The court process against Archbishop Jovan, Bishops, monastics and faithful people of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric has ended
21. June 2013 - 8:18In the Court of First Instance Skopje I, in Skopje, the politically staged court process against Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, the Bishops: Marko of Bregalnica and David of Stobi, against the monastics and the faithful people of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric has ended.
The court process has undoubtedly shown that it is a case of state persecution on religious grounds. Although the persecution has no evidence for the sentence it proposes, there is a very obvious intent, with an in advance reached political verdict, to sentence the unjustly accused, solely because of their religious affiliation, in order to confiscate the property of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric for the benefit of the schismatic MOC (Macedonian Orthodox Church), which – on the other hand – would additionally complicate the position of the unrecognized MOC in the eventual future talks for their return to the catholicity of the Church!
The verdict is to be pronounced on July 2nd, 2013.
Byzantine church mosaic floor discovered in Jordan
19. June 2013 - 10:42
Ancient mosaic floor belonged to Byzantine-era church has been discovered by some looters near the Roman city of Jerash in Jordan.
The remains were unearthed on private property located outside the ancient city of Jerash, around 40km north of Amman, said director of the French Archaeological Mission at Jerash Jacques Seigne.
International conference ‘Syria: A Way to Peace’ in Geneva
17. June 2013 - 7:52An international conference ‘Syria: A Way to Peace’ took place on June 3, 22013, in Geneva, on the margins of the 23d session of the UN Council of Human Right.
It was attended by Bishop Isaac of Alameya, representative of Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Navanethem Pillay, Archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev, Russian Orthodox Church representative at the World Council of Churches and international organizations in Geneva, and other public and religious figures and diplomats. Among the organizers of the conference was the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, which was represented at the forum by Ms. Ye. Agapova, IOPS deputy chair. Among the participants was Ms. N. Narochinskaya, leader of the Historical Perspective Foundation and member of the IOPS board.
The conference heard a message brought from the Supreme Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun, who could not attend for security reasons. In his message, he informed the meeting about brutal executions of civilians carried out by the militants, the destruction of churches and mosques they perpetrated. The mufti called upon the UN Council of Human rights to show an unbiased and objective approach to the developments in Syria.
International conference on 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia in Minsk
12. June 2013 - 11:34An International Reflection-Action Conference on ‘The Baptism of Russia in the Destinies of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine: The Choice of a Civilizational Path’ took place on June 6-7, 2013, at the Belarus National Academy of Sciences. It was held at the initiative and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The principal aim of the two-day forum, which has launched a series of events to celebrate the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, was an attempt to reflect on the significance of that event in the historical life of the fraternal nations of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and its decisive impact on their religious and cultural development. Special attention was given to the positive changes which have taken place in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church since 1988 which marked the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia.
Ankara upset at Vatican for Pope's remarks on mass killings of Armenians
12. June 2013 - 7:40
Turkey has reacted angrily to the Vatican following a statement from Pope Francis describing the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as “the first genocide of the twentieth century” during a meeting with a delegation led by Nerses Bedros XIX, Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics on June 3.