By Matthew Trojacek Ukrainian Orthodox Priest and Father of Five Taken by Military Recruiters Another priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was detained by military recruitment officials on November 18. Father Konstantin Volovy, a clergyman of the Cherkasy Diocese, was taken to the Smila territorial recruitment center despite having grounds for deferment from military service. Family [...]
By Robert Wiesner Even though at least two ascetics preceded him into the desert wilds of North Africa (Paul of Thebes and Mark of Athens), Anthony is yet widely considered the Father of Monasticism. Neither Mark nor Paul had monks in obedience following them. Anthony, on the other hand, became the abbot of a large [...]
With his choice of lifestyle, Paul opened new paths for the monastic world By Robert Wiesner “Saints Anthony Abbot and Paul the Hermit” by Diego Velázquez, Prado Museum, Madrid. Saint Anthony the Great is generally considered the Father of Monasticism, but he was not the first monk in the Egyptian desert. That honor seems [...]
By Pope Leo XIV Address of the Holy Father to Representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, and other religions Clementine Hall - Monday, May 19, 2025 Dear brothers and sisters, With great joy I extend my cordial greetings to all of you, Representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, as well as of other religions, [...]
Peace, unity and common profession of faith are the themes of the young pontificate of Leo XIV – themes which touch vitally on the Roman Church's relations with the East By Robert Moynihan Pope Leo XIV poses with those attending an interreligious meeting May 19 in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican. A time [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Call between Zelenskyy and Cardinal Parolin: prayers for Pope, peace Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured above) discussed the Holy See’s role in the “path toward peace” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared news of a March 14 call with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal [...]
By Peter Anderson Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, died January 25, 2025, at age 95 On January 25, 2025, Archbishop Anastasios (“Anastas” in Albanian) of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania, primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, died at the age of 95 from multiple organ failure following a viral [...]
"Alas, today there are Christians in name only, but not in deeds" By Robert Wiesner There exists a wide variety of particular expressions of monasticism, almost all of which arose in Eastern Christianity. One of the very earliest monks was St. Mark of Athens, one of the most obscure of all the pioneering Desert Fathers. In [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Forcibly mobilized Ukrainian priest released after a week A priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was released after being forcibly drafted for Ukraine’s army. On December 21, on his way home from visiting his wife in the hospital where she had just given birth to their second child, Father Evgeny Rozhdestvensky was taken [...]
By Peter Anderson Patriarch John X, the head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in Syria. On December 8, 2024, the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. The Assad family had ruled Syria through oppressive measures since 1971. The collapse occurred as the result of an offensive launched on [...]
