APRIL, 2018 EASTERN CHURCHES NEWS: EDITED BY FR. RON ROBERSON

SEIA NEWSLETTER On the Eastern Churches and Ecumenism Number 271: April 30, 2018 Washington, DC

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Considers Requests for Ukrainian

PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE PETRO POROSHENKO ON TUESDAY, APRIL 17, ANNOUNCED THE START OF THE PROCEDURE FOR THE CREATION OF A UNIFIED UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. The relevant agreement was reached at 7-hour long negotiations between Poroshenko and Ecumenical Bartholomew and Synod members held during a presidential visit to Turkey, Poroshenko said at a meeting with heads of parliamentary factions on Tuesday. "Ukraine is as close as ever to the emergence of its own Unified Orthodox Church," the president said, adding that he cannot elaborate on all details of the agreements reached. A number of elements are needed for the process to see success, including, a corresponding appeal from UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which has already been signed to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in a rare united move of the two churches, according to Poroshenko. Poroshenko expressed hope that the new UOC would be created before the 1030th anniversary of baptism of the Kyiv Rus and called on Parliament to support the appeal to Constantinople. The president called the developments around a possible creation of a United Orthodox Church which would not be subordinate to Moscow a "historic event." The president ruled out the possibility of banning any other churches in Ukraine and noted that the state will remain separated from church. – Unian, April 17.

TODAY, APRIL 19, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS UPHELD THE PETITION OF PETRO POROSHENKO TO THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH ASKING HIM TO GRANT THE TOMOS OF AUTOCEPHALY TO THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN UKRAINE. About 268 MPs voted in favor. Before the vote, the President of Ukraine spoke to the audience. He said that the dialogue between the representatives of the state and the Patriarchate of Constantinople had lasted for several years and a favorable moment had come for the autocephaly of the UOC. “All Local Churches have been recognized through the engagement of state in this process. This is the requirement of Constantinople,” Poroshenko said. The President recalled that Orthodoxy came to Ukraine precisely from Constantinople and spread from us to Zalissia, where the Ukrainian princes recklessly founded Moscow. The head of state called on the church to tear the umbilical cord with Moscow. He also recalled that it was Russian church figures who invented the concept of the "Russian World," which the Kremlin later took on board. The President claims that the Churches have finally agreed to forget about old strife for the sake of association and recognition. Autocephaly is given not so much to a particular church but to a country, the President emphasized. That is why the Ukrainian state participates in this process. Not only religion but also geopolitics are involved here. This event is at the same level as the issue of a visa-free regime, and the signing of the Association Agreement. Separately, the Guarantor of the Constitution noted that this event would not violate the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. He also stressed that those who would like to remain part of the Moscow Patriarchate would reserve such a right. The heads of virtually all factions, Parliament Chairman Andriy Parubiy and the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality Iryna Podolyak support the President’s appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew. – RISU, April 19.

ON 19 APRIL 2018, THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE ENDORSED AN INITIATIVE OF PRESIDENT PETRO POROSHENKO CONCERNING AN APPEAL TO THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE FOR THE CREATION OF THE AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCH IN UKRAINE. Interfax-Religion web portal asked Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, to present the position of the on this matter. – The creation of an autocephalous Church is a process that cannot be initiated by secular authorities, because, as is well-known, the Church in present-day states is separated from the state, and the state must not manipulate the Church, be it in an election campaign or for any other political purposes. The whole concept of the creation of one local Church in Ukraine, separated from the Russian Orthodox Church, is based on the idea that in an independent state there should be an independent Church. Had we decided to apply this principle, then the , for instance, should have been divided in over fifty parts, since it embraces all Africa, and Africa has more than fifty countries; the Church of Antioch should have been divided in several parts, just like the Church of Jerusalem, and so on. Only enemies of the Church benefit from such schemes and such ideas. The schism in Ukraine occurred because the former Metropolitan of Kiev, Philaret Denisenko, decided to solve his own, personal problem by means of church schism. The problem was that he had been one of the candidates for the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, but the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church had elected another man to this post – the late Patriarch Alexy II. Philaret Denisenko nursed a grievance and upon his return to Ukraine set about working towards the creation of an independent Church. Later, at the ’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, he promised to resign from the post of Metropolitan of Kiev. However, returning to Ukraine, he changed his mind, announced another decision, thus breaking the promise given to the hierarchs of the Russian Church, and initiated the church schism. For almost a quarter of a century, this church schism has gathered pace due to the support by secular authorities. Yet, it is still a schism. As for the legitimization of schism, there haven’t been such precedents in the history of the Church. There were precedents when some hierarchs, clergymen, laypeople, groups and organizations returned from schism through repentance, and it is the only way that the Orthodox Church can offer. Certainly, we have recently heard of negotiations of the Ukrainian President Poroshenko with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. We have heard of the schismatics’ various initiatives, of trips to Phanar. We have heard of rich gifts brought there… We know all this, as well as many other things which I would not like to make public. At the same time, for many years we have heard a very firm position expressed by the Patriarch of Constantinople who has always said that he recognizes His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry as the only head of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has no intention of severing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. We are one Church born of the Kiev, Dnieper baptismal font, and, of course, neither Patriarchate of Constantinople, nor any other Church can unilaterally proclaim autocephaly of this or that Church. Therefore we believe that despite all the media fuss, this initiative will have the same fate as the initiatives of previous years, and we say again that the Ukrainian church problem can only be solved by canonical means. – Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April19.

THE HOLY AND SACRED SYNOD, UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HIS ALL- HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW, CONCLUDED ITS REGULAR SESSION, which took place between Thursday, April 19th, and Friday, April 20th. All the items on the agenda were reviewed and discussed and the appropriate decisions were made. In accordance with the Divine and Sacred Canons, as well as centuries-old ecclesiastical order and Holy Tradition, the Ecumenical Patriarchate concerns itself with the preservation of Pan-Orthodox unity and the care for the Orthodox Churches throughout the world—especially of the Ukrainian Orthodox Nation that has received the salvific Christian faith and holy baptism from Constantinople. Thus, as its true Mother Church, it examined matters pertaining to the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine, as done in previous synodal sessions, and having received from ecclesiastical and civil authorities—representing millions of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians—a petition that requests the bestowal of autocephaly, decided to closely communicate and coordinate with its sister Orthodox Churches concerning this matter. -- At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the 22nd of April, 2018.

THE DEPARTMENT FOR EXTERNAL CHURCH RELATIONS OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE ISSUED THIS STATEMENT ON APRIL 22: On April 19, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, by Resolution No. 8284, supported the appeal of the President of Ukraine P. O. Poroshenko to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I regarding the “granting of a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.” In connection to this, and with the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the UOC Department for External Church Relations draws attention to the following. In accordance with Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Church is separate from the state, and therefore the Church decides on issues of Church life independently. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has canonical relations with Ecumenical Orthodoxy, did not appeal to Patriarch Bartholomew I to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine nor did it authorize the President or deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to do so. In connection to the above-mentioned initiatives, the government is overstepping its constitutional boundaries and interfering in Church affairs. Such actions by the Ukrainian state in the religious sphere could be justified only if the Church in Ukraine had a legally established state status, as it was in the history of many states and still remains in certain states of the world. However, since the Church in Ukraine today does not have government status and is separate from the state, then the state authorities have absolutely no grounds whatsoever to meddle in Church affairs. The issue of granting of Church autocephaly falls within the competence of canon law, and not to the competence of state laws. Autocephaly is granted to the Church, and not to the state, and therefore the Church, and not the state, should initiate or ask for this status. At the same time, it is a matter of concern that the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine is viewed as an issue not only of religion, but also of geopolitics. We believe that the sphere of religious life should not become the subject of political manipulation. We should not confuse Church and politics, and even more so geopolitical issues. In this regard, we consider it unacceptable that autocephaly should be viewed from a geopolitical point of view. For the Church, autocephaly is not a political issue, but an ecclesiological one, that is, with regards to the life and nature of the Church as the Body of Christ (cf. Eph. 1: 22-23) The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always advocated and stands for the restoration of Church unity and for a single Church. However, the method proposed and proclaimed by the authorities to achieve unity does not correspond to the canonical law of the Church and contradicts Ukrainian legislation. After all, the authorities are asking for a Tomos to provide autocephaly to a single Church structure that does not yet exist. We believe that we must first overcome schism, restore Church unity, and only then raise the question about changing the canonical status of the single Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Since it is impossible to have a single Church in Ukraine without the canonical Church, there is in fact reason to believe that, under the pretext of creating a single Church today, this is just another routine attempt to legitimize church schism. The hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has regular contacts with the hierarchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Based on the experience of such communication, we have no reason to suppose that the Ecumenical Patriarchate can commit acts that would harm the unity of the Church both locally and globally. Even from the point of view of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate itself, which is in the position of coordinating the joint actions of all Local Orthodox Churches and expresses a coherent view on all the various issues of Church life, the question of possible Ukrainian autocephaly cannot be solved unilaterally, since all the Orthodox Churches have not yet come a consensus on the issue. His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople, has repeatedly and publicly referred to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine as being the only canonical head of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. Today, people outside of the Church are trying to convince us that the same Patriarch Bartholomew can grant autocephaly without even asking the canonical head of Ukrainian Orthodoxy about the issue. In addition, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, like all other Local Orthodox Churches, does not consider the “UOC-KP” and “UAOC” to be full-fledged Churches, as is evidenced by the non-recognition of the validity of the priesthood of these two structures. This is confirmed by the fact that the hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople require reordination of “UOC- KP” and “UAOC” clergy who return to them from schism. Thus, several dozen such cases of reordination have taken place in European countries, particularly in Spain and Portugal. All this convinces us that the Patriarchate of Constantinople will continue to observe and vigorously defend the canonical order of the Church and universal Church unity. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the Church that has existed and operated in our lands since the baptism of Kyivan Rus’ in 988 A.D. The “UOC-KP” and “UAOC” are only parts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which have relatively recently fallen away from unity with the Church. Accordingly, we see the restoration of the unity of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine only after the return of those parts that have fallen away, and only then will there be “one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16). With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, we call on the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to preserve the unity of the Church, to remain calm, not to succumb to informational provocations, to continue praying, and not to forget that the fate of the Church is wholly and entirely in the hands of God. – RISU, April 22.

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT PETRO POROSHENKO DOES NOT RULE OUT THAT A TOMOS ON THE AUTOCEPHALY OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE WILL BE CONFIRMED NOT ONLY BY ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE, BUT BY OTHER PATRIARCHS, INCLUDING RUSSIA'S KIRILL. "The ideal scenario for me would be if along with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the Tomos on the autocephaly is confirmed by all the Orthodox churches, including the Russian Patriarch. In my opinion, this is the only way [for Russia] to at least partially wash off the atrocities and the sins that were committed on the Ukrainian territory by Russian military, Russian propagandists, and sometimes, sadly, by Russian priests. Do I believe that this is possible? The Lord does miracles. I do not rule this out," Poroshenko said in the "Freedom of Speech" talk show on the ICTV Channel on Monday evening. He also stressed that no one can apply the right of veto to the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch. "But can Kirill prevent them from giving us the Tomos of autocephaly, the right to independence? I want to stress that no one, including Kirill, has the right to veto a decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch. He does not ask permission from Kirill, but holds consultations on this matter," Poroshenko said. As reported, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople accepted the appeal from the president of Ukraine to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew asking the Patriarch to grant a Tomos (an official church document) of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. A decision was made to start the procedures necessary to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In addition, the Ecumenical Patriarch was handed a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supporting the president's appeal. As reported, on April 17, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said about his intentions to appeal to of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, asking him to issue a Tomos granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and called on the Verkhovna Rada to support it. According to him, if there is a relevant resolution of the Verkhovna Rada, the president's address and the appeal of church hierarchs, will be transferred to the Ecumenical Patriarch. On April 19, 268 MPs supported the appeal of the president of Ukraine to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a Tomos about the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. – Interfax-Ukraine, April24.

THE PERMANENT CONFERENCE OF UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX BISHOPS BEYOND THE BORDERS OF UKRAINE (ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE) ADDRESSED THIS STATEMENT TO ITS VENERABLE CLERGY, MONASTICS AND FAITHFUL ON APRIL25: CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! We write to you all having been informed about recent events in Ukraine surrounding the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. If you have not yet heard or read anything about these events, which are filling the social websites and media in and beyond Ukraine, we hereby inform you that the President of Ukraine met in a day-long audience with His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, on Bright Monday – 9 April 2018. The result of this meeting was the beginning of the Patriarchate’s long-awaited consideration of Autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Upon his return to Ukraine, President Poroshenko immediately began the process of rallying the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament). All the hierarchs of two of the three jurisdictions and the vast majority of the Rada responded to the President’s emotional appeal to support the process of asking His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod of Constantinople to move forward with the process of granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Church in Ukraine, which has for 1030 years been the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, since 988 when our nation was baptized and confirmed into the Holy Orthodox Faith. Not even under 332 years of non-canonical and often tortuous subjugation to a foreign Orthodox Patriarchate could the faithful of Ukraine be convinced that they did not belong to the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This is simple history, as documented by generations of Patriarchs and Synods of Constantinople, which never abandoned its canonical rights and privileges in Ukraine. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, through releases on its own website and through the media has confirmed that the process of considering the Autocephalous status of the Church of Ukraine has begun, which will continue through the next meeting of the Holy Synod to be held in May. President Poroshenko in all his public appearances and statements about these current events has been incredibly enthusiastic about the possibility of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine being granted even by the 1030th anniversary in July 2018 of the Baptism of Ukraine into the Orthodox Faith in 988 by Equal-to-the-Apostles, Great Prince Volodymyr. The Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Beyond the Borders of Ukraine has written a strong letter of support for the actions being taken by His All-Holiness and the Holy Synod of Constantinople regarding the possible granting of a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church. We have assured His All-Holiness of the unceasing prayers of not only the hierarchs, but also the millions of Ukrainian Orthodox clergy and faithful in and beyond the borders of Ukraine, for him personally during this process. – Press Release, Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Beyond the Borders of Ukraine, April25.

THE UNIFICATION OF CHURCHES IN UKRAINE WILL PROCEED ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE WILL EXIST IN RUSSIA, AND IN UKRAINE THERE WILL BE AN EXARCHATE OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. PATRIARCH FILARET OF KYIV AND ALL RUSSIA-UKRAINE STATED THIS, answering the questions of the Ukrinform correspondent after the events in Kyiv dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. “For Ukraine, this means that Ukraine will be united. Today it is divided. The Orthodox Church is divided, and our society is divided. And when there is one Ukrainian Orthodox Church, there will be different political parties, but all of them will serve the interests of Ukraine. And this will be the merit of the independent Local Ukrainian Church,” Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine reiterated. At the same time, he noted that this initiative was not new, and other churches, including Russian ones, had gone through this. “We do not bring anything new. All the churches - both Greek and Romanian, and Bulgarian, and Serbian – followed this path. All without exception. When the state was formed, an independent Church was formed. We suffered for a long time, but those churches also suffered for a long time. And the Russian Church itself should remember its history. It also obtained autocephaly in 1448. Without the consent of the Kyiv Metropolitan, though it belonged to the Kyiv Metropolis. Without the consent of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. And for 141 years it remained unrecognized. But later it was recognized. Let it remember its own history and not harm us,” said the head of the UOC-KP. As for the UOC-MP in Ukraine, Patriarch Filaret said: "There will be the Moscow Patriarchate in Russia, and we will have a Ukrainian exarchate of the Russian Church.” He also stressed that the unification of churches in Ukraine will proceed in a peaceful manner. “The union will be only peaceful. If anyone does not want to join the Ukrainian Church, he may not be joining. But then he must belong to this Russian exarchate. And everybody will know that this is the Russian Church. But I think that Ukrainians will be in the Ukrainian Church,” stressed the of the UOC-KP. – RISU, April 27.

The Eastern Orthodox Churches

“SINCE THE XVI CENTURY, THE DISTANCE THE JULIAN AND GREGORIAN CALENDARS HAVE TAKEN FROM EACH OTHER HAS LED TO HAVING A DIFFERENT EASTER DATE. We are sure that, as soon as the time is right, our Churches will be able to humbly and willingly implement a joint decision and to listen to St Paul’s invitation as a cry that sounds more urgent than ever nowadays, in a globalized, media-dependent world: ‘Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed’ (1 Cor. 5, 7-8).” This was said earlier today by His Holiness, Bartholomew, archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, as he received at Fanar the general vicar of the Holy Father for the diocese of , Msgr. , and the Roman clergy, who are in Turkey on a pilgrimage these days. In repeating the Easter announcement – “Christ rose from the dead!” – which will resound in the Orthodox Churches on Sunday, April 8th, Patriarch Bartholomew invited to “go and announce this great truth to all the world, we must make it the source and walk of our personal experience, we must embody it and make it fruitful in the life of the Church.” And, mentioning why they were there, Bartholomew pointed out that “being pilgrims means walking the ways of the world, it also means converting oneself to get rid of the labors of life so as to walk a way of holiness and completely entrust oneself to God.” Then, the Ecumenical Patriarch mentioned that “you come from Rome, where our beloved brother, Francis, is . A deep unity of purpose has bonded us since his election and has gone on fruitfully in the five years of his Papacy, and it has found us together in so many events and so many times.” “Our meetings, our common perseverance in looking for all the possible ways to solve the unsolved issues between our Churches – he added – have been imbued with great mutual respect, trust and Christian love. And so has the international Catholic- Orthodox theological dialogue, which has already borne plenty of fruit.” “Even if slow, even if sometimes hesitantly, the walk towards the unity of our Holy Churches is unstoppable – he concluded – because God wants it, and because we must be His witnesses in this world that does not care for God.”Servizio Informazione Religiosa, April 3.

ON THE EVENING OF HOLY TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018, HIS EXCELLENCY VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, WHO IS CURRENTLY VISITING ANKARA, SPOKE OVER THE TELEPHONE WITH HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW and expressed his gratitude for the congratulatory wishes he received on the occasion of his reelection as President of the Russian Federation. He also thanked the Patriarch for all of his efforts in advancing Orthodox unity, for the canonical permission granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which allowed for an Orthodox Chapel dedicated to St. Andrew to be built within the compounds of the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Ankara, as well as for the warm reception that the President enjoyed during his two visits to the Holy Mountain of Athos. His Excellency particularly mentioned the great respect that the Russian people have for the Mother Church of Constantinople, especially since Prince Vladimir and his people received their Christian baptism from Her, which—as stated by His Excellency—constitutes an event of great historical significance. Moreover, President Putin conveyed the fraternal greetings of His Holiness and Beatitude Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, mentioning as well Patriarch Kirill’s readiness to strengthen the bond between the two Churches. He then concluded with wishes for a joyous Holy Pascha. His All-Holiness reciprocated wholehearted Paschal wishes to the President and the people of Russia, and extended his sympathy for the recent tragedy in Kemerovo, Siberia. He also congratulated His Excellency once again for his victory in the presidential elections and for his support of the Orthodox Church, underscoring at the same time that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will continue to fulfill its role of service as the coordinating Center of Pan-Orthodox unity. Furthermore, he added that the Patriarchate—in accordance with its canonical and pastoral responsibility—also cares for the spiritual and religious needs of the Orthodox faithful of Russian descent residing in Turkey. During their warm conversation, the two leaders discussed other matters of mutual interest as well, and President Putin communicated his desire to visit the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate during a future visit to the Republic of Turkey. – Press Release, Ecumenical Patriarchate, April 4.

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW ISSUED A STRONG REBUKE TO THE CHURCH OF BULGARIA OVER ITS SUPPORT FOR THE SCHISMATIC CHURCH IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM). The strong worded statement by Bartholomew, who is spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, was made on Wednesday evening after the Bulgarian Church agreed to acknowledge and be the “mother church” of “Macedonia,” which is considered “schismatic” by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. “The action of the sister church of Bulgaria was wrong. It complicates matters. The mother church of all Balkan nations is that of Constantinople,” he said, adding that this is what history says and that the Bulgarian church has no right to normalize the “Macedonian” one. Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria has repeatedly claimed that Bulgaria should support the church of “Macedonia” in its attempt for recognition and integration. – KED, April 12.

ON TUESDAY, APRIL 17, HIS HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW CONVENED FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SYNAXIS (CONFERENCE) OF PRIESTS AND DEACONS IN TURKEY at the Balukli Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring. Addressing the participants, the Ecumenical Patriarch pointed to the importance of priestly ministry and offered paternal pieces of advice for a more intense service in today’s world. ‘The priest does not belong to his own self, but to Christ. He owes everything to His grace. He serves Him,’ the Ecumenical Patriarch said recalling the advice received at his personal ordination to the diaconate and priesthood from his spiritual father, Metropolitan Meliton Hatzis. The Patriarch stressed that ‘the priest is spiritually and bodily consecrated for his mission.’ ‘It is truly a great blessing to be clergymen, priests and deacons of the Most High God,’ Patriarch Bartholomew said according to a press release from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. ‘We are all bearers of this spirit. Steadfast and untiring, we keep what we have received: the faith, the doxological service of God, and the ecclesiastical ethos, but we also give to the world the good witness of love to every human, because every man is God’s creature in His image, and every human bears an honor because Christ became a Man, died on the cross, and rose from the dead for their sake.’ The Ecumenical Patriarch noted that all clergymen should offer the witness of fraternal love, without any distinction, to any person who needs support and strengthening. ‘This absolute primacy of love has made the greatest axiological renewal in the history of mankind, something at which the opponents of Christian faith are still astonished.’ Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew cited the Encyclical of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church that convened in Crete in 2016 stressing the importance of Church mission and ministry. There is a ‘virtual priesthood’ that wants more to seem than to be, to show off than to sacrifice themselves, to take than to offer. Instead, a true priest ‘does not seek to have his name inserted in the records of history,’ but ‘to be inscribed in the Book of the Kingdom.’ ‘This is your mission too, beloved fathers. To be dedicated to your divine work without any barriers or limits, to be ministers of the Gospel of love.’ ‘It takes humility, self-sacrifice, and proper spiritual state to be the good cleric. You have to have discernment towards yourselves. Do not show what is a self-evident great gift.’ ‘What you offer to the believers is the gift of God’s grace. The grace of God always heals that which is infirm and completes that which is lacking. Whatever you do, you must seek the glory of God, the Giver of all good things.’ Ending his speech, Patriarch Bartholomew recalled that priests must have an exemplary presence and conduct in their relations with other persons. ‘In the consciousness of most people, the name of the Church is automatically linked to the consecrated clergy. Thus, criticism of the clergy turns into criticism against the Church and, in general, into a weapon of war against our faith.’ Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa, the abbot of the Stavropegic Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Chalki, and professor at the Faculty of Theology in Tessaloniki, gave a speech entitled ‘The Ecumenical Patriarchate, its diaspora and inter-church relations’. Other speeches were given on the Holy and Great Council, contemporary pastoral challenges, the ecumenical movement, the Sacrament of Confession etc. – Basilica, April 19.

HIS ALL-HOLINESS ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW MET WITH HIS EXCELLENCY RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018. The meeting was held in the presence of Mr. Mevlut Tsavousoglou, Turkish Foreign Minister, at the Presidential Palace in Ankara and lasted more than half an hour. His All-Holiness thanked President Erdogan for everything he has done so far to solve the issues of the Hellenic Community and the Ecumenical Patriarchate and raised the issues that are still pending. The President of Turkey showed particular interest in the issues of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Community. During the meeting, the President invited Mr. Adnan Ertem, General Director of the Vakoufion, to assist in relevant issues. Accompanying His All-Holiness were His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa, Archimandrite Joachim Billis, Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, Archon Laki Vingas and Mr. Georgios Papaliaris, Vice-President of the Supporting Association of Roman Community Institutions. – Archon News,April 30.

HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS OF AMERICA HAS APPOINTED NICHOLAS ANTON AS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTER- ORTHODOX, ECUMENICAL AND INTERFAITH RELATIONS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA. Mr. Anton has been the Coordinator of UN Programs as well as the Special Assistant to the Director of the Department since 2014. A Chicago native, Nicholas earned a BA from Hellenic College, a M.Div. from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and a MA in Pastoral Ministry (Faith-based Diplomacy) from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. He represents the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on the board of Creation Justice Ministries, the Secretariat of the Assembly of Bishops USA, and as a delegate to the National Council of Churches and Church World Service. Having served the Archdiocese as Coordinator of United Nations Programs since 2014, he is an elected member of the Steering Committee of the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons at the UN and chairs the sub-committee on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation for the NGO Mining Working Group at the UN. He helped organize the first Halki summit in Turkey, was a member of the press team of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, and is currently the Secretary of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s upcoming symposium entitled “Toward a Green Attica: Preserving the Planet and Protecting its People.” While serving the Ecumenical Patriarchate from 2011-2012, Nicholas realized the need for cross-sector collaboration towards achieving a peaceful and sustainable world. Inspired by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s ability to bridge these demographics, he has dedicated his life to faith-based diplomacy and advocacy. – Press Release, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, April 26.

THE FOLLOWING COMMUNIQUE WAS ISSUED AT THE END OF THE INTER- ORTHODOX PRE-ASSEMBLY CONSULTATION OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES PARTICIPATING IN THE 2018 CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN CHURCHES GENERAL ASSEMBLY from May 31 to 6 June in Novi Sad, Serbia: John 20:31 “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Christ is Risen! Le Christ Ressuscité! Christos Anesti! Hristos Voskrese! Hristos a înviat! In the light of the Paschal period, on 19 April 2018, representatives from the Orthodox Churches from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the , the , the , the , the , and the Orthodox Church in Finland met at the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Metropolis of France in Paris. The consultation included briefings and exchanges in the run up to the CEC General Assembly, which will take place from 31 May to 7 June, 2018, in Novi Sad, Serbia. The Assembly will be hosted by the Serbian Orthodox Church and other Protestant minority churches in Serbia. The introduction to the overall theme of the CEC Assembly in Novi Sad “You shall be my witness” was made by His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Vice President of the Conference of the European Churches and Ms. Catharine Tsavdaridou, one of the Orthodox members of the Assembly Planning Committee. Orthodox Church representatives went through the existing program devoted to justice, witness and hospitality. The central theme of the Assembly is the debate on the Future of Europe, which will contribute to the definition of the political aims and objectives of the work of the organization in the upcoming 5 years. They were informed about expected legal changes of the existing CEC constitution, which needs to be harmonized with the Belgian law on international non-profit associations (ASBL). The Orthodox representatives noted the importance of a united Orthodox voice to be heard at the CEC Assembly, as the Orthodox Churches constitute 25% of the CEC membership. The thematic issues that were brought to the table and discussed, were refugees and migration, ecology and climate change, social issues, religious freedom or belief, bioethics etc. The care for the human person, human dignity and protection of human rights for refugees and migrants remains the central issue for the Orthodox Churches, as well as the work done in integration process. Metropolitan Gabriel from the Church of Greece stressed the need of helping the migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, to find their role in the new realities, and the important role of the Orthodox Theological perspective as a foundation of the human personality. The Churches are providing society with a tremendous ministry, in order to decrease racism and xenophobia, as they provide legal and practical assistance to the people and children in need. Representatives stressed the importance of the ecumenical work to continue on political and legal advocacy for the protection of human dignity vis-à-vis the European institutions. The support for the continuation of the ongoing theological dialogue and ecclesiology were expressed. The local coordinator of the CEC Assembly, Mr. Danilo Mihajlovic, from the Diocese of Backa, of the Serbian Orthodox Church, gave the update about local matters and Rev. Fr. Miodrag Andric, local Orthodox member of the Worship Committee, gave a report regarding the work done so far in reference to the worship activities foreseen during the days of the CEC Assembly and Bible studies. The representatives expressed their gratitude to His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France and to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for convening this meeting and their appreciation to the Serbian Orthodox Church for hosting the upcoming General Assembly. – Press Release, April 19.

SEVERAL CONGOLESE CATECHUMENS WERE RECENTLY RECEIVED INTO THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH IN A MASS BAPTISM CEREMONY ON THE BANKS OF THE CONGO RIVER. The holy Sacrament was celebrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Brazzaville and Gabon of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church on Saturday on the border between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports Romfea. His Grace first arrived by air to the northeastern city of Impfondo in the Republic of the Congo to visit the parish community of St. John the Baptist-St. Nicholas. He was greeted at the airport by parish priest Fr. Timotheos Ndzebe and members of the community. After visiting the church, the first in the northern Congo, he traveled along the Ubangi River, which flows into the Congo and forms a part of the border between the Republic of Congo and the People’s Republic of Congo. There, between Brazzaville on the western bank, and Kinshasa on the eastern, the metropolitan baptized a number of catechumens of all ages, coming from the Bantu and Pygmy tribes. On the banks of the river, Met. Panteleimon spoke about the uniqueness of holy Baptism and the beginning of the spiritual life while he explained the various stages of the celebration of the holy Sacrament. The day was completed with several hours of spiritual conversation between His Eminence and the parish priest and community. Mass Baptisms are a regular occurrence in the Alexandrian Orthodox Church. Most recently, His Eminence Metropolitan Meletios of Katanga and a number of other clergy celebrated the Baptism of 556 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in two days in mid- January. – Orthodox Christianity, April 17.

THREE OF THE PATRIARCHS OF ANTIOCH ISSUED THIS STATEMENT ON APRIL 14 IN RESPONSE TO THE ATTACK ON SYRIA THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE ON THE PREVIOUS DAY: God is with us; Understand all ye nations and submit yourselves! We, the Patriarchs: John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East; Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East; and Joseph Absi, Melkite-Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, condemn and denounce the brutal aggression that took place this morning against our precious country Syria by the USA, France and the UK, under the allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons. We raise our voices to affirm the following: 1. The brutal aggression is a clear violation of the international laws and the UN Charter, because it is an unjustified assault on a sovereign country, a member of the UN. 2. It causes us great pain that this assault comes from powerful countries to which Syria did not cause any harm in any way. 3. The allegations of the USA and other countries that the Syrian army is using chemical weapons and that Syria is a country that owns and uses this kind of weapon, is a claim that is unjustified and unsupported by sufficient and clear evidence. 4. The timing of this unjustified aggression against Syria, when the independent International Commission for Inquiry was about to start its work in Syria, undermines the work of this commission. 5. This brutal aggression destroys the chances for a peaceful political solution and leads to escalation and more complications. 6. This unjust aggression encourages the terrorist organizations and gives them momentum to continue their terrorism. 7. We call upon the Security Council of the United Nations to play its natural role in bringing peace rather than contribute to escalation of wars. 8. We call upon all churches in the countries that participated in the aggression, to fulfill their Christian duties, according to the teachings of the Gospel, and condemn this aggression and call on their governments to commit to the protection of international peace. 9. We salute the courage, heroism, and sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army which courageously protects Syria and provides security for its people. We pray for the souls of the martyrs and the recovery of the wounded. We are confident that the army will not bow before the external or internal terrorist aggressions; they will continue to fight courageously against terrorism until every inch of the Syrian land is cleansed from terrorism. We, likewise, commend the brave stand of countries which are friendly to Syria and its people. We offer our prayers for the safety, victory and deliverance of Syria from all kinds of wars and terrorism. We also pray for peace in Syria and throughout the world, and call for strengthening the efforts of the national reconciliation for the sake of protecting the country and preserving the dignity of all Syrians. – Facebook page of the Patriarchate of Antioch, April 14.

‘TODAY I HAVE HAD A TALK WITH AND ALL THE ORTHODOX PATRIARCHS IN THE MIDDLE EAST – PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE, THEODOROS OF ALEXANDRIA, JOHN OF ANTIOCH AND THEOPHILOS OF JERUSALEM. Certainly, it was about Syria’, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia informed mass media representatives during his meeting with them on April 14, 2018, at the Patriarchal residence in Peredelkino. Participating in the talks, which were initiated by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, was also Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR). ‘We have undertaken this initiative in the awareness that Christians cannot stand aside from all that is happening in Syria today. Syria, the Middle East, is the place where Christianity emerged, and the terrible conflicts tormenting the Syrian land today cannot but create threats including to the Christian presence. Moreover, it is quite obvious that people are suffering. And the message of the Church has always involved proclamation of peace among people and justice. So, it is impossible to keep silent about what is happening in Syria’, Patriarch Kirill stated. At about 4 o’clock, Moscow time, the USA, France and Great Britain launched a missile attack on Syria. ‘I am satisfied with my talks as each of my interlocutors took my concern with full understanding’, His Holiness continued, ‘there is a wish to continue consultations to try somehow to influence the situation’. According to His Holiness, the Church is a peacemaking force. ‘We say this with reference to an internal situation, when we consider some domestic conflicts. We say this even in reference to people’s private lives when it is necessary to reconcile people. But the Church should play this role globally as well’. ‘We discussed that Christians, too, should influence the situation in a way that would make the violence stop, make the war stop, so that there will be no such terrible casualties as taking place today. It was an explicitly peacemaking dialogue’, the Primate of the Russian Church underscored. His Holiness also noted that the Church has no political aims whatsoever: ‘she is outside of any political context or political struggle, and this enables us to talk with all, which is a big thing in a situation of conflict’. The head of the Patriarchal Press Service, Rev. Alexander Volkov, answering questions from journalists about the telephone talks, said that the talk the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church had with Pope Francis of Rome ‘was held in a good atmosphere of mutual understanding. It began with reciprocal Easter greetings and continued in the context of Syrian problems and the threat faced by the entire world community. The Pope and the Patriarch agreed to continue the constructive dialogue’. That same day, at the instruction of Patriarch Kirill, Metropolitan Hilarion discussed the same topic with Patriarch Tawadros II of the Coptic Church and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, head of the Syriac Jacobite Church. – Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April 14.

PUBLISHED BELOW IS THE TEXT OF THE PEACEMAKING APPEAL, WHICH WAS AGREED UPON DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN POPE FRANCIS OF ROME AND PATRIARCH KIRILL OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA ON APRIL 14, 2018. The text was signed by His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of the Great Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness Tawadros II the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in All Africa and the Middle East, and His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch and All the East. JOINT STATEMENT Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Mt 5:9) Impelled by a sense of responsibility for the millions of Christians that God has entrusted to our spiritual care and for the wellbeing of the entire human family, which shares a common destiny, we join together to speak out at this time of heightened international tension. The ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which in recent years have brought immense suffering, claimed the lives of many thousands of people and caused the flight of millions of refugees, now threaten to turn into a global conflict. Our world has reached a point where there is a real danger of a breakdown in international relations and cooperation for the common good of the human family. Clearly, the horrors of the world wars of the last century can hardly be compared with the dire consequences of a world war at the present time. In the face of this terrible threat, we appeal to all world leaders to recognize their responsibility before their respective nations, before mankind and before God. We likewise appeal to the countries of the United Nations, and particularly members of the Security Council, to recall their duties towards the family of nations, and we implore them, in the name of God, to overcome their disagreements and to work together for peace in the world. Together we call upon the political leaders to avoid a further escalation of tensions, to eschew confrontation and to embrace dialogue. – Facebook page of the Patriarchate of Antioch, April 17.

HIS HOLINESS KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, HAS SENT THESE CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. MIGUEL DIAZ-CAMEL BERMUDEZ ON HIS ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA: Your Excellency, Please accept my sincere congratulations on your election as President of the Council of the State of the Republic of Cuba. Having considerable experience in operating the government and authority in the society, you have been elected to the highest national post by an absolute majority of the National Assembly of the Republic. This event has become a testimony to a high confidence that the Cuban parliament members have in your nomination. I hope that with your election, Cuba’s further progress and the fraternal relations between our nations will continue. A visible testimony to this is the Russian Orthodox church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Havana. I wish you, highly esteemed Mr. Diaz-Canel, success in your work in this lofty walk of life, and to the people of Cuba I wish peace and prosperity. With profound respect, + Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. – Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April19.

ON 22 APRIL 2018, THE FUNERAL SERVICE FOR METROPOLITAN CORNELIUS OF TALLINN AND ALL ESTONIA WAS HELD AT THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. ALEXANDER NEVSKY IN TALLINN. Vladyka Cornelius passed away on April 19, at the age of 93. The service was celebrated by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Archbishop Yevgeny of Vereya, chairman of the Education Council of the Russian Orthodox Church; Bishop Lazar of Narva and Prichudye; Bishop John of Jelgava; Bishop Sergy of Maardu; and an assembly of clergymen. Prior to the service, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk read out a message of condolences of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia over the death of Metropolitan Cornelius of Tallinn and All Estonia. Addressing all those present, Vladyka Hilarion also said, in particular: “The life of the late Metropolitan Cornelius was full of labors and afflictions. He became a priest in the year when the Great Patriotic War ended, and performed his ministry, first as a deacon, then as a priest, and later as a bishop, for over seventy years. In 1990, at a mature age, he became a bishop and headed the See of Estonia. “Vladyka Cornelius went through terrible ordeals. He was unlawfully sentenced to imprisonment in corrective labor camps and spent several years in “harsh labor,” but then by the mercy of God he was released and continued his ministry. In the 1990s, when the revival of the Church began all over Holy Russia, he witnessed and took part in the revival of the church life in the Estonian land. However, even at that time he suffered numerous afflictions, enduring them as a good soldier of Christ. The Lord granted to him a long life. Metropolitan Cornelius outlived many of his brothers the clergymen and bishops. God preserved him until the day when He willed to take His faithful servant to the heavenly dwellings. “Today we will lay to rest His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius. Yet, it is not a farewell and not mourning. Our prayers will be full of joy over the Resurrection of Christ and of hope that the Lord will take His faithful servant to the heavenly mansions. “In my Father’s house are many mansions” (Jn 14:2), the Lord Jesus Christ said, and we believe that one of these mansions has been prepared for the newly departed Metropolitan Cornelius. “Let us offer our fervent and zealous prayers for the repose of his soul, that the Lord may forgive him all his human infirmities and transgressions and give rest to his soul in His heavenly glory. Amen.” Metropolitan Cornelius was buried at the cemetery of Alexander Nevsky near the graves of Archbishop Pavel (Dmitrovsky) and Bishop Isidor (Bogoyavlensky). —Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April22.

THE PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES SHOULD MEET IN PERSON TO RELIEVE TENSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, METROPOLITAN HILARION, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, said on the television channel Rossiya-24. "There is no alternative today to direct bilateral relations between America and Russia, between President Trump and President Putin. I know both presidents have the desire to meet, but we also see that there is a group of people around Trump who are deliberately obstructing this meeting," Metropolitan Hilarion said. He said he believed the current situation could well be compared to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis but warned that "it is impossible to move this way, as this might lead the world to the Third World War." He said he shared the view that the policy of threats that currently prevails in the U.S.' rhetoric and the policy of sanctions will do no good, and that in terms of destruction, a military scenario might be comparable to all of the destruction and casualties of the First and Second World Wars. "The amount of nuclear weapons is such today that only one strike and another strike in response may destroy practically all of humankind. Therefore, the responsibility of the leaders of the superpowers is so incredibly great. What are needed are special wisdom and humility and the ability to agree to compromise for the sake of dialogue and for the sake of preserving peace on Earth," Metropolitan Hilarion said. – Interfax, April 25.

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA HAS ARRIVED IN THE ALBANIAN CAPITAL CITY OF TIRANA. At Mother Teresa Airport the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was met by His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania, members of the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Russia’s ambassador to Albania V. Karpushin and other officials. From the airport, the Primates of the Russian and Albanian Churches proceeded to the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tirana. – Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April 28.

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA, DURING HIS VISIT TO THE ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, MET WITH PRESIDENT OF ALBANIA MR. ILIR META. Participating in the talk, which was held at the residence of the head of the state in Tirana, was His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania. Greeting His Holiness, Mr. Ilir Meta stressed that ‘it is a very important visit not only because it is the first visit of such a high level to our country, but also by virtue of the irreplaceable role played by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russian in ensuring religious harmony in the world’. ‘I would like to assure you that our country will continue to be a model of harmonious co-existence of the religious communities because it is a decisive factor in preserving peace both in our region and on the whole globe’, he stressed. For his part, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church thanked the head of the state and in his person the people of Albania for the warm welcome. ‘It is the first ever visit of a Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to Albania’, His Holiness stressed, ‘I was here in 2003 and can compare what it was at that time and what it is now. I would like to say that Albania has made a very large step forward in her development. A completely different country has appeared before me: along with its remarkable nature, what attracts attention are new beautiful buildings, roads, good agriculture. Everything I could see made a good impression on me’. Especially noticeable, His Holiness said, are changes in the religious life. ‘The magnificent Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, in which we celebrated the liturgy; it is in some sense a symbol of not only religious resurrection but generally a symbol of Albania’s resurrection, a symbol of new life’, Patriarch Kirill stated. His Holiness made a special mention of the role played by His Beatitude Anastasios in preserving religious accord and cooperation in the country. ‘In your presence I would like to thank His Beatitude Anastasios for his hospitality and certainly for the great work he has carried out to build up the Orthodox community in this country. We have very warm and good relations between the Churches. His Beatitude Anastasios has been to our country many times. We attach a great importance to such fraternal visits’, Patriarch Kirill said. The President of Albania responded saying, ‘Our country is not very big but God has rewarded us with whatever one likes: two beautiful seas, lakes, endless rivers, mountains, fields – everything you need. We attempted for several decades to live without faith in the Lord, but it was a failure. One of the gifts with which the Lord has endowed us is Archbishop Anastasios, who, as you noted, has carried out an incredible work for the rebirth of the Albanian Orthodox Church’. Mr. Ilir Meta mentioned the important role played by the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church in ensuring peaceful co-existence among the religious communities in the country and in the joint efforts made by the religious leaders to this end. ‘As you have rightly said, faith has a great importance for building peace and stability in the country. For us the indispensable role of the religious communities and their leaders in Albania is doubtless’, the president said addressing Patriarch Kirill. In the course of the talk, there was a discussion on tourist exchanges as an important factor for bringing peoples closer together. The interlocutors also discussed the challenges facing the modern society. ‘Many teach us today: in order to build a happy life with justice it is sufficient to have a concentration of capital, economic might, military power, thriving science, social doctrines’, Patriarch Kirill said, ‘Very rich countries would say to us: live like we do and everything will be fine and you will reach the goal. I cry at the top of my voice to the whole world: nothing will come of it if humanity rejects God. There will be wealth but no happiness. There will be power but no justice. And we see what is happening now. Terrible crises are shaking humanity. International law, international institutions, international organizations – they all seem to work for peace and justice in the world but there is neither peace nor justice’. Patriarch Kirill said that he repeatedly discussed the topic of peace and justice with Archbishop Anastasios at various times and that ‘the life experience of our countries should convince very many that without faith, without moral values supported by faith, it is impossible to build neither a happy family, nor a happy society, nor a happy world order’.—Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April 30.

DURING HIS VISIT TO ALBANIA, HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA GAVE THIS INTERVIEW TO A CORRESPONDENT OF ALBANIAN RADIO AND TELEVISION. – Your Holiness, what is the purpose of your visit to the Albanian Orthodox Church? – It is a peace visit to a fraternal Orthodox Church. We call a peace visit an official visit of a Patriarch after his election to the Patriarchal see. I was elected nine years ago, but I could not visit Albania earlier. For this reason, it is with special feeling that I make this official peace visit to the sister Local Albanian Orthodox Church. – Is the reason for the visit your 50-year-long friendship with His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios or you have some other message for the Albanian people? – I have already said that it is an official visit to a fraternal Local Church. But the fact that His Beatitude Archbishop Athanasios and I have known each other for fifty years and are friends certainly gives this visit quite a special color. I wanted very much to see His Beatitude Anastasios, Primate of the Albanian Church, in the place where he serves. We know him as an outstanding missionary, as a man who worked much to spread Orthodoxy in the world, including in the African continent. We know him as an expert in the history of Orthodox mission. And today I have an opportunity to see the results of his missionary work here, in Albania. I am very much impressed by what I see. I thank God for the gifts His Beatitude Anastasios has and realizes on the paths of his missionary service. The Albanian Church has gone through the severest of trails and was actually completely destroyed. But today we see the restoration of church life, the construction of many churches and social and educations establishments. And the most important thing is that the Albanian Church today can speak with her people in an understandable language. It is very important that a Church should have an opportunity to address people in a language they understand and helps them comprehend what Christianity is in history. – Your Holiness, what is the role of religion in the struggle with terrorism and radicalism? – I believe the role of religion is considerable because radical groups are often inspired by a false interpretation of religious doctrines or justify their extremism by a desire to please God. I can see no other argumentation than religious that could be capable of disarming the ideological basis of radicalism and terrorism. If radicals appeal to religious truths and use religious ideas to motivate their extremist actions, than it is religion alone that can refute this all. Only religious organizations can address their faithful to help them understand the falsehood of the very preaching carried out by extremists, to become aware of the danger it presents to both people’s spiritual state and their physical existence. – In your view, should religion interfere in politics? – I believe religion and politics cannot be the two sides of the same coin; these are phenomena of a completely different order. Politics is a way of governing a people, masses; it is a way of governing a state and building relations between states. Religion lies in a completely different sphere. Lying in the center of a religious message is the human soul, consciousness and morality. And a religious message is aimed to help a person to live a dignified life in this world, to avoid making mistakes and being misled and destroying one’s own personality and the lives of other people. Politicians work in a different sphere – international relations or state governance. But it is my deep conviction that the Church has the right to make a moral evaluation of a particular policy, particular political leaders precisely with the aim to safeguard people including their own faithful against the political actions which can inflict a spiritual or material damage on them. – Your Holiness, do you consider your common liturgy with the Primate of the Albanian Church to be a sign of pastoral unity? – The common celebration with the Primate of the Albanian Church is a sign of both pastoral, spiritual and doctrinal unity. His Beatitude Archbishop Athanasios and I are in one Church – the Orthodox Church. We have a common cause, each in the place to which the Lord has sent us, and work with the people who are our own flock. I would like to address the Albanian people and wish them prosperity, and peace of the soul. At a time when our civilization is developing so rapidly, when humanity is going through numerous crises, it is important that an individual should preserve his or her integrity, inner wholeness and capability to take challenges of the modern life in a way that these challenges should not destroy his or her personality, not destroy the fundamental principles of the existence of human society. – Press Release, Moscow Patriarchate, April 30.

HIS BEATITUDE PATRIARCH DANIEL ATTENDED TUESDAY THE SOLEMN SITTING OF THE TWO CHAMBERS OF ROMANIA’S PARLIAMENT TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNION OF BESSARABIA WITH THE MOTHER LAND. Romania’s Parliament endorsed a Declaration for the celebration of the Union between Bessarabia and the Mother Land, Romania, in 1918. “The Romanian Parliament constituted in a solemn session at the 100th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with the Motherland today, March 27, 2018, considers that the desire of those citizens of the Republic of Moldova who support the unification of the two countries as a natural continuation in the process of development and affirmation of the Romanian nation is fully legitimate, and we underline that this act depends on their will, and declare that Romania and its citizens are and will always be prepared to meet any organic reunification manifestation of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova as an expression of their sovereign will,” reads the statement adopted by the Romanian Parliament. By the organization of the solemn joint session of Parliament’s two chambers, in the presence of a delegation of the Republic of Moldova’s Parliament and Government, coming from Chisinau for precisely this event, the Declaration celebrates “the Union Act voted by the Council of the Country on 27 March 1918” and “the moment the political elites of Besssarabia and the Kingdom gave course to their aspirations.” “We consider today a mission of honor of the current and the next generation from both banks of the Prut River to honor with piety the memory of the generation of 1918 that strived for the making of the Great Union,” the Declaration specifies. According to it, on 27 March 1918, the Council of the Country as the supreme representative law-making body of Bessarabia, made up of representatives of the Romanian majority population and the ethnic minorities, constituted in accordance with the time’s democratic norms, against the backdrop of the Tsarist Empire’s dissolution and the unfolding of the Great War, gave expression to the collective unification wish by endorsing the Union Act. “Bessarabia’s return to the Mother Land, Romania purges the historical injustice of 1812, when through the Bucharest Treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia the part located East of Prut River of the Principality of Moldova was annexed to the Russian Empire, forming the Bessarabia province (gubernia),” the document reads. The Centennial of the Union of Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania was marked by the Romanian Orthodox Church the previous Sunday when His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel led the canonization ceremony in Iasi of Metropolitan Saint Joseph the Merciful who was of Bessarabian origin. On March 27, His Grace Bishop Ieronim of Sinaia commemorated the founders of the 1918 Union at the Patriarchal Cathedral during a memorial service, at the end of which he read out Patriarch Daniel’s festive message. All churches of the Romanian Patriarchate rang their bells for one minute as part of the anniversary events. – Basilica, April 3.

ABOUT 95% OF ROMANIAN CITIZENS BELIEVE IN GOD, BUT ONLY 21% GO TO CHURCH EVERY WEEK, SAYS A SURVEY ON RELIGIOUS BELIEF IN ROMANIA, conducted by Friedrich Ebert Romania Foundation, cited by Agerpres. According to the same study, 27% of the Romanians say the referendum to re-define the family concept is necessary. The results show that there is a “significant difference” in Romania between the affirmation of faith and the actual religious activity. “Thus, although there is an active strong religious minority, it has a rather diminished role for most part of the society, as declared faith is not converted to concrete social and political actions,” says the survey. If 95% of the Romanians say they believe in God, 89% of them consider themselves religious, while 33% are “religious practitioners.” 44% say they are praying on a daily basis. 79% of the respondents agree with the statement that “you need to believe in God in order to be moral and to have correct values,” and 67% agree that “homosexuality must be discouraged by society.” However, 27% consider the family referendum as necessary. The referendum is set to re- define marriage, as being exclusively allowed between a man and a woman. The infographic on religious belief in Romania was launched in the context of the referendum on the constitutional definition of the family, and the sources of data used in the infographic are the study “Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe” (Pew Research Center), CURS and Cult Research surveys from the past eight months, and the 2011 national census. – Basilica, April 26.

THE OFFICIAL BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DELEGATION BRINGING THE “HOLY FIRE” FROM JERUSALEM FOR EASTER 2018 ON APRIL 7 WAS MET AT SOFIA AIRPORT BY CLERGY FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY – AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, BY A DELEGATION FROM THE MACEDONIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. In previous years, the Macedonian Orthodox Church received the “holy fire” via a Greek monastery, but this time received it from the delegation of the church that it wants to accept the role of mother church. The Macedonian Orthodox Church, which declared itself independent of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1967, is not recognized by any mainstream nor by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. The presence of the representatives of the Macedonian church at Sofia Airport, in a chain of events involving the “holy fire” – which Orthodox Christians are alone among Christians in believing to be a miraculous annual Easter event – is seen by many as significant. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church delegation that headed to Jerusalem and back on April 7 aboard a government Falcon aircraft provided on the orders of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov was headed by Antonii, Metropolitan of Central and Western Europe. – Sofia Globe, April 7.

HIS BEATITUDE PATRIARCH NEOPHYTE OF BULGARIA WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL WEDNESDAY, ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH’S WEBSITE. As posted on Orthochristian.com, the statement reads: Yesterday, April 18, due to a health problem, His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte was admitted to the Tokuda Hospital of Cardiology in Sofia. According to information from the doctors on duty this morning, his condition is stable and he feels good. However, specialized medical teams continue to monitor it closely. We, the bishops, the clergy and the laymen of the BOC, are praying for his complete rehabilitation, and we call on everyone who wants to join us in our prayer for the First Hierarch of our Mother Church. Doors to Orthodoxy added yesterday that His Beatitude was admitted urgently with symptoms related to a chronic illness. He was found to have fainted in his chambers at 2:30 PM, after which he was admitted to the hospital. A year before his election to the Patriarchal throne, the Metropolitan Neophyte of Ruse underwent serious heart surgery. Since then, he has had difficulties with his state of health, but has never ceased to serve and travel in the country and abroad. ‘The Patriarch is doing better, but remains in the ER,’ Doors to Orthodoxy reported Thursday morning. “His active rehabilitation began today, and the team will then decide whether to put him on a lighter regime,” said Prof. N. Mladenov, head of the hospital’s Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit. – Basilica, April 19.

ARCHBISHOP CHRYSOSTOMOS IN HIS EASTER SERMON CALLED FOR VIGILANCE AND A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS, SAYING THAT CYPRUS FOUND ITSELF ‘INEXCUSABLY’ UNPREPARED after what he called a third invasion by Turkey, this time of the Republic’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The church primate’s Easter message focused on the Cyprus problem and on the new stance the government ought to adopt as regards Turkey. He said that recently the threats of the ‘occupation power have intensified’. “In fact, a new, third invasion of our country took place, this time of our sea, in our EEZ. We appeared weak and inexcusably unprepared to face this new attack,” he said. Taking this into consideration, he said, “we have no margin for new errors, neither is neglect acceptable anymore.” In response to those who are calling for new concessions in the settlement talks so that Turkey will agree to return to the negotiation table, the archbishop warned that ‘panicked concessions never restrict the insolence of the enemy. On the contrary, they reinforce it’. “We need to accept that whatever we agree to under conditions of panic and obvious weakness, we will lose forever, without receiving something in return,” the archbishop said. Cyprus should have learned by now, he said, that concessions are perceived as weakness and not as will to reach a compromise. As a result, he said, ‘the enemy returns stronger with new demands’. He added that it has been proven that Turkey seeks dialogue to constantly put forth new demands. The archbishop warned that Turkey is trying to give the impression that its unilateral demands are bilateral differences and that, to be resolved, negotiation is necessary ‘otherwise, there will be war’. “Its aim of course, is the acceptance of its demands so that it can project later on, another one, more advanced.” The archbishop said that he agrees with President Nicos Anastasiades’ position that unless there is a lifting of the existing situation and clear indications of the sincerity of Turkey’s intentions, ‘we cannot engage in a new dialogue which would only serve her permanent goals, to conquer that is, and Turkify our entire country’. We call on him to insist on this position. Even more so, we need to set our terms. We believe that it is the right moment, facing Turkey’s aggressiveness and her promotion of new faits accomplis, for a change of our course on the Cyprus problem,” he said. The government ought to highlight the true essence of the Cyprus problem, he said, which is the invasion and occupation of one country by another. “To give reminders of the ethnic cleansing and the continued colonization of our occupied areas,” he said. He said that he does not reject settlement talks, but that if one expects them to bring about any results, ‘they will have to be carried out on this basis’. The archbishop said that the new aggressive attitude of Turkey in Cyprus’ EEZ ‘should by now have convinced us that we ought to possess, even, a minimal deterrent force; and that we must line ourselves with the interests of other more powerful nations in the region’. He stressed the importance of military power. “A state that neglected for years its defense, which does not renew and enrich its weapons system and which has reduced to the minimum the (obligatory) military term of its citizens, will find it impossible to force and convince an aggressive opponent to resign from its goals, which are not secret anyway,” he said. He added that the members of the public share the same convictions and that ‘they are ready for struggles and sacrifices. All that is required is guidance.” He said that the president and the entire pollical leadership ought to stand up to the occasion and assume this duty. “We must understand that, now, more than ever, we are in danger of losing our ability to survive as Greeks, in our homeland.” He added that the current situation may be limiting the joy of the message of the resurrection of Christ, ‘but the level of faith and hope increase … hope that the forces of light will conquer the forces of darkness and that in the end justice and morality will prevail’. – Evie Andreou for Cyprus Mail, April 7.

THE GREEK COUNCIL OF STATE ON WEDNESDAY DEEMED UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND CONTRARY TO THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS CHANGES INTRODUCED BY FORMER EDUCATION MINISTER NIKOS FILIS TO THE WAY RELIGION IS TAUGHT AT THE COUNTRY'S PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS. The decision by the court was based on the same criteria as the previous ruling with regard to primary schools. “In accordance with the constitutional principle of equality and the provisions of articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights, the State cannot, by regulating the content of religious course, deprive students of a particular religion of the right which it recognizes to students belonging to other religions, to teach exclusively the doctrines of their faith," the court ruling said. The education ministry had vowed in 2016 to scrap the catechistic character of religious classes, with Filis insisting that they should become more like religious studies, triggering a storm of protests emanating from the Church and more conservative strands of society. – KED, April 26.

THE THEOLOGICAL FACULTY OF THE ARISTOTELEION UNIVERSITY IN THESSALONIKI ORGANIZED AN INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON 19-20 APRIL TO CELEBRATE THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES (WCC) AS WELL AS THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS AS HEAD OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE. In a video message, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said that the Thessaloniki Faculty of Theology has been part of the 70-year history of the WCC, and a committed ecumenical partner and faithful companion on the long journey of the ecumenical movement. Tveit referred to the forthcoming visit of Pope Francis to the WCC and explained that this important historic visit will help us look together with hope and confidence at the future of our common pilgrimage. “Walking, praying and working together will not only be the theme for Pope Francis’s visit,” said Tveit. “It will be our promise for the future, our road map for the coming years, our policy direction in our activities, the renewal of our common commitment to continue our pilgrimage together.” In his presentation, George Lemopoulos, coordinator of the WCC 70th anniversary, said that in this period of 70 years, the relationship between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the WCC has been “a relationship of mutual trust and esteem, of sound and constructive collaboration, and any difficulties on the way were dealt with responsibly.” —WCC Press Release, April 27.

HIS BEATITUDE SAWA (HRYCUNIAK), ARCHBISHOP OF AND METROPOLITAN OF ALL , CELEBRATES SUNDAY HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY. His Beatitude Sawa is the current head of the autocephalous Church of Poland. He is the eighth hierarch to head the Polish church since it was granted autocephaly by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1924. As Archbishop of Warsaw and Metropolitan of All Poland, his see is in Warsaw at the Cathedral of Mary Magdalen Equal to the Apostles. Born on April 15, 1938, in Sniatycze (near Zamosc), Michael Hrycuniak completed seminary courses and then enrolled in a Master of Arts in Theological Studies in 1957, graduating in 1961. Michael began lecturing at the Orthodox Spiritual Seminary in Warsaw in 1961, and since 1962 he lectured at the Christian Theological Academy (ChAT), something he has continued to do to this day. In 1964, Michael was ordained to the diaconate. In 1966, Dcn Michael received his Ph.D. in Theology from the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, after which he was tonsured with the name Sawa. In the same year, Hdcn Sawa was ordained to the priesthood and was made director of the office of the Metropolitan of Warsaw. Fr Sawa was elevated to archimandrite in 1970 and was named prior to St Onufry Monastery, Jableczna. On the basis of his qualifying thesis, Archim. Sawa became a reader of Orthodox dogmatic theology and received a Ph.D. in Orthodox dogmatic theology. He was also appointed to the Chair of Dogmatic and Moral Theology at the Christian Theological Academy. In 1979, Archim. Sawa stopped lecturing at the Orthodox Spiritual Seminary in Warsaw. In the same year, Archim. Sawa was consecrated to the episcopacy as head of the Lodz- Poznan diocese. In 1981, he was transferred to the Bialystok-Gdansk diocese. In 1987, Bp Sawa was elevated to Archbishop. In 1990, the president of the Republic of Poland nominated Abp Sawa to be a professor of theology; since March of that year, he has held the Orthodox Theology Chair at the University of Bialystok. In 1994, having formed the Orthodox Ordinariate of the Polish Army, under the blessing of the Holy Synod, he was nominated by the Minister of National Defense as the Elder of Orthodox Ordinariate of the Polish Army, entitled a Field Bishop. In 1996, he was made a brigadier-general. In 1998, he ceased his role in the Polish army. In January, due to an illness suffered by Metropolitan Bazyli, the Holy Synod made Archbishop Sawa the Locum Tenens of the Metropolitan throne. On May 12, 1998, the Holy Synod unanimously elected Archbishop Sawa as Archbishop of Warsaw, Metropolitan of All Poland. The enthronement took place on May 31, 1998. – Basilica, April 15.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches

ON THE EVENING OF APRIL 4, HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II, SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS; TRAVELED TO THE VATICAN ON A FRATERNAL VISIT, AT THE INVITATION OF POPE FRANCIS of the Roman ; to participate the unveiling ceremony of a statue of St. Gregory of Narek. On the morning of April 5, His Holiness, accompanied by the delegation, left for the Apostolic chamber, where a private meeting of the Catholicos of All Armenians and Pope Francis was held. Following the meeting, with the participation of Pope Francis; His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; as well as Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia, who have traveled from Lebanon; and His Beatitude Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, Patriarch of the ; and in the presence of the President of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, the unveiling ceremony of the statue of St. Gregory of Narek was held. St. Gregory of Narek, one of the fathers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was proclaimed as a "Doctor of the Church" by the Catholic Church on April 12, 2015, in St. Peter’s Basilica, during the offered by Pope Francis. President Sargsyan had presented a model of the statue to Pope Francis, during the Pope’s visit to Armenia in 2016. During the ecumenical service following the unveiling, hymns of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches were sung, a passage from the St. Gregory of Narek prayer-book was read, during which Mr. Mikael Minasyan unveiled the revered statue. Then, Pope Francis blessed the statue following which the Patriarchs asked for the intercession of the saint through prayer. Attending the ceremony were Armenia National Assembly Deputies, members of the Armenian government, state officials, and pilgrims from various Armenian dioceses of the Diaspora. During the day, His Holiness Karekin II, accompanied by his delegation also visited St. Peter's Basilica. A personal prayer was offered at the St. Gregory the Illuminator statue. – Press Release, Holy Etchmiadzin, April 5.

ON APRIL 14, IN THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN, HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II, SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS; RECEIVED THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA MR. ARMEN SARGSYAN AND FIRST LADY NUNE SARGSYAN. His Holiness congratulated the President on the occasion of his Inauguration, expressing confidence that his rich experience in governance will best serve to the country's progress, justifying people's expectations both in the homeland and in the Diaspora. His Holiness confirmed that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will continue to support the Armenian authorities and the Armenian President in strengthening the independent Armenian statehood and overcoming the existing challenges. His Holiness wished to President Sargsyan that his vision and aspirations for the future of the country and the people will become a reality. President Armen Sargsyan expressed his gratitude to the Catholicos of All Armenians for the best wishes. President Sargsyan emphasized that he has assumed the post of the President, having faith in the people, Homeland and the Armenian Church. He also highlighted the Church's consolidating role. During the meeting, His Holiness and President Armen Sargsyan also talked about various programs. Wishing success and productive service to the Armenian President, the Catholicos of All Armenians specifically highlighted the unity of all responsible structures and solidarity of national interests. At the conclusion, the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Armenian President visited the Mother Cathedral. – Press Release, Holy Etchmiadzin, April 14.

THE SUPREME SPIRITUAL COUNCIL OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH ADDRESSED THIS MESSAGE TO THE NATION ON APRIL 19: Dear faithful, In recent days, the internal life of our country and people is accompanied by stormy and tense events, in connection with the election of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. We express our concern over the situation that interrupts normal public life. Every Armenian has his own vision of love for the homeland, regarding which his attitudes and perceptions can be expressed through legal means. But it never requires a departure from love and reasonableness, infringement of rights of others, especially endangerment of human life. In the ranks of the demonstrators and law enforcement are the children of our people and Holy Church. Incitement of hatred and hostility and any kind of conflict and violence are unacceptable. We urge the children of our nation to maintain thoughtfulness and insight, respect of the law in patriotism and the zeal of peace, showing respect and forgiveness towards one another. The challenges facing the homeland can only be overcome when there is solidarity, mutual understanding, universal responsibility, and unity. Our country today has a demand for this spirit. We offer our prayers to God, asking for the Lord’s wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit. “Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11) NRSV. – Press Release, Holy Etchmiadzin, April19.

HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP KHAJAG BARSAMIAN ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT HE WOULD NOT SEEK AN 8TH TERM OF OFFICE AS PRIMATE OF THE DIOCESE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF AMERICA (EASTERN). His decision to withdraw from the election brings to a close a tenure as Primate that lasted 28 years and 7 terms of office. Archbishop Barsamian has served as the 11th Primate of the Diocese, and the second to occupy New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral as the seat of his episcopal office. He is the longest serving primate, having occupied the position for a greater period than predecessors like Archbishop Torkom Manoogian (24 years: 1966-90) and Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan (10 years: 1944-54). His period of office coincided with such milestones as the centennial of the Armenian Diocese in America (1998), the 1,700th anniversary of Armenia’s Christian conversion (2001), the post-9/11 memorial (2001), and the 100th year of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide (2015). What follows is the text of Archbishop Barsamian’s letter to Diocesan delegates and parish council chairs, dated April 26, 2018: Dear Diocesan Delegates, Brothers and Sisters in Christ: I have some quite unexpected news about which I would like to inform you. I have decided that I will not be running for the office of Diocesan Primate during the upcoming election at the Diocesan Assembly. As the election has neared, I have found myself feeling increasingly anxious, even though I recognize that there is support for my candidacy. But the thought that keeps returning to my mind and heart is that the time has come for me to make space for someone else to lead this great Diocese. This feeling has been with me for a while; but until recently I also felt an obligation to run, to help create a smooth transition to new leadership. However, I have been privileged to serve as Primate of this Diocese now for 28 years. During this time, I have tried to fulfill my responsibilities with love and joy, with the support and partnership of our dedicated clergy, lay leaders, and the Diocesan staff in the Eastern Diocese. I have meditated, thought, and prayed deeply on this matter. But in my heart, I feel it is time for me to move on. I have consulted with Vehapar, and he has given me his blessing, for which I am grateful. I have informed the Diocesan Council members of my decision, as well as the clergy of our Diocese. And now I want to inform you, the leaders of our church in America. I regret the sudden nature and timing of this news. And I want to say that it has been a pleasure working with each one of you, for the good of the Armenian Church and our Diocese. Shortly, the chairman of the Diocesan Council will communicate with you, to inform you of the next steps. Today, in this moment of transition, I find sustenance in the words of Scripture: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I continue praying for each of you, and ask that you remember me in your prayers. + Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate. – Press release, Armenian Eastern Diocese, April 27.

DURING THEIR PRIVATE MEETING IN THE VATICAN, CATHOLICOS ARAM I AND POPE FRANCIS DISCUSSED ISSUES FACING HUMANITY, THREATS TO THE WORLD, AND THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE. HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RAISED THE FOLLOWING ISSUES: A common Easter Date. The Catholicos noted that the Churches celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on different dates not because of a theological disagreement, but only because they adopted different liturgical calendars (Gregorian and Julian), and he proposed that the Churches agree on a common date as a sign of Christian Unity. Currently, all churches are facing internal tensions because of socio-ethical issues. Aram I therefore proposed that Churches focus on finding common responses to the contemporary issues faced by their faithful. As a Spiritual leader living in the Middle East, His Holiness spoke of the urgency of a common understanding between Christians and Muslims and peaceful coexistence, and he proposed that Christian-Muslim dialogue become a priority topic on the agenda of bilateral theological dialogues. Sharing his concern for the diminishing number of Christians in the Middle East, Catholicos Aram I spoke of the need for more attention by the Vatican. The current meeting took place in the context of the inauguration of the statue of St Gregory of Nareg, which had been presented to the Pope by President of the Republic of Armenia, Serge Sarkissian, and is to be placed in the garden of the Vatican. Along with His Holiness Aram I, the Pope invited President Sarkissian, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Beatitude Gregory Petros XX Ghabroyan, Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church to witness the inauguration. – Press Release, Catholicosate of Cilicia, April 5.

INVITED BY THE CO-CHAIRMEN, HE METROPOLITAN EMMANUEL OF FRANCE AND HE METROPOLITAN BISHOY OF DAMIETTE, OF THE JOINT INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL COMMISSION OF THE TWO FAMILIES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES, and with the presence, blessings and gracious hospitality of His Holiness Aram I, a working group met in Antelias on April 12th, in order to discuss developments of the bilateral theological dialogue and prepare the upcoming meeting of the joint commission. The working group was composed of bishops of the two families. This bilateral theological dialogue started in 1985 and it produced, on the basis of the common understanding of the apostolic faith, a number of convergent documents on Christology. The purpose of this meeting was to explore together the possibilities of reactivating this important process in the life of the two Families. The next meeting of the full commission will be held in late October 2018. – Press Release, Catholicosate of Cilicia, April 12.

ON FRIDAY, APRIL 28TH, HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVED TANER AKCAM, TURKISH HISTORIAN AND EXPERT ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, who was accompanied by Ohannes Geukjian, Assistant Professor in the Political Science and Public Administration Department at the American University of Beirut. During the visit, Akcam offered His Holiness a copy of his latest publication on the Armenian Genocide titled “Killing Orders: Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and the Armenian Genocide,” and presented further details on his continuing research on the topic. – Press Release, Catholicosate of Cilicia, April 29.

THE SYRIAC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE OF ANTIOCH HOSTED A FORMAL RECEPTION IN HONOR OF A DELEGATION FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM. The delegation, led by Baroness Caroline Cox, is on a visit to Syria upon the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II. His Holiness welcomed the delegation, conveying to them Easter Greetings; he said: “Christ’s Resurrection means new life to humanity; this itself is a sign of hope without which we cannot live.” He added that the delegation’s “visit to Syria during these days is a sign of friendship between us, which we hope was the case between the governments of the two countries.” His Holiness considered that “this war is not a civil war, but a war of countries who want to impose on the Syrian people a way of life.” He emphasized that “even before the crisis, we Christians had the full freedom to practice our religion the way we want, just as all other religions.” His Holiness then read the statement issued by three of Antioch and All the East, including the Syriac Orthodox, Greek Orthodox and Greek-Melkite Catholic Churches. Several members of the delegation spoke expressing their solidarity with the Syrian suffering people, and condemning the negative role of western media in conveying false news concerning the real situation in Syria. His Eminence Mor Timotheos Matta Al-Khoury, Patriarchal Vicar of the Patriarchal Archdiocese of Damascus, attended the reception, as well as Christian leaders from Damascus, dignitaries from civil society, representatives from the Syrian Ministry of Endowments and Muslim Sheikhs. – Press Release, Syriac Patriarchate, April 14.

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH MOR IGNATIUS APHREM II GAVE A SPEECH DURING A PLENARY SESSION AT THE 3RD GLOBAL GATHERING OF THE GLOBAL CHRISTIAN FORUM (GCF) – BOGOTA, COLOMBIA. The session was entitled “Facing Common Challenges Together in Mutual Love,” and the title of His Holiness Speech was: “Following Christ together in discrimination, persecution, martyrdom: What does this mean for the global church today?” In his speech, His Holiness considered that the two of Aleppo “presented no threat to anyone. As disciples of Christ, called by Him to tend His sheep, they were fully dedicated to their mission. Their care and compassion went beyond their immediate flock. It was extended to the community at large regardless of their religious affiliation, which earned them the love and respect of the entire society in Aleppo.” He added that despite the negative impact on the Christian community in Aleppo, “even after five years of their abduction, the Christian community in Aleppo – although greatly reduced by numbers, remains steadfast in its faith in Christ.” His Holiness then invited the audience to watch a 3-minute video about the two Archbishops. His Holiness moved to speak about the persecuted Church; he said: “I come from a church, the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, which faced many tribulations and genocides throughout the centuries. Some 100 years ago, a massive genocide took place in the Ottoman Empire aiming at eliminating Christianity from the land of its birthplace […]. Today, we continue to suffer persecution at the hands of terrorist groups.” He added “Because of our history of persecution and martyrdom, whenever I think of the marks of the church being One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic I immediately add to it ‘Persecuted’. The true church that is faithful to her Lord and Savior has to be a persecuted one.” His Holiness then spoke about the suffering of Christians in the Middle East, and his continuous visits to comfort them since his installation in 2014. He then condemned the “low state of affairs which our world has reached,” referring to the recent attack on Syria by the U.S., U.K. and France. He then brought to attention “a very sensitive matter which is affecting us. Some of our sister Churches are making use of this painful situation in Syria and Iraq by practicing proselytism.” He also considered that what Christians and other minorities are subjected to in the Middle East and throughout the world is nothing less than “religious and ethnic cleansing.” He concluded: “We continue to be the “light of the world,” spreading knowledge where there is ignorance, and love where there is hatred. This is our mission; this is what we are called for.” During the session, two members gave tributes to Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim, who was a founding and active member in the GCF, on the occasion of the 5-year anniversary of his abduction along with Archbishop Boulos Yaziji. – Press Release, Syriac Patriarchate, April 25.

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH MOR IGNATIUS APHREM II RECEIVED, IN HIS RESIDENCE IN BOGOTA – COLOMBIA, HIS EXCELLENCY ARCHBISHOP OSCAR URBINA ORTEGA, PRESIDENT OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE IN COLOMBIA, along with the secretary of the Conference. His Eminence Mor Yacoub Eduardo Aguirre, Archbishop of Central America, and Very Rev. Raban Joseph Bali, Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, attended the meeting. His Holiness thanked his guests for their support for the Christians in the Middle East. He also discussed with them several issues concerning our church in Colombia. His Holiness assured that our church is there to serve and minister to the people, not to proselytize. He also asked the conference’s support for the very small communities our church has in Colombia. – Press Release, Syriac Patriarchate, April 27.

ON FRIDAY 13 APRIL, POPE TAWADROS II RECEIVED PORTUGUESE PRESIDENT, MARCELO DE SOUSA, AT THE PAPAL HEADQUARTERS AT ST MARK’S CATHEDRAL IN ABBASSIYA, . President de Sousa was on an official visit to . The Portuguese President and Pope Tawadros discussed Egyptian-Portuguese ties, also the role played by the Coptic Church in Egypt. They talked about the history of the Coptic Church, and its present-day status, with the Pope pointing out that there are today 39 Coptic representatives in Egypt’s parliament, and that the State has granted Copts land for the largest church in Egypt, situated in the new administrative capital. He said that President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was the first Egyptian head of State to visit St Mark’s Cathedral during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve to wish Copts a happy feast. The Pope also explained that the Coptic Church was founded by St Mark the Apostle, and was the oldest in the Middle East and one of the pillars of the Egyptian society. He pointed out the societal and developmental role the Church plays, saying that despite the fact that its role was spiritual in principle, it was keen to set up development projects that offer job opportunities to the young, and health services to serve the entire community. Before he left, Pope Tawadros presented the President with an icon on the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, and walked with him to the close-by al- Boutrossiya Church (church of St Peter and St Paul’s) where a suicide explosion during Sunday Mass on 11 December 2016 had claimed the lives of 26 Copts. The church was fully restored by Egypt’s military. President De Sousa visited a shrine set up at the church for the martyrs, and placed a wreath of flowers there. In a press conference, Pope Tawadros said that President de Sousa had extended to him an invitation to visit Portugal, and that he, the Pope, had invited him to visit Egypt again for a tour of Coptic sites and monasteries. -- Watani International, April 15.

EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER SHERIF ISMAIL HAS APPROVED THE LEGALIZATION OF 102 UNLICENSED CHURCHES AND 64 CHURCH-ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS, FOLLOWING A MEETING WITH A COMMITTEE CHARGED WITH REGULATING CHURCHES. “It is extremely difficult in Egypt to gain church building licenses, with the process often taking years, which means that many Egyptian Christians congregate in unlicensed churches,” reports Egyptian Streets. However, regulations appear to be loosening, the report said adding that 2016 saw the passing of a law that eased regulations for constructing Christian houses of worship, building on the 2014 constitution that guarantees the right to freedom of religion for Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike. Christians are a religious minority in mostly Muslim Egypt and the issue of building churches has always been controversial. Many times, Muslim mobs have attacked Christian citizens and damaged or destroyed churches. In a related issue, the Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak has greeted Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi following his reelection announced April 2. The only other opponent who ran for president was little-known Mousa Mostafa Mousa who entered the race hours before the deadline and whose party had previously endorsed el-Sisi. According to the Vatican News, Father Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian , said the Patriarch highlighted to the president the importance of taking care of the educational, health and welfare sectors over the next four years. Father Greiche appreciated as very positive the law passed last year regarding the building of new churches. “It is a law that Christians have been awaiting for a long time,” he said. He also commended the government action against the terrorists who attack churches. The President of the country appoints the Prime Minister who heads the national government and Cabinet and has considerable influence on Parliament. -- La Croix International, April 19.

ON TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2018 THE STANDING CONFERENCE OF ORIENTAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES (SCOOCH) CONVENED AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE MALANKARA ARCHDIOCESE OF THE SYRIAC ORTHODOX CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA FOR ITS BIANNUAL MEETING. Topics discussed by the fathers in attendance included the war in Syria and the suffering of that nation’s people, Oriental Orthodox Cooperation in missionary outreach to the African-American community, and the canonical crisis in the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church. Plans were also made for concelebrations of the Divine Liturgy in various regions of the country as well as youth conferences, book fairs, and other activities. Hierarchs in attendance included the host of the meeting, H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho of the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, SCOOCH President H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, H.G. Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Church, H.E. Mor Dionysios of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and H.G. Bishop Aphrem of the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church who was visiting from India. – SCOOCH press release, April 20.

The Catholic Churches

A REPORT PREPARED BY THE DOCTRINAL COMMISSION DEPUTED BY THE SYRO MALABAR CHURCH SAYS THAT YOGA AND CHRISTIAN BELIEFS CANNOT GO TOGETHER. The Syro-Malabar Doctrinal Commission says in its report that Christians are forced to reread the role of the traditional physical and mental regime in the context of the Sangh Parivar trying to exploit yoga to achieve its political and communal goals. The report titled ‘Yogayum Katholika Vishvasavum’ (Yoga and Catholic beliefs) posted in the latest bulletin of the Mananthavady diocese of the Church. The need for a rereading of yoga has intensified with a government move to make yoga compulsory in schools and to present it as an inseparable part of the Indian culture, the commission said. The commission observed that there was no role for God, the creator and sustainer, in yoga even while it took into consideration the spiritual experiences of human beings. It said studies tended to show yoga as prevailing in the pre-Buddhist, Jain and Hindu periods. Though yoga may have originated and grown out of secular traditions in India it later spread under the influence of the Hindu religion under Brahminical dominance. Yoga thus acquired the hues of Hindu religion, the report said. The report went on to point out that recent Pontifical council directives had pointed out to the danger of physical gestures and exercises becoming idolatrous in themselves if proper care was not taken. They can also stand in the way of one’s soul being lifted up to God. These documents also warned against equating the physical experiences stemming from yoga with the workings of the Holy Spirit, the commission headed by Joseph Kallarangatt observed. The Church, in its Catechism for Youth, placed yoga in the “secretive” category of practices and said that yoga did not go in harmony with the Christian faith. At the same time, the Catholic Church did not approach yoga with the view that all eastern modes of worship were improper or bad. If training regimes that aid the working of the Kingdom of God can be discovered in Indian culture it would be a great asset, said the Commission headed by Joseph Kallarangatt. – Matters India, April 5.

THE STORY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY INCLUDES TALES OF HOW ITS EASTERN AND WESTERN BRANCHES SEPARATED, GREW APART, ATTEMPTED RECONCILIATION, HURT EACH OTHER AND NOW ARE TRYING TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN TODAY AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. But it is also a story of heroic faith, steadfastness and yearning for unity in the face of danger and persecution, as well as a modern narrative about the challenges and rewards of allowing differences in culture and heritage to enrich the whole family rather than divide it. All of those stories, told from the point of view of Eastern Catholics, are recounted in the three-volume, 1,200-page opus, Oriente Cattolico, (“The Catholic East”), published by the Congregation for Eastern Churches. Pulling together the family tree and family history took 14 years and involved dozens of scholars, bishops and the heads of the Eastern Catholic churches. The last time the congregation published a comprehensive volume about all the churches it assists was in 1974. The work was coordinated by Paulist Father Ronald G. Roberson, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Before undertaking the massive project for the Vatican, he authored The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey, and has updated that seven times. Work on an English translation of the new volumes is in the early stages, he told Catholic News Service. A swift translation is not expected, he said, but it obviously will not take as long as it took to produce the Italian volume. “It took so long because of the methodology we adopted for producing the texts,” he said. “First, we asked an expert to produce a draft, then it went to a second expert for comments, then to the head of the church being described, and then to the congregation for final approval.” In the big family that is the Catholic Church, a family with some 1.3 billion members, the Eastern Catholic churches have about 17.7 million members, according to the Vatican statistics used in Oriente Cattolico. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is the largest with almost 4.5 million members, and the Syro-Malabar Church, with more than 4.2 million, is a close second. The smallest “church entities” in the book are the Byzantine apostolic exarchates of Greece and Turkey, which together count just over 6,000 faithful, and the Russian Catholics, who are believed to number about 3,000. The new volumes present the history and current makeup of the Eastern churches, grouped according to their structures, and list them as: - Six “Patriarchal churches,” that is, those with a Patriarch and a high level of self-rule, although in communion with the Pope. They are the Coptic, Syriac, Melkite, Maronite, Chaldean and Armenian Catholic churches. - Four led by major archbishops and having most of the autonomy of the Patriarchal churches. They are the Ukrainian, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara and Romanian Catholic churches. - Four “metropolitan churches” led by archbishops. They are the Eastern Catholics of Ethiopia and Eritrea; the Ruthenian Catholics in the United States; the Slovak Catholics; and the Hungarian Catholics. - Nine Eastern Catholic communities with eparchies or apostolic exarchates, which are similar, respectively, to dioceses and apostolic vicariates in the Latin-rite church. These are the Italo-Albanian Eparchy of Italy; the Eparchy of Krizevci, Croatia; the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo, Ukraine; the Exarchate of Sophia, Bulgaria; the exarchates of Greece and Turkey; the Exarchate of Macedonia; the Exarchate of the Czech Republic; the Exarchate of Serbia; and the exarchic Monastery of Santa Maria of Grottaferrata, Italy. - Three Eastern Catholic communities without their own hierarchy: Byzantine Russian Catholics, Belarusian Catholics and Eastern-rite Catholics in southern Albania. Writing the preface for Oriente Cattolico, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the prefect of the congregation, said the book was designed to make sure Catholics “know, honor and love the churches of the East that are in full communion with the apostolic see of Rome,” to present a resource for consultation about the Eastern Catholic churches and to pay “homage to the churches of the Christian East - Catholic and Orthodox - and their numerous martyrs and confessors of the faith.” Unfortunately, he wrote, “similar tragedies are repeated today and the Christians of the East pay a heavy tribute to the hatred that persecutes Christians or divides them.” The divisions and, particularly, efforts to heal them received special treatment in the volumes and not just on the level of the international Catholic dialogues with the Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox churches. The book, for example, has a separate chapter on ecumenism and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, highlighting the code’s insistence on the obligation of all Catholics to work and pray for unity. The book acknowledges that throughout history many attempts were made to “Latinize” the Eastern churches that were in communion with Rome, making them look and sound more like the rest of the Catholic community. But the chapter on canon law insists the Eastern Catholic communities contribute to the search for Christian unity by being themselves and maintaining their liturgical, spiritual, theological and even disciplinary traditions, which, for example, can include having both celibate and married priests. For the past 50 years, the have insisted that as the task of healing the divisions in the Christian family proceeds, respect for the identity and heritage of the Eastern churches demonstrates that the re-establishment of full unity would not mean smaller members of the family would be asked to sacrifice their identity. – Cindy Wooden for CNS, April 5.

THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS HAS APPOINTED REV. TOMA ADLY ZAKI, RECTOR OF THE MAJOR COPTIC CATHOLIC SEMINARY OF MAADI, AS TITULAR BISHOP OF CABASA AND APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR SEDE VACANTE OF THE EPARCHY OF GUIZEH. The prelate has assumed the name of Thomas. The Rev. Toma Adly Zaki was born in Minia in Egypt, on 5 November 1966. In 1988 he graduated in civil engineering, obtaining in 1999 a certificate in Islamology from the PISAI in Rome, and a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University. He was ordained a priest on 20 April 2001. He has held various ministries: from 2001 to 2003 he was deputy pastor of the Cathedral of Minya; since 2008 teacher of sacred scripture and formator at the Coptic Catholic Seminary in Cairo. He is currently rector of the seminary, secretary general of the Assembly of the Catholic Hierarchy in Egypt, and head of the “Saint Jerome” Center for Bible Studies in Cairo. In addition to Arabic, he speaks Italian and English. – , April 10.

THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS OF THE SYRO-MALANKARA MAJOR ARCHIEPISCOPAL CHURCH HAS ELECTED: -- H.E. Msgr. Samuel Mar Irenios (Kattukallil), former auxiliary bishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, as coadjutor of the eparchy of Pathanamthitta, India; -- H.E. Yoohanon Mar Theodosius (Kochuthundil), former bishop of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, as coadjutor of the eparchy of Muvattupuzha, India. H.E. Msgr. Samuel Mar Irenios (Kattukallil) was born on 13 May 1952 in Kadammanitta, Kerala. He was ordained a priest on 22 December 1978 and has served in various parishes as pastor. He was editor-in-chief of Christhava Kahalam, the official journal of the archieparchy of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, and has taught in various academic institutions in Kerala. He has served as syncellus (episcopal vicar) of the archieparchy of Trivandrum of the Syro- Malankars from 2007 to 2010. On 25 January 2010 he was elected as auxiliary bishop of Trivandrum of the Syro- Malankars, and on 13 March of the same year received episcopal consecration. H.E. Yoohanon Mar Theodosius (Kochuthundil) was born on 8 April 1959 in Puthussery Bhagon, Kerala. After attending the minor seminary of Trivandrum, he completed his institutional studies at Saint Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary (Aluva) and was ordained a priest on 22 December 1985. He holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Oriental Institute of Rome. He has served in the following offices: parish priest, secretary to the archbishop of Trivandrum, rector of the minor seminary, president of the tribunal, official of the Episcopal Conference (C.C.B.I.), protosyncellus (vicar general) of the eparchy of Gurgaon and, currently, of the archieparchy of Trivandrum. On 5 August 2017 he was elected as bishop of the major archiepiscopal curia of the Syro- Malankar Church, and on 21 September of the same year he received episcopal consecration. He is for the Syro-Malankar faithful resident in Europe and Oceania. – Holy See Press Office, April 10.

POPE FRANCIS HAS ACCEPTED THE RESIGNATION OF ARCHBISHOP OF THE UKRAINIAN ARCHEPARCHY OF PHILADELPHIA AND APPOINTS AUXILIARY BISHOP ANDRIY RABIY OF THE SAME ARCHEPARCHY AS APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR SEDE VACANTE of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia until the appointment of the new Archeparch. The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington on April 16, 2018, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy, now Apostolic Administrator sede vacante, was born October 1, 1975 in Lviv, Ukraine. He pursued seminary studies at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary in Washington, D.C., and was ordained a priest in December of 2001 by Archbishop Stefan Soroka at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia. Bishop Rabiy holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy (1999) and a licentiate in Canon Law (2008) from Catholic University of America; and a Master of Divinity degree (2002), from the Dominican House of Studies, in Washington D.C. After ordination, Rabiy held pastoral assignments at St. Michael the Archangel parish, Hillsborough, New Jersey, and at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2002-2005. Other assignments after ordination include: pastor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Reading, 2008-present; coordinator, Sexual Abuse Prevention and Youth Protection Office, 2008-2015; member, Administrative Board, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, 2008-2017; vicar general, 2009-present; vice-chancellor, 2009-present; member, Archeparchial College of Consultors, 2009-present; member, Archeparchial Presbyteral Council, 2011-2017. On August 8, 2017, Pope Francis named Father Andriy Rabiy as auxiliary bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Archbishop Stefan Soroka was born on November 13, 1951 in Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba, Canada. He received a bachelor's degree in Social Work (1973) and a Masters in Social Work (1978) from the University of Manitoba. His seminary formation was undertaken at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Seminary, Washington, D.C. At the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (1978) and a Doctorate in Social Work in 1985. He was ordained a priest on June 13, 1982, for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg at Saints Vladimir and Olga Cathedral, Winnipeg. On March 29, 1996 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Winnipeg and was ordained to the episcopate on June 13, 1996. He then also served as: chairman, Asset Protection Group Insurance Corporation for Western and Northern Canada Dioceses/Eparchies, 1998-2000; chaplain, Ukrainian Catholic Women's League of Canada, 1998-2000; and editor, Progress Ukrainian Catholic News, 1996-2000. On November 29, 2000 he was appointed Metropolitan-Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and was installed on February 29, 2001. The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia includes the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and parts of eastern Pennsylvania. It has a total Catholic population of 12,846. – USCCB Press Release, April 16.

Catholic News Service stories © 2018. Reprinted with permission. Abbreviations: CNS=Catholic News Service, RRN=Russian Religious News (http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews), RISU=Religious Information Service of Ukraine, KED=Kathimerini English Daily.

ITEMS IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE INCLUDED SOLELY FOR THE INFORMATION OF ITS READERS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE SECRETARIAT FOR ECUMENICAL AND INTERRELIGIOUS AFFAIRS OR THE EDITOR.

Edited by Ronald G. Roberson, CSP Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs 3211 Fourth Street, NE Washington, DC 20017-1194 Tel: (202) 541-3020 Fax: (202) 541-3183