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(Peter Anderson) Yesterday (Thursday), the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate held an extraordinary session to respond to the decision made by the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece last Saturday relating to Ukraine. (link) At yesterday’s meeting, the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate adopted a detailed statement setting forth its position.

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(Peter Anderson) This morning the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece recognized the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).  There is a brief English-languagearticle relating to this event. The official press release in Greek can be read here.  An English translation of the press release has been very promptly posted at this link.  The written recommendation of the primate, Archbishop Ieronymos,

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Metropolitan Epifaniy of the OCU expressed gratitude OCU on his Facebook page to the Primate of the Church of Greece, His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos and all the Greek hierarchs for recognizing the autocephaly of the OCU.    ---   “I express gratitude to my brother in Christ and the Head of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Hieronymos, and fellow bishops who at the session of the Council of Bishops supported....   read more

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Epifaniy (Epiphanius) says the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has decided to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/society/10717875-greek-church-recognizes-autocephaly-of-ukrainian-orthodox-church.html

Mr. Chair,

DDuring our meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew, we stated that for our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the Mother Church. And so communication, dialogue with His Holiness Bartholomew is very important to us. As well as for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, said this in the Open Church program. The interlocutor of the Head of the UGCC was the editor-in-chief of LB.ua Oleh Bazar.
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Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, is traveling from the Vatican to New York to serve as the Head of Delegation for the Holy See for the General Debate of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

From 25 to 29 September, Cape Town will host an international youth pilgrimage of trust, organized by the France-based Taizé community. Sarah-Leah Pimentel writes about the healing potential of this event that brings together young people of different faiths and cultures, especially after the violence in South Africa over the last few weeks.

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Archbishop Elpidophoros of America today convened the first ever Monastic Assembly in the United States to promote the value and importance of monasticism in our Orthodox Christian tradition and the spiritual life of the faithful. The abbots and abbesses of 18 monasteries are attending the Assembly, which is taking place at the Holy Monastery of Saint Nektarios in Roscoe, NY.‬
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“Unfortunately, today we are witnessing an escalation of violence hidden behind religious slogans.” This is the alarm launched in Madrid by Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, of the Patriarchate of Moscow. But “the transfiguration of the surrounding world begins with the transfiguration of the inner world of man,” he added, speaking yesterday in Madrid to the audience of “Peace without borders,” gathering more than 300 leaders and representatives of all world religions, coming from 60 countries.
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The international meeting promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio, in the “Spirit of Assisi”, opened yesterday in Madrid. The Message of Pope Francis: “If one seeks the good of peoples and the world, it is foolish to close spaces, to separate peoples, or, worse still, to fight against each other, to deny hospitality to those in need.” “Peace has no borders. Always, without exception.”  read more

LONDON: Britain will have a new envoy dedicated to overseeing efforts to bring faith communities together and promote religious tolerance, international media reported 0.

On September 15, 2015, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR), who is on a visit to Madrid with a blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, met with President of the Italian Episcopal Conference Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia.
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Following the celebration of the new ecclesiastical year and the commemoration of the Indiction, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced his plans to convene a fourth international Forum on Modern Slavery. The fourth Forum will bring together scholars, artists and experts in material culture for an exploration of the various media  

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I urge all of us to find our own personal place in God's plan for Ukraine and the world, and to find our part in establishing God's Wisdom in the modern world. The Father and Head of the UGCC emphasized this during his sermon to the faithful on Sunday, September 1, 2019, at the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Rome. This year, the UGCC celebrates the 50th anniversary of the consecration of this temple, which was built by Patriarch Josyf Slipyj.
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On 28th August 2019, Feast Day of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, participants in the Summer Institute for representatives of the Roman Catholic Church attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
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Once again we want to express our sincere will to continue the dialogue and the desire for even deeper reconciliation between our Churches. We trust that our Churches will soon be able to proclaim the Polish Pope as the patron of our reconciliation – we read in

By Romfea.news  -- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a message on the 30th anniversary since the establishment of the Feast of Indiction, that it the beginning of a new ecclesiastical year, as the “Day of Protection of the Environment.”

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If the oldest Church in Ukraine - Saint Sophia in Kyiv - is open for worship services, no Church should not get the exclusive right for it.  --  read moreThe head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav has said about it in an interview for Tsenzor.NET, the Ukrainian news portal.

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Ukrainian Parish of St. Archangel Michael, Florence, September 13-15, invites to participate in a Church-wide pilgrimage to the Florentine Cathedral to honor the relics of St. John Chrysostom. The pilgrimage will be led by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, accompanied by the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC.

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Statement of the Meeting of the Heads of the Christian Churches in Damascus

On 9 August 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, currently on a working visit at the Philippines, met with Louis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila.

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CAIRO - 2 August 2019: Pope Tawadros II, the Patriarch of Alexandria, is set to hold a meeting on Friday with board members of the Coptic churches in the Arab Gulf states on the sidelines of the conference of the priests of the Arabian Gulf, hosted by the monastery of Bishop Bishoy in Wadi Natroun over the past three days.

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Moscow, August 1, Interfax - The Vatican embassy to Russia has denied online reports alleging that Pope Francis will attend celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the victory in WWII in Moscow next year.  -  "The Apostolic Nunciature in the Russian Federation is unaware of such rumors," a source in the Nunciature secretariat told Interfax on Thursday.

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The crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border has galvanized some American religious communities. Many congregations have thrown themselves into sheltering and advocating for migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. But the issue has also divided some churches.

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The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 1000 traditional rabbinic leaders in matters of public policy, today said statements of support for Rev. Al Sharpton from Senators (and Presidential candidates) Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren reflected “great insensitivity” towards the Jewish community. Following an attack on Sharpton from President Donald Trump, Harris claimed that Sharpton “has spent his life fighting for what’s right and working to improve our nation,” while Warren said he “has dedicated his life to the fight for justice for all.”   
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pax Christi International has two new co-presidents and while they hail from different continents, they share the view that rampant violence is posing ever-growing danger to the world.

Tout comme l’Église orthodoxe, la petite Église catholique d’Érythrée est dans le viseur du régime totalitaire du président Issayas Afeworki. En juin, ses 29 hôpitaux ont été confisqués et nationalisés.

In Nigeria, a ban on a Shiite Muslim group came after a court ruled the government could classify it as a "terrorist organization." Cardinal Onaiyekan of Abuja decries the move saying it sets a dangerous precedent for all religious minorities.

Adolf Hitler’s rise to power and the policies that led to the Holocaust all began with words, including words that targeted “the other,” Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago wrote in a July 24 commentary in the Chicago Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper.

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