Source: The Moscow Times Originally published on April 24, 2024 Priest Dmitry Safronov at the grave of Alexei Navalny. (SOTAvision) The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended a priest who led a memorial service for the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny last month, according to a ruling on the Moscow diocese website. Priest Dmitry Safronov performed a memorial service at Navalny’s gravesite in Moscow on March 26, 40 days after the Kremlin critic died in an Arctic prison. According to Orthodox tradition, memorial services for the dead are traditionally held on the 4 ..read more

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin What a surprise!!!  Something few expected.  Today, June 30, Metropolitan Daniil of Vidin was elected the new patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC).  It was an extremely close election.  According to the charter of the BOC, Daniil was elected by the Patriarchal Electoral Church Council.  Aside from the Bulgarian bishops, this council consists of three clergy, two laypersons, one monk, and one nun from each of the dioceses of the BOC, except for Sofia.  The Sofia diocese has six clerics ..read more

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Originally published on May 15, 2024 Metropolitan Saba During Holy Week, ecclesiastical media reported news of the ordination of a liturgical deaconess in one of the churches in Zimbabwe, Africa, affiliated with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. I won’t delve into the subject of ordaining a deaconess. That’s a matter I’ll leave to theologians and synods, for now. In this article, I’ll simply raise some questions stemming from this event. Such an event requires Orthodox consensus, as any ecclesiastical action outside Or ..read more

Source: The National Herald By Rev. Dr. Georgios Lekkas, Special to TNH Fr. Georgios Lekkas, one of the most learned priests of the Metropolis of Belgium. (Photo provided by Fr. Georgios Lekkas) Christ stayed with His Disciples for forty days after His Resurrection to establish their faith in Him as the Son of God and the God-Man. And when their faith had been firmly established and the Lord Jesus Christ had ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and aroused their faith in Christ in such a way that they could now perform miracles and preach the Gospel to the whole world ..read more

Source: Zenit  Pope Francis’ Address to a Delegation of the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople On The Morning Of Friday, June 28, Pope Francis Received In Audience A Delegation From The Ecumenical Patriarchate Of Constantinople Photo: Vatican Media (ZENIT News / Vatican City, 06.28.2024).- On the occasion of the patronal feasts of Rome, that is, the feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, on the morning of Friday, June 28, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The delegation is present in Rome, as a Roman delegation a ..read more

Source: The National Herald The magnificent building of Marasleios School near the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. (Photo: Ecumenical Patriarchate/Nikos Papachristou) BOSTON – The Archdiocese of America has contributed financially to the renovation of the Marasleios School, whose inauguration took place on the occasion of the name day celebration of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Patriarch revealed the financial assistance of the Archdiocese during his speech, stating: “With much emotion and joy, we conducted the Blessing Ceremony, inaugurating, by the grace of the benevole ..read more

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America This past Saturday, June 22, was full of many joyful milestones. It was the fifth anniversary of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America’s enthronement as well as the enthronement of Metropolitan Constantine of Denver. It was also the 77th Annual Commencement Exercises and the 80th Anniversary of Saint Basil Academy. Nearly 200 people gathered at the beautiful Saint Basil campus in Garrison, New York to celebrate the accomplishments of Saint Basil’s resident children and young adults. Saint Basil Academy currently has 27 children in its re ..read more

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK, NY – On the occasion of Juneteenth, a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the USA, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America held an Ecumenical Prayer Service at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero in New York. Resurrected after the original St. Nicholas Church was destroyed on September 11, 2001, the Church stands as a reminder of the resilience of people of faith and welcomes visitors of all faiths. The beautiful and distinctive icon above the altar, “Platytera ton Ouranon” icon of t ..read more

Source: Orthodox Studies Institute Originally published November 2023 by Matthew Namee “For at least the past quarter-century, Orthodox jurisdictions in America have been discussing the ‘priest shortage’ problem. The OCA addressed this at its All-American Council in 1999 and again in 2005, when it observed that 400 priests would soon retire and 100 new missions were expected to open over the next decade, with only 20-25 priests per year being ordained. The same year, 2005, the Greek Archdiocese also addressed the priest shortage problem. Then in 2020, the OCA website reported that 30% of activ ..read more

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Reverend Robert George Stephanopoulos, PhD, Dean Emeritus Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, fell asleep in the Lord yesterday, June 19, 2024. Fr. Robert served with distinction from 1982-2007 as Dean of the Cathedral. Fr. Bob, as he was affectionately called, was a respected, dedicated, loyal and well-loved clergyman, who loved each community he served. He retired in 2007 and relocated in 2017 to Ohio where he remained until his passing. Just last year, Presvytera. Nikki Stephanopoulos, his beloved Presvytera, fell asleep in the Lord. Fr ..read more