Editorial note: Patriarch Kirill of Moscow continues shamelessly to make an obscene, blasphemous mockery of the Holy Orthodox Church, her holy Faith, and the Gospel of Our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ. World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, on behalf of WCC member churches, said that the WCC cannot reconcile the Decree of the XXV World Russian People’s Council describing the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.” On 27 March 2024, under the chairmanship of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Decree of the XXV W ..read more

✠ Masters, Fathers, Mothers, brothers, sisters, and siblings in Christ! I ask the forgiveness of each and every one of you whom I have hurt or offended in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly. May God forgive us and bless us with the fruits of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance as we walk together the path to the empty tomb. Giacomo ..read more

The intellectual prowess of Father John Whiteford’s disciples on full display. “Nothing good comes from talking to female liberaldox ‘journalists’  with hyphenated last names”* (Marjorie Kunch, Owner, Pascha Press) From Merriam-Webster: sect noun 1 a : a dissenting or schismatic religious body    especially : one regarded as extreme or heretical 3 a : a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader    b : PARTY    c : FACTION The April 2024 edition of Texas Monthly features a report by Meagan Saliashvili on Father Whiteford’s sectarian activities ..read more

The following annoucement was posted earlier today on the official Facebook page of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. It has also been posted on the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese. While Orthodoxy in Dialogue’s reporting initiated the chain of events that have culminated in the Holy Synod’s decision to return Mr. Al-Zehlaoui to lay status, I take little pleasure in this outcome. I am sitting here shaken and weeping—weeping for the Church, for the faithful hierachy, clergy, and laity of the Antiochian Archdiocese, for Al-Zehlaoui’s known and unknown victims, an ..read more

The following article is reprinted from Dr. Andreja Bogdanovski’s new Substack, Divine Diplomacy. Created in January 2024, it describes itself as a free publication offering timely, in-depth analysis and coverage of (Orthodox) church politics impacting the security and stability of the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia and beyond. Orthodoxy in Dialogue recommends it as an important resource for up-to-the-minute news and commentary on church politics in traditionally Orthodox nations. The Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Met. Epifaniy appealed for much-needed unity that would help ..read more

For context, see the Metropolitan Joseph: The Scandal section in our archives linked above. The Patriarchate of Antioch posted the following announcement on its Facebook page on February 28. Patriarch John of Antioch (centre) The Synodal Committee formed by His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X held a meeting to discuss the developments taking place in the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. This committee consists of Metropolitans: Elias Audé (Beirut), Antonios Souri (Zahlé and Baalbek), Nicolas Baalbaki (Hama), and Athanasius Fahd (Latakia). Its first meeting which took place in Balamand was ..read more

Our sister blog, Public Orthodoxy, has addressed an open letter to Ecumenical Patrriarch Bartholomew and the global leaders of other Christian churches and denominations, calling on them to “to actively and immediately engage with the appropriate international institutions to facilitate the establishment of an international task force dedicated to holding accountable, through sincere and impartial analysis, those bishops, priests, and laity within the Russian Orthodox Church whose statements, testimonials, sermons, communications, and fabrications have sanctioned and bestowed divine approval u ..read more

Metropolitan Saba (Isper), Primate Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Earlier today, on the official website of the Antiochian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Saba (Isper) published the most courageous statement to come from an American hierarch of any Orthodox jurisdiction in recent memory. We think it no exaggeration to compare His Eminence’s bravery to that of Archbishop Iakovos of thrice-blessed memory when he walked side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., almost sixty years ago. Metropolitan Saba places himself squarely in the crosshairs of the very priests and laypersons under h ..read more

He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. Matthew 28:6-7 ✠ Sunday of Zacchaeus / Sunday of the Canaanite Woman February 18 ✠ Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee February 25 ✠ Sunday of the Prodigal Son March 3 ✠ Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare Sunday) March 10 ✠ Sunday of Forgiveness / Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise (Cheesefare Sunday) March 17 ✠ Clean Monday Beginning of Great Lent March 18 ✠ Sunday of Orthodoxy March 24 ✠ Annunciation to the Most-Holy Theotokos and ..read more

In May 2017, my 801-word Conjugal Friendship ignited a firestorm when it appeared on Public Orthodoxy. It has been read over 11,000 times and remains one of Public Orthodoxy’s most viewed articles ever. In June 2018, I published a much expanded version in The Wheel, where the late Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) made positive mention of it in his foreword. In November 2020, I posted my PhD thesis proposal on academia(.)edu, where it has been viewed 3500 times, fluctuating between the site’s top 2% and 4% of papers read. My several articles on Orthodoxy in Dialogue covering different aspects of m ..read more