The small structure inside the Church of the Holy Sephulcher in Jerusalem which encloses the tomb of Jesus Endangered Jesus Tomb Unites Rival Catholic, Orthodox Churches in $3.4 Million Restoration Project Three Christian traditions recently put aside their long-standing theological differences and agreed to partner to save the endangered holy place where Jesus was [...]
Icon of the Resurrection Why is the Great Pascha on a Different Date than Easter? This year the Orthodox Church celebrated the Great Pascha, their Easter, on May 1, several weeks after the rest of the Christian world celebrated Easter. This feast is preceded by a Holy Week similar to the Catholic one, and [...]
April 29, 2016, Friday -- Toward the Orthodox Easter In the Orthodox Church, Today Is Good Friday, and Sunday Will Be Easter Sunday In the West, we sometimes forget that the Orthodox world still celebrates Holy Week according to the old calendar. And, according to the old calendar, today is Good Friday, and Easter will fall [...]
Moving Toward Unity The Catholic and Orthodox Churches may be entering a new era of reconciliation. Three prominent Catholic figures with years of experience working with the Eastern Churches comment on recent developments and the progress toward unity they may augur Pope Francis, “Bishop of Rome”: Creating New Space for Dialog By Fr. James McCann When [...]
The Desert Fathers Speak on Joy, Love and the Mercy of God If we keep remembering the wrongs which men have done us, we destroy the power of the remembrance of God… —Abba Macarius the Great On Joy Abba Syncletica said, “In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering [...]
Pope Francis receives the president of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic, in 2013 Croatia’s new prime minister, Tihomir Oreskovic, came to Rome on April 7 to meet with Pope Francis. On the meeting’s agenda, a canonization cause which has led Rome to take an unprecedented step... Tihomir Oreskovic, Croatia’s new prime minister, came to Rome on [...]
Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace during a prayer service in the patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, November 29 (CNS photo/Paul Haring) This humble Bishop of Rome, who says we can learn “the meaning of episcopal collegiality” from the Orthodox, has been “the right Pope at the right time” [...]
February 12, 2016, Friday -- Today's Common Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Cuba The Middle East -- "We call upon the international community to act urgently in order to prevent the further expulsion of Christians from the Middle East."—Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, Common statement, issued today in Cuba, just a few minutes [...]
February 6, 2016, Saturday -- The Passion that Looms Over the Pope Francis-Patriarch Kirill Meeting in Cuba The "Diplomacy of Music" I just received an email bringing my attention to an article by Dr. Terry Mattingly, an Orthodox scholar and writer who edits the popular GetReligion.org website. Here is the link. The Mattingly article quotes extensively [...]
February 5, 2016, Friday -- More on the Pope Francis-Patriarch Kirill Meeting in Havana, Cuba, on February 12 "Thus, in full awareness and at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome that Peter bathed with his blood, the current successor assumes as his primary commitment that of working tirelessly towards the reconstruction of [...]