Vatican marks first feast of Coptic martyrs

The Coptic icon that appears in the booklet of ecumenical celebration was held at St. Peter’s Basilica on February 15, the ninth anniversary of the execution of 20 Egyptian workers and a Ghanaian by Islamic State terrorists

For the first time, the Catholic Church has celebrated the feast day of the 21 Coptic martyrs killed by ISIS in 2015.

The men — members of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church — were murdered on a beach in Libya. Footage of their execution was posted online by the terrorist group and shared widely.

All 21 men were immediately proclaimed martyrs by the Coptic Church. Then, last May, Pope Francis added them to the Roman Martyrology, the Catholic Church’s official list of saints.

February 15 was the first time that the feast of the Coptic martyrs has come around on the Catholic calendar of saints.

To mark the occasion, an ecumenical prayer service was held in St Peter’s Basilica. Representatives from the Coptic Church were present including Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina, Coptic Catholic Bishop Emeritus of Ghizeh.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the celebration, at which relics of the martyrs were placed on the altar and venerated.

In his homily, the Cardinal reflected on the concept of the “ecumenism of blood” which is so important to Pope Francis, quoting his words: “If the enemy unites us in death, who are we to divide ourselves in life?” (VaticanNews)

Vice-rector of Kyiv Theological Academy: “The relationship between the UOC and public opinion remains strained”

The Bulgarian website “Christianity and Culture” published in its 2024 Issue #2 an interview with Professor Volodymyr Burega, vice-rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

Prof. Burega was asked about the identity and status of the UOC since its official separation from the Moscow Patriarchate on May 27, 2022. Specifically, interviewer Momchil Motodiev asked Burega if the UOC has won the support and trust of Ukrainian society.

He answered: “Inside the UOC, in my opinion, one cannot speak of a single identity. More precisely, in the UOC there are different groups that interpret the decisions of the Council of May 27, 2022 in different ways. There is a group of those who believe that the connection with the Moscow Patriarchate was not completely severed, and even in Kyiv there are monasteries and temples which continue to mention Patriarch Kirill in the Liturgy.

“There is also the group that believes that these decisions have led to a complete severance of ties and that the UOC is de facto autocephalous, although it does not use that term.

“There are also a large number of priests and laymen who are simply confused, who do not understand what the status of our Church is, whether we are with Moscow or no longer with Moscow…

“Understandably, this also creates a problem in relations with society. Because it was not clearly said that we were on the path to autocephaly — the term used in the document was ‘disengagement’ (‘otmeživanie’)… Although today it has no relations with Moscow, and the UOC does not implement any decrees of the Moscow Synod, the public remains suspicious of the UOC. So the relationship between the UOC and public opinion remains strained.”

On a way forward for actual autocephaly for the UOC, Burega stated, “It consists of the UOC first restoring relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which are now severed, and restoring Eucharistic communion with Constantinople. Second, sending a delegation to Constantinople and starting negotiations for the regulation of the status of the UOC; and at the same time, inside Ukraine, the UOC should also start negotiations with the OCU. These steps would be comprehensible to society, and thus the rift with Constantinople could be overcome.”

Pope urges Armenians to elect bishops who are pastors

Pope Francis asked the Armenian Catholic bishops responsible for selecting their episcopal colleagues to choose bishops who are more interested in the people they serve than in advancing their church careers.

Meeting with the Armenian Catholic bishops’ synod at the Vatican on February 28, the Pope asked them to select bishops who are “devoted to the flock, faithful to pastoral care and not driven by personal ambition.”

Church law gives the patriarchs and synods of the Eastern churches a large degree of autonomy and decision-making power over the territory of their traditional homelands, including electing bishops, but gives the Pope power over their dioceses in the rest of the world.

He warned them against selecting bishops who see their eparchy as “a stepping-stone” before reaching another, more prestigious posting. Such bishops, he wrote, risk committing “pastoral adultery.” (UCANews)

Polish church canonizing victims of labor camps

The Council of Bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church met on March 5, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland to discuss a number of issues pertaining to Church life.

The resulting communiqué states briefly: “A decision was made to canonize people tortured to death in the labor camps.”

The statement does not indicate any names or the number of victims. It is also unclear if a group of gulag victims was canonized already, or if the Council’s decision will be carried out in the future. (OrthoChristian)

Indian Christians told to vote to protect secular constitution

Ahead of national elections in India, the head of the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church has urged his people to vote for a party that can respect the rights of religious minorities and the secular character of the country’s constitution.

Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil of Syro-Malabar Church, based in southern Indian Kerala state, said this amid criticism that the ruling pro-Hindu party is pushing to make India into a theocratic Hindu nation, ignoring the secular values of the constitution.

Thattil described the rising violence against Christians as “painful” during an interaction with the media on March 22 in Kottayam, a major town in southern Kerala where his second largest Eastern rite Church is headquartered.

Various reports “on the rise in attacks against Christians are painful, especially when we have a strong Constitution which provides us our rights to profess and practice any religion of one’s choice,” the 67-year-old prelate said. (UCANews)

Indian cathedral reopens after liturgy clash forced closure

A community of the Eastern Rite Syro-Malabar Catholic Church during a homily in New Delhi

A Syro-Malabar Church cathedral in southern India has been reopened through a court order after police closed it following violent clashes there between rival groups over a longstanding liturgy dispute.

“We opened the church at 6 p.m. yesterday and conducted the rosary and the way of the cross,” said Father Varghese Manavalan, administrator of Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica under Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in southern Kerala, on March 27. “So far, everything is peaceful,” the priest told UCA News.

The March 26 court order, however, barred the parish priest from celebrating the holy Eucharist.

The cathedral under Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, the seat of the second largest Eastern rite Church, was initially shut down on November 27, 2022, following clashes between rival worshipers.

It was reopened on December 20 of the same year only to be closed again following violence inside the church on Christmas Eve.

Months later, pontifical delegate Archbishop Cyril Vasil, on August 14, 2023, entered the closed church with the Blessed Sacrament with a police escort and offered prayers amid protests from parishioners. (UCANews)

Bartholomew: False ideologies lead only to disappointment

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy on Monday, March 25, 2024, at the Church of the Annunciation in Vafeochori, Bosphorus, the birthplace of the late Patriarch Joachim III.

In his homily, after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reflected on the significance of the Feast of the Annunciation, emphasizing its message of joy. He then turned his attention to the tragic events unfolding in the Middle East, Ukraine, and the recent terrorist attack in Moscow, which was unequivocally condemned by the Holy Synod.

Addressing the broader context, he lamented the fabrication of false ideologies that distort God’s gifts and deny the Creator, leading only to disappointment, pain, and destruction. (OrthodoxTimes)

Coptic Orthodox Church confirms dialogue with Catholic Church suspended over same-sex blessings

The Coptic Orthodox Church has confirmed that its decision in early March to suspend dialogue with the Catholic Church was due to Rome’s “change of position” on homosexuality, which it interprets as a corollary to the Church’s document Fiducia Supplicans on allowing blessings for same-sex and other “irregular” couples.

In a video released on March 8, Coptic Orthodox spokesman Father Moussa Ibrahim said “the most notable” of nine decrees emanating from the Church’s annual Holy Synod, which took place last week in Wadi El-Natrun in Egypt, was “to suspend theological dialogue with the Catholic Church after its change of position on the issue of homosexuality.” (CNA)

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