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 [...]
Pope Leo: Gaza Ceasefire "Spark of Hope" As the cease-fire in Gaza held on Sunday, October 12, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the peace agreement for giving “a spark of hope in the Holy Land.” He encouraged “the parties involved to courageously continue along the path mapped out, towards a just, lasting peace that respects the legitimate [...]
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 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 Matthew Trojacek Moscow Patriarchate seeks to “open more parishes” across Africa Amid songs and dances, a diplomatic-plated car pulled up in front of a church in Akpakpa, a suburb of Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. Exiting with a smile, Constantin of Zaraïsk, Metropolitan of the Russian Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa and representative of the [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Pope Francis meets Middle East Catholic bishops amid fears of all-out war in region August 28, 2024. Vatican. Led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (above left), Pope Francis met with the Latin rite Catholic leaders of several Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking countries Pope Francis met August 28 with the Latin-rite Catholic leaders [...]
By Matthew Trojacek The dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, already put in crisis by the latter's support for the invasion of Ukraine, is becoming more complicated after the release of the document Fiducia supplicans on blessing same-sex couples. Here, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, on a peace mission to Moscow on Pope Francis' behalf, speaks with Russian [...]
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 [...]
By Matthew Trojacek Syrians are on the brink of starvation, Church leader says People displaced by fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State at a refugee camp in Ain Issa. In the circle, Archbishop Jacques Mourad, head the Archdiocese of Homs Catholics warn that Syrians are on the brink of starvation as [...]
May 2016 - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, foreground, addresses the 2nd Moscow Cadet Parade dedicated to the 71st anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Moscow (Iliya Pitalev / Sputnik) Russian Orthodox Patriarch Declares Worldwide “Holy War” on Terrorism The head [...]
