, unfortunately, I heard a lot of sceptical feedback from some people. They said that it was obvious none of this would go to the children and that it would all end up in the pockets of officials. So, when I heard that in charge of this foundation would be a respected person, a priest with an irreproachable reputation, someone, as I have already said, who has distinguished himself not as an official but in the field of aid to children, then I was genuinely glad to hear this. As the foundation is headed by such people (there are also there famous actors such as Chulpan Khamatova and well-known charity donors) we may hope that this money will indeed reach the children and the situation in which children now live with grave illnesses will be radically improved thanks to this help from the state.



Gracheva:

Your Eminence, I would like to return to the news about Andrei Kuraev. The protodeacon intends to contest the decision by the ecclesiastical court which has deprived him of his clerical rank. Kuraev has told journalists that the court case brought against him was held in secret, he did not know what the accusations were until the last moment and that he did not have enough time to acquaint himself with the documentation of the court. Moreover, he has stated to journalists that he will lodge his appeal not with the churchwide ecclesiastical court but with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Please tell us why Andrei Kuraev was deprived of his clerical rank and what will happen if he makes an appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew.



MH:

He can lodge his appeal wherever he likes, even with the ‘World League of Sexual Reforms’, as once advised the famous protagonist of The Golden Calf Ostap Bender to another of the novel’s protagonists Panikovsky when he declared that his girlfriend no longer loved him. There have been more than enough opportunities for the now former deacon Andrei Kuraev to lodge an appeal with the churchwide ecclesiastical court or to right a letter of repentance to the Patriarch. He was suspended from serving back in April of last year and has had months to think about his further fate. He was invited to the ecclesiastical court – nothing there happened behind closed doors. He was invited three times, but he did not appear in court and this is why this decision was taken. I believe this decision will not be reviewed but he can appeal wherever he likes and to whoever he likes.

I have already spoken on this programme how I genuinely am sorrow over what has happened to Andrei Kuraev. At one time he did many good things for the Church. As a result of his books and lectures many people found God, but at a certain moment he went in the opposite direction and now with his slander against the Church he drives many people away from God, from religion and from the Church. This is why nothing in essence any longer connects him to the Church. The fact that he has been deprived of his clerical rank is a logical outcome of his activities, and if he continues these activities in the same spirit, then it is most likely that he will be excommunicated from the Church.

It is never too late to stop; it is never too late to repent. I vey much hope that he will change his attitude towards the Church, towards her hierarchy, towards religion in general and will yet embark on the path of repentance.



Gracheva:

At the opening of the new session of the US Congress one of the members of the House of Representatives Emmanuel Cleaver read aloud what he called a ‘politically correct prayer’. Instead of ‘in the name of God’, he said ‘in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and gods known by many names’, and at the end, which is quite interesting, as well as the usual ‘amen’, he added ‘and a woman’, that is, he seemed to have heard in the word ‘amen’ the word ‘men’ and so decided in the interests of equality to mention women as well. Some Republicans have already expressed their indignation regarding this prayer. From the Church’s point of view is this modern-day variant appropriate or is it just pure blasphemy?



MH:

I believe that this does of course verge on blasphemy as there should be proper limits to all things. Even politically correct rules must never interfere with that which is sacred to millions of people. We Christians believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not gender-neutral names, but for the feminist movement these names are no longer applicable. Therefore, they have changed the teaching on the Trinity, on God, and have begun to call God by other names and pronouns, including feminine ones. Now some politicians consider it their duty to fall in line with these crazy (in my opinion) woke rules. Let me say again: from the Church’s perspective all of this is an impermissible interference in that which is sacred for millions of people.



Gracheva:

To continue the topic of respecting minority rights and wokeness: the speaker of the House of Representatives in the US has stated that from now on there will be no place in Congress for such ‘obsolete’ notions as mother, father, daughter and so on. All pronouns and terms will be gender-neutral. Instead of ‘chairman, there will simply be ‘chair’, instead of ‘grandson’ or ‘granddaughter’, there will simply be ‘grandchild’ and so on. Many people have already stated their indignation at this proposal. I would like to ask you whether it really is important, from the Christian perspective, what people are called?



MH:

From the Christian perspective, I suppose it doesn’t matter if, for example, I call you not a woman but a ‘female person’ or some other gender-neutral noun. But I do think that it would not be at all very ethical with regard to you. I would readily accept it if you thought this to be a violation of your rights as a woman.

Of course, in English there is a problem which is not encountered in many other languages. In Russian there are the masculine and feminine genders. As a rule, we use the feminine gender for things associated with women and the masculine gender for things associated with men, although there can be exceptions, such, for example, the word ‘professor’ in Russian, although of the masculine gender, can be used for both men and women. The Russian word for ‘writer’ can also be used for both men and women, although there is in Russian a separate word to denote a female writer. But some women writers object to the use of this word, preferring the word denoting a male writer. To a significant degree this is all a matter of taste. Marina Tsvetaeva, as I recall, used to say that she was not a poetess, but a poet.

But when all of this is transferred from the arena merely of taste to the political arena, we are then dealing with something far more serious because the disappearance from the political vocabulary of such basic notions as mother, father, son, daughter, brother and sister testifies not merely to a new trend or new tastes but to the direct and conscious dismantling of the traditional family way of life. And here there is of course great cause for concern for both the US Congress and American society as a whole as it is true that, in spite of political trends and wokeness, American society is at heart deeply traditional.

In America there are many families who believe in God, many large families where there is a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother and a sister and who have no intention whatsoever of giving up these words or their traditional family way of life. The further the political elite moves away from the people and the further political discussion is removed from what people live and breath by, then the harder it will be later for American politicians to cling onto power.



Gracheva:

Thank you very much, Your Eminence, for answering our questions.



MH:

Thank you, Yekaterina.



In the second part of the programme metropolitan Hilarion answered viewers’ questions that were put to him via the The Church and the World website.



Question:

Are you still composing music? May I propose the text of a song for a church choir without music? Could you please advise me who I should go to with this?



MH:

I stopped composing music in 2012 soon after I was appointed to the position of chairman of the Department of External Church Relations. Only once since then – in 2018 – have I composed a church hymn.

As for the text which you propose for the church choir, then it would probably be best to go to the choir director of the church which you attend. On a different note, church hymns are composed for definite canonical texts and to propose one’s own composition for it to be performed in church would be impossible. If you want it to be performed on a concert stage, then you could offer it to a composer who would write the music for this text.



Question:

Did Jesus know that Judas would betray him? And what would have happened had he not been betrayed? And if not Judas, then would someone else have done this? Jesus says that the one closest to him is the one who will suffer most for him. Did not Judas suffer most of all? He is, after all, cursed for all eternity. I cannot believe that Jesus has condemned him forever. It seems to that Jesus chose him as the strongest of all the disciples and entrusted him with betraying him.



MH:

This question reflects a point of view encountered in some works of art. In particular, if you listen to the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, read Leonid Andreyev’s story Judas Iscariot or Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, then you will see that this view is in some way or another reflected in these works.

From the Church’s perspective Judas is first and foremost a traitor, and not because Jesus appointed him as such, but because Judas himself chose this path. When Jesus chose the twelve apostles, he gave each of them an equal chance to become his disciple. Moreover, he endowed each of them with a miraculous power. Even in Jesus’ lifetime they were able to perform miracles, including Judas. He had no more and no less gifts than the other disciples, and he was entrusted with the apostles’ treasury. Yet at a certain moment the idea of betrayal matured within his soul. There are various explanations as to why this happened. Some believe that he was tempted by money as he was always in its presence and perhaps he stole from the treasury. Or perhaps other ideas entered his head as to how to live best using the community’s money. Be that as it may, this could be one of the reasons.

Another reason could that be that he was disenchanted with Jesus. He may have expected Jesus to become a king because he constantly spoke of the kingdom of heaven. He could have hoped that he, Judas, and the other disciples would have been given political power. He saw that nothing of the sort was happening, that Jesus had entered Jerusalem in glory but received no political power, that the clouds had gathered over Jesus and that the religious elite disliked him. And so he decided to betray the Saviour.

Indeed, Jesus knew about this, he sensed it. He even intimated to Judas that he knew about it. He uttered these strange words: “Do quickly what you are going to do” (Jn 13.27). But he said this not so that Judas would commit an act of betrayal at his command, but in all probability to stop the traitor at the last moment as until the crime had not been committed, then Judas could have stopped. This did not happen. Moreover, after the crime had been committed, Judas could have returned to Jesus, could have prostrated himself before the cross upon which he was crucified, he could have returned to the apostolic community and repented, but he did not of this. He exacerbated his sin with yet one more grave sin, that of suicide.

This is why the Church has no doubts in this regard and gives a very clear answer: Judas was intended for the apostolic mission, but he voluntarily and consciously rejected this mission, instead choosing betrayal. This is one example of how human free will can hinder God in saving him.



Question:

Is marriage to a Muslim a sin?



MH:

We cannot say that marriage to a Muslim is a sin but that this type of marriage cannot receive the Church’s blessing either in the sacrament of marriage or in any other form. We call upon our faithful to enter into marriage with those of the same faith. Why? Because a common faith strengthens the family above all. If a man and a woman, husband and wife belong to the same Church, they can attend this Church together, then can take their children there, they can bring their children up in the Church. Imagine that the husband is a Muslim and his wife is a Christian. This can be a constant source of conflict between them. Who should the children believe, in what faith will they be brought up in if their mother says that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and the faither says that Jesus Christ is one of the prophets? ractice shows that in these mixed families conflicts often arise on the grounds of religion. I say this about a marriage that has yet to be concluded.

If we are to speak of a marriage that has already been concluded, then the Church would never say that this marriage must be dissolved. On the contrary, the Church encourages the Orthodox half of the married couple to preserve the integrity of marriage in any way possible, to observe marital fidelity and to bring the children up in the Orthodox faith.

We know that many young people have gotten married without fully realizing what religion they belong to. And then it may happen, for example, that the husband takes his Islamic faith more seriously, gets to know it better and realizes that his wife has by contrast become a more zealous Christian than she was before. In this instance, if the marriage has already taken place, the Church calls upon the couple to make every effort to preserve it.

I would like to conclude this programme with the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: “For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband” (1 Cor 7.14).

I wish you all that is good. Take care of yourselves, those close to you and may the Lord preserve you all.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5758292.html






Interview of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to Romfea church news agency



26 January 2021 - 19:28







Answering questions from a correspondent of Romfea, a Greek news agency, Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR), dealt with pressing problems of inter-Orthodox relations and the issue concerning the schism in Ukraine.



– Your Eminence, how could you characterize the past year? Certainly, hardly any event would overshadow the coronavirus pandemic. Were any restrictions imposed by the state on the liturgical life of parishes? We have heard about some special measures taken by the Russian Orthodox Church up to disinfection during communion. What do you think about vaccination?



– Indeed, the past year was marked with the emergence of an illness the struggle with which has made a tremendous impact on every aspect of our life. We are fervently praying for the health of our families and loved ones. We are praying for all the humanity with the hope that the pandemic will soon be over. Due to the trial that befell us in 2020, there were many occasions for us to show our love of our neighbors, to help those who found themselves in isolation and disease. We remember the heroic work of medical doctors, the service rendered by priests, who came to hospitals and visited the elderly at their homes to give them communion, and the assistance of volunteers.

When tough quarantine measures were introduced in spring, we even had to close churches. Thus, we worshipped with closed church doors on the Passion Week and on the Easter day, with many parishes streaming the divine services for parishioners to take part in them through remote connection.

With a blessing of the Patriarch and the Holy Synod, strict sanitary measures were taken, which are still observed in churches at the present time. Parishioners stand during divine services in masks and observe social distance as far as possible as is prescribed by sanitary norms. We certainly believe that the infection cannot be transferred through the Holy Gifts themselves – the Body and Blood of Christ, which are the healing source for all the faithful. However, in the epidemic situation, we disinfect the spoon and do not offer the cup for kissing after Communion.

In taking these measures, there is no violation of the convention or the church Tradition. Indeed, today’s practice is based on the experience of past centuries in which epidemics happened too. For instance, St. Nicodemus the Athonite writes about it in his commentary on Canon 28 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, pointing how Communion should be given during an epidemic of plague.

As far as the vaccine is concerned, Russian scientists were among the first ones to develop it. From the example of those who have already been vaccinated we can already see that it is really effective and we now can really defeat this horrible virus.



– The Ukrainian church problem remains pressing as we regularly hear your various comments and statements. In Greece, an opinion is quite popular that if the Russian Orthodox Church had taken part in the Council of Crete and adopted the text on the autocephaly, then the present division in Orthodoxy could have been avoided. Recently this idea was expressed by Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia in his interview to Kathimerini Edition. What is your opinion?



– The theme of autocephaly has been discussed on many occasions during the pre-Council process, namely, at the meetings of the Inter-Orthodox Preparing Commission in 1993, 2009 and 2011. The text of the document ‘Autocephaly and the Way of Declaring It’ was almost completely agreed upon. All the Churches in the persons of their representatives agreed that the granting of autocephaly in the future would be possible only with the consent of all the Local Churches, not by a unilateral decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch. It remained only to agree upon the form in which the signatures would stand under the tomos of autocephaly – an agreement on this issue was not reached. And what happened next? Patriarch Bartholomew, in April 2011, sent out letters to the Local Orthodox Churches proposing to remove the issue of autocephaly from the agenda and to hold a Pan-Orthodox Council. The Russian Church agreed with this proposal and it was a great mistake.

As you know, at the Synaxis of the Primates in 2016 in Chambesy, Patriarch Bartholomew, for all delegations of the Local Churches to hear, said, ‘We recognize Metropolitan Onufry and greet him and as the only canonical hierarch of our Orthodox Church in Ukraine together with the holy hierarchs subordinate to him’. Patriarch Bartholomew promised not to interfere in the church affairs in Ukraine either before the Council or after it. We believed these words. We thought if the Ecumenical Patriarch says so, let us indeed hold a Council as he promises us and after it we will continue discussing the autocephaly topic. We should not have believed him; he deceived us. Precisely this was our great mistake.

As for the absence of the Russian Orthodox Church from the Council of Crete, you are well aware of the developments. The document ‘Organization and Working Procedure of the Holy and Great Council’ approved by the Local Orthodox Churches presupposed the convocation of a Council with the consent of the Primates of all the autocephalous Churches (*). That is to say the Council was to be held with the participation of all the commonly recognized Local Orthodox Churches.

When three Local Churches, namely those of Bulgaria, Georgia and Antioch, refused to attend the Council, Patriarch Kirill wrote a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew proposing to hold an urgent Pre-Council Conference, to make decisions on the existing issues and still to invite these Churches to the Council. However, he received the following reply from Patriarch Bartholomew: ‘A new extraordinary Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference proposed by your Holy Church is deemed to be impossible since a normative basis for its convocation is absent’. Who exactly deemed it impossible? There were still two weeks remaining before the Council. Why measures could not still be taken for all to participate in the Council?

The legitimacy and obligatory nature of the decisions made by the Pan-Orthodox Council depended on the participation in it of the whole Orthodoxy. Therefore, if the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church had taken part in the Council of Crete, it would have to state that the Council was not legitimate because three Churches were absent from it. It means that the Council would be frustrated.

Now we are told now: if you had come to the Council of Crete, we would have come to an agreement on Ukraine and none of the events that followed would have happened. I heard it from many Greek hierarchs I met with. But if we recall that the Ukrainian topic was not on the Council agenda, it comes out that the only motive for Patriarch Bartholomew’s action was actually revenge. That is to say, was it out of the feeling of revenge that he decided to grant ‘autocephaly’ to schismatics and ‘to legalize’ anathematized Philaret Denisenko?

The same strange thought was repeated by Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia. And now Bishop Cyril of Avida, in his recent article ‘Ukrainian Autocephaly’ honestly stated that even the ratification of the document on autocephaly by the Council of Crete would have changed nothing; for, as it follows from his reasoning, Constantinople still would not see in this document any obstacle for the actions it committed in Ukraine in the last two years.



– In his article that you have mentioned, professor at the University of Athens and hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Bishop Cyril of Avida, cites the line of apostolic succession in the episcopal consecration of Macarius Maletich. It is for the first time that we see such a description of the sequence of Macarius’ episcopal consecrations compiled by such a dignified author. In your opinion, how far is it a well-grounded version?



– Macarius Maletich, former head of one of the branches of the Ukrainian schism, has succession from the so-called Chekalin ‘ordination’ administered by layman Victor Chekalin and former bishop Ioann Bodharchuk in 1990 in the Lvov Region. It was stated on many occasions provided with documents and evidences. But His Grace of Avida in his defense of Chekalin’s ‘episcopal consecrations’ offers as many as three versions at the same time with one contradicting another.

First, he alleges that the three schismatic ‘hierarchs’ who ordained Macarius Maletich, namely, Dmitry Yarema, Igor Isichenko and Mefody Kudryakov received their episcopal consecrations from Mstislav Skrypnik. It is not true. All the three of them were ‘consecrated’ already after the death of Mstislav Skrypnik who died on June 11, 1993, in Canada. None of them has succession from either Skrypnik or those who were installed by Skrypnik. Out of the three persons who ‘consecrated’ Macarius Maletich only Mefody Kudryakov had a conditional ‘succession’ from Philaret. The other two, Yarema and Isichenko, received their ‘consecrations’ from the Chekalin ‘hierarchy’.

Then His Grace of Avida assumes that Macarius Maletich still has succession from the Chekalin ‘consecrations’. However, he alleges that participating in this episcopal consecration was one more canonical bishop, namely, Archbishop Varlaam Ilyushchenko of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe, earlier of Simferopol and Crimea. And he refers to an undoubtedly falsified paper presented once by Bodnarchuk. It is a very lame version and it was clearly refuted by historian Sergey Shumilo. His article “Self-made ‘Bishop’ Vikentiy Chekalin and His Participation in the First Episcopal Consecrations of the UAOC in 1990” was published on the Romfea website. Moreover, the author sent the text of the article to Patriarch Bartholomew himself. So far there has been no response to it.

Most probably, His Grace of Avida has not read S. Shumilo’s article. I will remind you that cited in it are documented evidences of Bodnarchuk himself attested by his signature. In these documents, first, Bodnarchuk admits as invalid the ‘consecrations’ he administered in 1990. Secondly, he confesses that he forged Varlaam’s signature in this document with his own hands soon after the latter died and could not disprove the forgery. The historian cites contemporary documented evidence of living eyewitnesses, His Eminence Varlaam’s closest people – his Protodeacon and his driver. They also stated that since in the indicated dates Varlaam was in Crimea and could not be on a visit to Lvov.

I think His Grace of Avida is well aware that it is impossible to prove the apostolic succession of Chekalin’s ‘hierarchs’. Therefore, he puts forward a third line of argumentation – an ecclesiological one, and it looks even worse. He alleges that the issue of apostolic succession in accepting people from a schism does not matter. At the same time, he is very partial in his interpretation of some historical examples. For instance, he alleges that the Melitians were accepted by the First Ecumenical Council without ordination while the Council’s Letter expressly states that they ‘were confirmed in a more mysterious ordination’ (μυστικωτέρᾳ χειροτονίᾳ βεβαιωθέντας).

These arguments can be traced back to an old brochure by Metropolitan Baselios of Anchialos. A comprehensive and detailed response to them has already been given by the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission of the Russian Church. As a matter of fact, we are supposed to believe that any layman who has been in a schism and even has no apostolic succession can be accepted in the rank of ‘bishop’ by a stroke of the pen alone. At the same time, the Archbishop of Avida asserts with a reference to the some material from Lives of Saints of doubtful theological value that the Eucharist can be celebrated by a layman.

Regrettably, the Patriarchate of Constantinople did not show the necessary interest in the problem of the episcopal consecrations administered in the Ukrainian schism. Neither any study of archives documents nor any canonical examination has been made while attempts are still made to replace them with legends and forgeries or just an empty rhetoric.



– Staying within this topic, Your Eminence, I would like to ask this question. You condemn Fanar for admitting schismatic hierarchs and clergy in Ukraine to church communion without repentance or re-ordination. Didn’t the Moscow Patriarchate do the same in case of the ROCOR?



– Even in the period of the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in isolation from the Moscow Patriarchate, her hierarchs were not deprived of their rank as was the case of Ioann Bodnarchuk or Filaret Denisenko and did not lose their apostolic succession. It is easy to trace this succession in all the cases and I do not know of a case that would be questionable.

Characteristically, as far back as 1989, before the creation of a pseudo-hierarchy in Ukraine, the same Vikentiy Chekalin visited New York in attempts to join ROCOR in the guise of bishop. But the ROCOR Bishops’ Synod refused to recognize not only his ‘episcopal’ but also his ‘priestly’ rank. After that the adventurer made an attempt to steal a corporal, a bishop’s pectoral icon and liturgical vessels from the sanctuary of the ROCOR cathedral in New York but was ridden out on a rail. His Grace of Avida could also read about it in Shumilo’s article, which he does not mention.



– The Archbishop of Cyprus, in his recent statements, accused the Russian Church of an invasion into the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Georgia, i.e. Abkhazia and Ossetia. The Bishop of Avida mentioned the same. An impression is created that there is a weighty ground for these rebukes.



– The Russian Church has repeatedly stated, also by the decision of the Holy Synod, that she recognizes the region you have mentioned as a canonical territory of the Church of Georgia. We also unconditionally recognize the old autocephaly of the Church of Georgia, which she received from the Patriarchate of Antioch, not from Constantinople, as proponents of Fanar have begun talking about in the recent times.



– In connection with the reference to the Bishop of Avida’s article, I would like to ask whether you have met him personally. As far as I know, this hierarch used to come to Russia for several years. What were the reasons for his visits?

– I happened to meet with Bishop Cyril more than once. He frequently came to Russia because of his desire to study the Russian language. We gave him all possible assistance. In particular, we helped him obtain the Russia visa, though our clergy already had difficulties with obtaining Greek visas. In Russia there were quite a number of scandalous cases when Orthodox hierarchs and clergy with their families were denied Greek visas. Usually in such cases we asked not to create any obstacles for the Greek clergy to enter Russia.

I think, despite all the dire consequences endured by the Orthodox world as a result of the Patriarch of Constantinople’s aggression, we should not surrender and withdraw into ourselves; we should seek to continue contacts and communication. The more so that in 2021 we will mark the 200th anniversary of the liberation of Greece which was not possible without Russia’s participation and support. That is why the governments of our two countries have jointly proclaimed this year as a Year of the History of Russia and Greece.

-----

(*) Article 1 – By the grace of the Holy Trinity, the Holy and Great Council is an authentic expression of the canonical tradition and diachronic ecclesiastical practice – through the work of the synodal system—in One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and is convened by His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, with the consent of Their Beatitudes, the Primates of all the universally recognized autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches; and it shall be comprised of members appointed to each Church delegation.

Article 8 – The work of the Council shall begin and conclude with the celebration of the pan-Orthodox Divine Liturgy, presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch, with the participation of all the Primates of autocephalous Orthodox Churches or their representatives, in accordance with the holy Diptychs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Article 13.1 – All Primates of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches shall initial every page of each text; they shall initial every page of each official translation. The Chairman and all the members of the Council shall sign the final page of each text.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5760694.html






Congratulations from the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada on the anniversary of his enthronement



27 January 2021 - 10:00







His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia congratulated His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada on the anniversary of his enthronement.



His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop оf Washington, Metropolitan оf аll America And Canada

Your Beatitude,

Beloved in the Lord Brother and Concelebrant,

Please accept my heartfelt greetings with the anniversary of your accession to the Throne of Their Beatitudes the Metropolitans of All America and Canada. In your lofty and responsible Primatial service, you are strengthened invisibly by the prayers of the Russian missionaries, equal of the Apostles. By the God-loving people, devout clergy and God-wise archpastors of the Orthodox Church in America, you were elected to continue their labours. May the All-Wise Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means (2 Thess 3:16), as well as good health and bountiful help in your further ministry in His Vineyard. Many years to you.

With brotherly love in Christ,

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5751563.html






Vicar bishop of His Holiness Patriarch of Bulgaria visits Representation of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia



27 January 2021 - 15:35







On January 24, 2021, Bishop Polikarp of Belogradchik, vicar bishop of His Holiness Patriarch Neofit of the Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, visited the Representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia where he was met by Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev) and Archpriest Yevgeny Pavelchuk, the Representation’s rector and secretary respectively. Bishop Polikarp venerated the holy sites of the church, gave his blessing to the clergymen and laypersons, and celebrated a prayer service at the relics of St. Seraphim the Miracleworker.

That same day Bishop Polikarp officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr in the Sophia quarter Kniajevo attached to the Representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia. Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeyev), rector of the Patriarchal representation in Sofia; archimandrite Yevtimij (Koinov) of the church of Ss Cyril and Methodius; archpriest Deljan Tsvetkov, rector of St. Elijah church in Kniajevo; Rev.Dimitrij Tuhchiev of the church of St. Panteleimon; archpriest Konstantin Trenev of the church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God; hierodeacons Varfolomej (Ferdov) and Polikarp (Terziev), and deacon Aleksandr Morozov.
During the divine service, priest Dimitrij Tuhchiev was elevated to the rank of archpriest, and Luyben Kisjov and Dimitros Ksilinakis, parishioners of the Patriarchal representation in Sofia, were tonsured as readers.

After the Divine Liturgy Archimandrite Vassian congratulated Bishop Polikarp on the feast day and thanked him for special attention to the life of the church of St. Panteleimon in Kniajevo. He noted that this church has been closely linked with the Russian emigrants of the early 20 th century who had found shelter in Bulgaria and had been received most hospitably by the fraternal Bulgarian people. Common divine services of the Bulgarian and Russian clergymen at the church of St. Panteleimon bear witness to the deep spiritual links and historical memory that we must keep and cherish.

Archimandrite Vassian noted in particular the arduous efforts of archpriest Dimitrij Tuhchiev of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church he had exerted for maintaining the church building that could have been affected by an extension of the roadway. Thanks to the active position of the clergy and laity the rebuilding plan had been amended. Archimandrite Vassian asked Bishop Polikarp to convey to His Holiness Patriarch Neofit gratitude and love of the clergymen and parishioners of the Representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in Sofia and of the church of St. Panteleimon in Kniajevo for his care and attention.

Bishop Polikarp expressed his gratitude for warm hospitable welcome and common prayers, emphasizing
good relations and brotherly love between the Bulgarian and Russian Churches.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5764952.html






Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk gave an online lecture for the Theological Institute of St. John of Damascus, Balamand University



31 January 2021 - 14:56







On January 29, 2021, the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk delivered an online lecture on the topic "Revelation of the Mystery of the Mother of God in Theological Works of St. John of Damascus" as part of a series of lectures in honor of the jubilee year for the Theological Institute of St. John of Damascus at the University of Balamand (Lebanon).

On behalf of the teachers and students, Metropolitan Hilarion was warmly greeted by Archimandrite Jacob (Khalil), Dean of the Theological Institute.

At the end of the lecture, Vladyka Hilarion answered students' questions.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5764956.html
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Divine Liturgy at Christ the Saviour Cathedral marking 12th anniversary of his enthronement



1 February 2021 - 13:28






On February 1, 2021, the day of the 12th anniversary of his enthronement, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, dressed in the enthronement vestments, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.











Concelebrating were Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal vicar for the Moscow diocese; Metropolitan Dionisy of Voskresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, the first Patriarchal vicar for Moscow; Bishop Foma of Pavlovsky Posad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s administrative secretariat; Bishop Foma of Sergyiev Posad, abbot of the Lavra of the Holy Trinity; Archpriest Mikhail Ryazantsev, sacristan of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral; Archimandrite Alexy (Turilov), private secretary of His Holiness; and Moscow clergymen.











Attending the festive divine service were Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma Committee n international affairs; Sergei Gavrilov, chairman of the State Duma Committee on development of civil society, public and religious organizations, president of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy; Vladimir Resin, State Duma deputy, advisor to the Moscow Mayor; construction advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and curator of the Programme for construction of Orthodox churches in Moscow; and Mikhail Ivanov, chairman of the supervisory board of All-Russian public movement ‘Orthodox Russia’.











Patriarchal choir of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral directed by Ilya Tolkachev sung liturgical hymns.














Patriarchal divine service was broadcast live on ‘Soyuz” and “Spas” TV channels and on Patriarchia.ru, official portal of the Russian Orthodox Church.














During the Litany of Fervent Supplication the coronavirus deliverance prayers were lifted up and special petitions for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill were recited.














After the litany, Metropolitan Juvenaly offered up a prayer for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.














His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia lifted up a prayer read at the time of baneful pestilence.














Bishop Foma of Sergiyev Posad delivered a sermon before Holy Communion.














After the Liturgy, Metropolitan Juvenaly read out a welcoming address to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill from the members of the Holy Synod and presented him with an icon of the Holy and Right-Believing Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky whose 800th birthday will be celebrated in 2021.














The Primate of the Russian Church addressed the worshippers with a primatial homily, saying in particular: “All ordained persons know that the day of ordination is probably the most important one along with their birthday, but for monks and especially for bishops the day of consecration surpasses birthday because God’s Providence rests great responsibility upon those called to episcopal ministry which is impossible to perform without God’s grace bestowed upon them by the prayers of the faithful.














“Indeed, it is impossible to carry the cross of ministry, especially the ministry of Patriarch, without prayerful support of bishops, clergymen and laypeople. One can save his soul in solitude, in schema, but to bear responsibility for the salvation of the people of God is impossible in seclusion. Self-reliance is not enough. I can say in all modesty that whatever I have succeeded in my ministry has been granted to me by the grace of God through the prayers of archpastors, clergymen and all our Orthodox believers.”














The presentation of the Patriarchal awards followed. Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna was awarded the Order of Glory and Honour, 1st class, in consideration of his decades-long zealous archpastoral labours and in connection with his 85th birthday. His Holiness greeted Metropolitan Juvenaly and presented him with an icon of the Mother of God.














Metropolitan Dionisy was awarded the Order of St. Sergius, 2nd class, in consideration of his zealous archpastoral labours and in connection with his 45th birthday.











His Holiness Patriarch Kirill thanked those attending the divine service for coming to church and common prayers.











Many people wishing to come and congratulate the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on the anniversary of his enthronement could not have done it because of the entrance restrictions placed due to the precarious epidemiological situation. Thanksgiving prayers for His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Church which he is leading were offered up at churches and monasteries of all dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5769916.html
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Information about external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church is now available in 10 languages



2 February 2021 - 17:22







The new informational-analytical portal, which has begun functioning since February 1, 2021, will inform readers about the external work of the Russian Orthodox Church at www.mospat.ru.

Here internet users from various countries can find out news about inter-Orthodox, inter-Christian and interreligious relations, the Moscow Patriarchate’s cooperation with inter-state institutes, international non-governmental organizations and the authorities, public and interreligious associations, as well as about the work with compatriots in the far abroad diaspora, the life of church representations, monasteries and patriarchal parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in other countries, as well as Old Belief parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church and relationships with the Old Belief community.

Another important topic highlighted by the portal is the situation with regard to the Ukrainian schism and the situation of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The site will regularly publish analytical materials written especially for it by authoritative scholars and publicists.

Important issues are also reflected in video-materials placed on the portal.

The editors of the Russian, Ukrainian, English, Greek, German, French, Italian, Serbian, Romanian languages as well as Arabic are ready to present to their audience the whole specter of multimedia content.

The new internet resource has been created with the assistance of the Foundation for Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.




The source of information - http://www.patriarchia.ru/en/db/text/5765623.html






Representatives of Strasbourg city administration visit Russian Church’s parish



03.02.2021







On 1st February 2021, the Stavropegic Parish of All Saints in Strasbourg, France, welcomed a delegation of the city administration led by Mr. Jean Werlen, municipal councillor in charge of the city administration’s relations with religious organisations.

He was accompanied by his colleagues, including Mr. Jean-Michel Cros, director for the city administration’s interaction with religious organisations and preservation of historical memory.

Archimandrite Philip (Ryabykh), rector of the parish, told the guests about the architecture and decoration of the church, as well as about the history of the parish and prospects of developing parochial activities.

The representatives of the city administration also visited the Centre of Orthodox Culture acting at the church, parish website reports.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60705/






On 12th anniversary of Patriarch Kirill’s enthronement believers of Russian Church pray for their Primate in various countries



03.02.2021







On 1st February 2021, the Plenitude of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the 12th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Fervent prayers for the Primate were offered at many parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in various countries.

Archbishop Tikhon of Podolsk, administrator of the diocese of Berlin and Germany, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in Munich. The Liturgy was followed by a thanksgiving moleben, during which Many Years to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was sung, diocesan website reports.





On behalf of the clergy and laypeople of his diocese, Archbishop Tikhon sent a letter message of greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. As the letter reads, even at a time of ordeals caused by the coronavirus pandemic His Holiness continues “to steer with a firm hand the ship of the Russian Church through the rough worldly sea, undaunted and always finding strength in Divine grace.”

A moleben of thanksgiving was celebrated by Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, at the Church of the Holy Martyr Empress Alexandra, and Many Years was sung to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and to all his blessed flock.





Thanksgiving molebens on the anniversary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s enthronement were also celebrated at the Gorny Convent in Ein Karem and at the metochions of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission – the Church of the Holy Apostle Peter and Righteous Tabitha in Tel Aviv, the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Haifa, the Church of the Holy Forefathers in Hebron, and the metochion at the site of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in Jordan, website of the Mission reports.

Prayerful petitions were lifted up during the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Dormition in London. After the divine service Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, temporary administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA and Canada, read out a prayer for the health of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, website of the Sourozh diocese reports.





In the United Arab Emirates, Archimandrite Alexander (Zarkeshev), rector of the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Sharjah, celebrated a moleben of thanksgiving on the occasion of the anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, website of St. Philip’s parish reports.

To mark the 12th anniversary of the enthronement of the Russian Church’s Primate, in all churches of the Thailand diocese of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia, prayers were offered unto the Lord that He may grant His almighty help to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in his multifarious labours, and Many Years was sung, website of the diocese reports.

Molebens of thanksgiving were also celebrated in churches and monasteries of the diocese of Chersonesus, diocesan website reports.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60706/






The Representation Church of the OCA in Moscow Scheduled for Restoration



04.02.2021






On 3rd February 2021 the bishop of Naro-Fominsk Paramonus (Golubka), the head of the directorate for finance and logistics of the Russian Orthodox Church, chaired a meeting to discuss issues concerning the restoration of the buildings of the representation church in Moscow of the Orthodox Church in America.








The meeting was attended by the dean of the representation of the Orthodox Church in America archpriest Daniel Andreyuk, the deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate archpriest Nikolai Balashov, the secretary of the DECR for inter-Orthodox relations archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, the advisor to the department for the cultural heritage of the city of Moscow and interaction with religious organizations I. N. Kamenskikh, the secretary of the representation of the Orthodox Church in America priest Pavel Zuyev, the deputy director of the non-commercial unified service of the Moscow Patriarchy in its capacity as commissioner priest Mikhail Titov and the head of the department for restoration and repairs under the directorate for finance and logistics of the Russian Orthodox Church Ye. G. Inasaridze.





The buildings of the representation church of the Orthodox Church in America enjoy the status of part of Russia’s cultural heritage at the federal level and are in need of widescale restoration.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60712/






The Church of the Georgian Diaspora in Moscow Scheduled for Restoration



04.02.2021







On 3rd February 2021 the bishop of Naro-Fominsk Paramonus (Golubka), the head of the directorate for finance and logistics of the Russian Orthodox Church, chaired a meeting to discuss issues concerning the restoration of the Church of the Great Martyr George ‘v Gruzinakh’, which the Georgian Orthodox diaspora in Moscow attends for spiritual sustenance and guidance.








Participating in the meeting were the deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate archpriest Nikolai Balashov, the rector of the Church of the Holy Martyr George archpriest Feodor Krechetov, the secretary of the DECR for inter-Orthodox relations archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, the spiritual counsellor of the Georgian diaspora in Moscow and cleric of the Georgian Orthodox Church archpriest Kakhaber Gogotishvili, the advisor to the department for the cultural heritage of the city of Moscow and interaction with religious organizations I. N. Kamenskikh, the deputy director of the non- commercial unified service of the Moscow Patriarchy in its capacity as commissioner priest Mikhail Titov and the head of the department for restoration and repairs under the directorate for finance and logistics of the Russian Orthodox Church Ye. G. Inasaridze.








For a long time the church building was occupied by the Krasin State College for Technology, Economics and Law. During this period windows were put in the supporting walls of the church building and additional architectural elements were added in between the floors. No repair work has been carried out for several decades.





Construction engineers have at present judged the state of the building to be “unsatisfactory and in places in danger of collapse.” In 2014 the church was transferred to the parish as its own property by order of the Moscow city government.





The church has the status of Patriarchal Metochion.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60713/
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old March 13th, 2021 #136
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Under the pressure of schismatics, the authorities have given them approval to capture a church in Volyn



5 February 2021 - 19:08







For two days, February 3 and 4, 2021, the ‘OCU’ representatives led by their ‘priest’ picketed the state administration of the Volyn Region in Ukraine demanding to register the documents allowing their schismatic organization to come into possession of the St. Sergius church at the Galinovka village, the Volyn-Volsk Region, which belongs to a community of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Under the schismatics’ pressure and threats, the registration of the statute by officials of the regional state administration (RSA) did take place. It gives the ‘OCU’ representatives an opportunity for claiming the church belonging to the canonical Church and a warrant for overtaking by raiding. This is what Archpriest Sergiy Guz, dean of the Vladimir-Volynsky district of the diocese of Vladimir Volynsky, told the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s department of information and education, noting that these developments ‘have become a telltale evidence showing that through the unlawful actions of the ‘OCU’ representatives, the church sphere has been permeated by the bolshevist godless principle ‘take away and rule’ which has been actively realized in it.

The so-called ‘OCU’ supporters had sought to meet with the RSA chairman Yury Pogulyajko as they were displeased with his reluctance to register the statute of their community, which was prescribed and signed by the RSA first vice-chairman Sergey Movenko in the governor’s absence’. Father Sergiy says.

He indicated that ‘the valid statute in force, that is, the statute not cancelled by anybody, as well as all the documents for the legal right to own the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the church’s land are still held by the rector of the Church, Archpriest Yury Tatynchak, that is, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s religious community at the Galinovka village, who have humbly prayed at the walls of their own church locked by the authorities until their legal right to possess it is ascertained’.

The priest recalled that in October 2020 the ‘OCU’ representatives attempted to announce craftily through an advertisement in Volyn newspaper that the old statute had been lost. ‘It would have given them a green light for working out a new statute. But the deceit was uncovered since the statute of the religious community of the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh has not disappeared anywhere. ‘The Volyn editors had to publish a disclaimer’, the dean said, ‘Where has a new statute of the ‘OCU’ Galinovka community come from, the registration of which has been so insistently demanded by its representatives during their recent visit to the Volyn RSA?’

‘People, including those who claim to be Orthodox Christian believers, have embarked on a blunt path of lies. They can walk a long way on it but would it be possible for them to retrace their steps?’ Archpriest Sergey Guz asked commenting the developments.

The rector of the church of St. Sergius at the Galinovka village, Archpriest Yury Tatunchak, stated that the forced re-registration of the parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in favor of the ‘OCU’ will not force the religious community of the canonical Church to stop its work; now the rector together with the parishioners will decide where to continue worshipping, reports the website of the Union of Orthodox Journalists.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60731/






Metropolitan Hilarion on the Annulment of Anti-Church Provisions in Montenegro’s Laws



7 February 2021 - 15:32







At the end of January, the president of Montenegro Milo Đukanović was obliged to sign into law amendments made by parliament on freedom of conscience, thereby abolishing provisions of legislations which were discriminatory towards the Serbian Orthodox Church. The amendments to the notorious 2019 law were voted for by the new parliament, in which for the first time in thirty years the pro-presidential party found itself in opposition.

Commenting on this event on air in the The Church and the World TV programme, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion stated that Đukanović “at the time when his party was in power enacted a law by which church buildings could be taken away from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, and this caused a huge wave of protest throughout all of Montenegro.”

“Thousands of people, in spite of the restrictions brought in at the start of the pandemic, came out onto the streets to make clear that they would not hand over their churches and holy sites. The bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, including the ever-memorable metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amphilochius, fought for this discriminatory law to be abolished,” said the chairman of the DECR.

He believes that it was the stubborn position of the Montenegrin president, who insisted that this law be brought into effect, is what led to his party being defeated. “The people will never forgive any attempts to get rid of holy sites,” metropolitan Hilarion emphasized, noting that Đukanović “did not heed the voice of the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and those who had warned him what would happen.”

“And it happened – and now his party finds itself in opposition,” continued the metropolitan. “The party which called for the removal of the discriminatory parts of the law won and now these discriminatory parts have been removed.”

Metropolitan Hilarion is confident that this event is a huge victory for both the Serbian Orthodox Church and for all of canonical Orthodoxy. “Mr. Đukanović wanted to repeat in Montenegro that which happened in Ukraine under president Poroshenko. He achieved this only in as far as his political career is over in much the same way as Mr. Poroshenko’s political career is over. But the canonical church stood its ground and will stand its ground.”

At the same time, His Eminence noted that the Serbian Church’s victory came at a price. In the autumn of 2020, the metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral Amphilochius died from coronavirus; he did more than anybody to ensure that the discriminatory parts of the law on freedom of conscience in Montenegro would be removed.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60737/






Meeting with seminarians of the diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam



9 February 2021 - 13:52







On February 5, 2021, Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut, administrator of the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam, met in Sankt-Petersburg with students from this diocese who are being trained at the Sankt-Petersburg Theological Academy.

The archpastor spoke with them about pastoral ministry and shared his own experience in it. The students asked His Eminence questions concerning the spiritual life of a priest, humbleness, repentance and communication with parishioners. They also discussed the seminarians’ further training, the diocesan website reports.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60742/






Aid coming from the Russian Church to people in need in the Philippian City of Bacoor



9 February 2021 - 15:04







The charity and social service department of the Russian Orthodox Church’s diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam has begun giving aid to poor families in the City of Bacoor 10 km away from the capital city of Manila.











Staffers of the department are training local volunteers for children’s nutrition and good hygiene. According to the diocesan website, since the Russian Orthodox Church is known in Bacoor and there are many of those who wish to join it, in the future it is possible to set up a community and open another parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in it.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60744/






The Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s community at Mikhalcha village marks two years of its prayer vigil for their church



9 February 2021 - 21:25







On February 8, 2021, the Day of the Synaxis of New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, the community of the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God at the Mikhalcha village, Storozhynets district, Chernovtsy Region, Ukraine, marked the 2nd anniversary of its prayer vigil for its right to remain in the canonical Church, the Union of Orthodox Journalists reports with reference to the press service of the Diocese of Chernovtsy and Bukovina. That day, the parishioners of the church of the Holy Dormition together with their rector prayed at the Divine Liturgy.

According to the faithful of the Diocese of Chernovtsy, it was the feat of the new martyrs that inspired them to stand up for their faith. As the diocese’s people noted, during these two years the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Mikhalcha village had to endure mockery and abuse from representatives of ‘the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’. The church of the Holy Dormition was subjected to outrage: in 2019, the OCU supporters rammed the old door of the church; in 2020, about one hundred young people in masks (some armed with knuckle-dusters) unsealed the vestibule doors in an attempt to get into the church of the Dormition.





The capture of churches belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by schismatics continues. Thus, on February 6, 2021, supporters of ‘the Orthodox Church of Ukraine’ cut off the locks of the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Galinovka village, Vladimir-Volynsky district, Volyn Region, and actually seized it. It is reported by the website of the diocese of Vladimir-Volynsky of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The whole process was video-recorded.

As was reported earlier, for two days on February 3 and 4, 2021, the OCU representatives led by their ‘priest’ picketed the state administration of Volyn Region in Ukraine, demanding the registration of documents that would make it possible for a schismatic organization to come into possession of the church of St. Sergius at the Galinovka village, which belongs to the religious community of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Under the pressure and threats from the schismatics, their statute was registered by the regional state administration (RSA) executives.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60827/






Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol sends a video address in support for the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church



10 February 2021 - 22:18







Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, a hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, made a video address to the Ukrainian faithful calling upon them to hold on to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox
Church.

“With great sorrow and heartfelt pain we follow the persecution and struggle that our Orthodox fellow-Christians wage defending their true faith and commitment to the canonical Church of
Metropolitan Onufriy’, the massage states in particular, ‘we express our compassion, our love and assure you of our prayers and call upon our brothers to remain faithful to our Church and canonical
Metropolitan Onyfriy of Ukraine’.

Metropolitan Athanasios called upon the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to remember that the persecution and hardships will be eventually overcome and wished them God’s blessing and
fortitude in the Holy Spirit.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60865/






Primacy of Constantinople is the primacy of service, not of power



10 February 2021 - 23:55







In his interview for Romfea Greek news agency, Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Oreini, hierarch of the Church of Cyprus, emphasised that by recognising the schismatics in Ukraine the Patriarchate of Constantinople showed disregard for religious rights of 13 million of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who do not want to sever relations with the Russian Church.

The hierarch pointed out that certain geopolitical processes have had their impact on the current situation in the Orthodox world and said that when it comes to the Ukrainian ecclesiastical issue it is erroneous to confuse the “the history and theology of the Orthodox Church with foreign policy of the states.” As the archpastor warned, the present situation may lead to tragic consequences for the Orthodox unity. Metropolitan Isaiah expressed his sincere belief that division is not the goal pursued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate which, in his opinion, got associated “with people who have other interests.”

The primacy of Constantinople is the primacy of service, not of power, the hierarch reminded. As he noted in the interview, primus “does not govern other Churches, but serves them by playing a coordinating and unquestionably historical and theological role given to him by Orthodoxy.”

“What we hear about ‘first without equals’ worries us, and I would like it to be mere academic studies misinterpreted from the theological point of view, rather than conviction in one’s power,” Metropolitan Isaiah said.

“To tell the truth as you feel it is not a step against the Ecumenical Patriarchate. If you love someone you tell them what you believe in,” the hierarch added, emphasising that to him “the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the cradle of… Byzantine civilisation,.. one of the most holy institutions of Orthodoxy, the ark of both theology and Byzantine culture.” For this reason, he continued, “we will never take any steps that may deliberately harm the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but we will not be silent if something is wrong in our view.”

The situation that has arisen in the world Orthodoxy because of the Ukrainian issue is “an ordeal that we will live through, an opportunity for spiritual revival, both institutional and personal,” Metropolitan Isaiah also said, “God will help us if we help ourselves first.”

“With heartache and alarm I present in this interview the voice of my conscience as a hierarch and commend myself to the judgement of God and history,” the archpastor added.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60866/






Supreme Church Council holds first online session



11 February 2021 - 16:15






On 11th February 2021, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church held its first online session.

The Primate of the Russian Church participated in the meeting remotely, from the Holy Synod’s historical hall at the Patriarchal residence in Peredelkino.

In his opening address His Holiness Patriarch Kirill raised a number of topical issues concerning the relationships between the Church and society.

Presented at the meeting, in particular, were reports prepared by the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media (“Assessment of Public Attitude Towards the Church: Major Challenges) and the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism (“Developing the System of Basic Theological Education for Monastics. 2020 Results and Prospects for 2021”).

The Supreme Church Council chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill consists of:

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations;

Metropolitan Dionisy of Voskresensk, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate;

Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church;

Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Synodal Department for Mission;

Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations with the Cossacks;





Metropolitan Mitrofan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk, chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Physical Culture and Sport;

Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov, chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture;

Metropolitan Antony of Chersonesus and Western Europe, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad;

Metropolitan Yevgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye, chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechisation;

Archbishop Feognost of Kashira, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism;

Bishop Irinarkh of Krasnogorsk, head of the Synodal Department for Prison Ministry;

Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevo, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry;

Bishop Paramon of Naro-Fominsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economic Administration;

Bishop Foma of Pavlovsky Posad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat;

Bishop Serafim of Istra, chairman of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs;





Bishop Stefan of Klin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies;

Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, chairman of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church;

Mr. Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media; and

Hegumenness Ksenia (Chernega), head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Legal Administration.

Taking part in the meeting were also Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha, head and editor-in-chief of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Publishing House; Bishop Savva of Zelenograd, deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Hegumen Peter (Yeremeyev), rector of the Russian Orthodox University; and Mr. Alexander Schipkov, first deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60922/
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Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
Old May 6th, 2021 #137
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Christian response to the pandemic challenge discussed at online-conference



February 12, 2021 - 18:25







On February 12, 2021, a conference on the Church and the Pandemic, dated to the fifth anniversary of the Havana Meeting between Pope Francis and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, took place in the online mode.

Taking part in it from the Russian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations (DECR), Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), DECR vice-chairman, Hieromonk Panteleimon (Aleshin), DECR vice-chairman for church charity and social service, Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations, and DECR staff members Ms. M. Nelyubova and I. Nikolayev.

Participating in the discussion on the conference subject from the Roman Catholic Church were Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Bishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, and Rev. Jaromir Zadrapa, Rev. Rev. Hyacinthe Destivelle and Rev. Avelino Gonzalez, staff members of the PCPCU.

As Metropolitan Hilarion noted in his remarks, the coronavirus pandemic has become a huge and to a considerable extent sudden test for the whole world. ‘This global disaster has revealed quite a number of acute international and social misbalances and to overcome them it is important as never before not only to bear common witness but also for Christians to engage in joint actions’, he emphasized, ‘Today we are called to comprehend the challenges we are facing so that in the months to come we could join efforts to help work out adequate solutions of aggravating problems in order to be able to present the vision of ways for overcoming them which is shared by major Christian Churches’.





The DECR chairman stated that the problems, which have affected society, have not bypassed Christian Churches throughout the world. ‘The dramatic situation last spring and the strict restrictions imposed on any gathering or people demanded that a whole series of measures should be taken by the Supreme Authority of the Russian Orthodox Church’, His Eminence spoke in his report about how the Church was going through that period.

It was also pointed out that the emergency situation promoted the accelerated mastering of appropriate technologies that had been used on a very small scale before the pandemic. “Certainly, the ‘virtual’ presence at a divine service in no way can replace the real participation in it, primarily, in the sacrament of the Eucharist”, the hierarch emphasized, “However, in those hard conditions, the spread of live streaming services was not only because of the pastoral need and concern for the common good, but also offered the Church certain missionary opportunities. By the example of my Moscow parish I can attest that during the pandemic tens of thousands of people participated in live steaming of worship services - much more than could be even accommodated in the church”.

In his opinion, in such a situation, preaching in a broad sense of this word acquires a special importance presupposing, among other things, the use of media platforms for handing down the Good News and revealing to people the beauty of the liturgy ‘so that ever more people could come to church consciously as the social disaster is being overcome’.

The DECR chairman also said that the examples of cooperation in charitable work even in the hardest conditions of closed borders and restricted travel during the pandemic make it possible for us to appreciate the importance of the words of Pope Francis of Rome and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who stated five years ago that ‘Christian communities undertake notable works in the fields of charitable aid and social development, providing diversified forms of assistance to the needy. Orthodox and Catholics often work side by side. Giving witness to the values of the Gospel they attest to the existence of the shared spiritual foundations of human co–existence (Joint Declaration, 14).

‘At this stage, our common task is to give a new impetus to the cooperation of our Churches in the area of social service’, the DECR chairman said with conviction.

President of the PCPCU Cardinal Kurt Koch underlined in his remarks that, ‘already on the day following the meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Havana, we decided to mark this event each year to keep alive the memory of its historic importance. We agreed that each time our reflections should be focused on one of the specific points of the Joint Declaration signed by the heads of the two Churches’.

We have not had a need to look for a long time for the theme of the fifth anniversary due to the present international situation marked with the problem of coronavirus, he stated pointing out that many issues and problems dealt with in the Joint Declaration summing up the Havana Meeting were linked in this or that way with the topic of the present pandemic. The Catholic hierarch mentioned in particular the psychological problems caused by the forced isolation, depression and internal family conflicts, now evident poor state of medical and social spheres in various countries, economic and social challenges that have come to face society in connection with the coronavirus crisis, including unemployment and the ever greater gap between the rich and the poor, as well as the restriction of personal freedom which provokes protest among people.





The pandemic has also affected church life at the basic level. In various countries, the opportunity for celebrations has been either strongly restricted or altogether cancelled during a lockdown. This fact rises issues of not only political character, such as religious freedom of the faithful, but also those of the pastoral nature: it is necessary to understand whether the faithful get accustomed not to attend divine services or will return to the liturgical life in churches after the pandemic’, the cardinal said.

In his opinion, if Christians, basing on the faith, will seek and find useful answers to the present challenges, they will be able ‘to make their own contribution to overcoming numerous social, psychological, sanitary, economic and political problems brought about by the pandemic’.

Then the conference heard a report of the chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevo. The text of the report containing concrete facts of the church aid to the needy during the pandemic was read out by Hieromonk Panteleimon (Aleshin), DECR vice-chairman.

The online conference heard in particular facts about the work of the Miloserdie {Charity] service and the St. Alexis Church Clinic, about the work of volunteers who help those who remain in self-isolation, about the distribution of foodstuffs to those who in today’s tight situation are deprived of the possibility to earn a wage, about the work of asylums for women in the situation of a high-risk pregnancy and the services for aid to the homeless. It is planned to develop the work of a united hotline for church social aid.

A special attention was given in the report to the pastoral aid to coronavirus patients at home or in hospital: ‘With a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, already in April 2020 we compiled and distributed to every diocese the rules for celebrating Sacraments during visits to people with coronavirus. We organized a series of webinars for priests training them for administering sacraments in ‘the red zone’. We have compiled a standard set of requested services and a kit of protection means for each priest and arranged the free dispatch of these kits to dioceses. This aid has already been received in over 100 dioceses’. It was noted that not only priests but also bishops visit COVID in-patients.

Since last April, the round-the-clock telephone has functioned in Moscow for calling a priest to a coronavirus patient. In the Moscow region alone, priests have made over 1400 visits. In addition, distant communication has been arranged for priests’ contacts with the elderly in nursing homes and hostels.





'We plan to hold in 2021 an international online-conference on the experience, usefulness and importance of the service of hospital chaplains. It will take place on the platform of the Russian Federation Governmental Council for Social Patronage. We expect that representatives of chaplains’ associations in major Christian confessions in various Western countries, representatives of healthcare ministries in other countries, patients’ communities and academic researchers into the work of chaplains will share their experience at the conference, Bishop Panteleimon noted inviting representatives of the Roman Catholic Church to take part in the event.

The next speaker, Bishop Rino Fisichella, expressed the conviction that ‘the world is facing an enormous sanitary, economic, existential and spiritual challenge that has few analogues in the history of the last centuries’. Among these challenges, he said, are people’s fears revealed by the pandemic and a feeling of the absence of safety, which have widely spread due to the temporary closure of schools, not approved pedagogical methods, unemployment problems and restriction of personal freedom for sanitary reasons. At the same time, the pastoral presence in the everyday life of the faithful has yielded to the unrestricted dominion of the internet.

‘This experience has posed questions affecting the future of society and of our Churches called to support the faithful on the path of faith. This experience poses before us unknown questions which were often concealed since the phenomenon of secularization imposed a different program of action’, the bishop noted.

‘The proclamation of the gospel during a pandemic offers an opportunity for bearing witness to how many positive things have been present in our life experience in the last months. We can affirm that a considerable part of our peoples has responded to the challenges with a great sense of duty, showing unprecedented creativity. Before our eyes is a lot of testimonies to the feats of volunteers, as well as medics, medical workers, clergy and the religious, ordinary people, young and elderly, families who have to live in a space of a few square meters. In any case, we have discovered tremendous inner resources that have made it possible to survive the pandemic time’.

Then a discussion followed on the pressing issues raised in the reports.

In conclusion of the online conference, Metropolitan Hilarion thanked the participants for the substantial discussion and expressed hope for the deepening and broadening of the cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in the area of charity and social service after the pandemic.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/60968/






Patriarch Kirill presented with Serbian highest national award



February 15, 2021 - 20:55







On 15th February 2021, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the Republic of Serbia celebrated the Statehood Day.

To mark the feast, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić presented national awards to the country’s prominent political and cultural figures, as well as to a number of foreign citizens.

The highest national award, the Order of the Republic of Serbia on a large necklace, was conferred on His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia “for his contribution to the development and strengthening of friendly relations and cooperation between Russia and Serbia.”

Besides, by the decision of Aleksandar Vučić, the Order of the Republic of Serbia on a ribbon was awarded to Mr. Yury Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, for his “remarkable contribution to the development of relationships between Serbia and Russia,” and the Sretenje Order, 1st class, was conferred on sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov, People’s Artist of Russia.

Aleksandar Vučić thanked all the awardees “for friendship, as well as for promoting relations and the Serbian culture in the world.”

Among those who received awards that day were also Serbian film director Emir Kusturica and musicians Goran Bregović and Borislav Đorđević.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/61153/






Vandals attack a church in Chernigov region in Ukraine



February 16, 2021 - 08:34







In Parafiivka urban-type settlement, Chernigov region, Ukraine, vandals damaged the church building of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s parish of St. Nicholas. On 15th February 2021, unidentified individuals threw stones at the over-the-gate icon and damaged it, smashed church windows and destroyed street lighting.

“Called to the crime scene, the police carried out investigative actions and recorded testimonies of the rector and parishioners of the church. Criminal proceedings have been opened,” the Nezhin diocese reports.

According to the Union of Orthodox Journalists, the religious situation in Parafiivka has been tense for several years now, due to the authorities’ attempts to illegally re-register the parish in favour of the OCU schismatic structure with the assistance of a local farmer who supports the schismatics.





On 21st June 2019, the local authorities did not let the canonical Church’s believers attend a religious community meeting. Later, attempts were made to re-register the parish based on a decision of a territorial community. They succeeded on 14th September 2020.

However, in October 2020 the Desnyansky district court of Chernigov invalidated and cancelled the decision of the Chernigov regional administration concerning the re-registration of the Orthodox community in Parafiivka. According to the court ruling, the re-registration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s parish “took place against the will of the actual religious community” by the means “not provided for by the Statute and contrary to the court ruling prohibiting to carry out any registration actions.”




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/61170/






Zakarpattia: parishioners of the canonical Church have to worship outdoors in winter



February 16, 2021 - 10:01







Even a cold weather that has recently set in did not prevent the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s community at the Delovoye village (Zakarpatska Oblast, Ukraine), who have been deprived of their church because of the raiding of schismatics. On February 15, 2021, the feast of the Meeting of Our Lord, a great number of parishioners worshiped during the Divine Liturgy next to a tiny chapel that has become now a place for the community’s worship.

The service was streamed live by Archimandrite Benedict (Khromey) on his page on Facebook. It was reported in 2019 that the re-registration of the canonical Church’s community at the Delovoye village to an ‘OCU’ schismatic structure with the help of public agents who had swindled out the statute documents from the priest. However, at that moment, the actual capture of the church by schismatics failed as parishioners succeeded in defending the church of the Dormition from raiders.

There are few proponents of the ‘OCU’ in the Zakarpattian village while the community of the canonical Church is large in number. During the raiding attacks several hundreds of the faithful came out to defend their church.

At present, judicial processes are going on in which the Orthodox community contests the actions of the authorities by pointing out that the re-registration of the church building took place on the basis of actually stolen documents.





However, one of the court decisions in favor of raiders from the ‘OCU’ has come into force. And despite an appeal filed after the ‘OCU’ representatives resorted to the executive service on February 3, 2021, the church of the Dormition was blocked by OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit) and later representatives of the schismatic structure were allowed to enter the building. The following day, the schismatic ‘service’ at the captured church was attended only by some 20 people, while the large community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, deprived of their church, had to assemble for worship in the open despite the February cold.

The community will continue using legal methods to defend their church while considering a possibility for building a new church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - the decision to give a plot of land for such construction has been made by one of the women parishioners.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/61171/






"Freedom and Responsibility as Viewed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill". Address by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (International Hellenic University online seminar, 16th February 2021)



February 16, 2021 - 17:57



"Freedom and Responsibility as Viewed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill". Address by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (International Hellenic University online seminar, 16th February 2021).



Your Eminence and Your Graces,
All-honourable fathers, brothers and sisters,

I wholeheartedly greet all of you, the organisers and participants of the inter-Orthodox online seminar held under the aegis of the International Hellenic University. Before getting down to my address I would like to thank the University’s leadership for inviting me to speak at the seminar.

In its essential aspects my paper raises the most important topics of human life, such as values, individual liberty, rights, moral choice and ensuing responsibility for its consequences.

Inasmuch as the contemporary society has different ways to conceptualize and interpret these fundamental categories, in my address I would like to present the views of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the nature of human rights and freedoms in their relation to responsibility, moral choice and dignity. Over the years of his church ministry, His Holiness has systematically explored these issues in his homilies, speeches, lectures and written works. The majority of those who constitute the Russian Orthodox Church’s flock have historically lived in Europe and belong to the European civilisation. Therefore, as the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church His Holiness Patriarch Kirill devotes particular attention to the human rights issues, as well as to the value system in the modern-day European society and in the social, legal and philosophical thought.

Values hold an important place in the life of the individual and society. A value system orients people in the world and motivates them to take concrete conscious steps and actions. Values embody ideals and meanings for which human beings can live and even sacrifice their lives. Values determine social development models and the course of world history, playing a decisive role at turning points of human life. Among the fundamental values of importance for the entire humanity we should mention faith, morality, truth, mercy, justice, peace, life, freedom, unity, human dignity, responsibility, self-sacrifice, mutual help, and solidarity. Of course, this is by no means the full list of the values common to all nations of the planet.

Looking at the universal values through the lens of religious worldview, we come to the conclusion that they are of supernatural origin and originate fr om God. Surely, there are those who tend to explain the origin and development of these values in terms of evolution, first and foremost, the social and legal one and even the evolution of morality. The reason behind it is that many present-day postulates, especially those pertaining to human rights and freedoms, took their final shape in the Modern Age, quite often as a direct response to social injustice and inequality. However, what kind of evolution can account for human religiousness and conscientiousness, human striving for truth and justice, love and mercy? As to their flourishing or degradation these qualities of human soul never depended on historical eras, political and social environment or national, cultural and linguistic differences. They are God’s gift to the humankind as His creation, an integral element of the inward life of the person created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:26).

The European civilisation developed under the inspiring influence of Christian worldview. However, no one is inclined to idealise the past and deny the mistakes, abuses and even crimes committed under the banner of Christianity. In his article “The Worth of Christianity and the Unworthiness of Christians” the renowned Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev says: “In the course of history there has been a triple betrayal of Christianity by Christendom. Christians first of all deformed their religion, then separated themselves fr om it, and finally… began to blame it for the evils which they had themselves created… Man perverts Christianity in some respect and then turns upon both the perversion and the real thing” . Such was Berdyaev’s response to those who would frequently reproach Christians for the divergence between the Christian history and the loftiness of the Christian moral teaching.

This philosopher wrote much about the free moral choice of the individual as a fundamental value proclaimed by Christianity . Since our childhood, we all have been able to tell right from wrong, the truth from a lie with regard to ourselves and those around us. An ability to make a conscious choice in favour of goodness and truth elevates the human being, making him/her moral.

As Christians we are bearers of Christian morality—the Gospel truth commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. On every occasion we strive to comply with the Gospel morality and fulfil the divine commandments related to the Lord and our neighbours. Such was the life of the European society for many centuries, starting from the moment when the peoples of the European continent were illumined by the light of Christ’s faith and ending with the Modern Era, the period of humanism, the dawn of a new liberal teaching. The Primate of the Russian Church rightly noted that this teaching had its genesis in the Age of Enlightenment: “As it is known, the liberal doctrine originated in Europe in the 18th century, at the very end of the Age of Enlightenment, and in the subsequent century it grew much stronger… An idea of the overarching liberation of the individual from the social, national, religious, legal and other constraints was what often nourished the revolutionary movements which were in opposition to the politics of the time in the Western European countries and in Russia” .

By striving to exalt the value of human life and affirming the lawfulness of human interests and inalienability of rights and freedoms, humanism at the same time engendered an idea of anthropocentricity as opposed to the religious outlook. God’s place was taken by a human being. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill writes: “In the Modern Age a conviction arose that the main factor determining human life and therefore the life of society was man himself. Undoubtedly, it is a heresy, no less dangerous than Arianism. Before that, people used to believe that God ruled over the world by means of the laws created by Him, and over the human society based on the moral law that He had revealed in His word and mirrored in human conscience” . Gradually developing and becoming anti-religious, humanism gave rise to secularism—the tendency which ousts religious dimension from the life of the individual and society and leads to the propagation of atheism. In the public sphere, humanism produces nihilism and social apathy, and creates an atmosphere of discontent and revolt. The ideology of liberalism began to lay claim to universality and fight against the tradition.

Patriarch Kirill draws public attention to the problem of correlation and conflict between traditional and liberal values, to the necessity for seeking such ways of humanity’s development that would take into account the experience of preceding generations and today’s demands: “It is my deeply held belief that the fundamental challenge of the time, in which we all happen to be living, lies in the need for humankind to work out such civilizational model of its existence in the 21st century that would imply global harmonisation of dramatically opposing imperatives of neo-liberalism and traditionalism” .

The raised topic provoked a heated public discussion. It was stimulated, first of all, by the widely spread opinion that the person’s religiousness must not go beyond the church fence. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill disagreed with this opinion, emphasising that faith and religious choice must not be just a private affair unrelated to the life around. “It is impossible at the same time to be a Christian behind the doors of one’s home, in one’s family or in the solitude of one’s cell and not to be a Christian while mounting the academic rostrum, sitting in front of a TV camera, voting in parliament and even starting a scientific experiment. Christian motivation must be present in all the areas of interest vital to a believer,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church noted .

In many of his speeches and homilies His Holiness focuses on the problem of defending traditional values from attacks by aggressive secularism. It is one of the major topics in the dialogue with statesmen and public leaders, as well as in the interaction with other religious communities. As far back as the end of the previous century, Patriarch Kirill saw in representatives of other religions potential allies against the liberal standard which is being enforced on society: “Monotheistic religions, committed to their religious identity and firmly defending their believers’ rights, as is clearly indicated by the relevant articles in the laws of Israel and the Muslim countries, can also be Orthodox Christians’ allies in the dialogue with those who cast doubt on the importance of tradition” .

Today’s world has begun to forget that the European civilisation owes its development to Christianity and that the Gospel commandments laid the foundation for the moral law by which those living on this continent were guided. Theodor Heuss, the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany, once said that Europe had started on three hills: the Acropolis, which gave it values of freedom, philosophy and democracy, the Capitol, which gave Roman law and social structure, and the Golgotha, i.e. Christianity .

Exploring the issue of human value, rights and freedoms without any reference to Christianity, the contemporary society gives them entirely different meaning which is generally linked with the ideology of all-permissiveness and consumerism. As a result, being within this system of shifted moral guidelines, people cannot find their place in the rapidly changing environment. Nor can they find peace by constantly indulging and satisfying their passions. At the deep mental level, the conception of human nature and its relationship with God and outside world is getting distorted, and rights and freedoms are becoming identifiers for human beings. To ensure freedom is becoming an obsession, without any serious deliberations on its consequences for personality and society as a whole, or on people’s responsibility for their actions.

In 2010, in one of his addresses His Holiness Patriarch Kirill put forward an entirely different model of human interaction with outside world. He said: “I believe that Christianity, like no other religion, can offer the most convincing worldview to people today. Indeed, if the highest value for a man of our time is freedom, it is in the person of the God-Man Jesus Christ that human nature has attained its highest freedom—the freedom from evil and sin. Christianity offers a much loftier vision of freedom than just a negative concept of freedom ‘from’ something—from exploitation, violence and restrictions. With Jesus Christ, man can attain freedom ‘for’ something—for complete self-fulfilment in love for God and one’s neighbours. It is in this harmonious interaction (synergy) between God and man, as taught by Christianity and implemented in the lives of the saints and zealots of the Church, that everyone can find the answer to the issues concerning freedom, meaning of life and public service” .

Developing the idea expressed by the Primate of the Russian Church, we should note that the outlook based on the Gospel teaching cannot be subjected to revision with the view of adjusting it to ideologies or political preferences of certain groups of people. We ought to admit that rights cannot exist without a solid moral foundation. Human rights must comply with the law of God, thus affirming human dignity and taking the side of creativeness, instead of destruction and death. Otherwise humanity will face degradation and degeneration and from “the force of law” the legal system will drift into “the rule of force.”

The Russian Orthodox Church has attempted to formulate its own views on the nature of human rights, freedom and dignity. In 2008 it adopted The Basic Teaching on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights. Shown forth in the document is the Orthodox attitude towards these topics. The reason for producing this document is described in its preamble: “Christians have found themselves in a situation wh ere public and state structures can force and often have already forced them to think and act contrary to God’s commandments, thus obstructing their way towards the most important goal in human life, which is deliverance from sin and finding salvation. In this situation the Church, on the basis of Holy Scriptures and the Holy Tradition, is called to remind people about the basic provisions of the Christian teaching on the human person and to assess the theory of human rights and the way it is being implemented” .

Human rights, freedoms and especially dignity are associated in the public sphere with justice, first of all, social justice. Justice is not just a philosophical, juridical or politological term; it is determined by morality. Striving for justice helps achieve social harmony and equality and give concrete meaning to the political, as well as socioeconomic rights of every human person. In one of his speeches addressed to our country’s parliamentarians His Holiness clearly pointed out the necessity of achieving justice in society for ensuring human rights and freedoms: “The ideal of equal opportunities for all people needs to and must be fulfilled not only within a Christian community, not only within a church. The ideal of social justice must be a guiding principle in the life of the state and in legislative activities. In this I see one of the most important goals of any state’s existence. Rephrasing a well-known expression of the Blessed Augustine, we can say that justice is a kind of criterion for defining moral legitimacy of power. Losing faith in justice seriously complicates the society’s development, dispirits people, and undermines the very foundations of public order and civil accord” .

Our country’s history distinctly confirms what I have said. For many centuries the unfree society, divided into classes, into masters and bondmen, was cultivating in people discontent with the established order, with the injustice of economic wealth distribution. The 1917 socialist revolution promised to ensure social justice: to eliminate class divisions and establish fair distribution of work products. “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs,” a slogan of that time read. However, the idea of justice was discredited by the means used to achieve this welfare, namely, by repudiating religion, destroying the Church, eradicating faith in people’s consciousness, by violence and murders. And wh ere is this atheist regime today? It collapsed, while faith revived. So, in the post-Soviet countries churches and monasteries are being restored, welcoming more and more faithful.

So, what can the Church offer in response to these present-day destructive phenomena? Its living faith in the indisputable Gospel teaching about the meaning and purposes of human existence. And the Church’s creative contribution to the organisation of human community based on truth, goodness, justice, love and mercy is bound to gain appreciation. Human soul, which is, according to the Christian author Tertullian, in its very nature Christian, strives after the eternal truths proclaimed by the Church.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sees his vocation in serving peace, rendering aid to those who suffer from enmity and violence, and strengthening neighbourly relations between people, along with the moral ideals that help human beings build up their private and family life and ultimately the life of society.

Thank you for your attention. I am ready to answer your questions.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/61175/






A patriarchal service on the 31st Sunday after Pentecost in the Alexander Nevsky monastery (January 10, 2021)




























A patriarchal service on the Day of Remembrance of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov in the Alexander Nevsky monastery (January 15, 2021)


















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A patriarchal service on Epiphany Eve in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (January 18, 2021) - PART I





































































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A patriarchal service on Epiphany Eve in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (January 18, 2021) - PART II


































































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Presentation of Chinese version of Patriarch Kirill’s book "In His Own Words"



1 October 2021 - 14:05







On September 30, 2021, the Chinese version of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia’s book In His Own Word was presented at the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion in Moscow.





The event was led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and rector of Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies.





Welcoming Metropolitan Hilarion and those present, the rector of the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion, Archpriest Igor Zuev spoke about the Metochion’s area of work at present.





Presenting the book by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan Hilarion said in particular,

“Being my predecessor as chairman of the Department of Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill (then metropolitan) spoke on many occasions about the Chinese area as a field specially important for our work, giving considerable attention to the development of Orthodoxy in China. Suffice it to see the love with which His Holiness treats Chinese tourists and greets then when visiting the St. Sergius Laura of the Trinity or sees them in the Kremlin after a divine service”, His Eminence testified.





After his election to the Patriarchal see, His Holiness the Patriarch kept giving continued attention to China; among special events was His Holiness’s visit to China in 2013, during which he not only prayed together with compatriots and Orthodox Chinese in churches in Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai, but also met with the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, with whom he had a long and substantial talk.





By the decision of His Holiness, the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion was established and today it celebrates its 10th anniversary. “Almost from the very beginning of its work, the Chinese Metochion has been involved in publishing literature in the Chinese language, but this publishing program has received a new impetus thanks to the recently established Foundation for Supporting Christian Culture and Heritage, which I would like to thank for its manifold efforts for supporting Christians in China, for supporting the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church, for inter-Orthodox coopetition”, the DECR head noted.





Readers of this book will be able to familiarize themselves with Patriarch Kirill’s reflection on problems of today’s society and relationships between freedom and responsibility. How to preserve a balance between things universal and national? What should be the attitude of the Orthodox Church to the state and power? Can the church acknowlege freedom without moral responsibility, what is the nature of justice?





The number of topics treated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is vast. “He exposes them simply but with depth typical of his every statement”, Metropolitan Hilarion said noting that for the reader’s convenience the thoughts of His Holiness are organized in line with the calendar.





“It is not necessary to read this book successively. It can be read one chapter a day so that His Holiness’s thought may be present in the life of the reader”, the archpastor added.





“It is not accidental that we have assembled here precisely today, the commemoration day of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia. I know that often the Chinese women, when baptized, choose the names of these holy women martyrs, and tomorrow is the day of the formation of the People’s Republic of China - the main national holiday. Therefore, today is a special day”, Metropolitan Hilarion said.





His Eminence expressed a hope that the publishing project will continue developing, and the Orthodox faithful in China will have an access to the literature published by the Russian Orthodox Church not only through printed editions but also through an internet resource, which will be created with the aim to propagate this literature among the Chinese faithful.








In conclusion of his remarks, Metropolitan Hilarion thanked the rector, clergy and staff of the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion “for the work carried out among Chinese believers who permanently or temporarily reside in the Russian Federation and for the help we received in our work for support of the Orthodox faithful in the People’s Republic of China”.








The next speaker was Ms. M. V. Rumyantseva, M. Phil, assistant professor at Moscow State University. She spoke about her experience as editor of the books: “Ascetics for Laity” by Rev. Pavel Gumerov; a concise illustrated Russian-Chinese dictionary of Orthodox vocabulary. “Jesus Christ. Life and Teaching” by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the work on which continues.








Then Rev. Pavel Gumerov spoke about principal ideas of the book “Ascetics for the Laity”.








Director of the Confucius Institute of the Russian State University of the Humanities, T. V. Ivchenko spoke about the experience of the translation of “Foundations of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church” into Chinese.








After the meeting, rector of the metochion Archpriest Igor Zuev presented Metropolitan Hilarion with a Hierarchal Service Book and a token of the meeting.








Answering questions from mass media reporters after the presentation, Metropolitan Hilarion said in particular, “The Chinese Patriarchal Metochion was founded ten years ago as a bridge between the Russian Orthodox faithful and the Chinese Orthodox faithful. Some initiatives in this area, which arise among the Orthodox faithful in the Russian Federation, are implemented here.








The Orthodox mission in China today is special in that it is carried out in a limited framework. It roughly reminds us what happened in our own country some 40 years ago when the Church did exist, had a legal right to exist but her educational and missionary work was limited. We have established a standing mechanism of consultations with the People’s Republic of China, with the body which until recently was called the Directorate for Religious Affairs - now it is one of the parts of the Department for the United Front of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. We negotiated on ordering the life of the Orthodox faithful in Russia, on the opening of churches and the training of priests. This work is moving forward but rather slowly, while in Russia there are many Chinese people and nothing prevents us from promoting their enlightenment with the light of the faith of Christ”.








The presentation also included other editions of Orthodox literature translated into Chinese by the Chinese Patriarchal Metochion, among them “Catechesis: A Concise Guidebook on Orthodox Faith” by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, a Concise Illustrated Russian-Chinese Dictionary of Orthodox Vocabulary”, “Ascetics for the Laity” by Rev. Pavel Gumerov and others. The publication of these books became possible thanks to the assistance of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/88166/






DECR Vice-chairman attends the first plenary session of the Synodal Commission on Bioethics



1 October 2021 - 15:44







On September 30, 2021, the Synodal Commission on Bioethics held its first plenary session, at the Sretensky Patriarchal Monastery in Moscow. It was chaired by Bishop Siluan of Petergof, rector of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Among the attendees of the on-line and off-line session was Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, vice-chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.





The session discussed the Commission’s aims, tasks and work plans for the nearest future. The working group for drafting a document of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church presented its report on the project “Ethical problems involved in the extra-corporation method of impregnation”.





It is planned to set up several working groups focused on the study of key bioethical problems.

***

The Synodal Commission on Bioethics was established by the Holy Synod decision of April 13, 2021 (Minutes No. 15); the Provision for the commission and its membership were adopted by the Holy Synod decision of June 17, 2021 (Minutes No. 44).





The main area of the Commission’s work is defined by the Holy Synod as the study of “bioethical problems from the perspective of the Orthodox teaching with the participation of experts of various specialties and viewpoints”.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/88172/






DECR chairman attends Climate Change Summit of Religious Leaders in Rome



4 October 2021 - 13:08







On October 4, 2021, with a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, attended the Summit of Religious Leaders held in anticipation of the 26th session of the UN Conference on Climate Change.

The event was organized by the embassies of Great Britain and Italy to the Holy See and attended by heads and representatives of Christian Churches, world religions and diplomatic corps.

The participants were addressed in particular by Pope Francis of Rome, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University Ahmad Muhammad al-Tayyeb, acting Secretary General of the World Council of Churches Archpriest John Sauka, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi di Majo, chairman of the 26th Session of the UN Climate Change Conference Mr. Alok Sharma.

Addressing the assembly on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Hilarion stressed that in accordance of the document “The Position of the Russian Orthodox Church on Pressing Ecological Problems”, which was adopted by the 2013 Bishops’ Council, the Russian Church “believes it to be her duty to promote the strengthening in people belonging to different social, ethno-cultural and professional communities the feeling of common responsibility for the preservation of God’s creation and to support their efforts in this area”. According to the hierarch, the present ecological situation is caused by the wish of some to make a prophet out of others, as well as unjust enrichment. The DECR chairman called upon the religious leaders to assume common responsibility for the present and future of humanity by working for the preservation of the globe and prevention of a global ecological disaster.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/88175/






Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: The Churches are seeking unity on the issue of climate change.



4 October 2021 - 17:00



The metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion: The Churches are seeking unity on the issue of climate change.

The “Faith and Science: Towards Cop26” meeting on climate change and attended by representatives of the world’s religions, scientists and experts, took place in the Vatican on 4th October 2021. Participating was the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate the metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion. In his interview with RIA Novosti the metropolitan in particular spoke of how he had taken the opportunity to discuss with the archbishop of Canterbury and Vatican representatives how the Churches view the problem of global warming and how the Russian Orthodox Church is guided in her approach to this problem.



Your Eminence, you are in Rome attending the inter-religious summit dedicated to climate change. In the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican at the signing of the joint appeal you sat alongside the pope, the Patriarch of Constantinople and the archbishop of Constantinople. Is this the first time you have met with Patriarch Bartholomew after breaking off relations with Constantinople?

Yes. According to the decision of our Holy Synod, we do not participate in any events presided over or co-presided over by representatives of Constantinople. In this instance, however, there is no such presidency or co-presidency. The meeting was attended by thirty-four religious leaders, of which only two represented the Orthodox Church, that is, Patriarch Bartholomew and myself. If it was not for me, then he would be the sole representative of world Orthodoxy. I remind you that at the last session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church we stated that he could not represent world Orthodoxy as he had lost the trust of millions of people. He can represent only his own Church and those Churches who want him to represent them. Our Church is not among these Churches.

You mean that there were no other representatives of the Local Churches present?

No. Among the speakers there was archpriest Ioan Sauca from the Romanian Orthodox Church, who was representing not the Church of Romania, but the World Council of Churches in his capacity as general secretary of this organization.

Did you manage to speak to Patriarch Bartholomew?

I had no plans to hold negotiations with him. When we took our seats, he said ‘good morning’ to me in Russian, to which I replied ‘good morning’ in English. Our conversation ended on that.

Have you already spoken with the pope?

We have so far only greeted one another. There will be a separate meeting, although as the Vatican is receiving a huge crowd of guests this meeting will apparently be only a short one. This is what I have been told by the Papal Council for Christian Unity. A meeting with the Council’s chairman cardinal Koch has been scheduled for this afternoon.

And have you had a conversation with the archbishop of Canterbury?

There was a detailed conversation with him yesterday evening at a dinner organized by the British ambassador in Italy. I sat next to him and archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for international relations. We managed to speak about a great many things. The current alarming situation in the world has prompted religious leaders into seeking out ways of mutual interaction, in particular, on the issue of climate change. We are unable through our own endeavours to halt global warming which holds the threat of unpredictable catastrophes for all of humankind, but we are able to exert an influence upon political leaders so that their decisions will further the protection of the environment. It is to this topic that the meeting in the Vatican is devoted, and which I am attending at the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

Each of the meeting’s participants was allowed to speak for two minutes. What did you speak about?

Firstly, I quoted the from the document The Position of the Russian Orthodox Church on Current Ecological Problems adopted at the Episcopal Council in 2013 on the subject of how “in a dialogue with representatives of society, government, and international organizations, the Russian Orthodox Church considers it its duty to promote, in people belonging to different social, ethnic, cultural, age, and professional backgrounds, a sense of shared responsibility for the safety of God’s creation, and to support their work in this direction.” Secondly, I spoke of how the current ecological situation has come about as a result of the desire of some to get rich at the expense of others as well as it being a result of unjustly acquired wealth. I called upon the religious leaders to take upon themselves joint responsibility for the present and future of humankind by working for the salvation of our beautiful planet.




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/88180/






Condolences of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the death of people as a result of fire at a hospital in Constanța (Romania)



4 October 2021 - 23:00



His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed his condolences to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania in connection with the fire that claimed the lives of patients of the hospital in Constanța.


HIS BEATITUDE DANIEL
ARCHBISHOP OF BUCHAREST
METROPOLITAN OF MUNTENIA AND DOBROGEA
PATRIARCH OF ROMANIA


Your Beatitude,
Beloved in the Lord Brother and Concelebrant,
It has grieved me to learn of the fire that broke out at a hospital in Constanța, claiming the lives of its patients.

May the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3) grant healing unto all those injured in the tragic incident and repose unto the souls of the victims, and may He console and strengthen their relatives and friends in this ordeal.

With brotherly love in the Lord,

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA




The source of information - https://mospat.ru/en/news/88184/
__________________
Where should they dig the Very Deep Pit?
Piglet said that the best place would be somewhere where a Heffalump was, just before he fell into it, only about a foot farther on.
(c) Alan Alexander Miln
 
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