NEWSLETTER OF THE YOUNGSTOWN-WARREN CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY OF VOLUME 14, NUMBER 3, MAY-JUNE, 2015 VITO R. CARCHEDI, EDITOR, 35 SCHENLEY AVE. STRUTHERS, OH 44471, PHONE: 330-755-5635 EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.byzcath.org/stjohnchrysostom/

FROM THE EDITOR... WHO ARE WE? Dear Members and Friends, The Society of St John Chrysostom promotes It has been decided for various reasons, greater appreciation of the spiritual, theological including summer vacations, that our chapter and liturgical traditions of Eastern Christendom, meeting schedule will be adjusted. Instead of a works and prays for the unity of the Churches of July meeting we will have a regular October East and West, and encourages support for the meeting. The total number of regular meetings Eastern Churches : will still be six. Special meetings and events can - the Byzantine and Oriental Catholic Churches be scheduled at other times . Our next regular - the Orthodox Church meeting will be in September. - the Oriental Orthodox Churches and Chapter dues 2015 paid: Demiduk, Fr. - the Church of the East. Conoboy, Fr. Rohan , Br. Calabro, Br. Scalise, In the United Kingdom and the Society Sleever, Tavolario, Billcheck, Sarantopoulos, was founded in 1926 Limbert, Fr. Gage, Carchedi, Fr. Hilinski, Joan In 1998 the Society was also founded in Binsley, Jenna Binsley, Fr. Schmidt, Chorbishop the , where it runs the annual North Kail, Msgr. Spinosa, Fr. Bleahu, Jim Dershaw, American and international Orientale Lumen Esther Dershaw, Beri Berardi, Chris Berardi, conferences Kolitsos, Basista, Jacquet, Borak, Msgr. Siffrin, Following some exploratory and preparatory Fr. Manning, Fr. Feicht, Fr. Witmer,Mattiussi, meetings in 1998 and early 1999, the first Fr. Rudjak, Perantinides, Benedictine Sisters, regular meeting of the Youngstown-Warren Hudak, Comichista, Chiu, Fr. Fiala, Fr. Chapter took place May 4, 1999. Loveless, Vasilchek, Nakley, Katz, Democko, Deckant. ***PLEASE NOTE THAT IN THE INTEREST OF INQUIRY, OUR NEWSLETTER MEMORIAL SOMETIMES PRESENTS ARTICLES WITH A monetary contribution has been made to our POINTS OF VIEW WITH WHICH WE DON’T chapter by Vito and Donna Carchedi in memory NECESSARILY AGREE.*** of member Martha Hodges Katz who passed April 25, 2015. May her Memory be Eternal! (Any future contributions in memory of those PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR you want to commemorate will be listed in our newsletter.) UNITY! The journey of the of St. Barbara to Ecumenism of relics Greece is the first occasion that these relics have left Italy in over 1,000 years. It was From: Peter Anderson (edited by LOE) arranged by the Apostolic Diakonia of the Orthodox Church of Greece with the blessing of Archbishop Moraglia, the Catholic of Venice. The relics were formally received by a delegation of the Church of Greece in a ceremony at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. An honor guard was provided by cadets of the Italian Naval Academy. The relics were then taken by private aircraft to Athens. The reception of these relics in Greece has been quite amazing. The relics were met at the Athens airport with the honors of a Head of State. The relics were then taken to the Church of St. Barbara located in a suburb west of There have been many references recently, Athens. The Livestream video of the very large especially in view of the martyrdom of and colorful procession to the church can be Christians in the Middle East, to the seen at. I think that you will enjoy spending a “ecumenism of blood.” However, yesterday few minutes watching this procession. (Sunday) there was a vivid demonstration of an Archbishop Ieronymos, primate of the Church “ecumenism of relics.” The relics of Saint Great of Greece, was present. You can also see Msgr. Martyr Barbara were brought from Venice to Andrea Palmieri of the Pontifical Council for Greece for a 15-day visit. The relics are Promoting normally kept in the chapel of St. Barbara Christian in the Church of St. Martin of Tours on Unity in the the island of Burano (not to be confused background. with the island of Murano), an island in There are the Venetian Lagoon, a few kilometers plans to from Venice. The relics were given by bring the Byzantine Emperor Basil II to the family of relics to a the Doge of Venice in approximately cancer 1003. Unfortunately, in recent years hospital in Athens. The SYRIZA’s parliamentary these relics have not received the attention that spokesperson, Nikos Filis, has attacked this they should. In December 2000, the relics were action by the Church as conveying a false brought to Rome, were given special honors by message to patients that medicine can be the Italian Navy, and were made available for replaced. veneration at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The relics will depart on 24 May from the port On a trip to Venice in 2007, Metropolitan (now of Piraeus. This will probably involve the Patriarch) Kirill came to Burano and venerated participation of the very outspoken the relics. Local firefighters have conducted conservative Metropolitan Seraphim of services before the relics. St. Barbara is a Piraeus. (Continue next page) patroness of firefighters, sailors, and artillerymen.

2

Here, the “ecumenism of relics” will be subject thanks to takfiri extremists. to a real test as Metropolitan Seraphim “Naming the mosque after al-Sayyida Maryam considers any form of ecumenism to be a is but an expression of belief in the Holy heresy. Quran’s verses that bring [people] together and The visit of the relics of St. Barbara to Greece do not divide people based on religion or sect,” has become one of the biggest religious events Mohammad Abdel-Sattar al-Sayyed said. in that country in recent years. Because of the The mother of Jesus Christ is mentioned in great number of people seeking to venerate the relics, Archbishop Ieronymos, primate of the Orthodox Church of Greece, has made a special request to the Vatican and to the Catholic Patriarch of Venice to extend the visit of the relics to Greece from May 24 to June 1. A Catholic , who is accompanying the relics during this visit to Greece, has stated in an interview his amazement at the outpouring of piety and devotion that he has witn He stated: “Here I saw faith, because people have been standing here for hours in line under the sun several suras of theQuran and a sura bearing her and thirsty in order to arrive and touch the name is one of only eight named after a person. for one second and kiss it, and touch their THANKSGIVING SAID IN ROME, AT THE foreheads to it. I saw some people arrive here on their knees, parents bring their young RELICS OF ST CYRIL, EQUAL-TO-THE- children, I saw many young people, many older APOSTLES, ON THE NAME DAY OF THE people, many disabled, I saw a very impressive PRIMATE OF RUSSIAN CHURCH people.” Today (Sunday) the relics arrived in Piraeus where they were welcomed with great joy by Metropolitan Serafim and the faithful in a very impressive procession. Mosque dedicated to Mary opens in Tartous The Daily Star

BEIRUT: The Syrian authorities have opened a mosque in the coastal city of Tartous dedicated to the Virgin Mary, state media said, calling it the only place of worship in the Islamic world On 24 May 2015, Name Day of bearing the name. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All , a A host of officials were on hand for Saturday’s thanksgiving was said at the holy relics of St inauguration of the mosque, whose formal name Cyril, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Teacher of the is “al-Sayyida Maryam,” one of several Arabic Slavs, in the Basilica of St Clement in Rome. names of the Virgin Mary. To continue the established tradition, the flock The minister of awqaf, or religious charitable endowments, said the mosque’s construction of the Patriarchal parishes in Rome, numerous symbolized the openness of Islam, in stark pilgrims, and representatives of the Bulgarian, contrast to the “deviation” being seen today Serbian and (Continue next page) 3

Romanian Orthodox communities in the Italian joint fellowship activities with local Europeans. capital gathered under the vaults of one of the The land package is only $1995 per person, oldest Christian churches in the Eternal City. double occupancy, and includes transportation, Metropolitan Antonii of Central and Western accommodations and some meals. Single rooms Europe (Bulgarian Orthodox Church) officiated are available for an extra $500. Airfare is extra. at the prayer service at the tomb of the holy Registration and $500 deposit is due by May enlightener of the Slavs. Concelebrating with 15, 2015 . him were Archimandrite Antony (Sevryuk), For more details, and to register online, visit Secretary of the Administration of the Moscow www.olconference.com and click on the Patriarchate’s Parishes in Italy; Archpriest PILGRIMAGE button. Or call 703-691-8862 . Vyacheslav Bachin, rector of the Church of St 2. OL XIX in Washington Nicholas in Rome; and clerics of the Bulgarian “The Bishop of Rome: Past, Present and Orthodox Church’s diocese in Western Europe. Future” Among those who were praying at the service The Orientale Lumen XIX Conference will be were Mr. Boyko Borisov, Bulgaria’s Prime held on June 15-18, 2015 in Washington, DC Minister; ambassadors of Bulgaria, Serbia, on the theme of “The Bishop of Rome: Past, Romania and other countries, accredited to the Present and Future.” Speakers will discuss the Holy See; and over three hundred pupils historical dimensions of the papacy, the recent studying at the Bulgarian educational institutions and current changes of Francis, and what all over the world. the future might be in a united Church. The After the thanksgiving, “Many Years of Life” plenary speakers who have confirmed their was sung in honour of His Holiness Patriarch attendance include: Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia Holiness Patriarch Neofit of Bulgaria, the Patriarchate of , Oxford, England website of the Church of St Catherine in Rome Bishop Bryan Bayda reports. DECR Communication Service Ukrainian Greek , Saskatoon, ORIENTALE LUMEN SSJC NATIONAL Saskatchewan

1. Marian Pilgrimage Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ Professor Emeritus, Pontifical Oriental Institute, The Orientale Lumen Foundation (past Rome organizers of the Seminary Concert Tours, and Msgr. Paul McPartlan, Acting Dean the Ecumenical Pilgrimage that met Pope The Catholic University of America, Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew in 2014) is Washington, DC sponsoring a Marian Pilgrimage to Eastern Father Thomas Rosica Europe on August 7-18, 2015. Because of Salt and Light Television, Toronto, Ontario many inquiries and positive responses to our The Holy See Press Office, The Vatican planned itinerary, we have opened up the Dr. Aristeides Papadakis previously announced Young Adult Pilgrimage Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, to ALL age groups . Baltimore, MD The trip will include visits to the Marian Shrines Father Ron Roberson, CSP (Moderator) of Litmanova and Lutina in Slovakia, and Ecumenical Affairs, United States Conference of Mariapocs in Hungary; liturgies in the Catholic Bishops More details and online Cathedrals of Presov and Bratislava; tours of registration at: www.olconference.com . wooden churches and other cultural sites; and 4

PUTIN, STALIN AND THE under Soviet influence, Stalin reinstated an CHURCH institution he had once tried to destroy. by Hannah Gais from Day celebration, http://www.firstthings.com/ When invaded the in June 1941, Soviet policy had driven the in Russia to near extinction. The Church had faced systematic oppression since the rise of the Communist state in 1917. Anti-religious campaigns in the 1920s and 1930s eliminated tens of thousands of clergy and shuttered theological schools, monasteries and most churches. Aside from the state-sanctioned “living church”—founded as part of a rapprochement with the Soviet state in 1922—religious activity went underground.

Yet, the German advance into Russia saw a religious revival—not least among communities harboring anti-Soviet, pro- On Orthodox Easter, just weeks before nationalist, or even pro-Nazi views. Russia’s seventieth Victory Russian Patriarch The church’s transition from outcast to Kirill addressed scores of the faithful, strategic tool began almost immediately after including Russian President Vladimir Putin the Germans began moving east, when then- and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. He Acting Patriarch Sergey, the Primate of the likened the resurrection of Christ—who, in Russian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan of Orthodox parlance, “trampled down death by Moscow, proclaimed the Church’s support for death”—to the Russian, née Soviet, victory the Soviet war effort. Stalin, a former over the Nazis. seminarian, was no fan of religion, but he “When spiritual heroism becomes the sought to unify those who weren’t inspired to substance not only of the individual but of an take up arms for the cause of Marxism- entire people . . . the nation acquires enormous Leninism, and to eventually reorient these spiritual strength, which no disasters or territories back toward Russia. enemies are capable of overcoming,” he told those gathered in Christ the Savior The Church gathered hundreds of thousands of Cathedral in Moscow. “The truth of these rubles to fund the war effort. State agencies words is evidently attested by the Victory in oversaw and sanctioned the printing of the Great Patriotic War, achieved by the self- religious materials that were to be distributed sacrificing heroism of our people.” in occupied territory. There were even word- of-mouth stories that religiosity had increased Kirill’s religious praise of Soviet victory is among soldiers, as well as one story that nothing new. Under Josef Stalin, the Soviet claims the icon of Our Lady of Kazan was put Union tried tapping into the nation’s on a plane and flown around Stalingrad to “enormous spiritual strength” by reviving the celebrate the Soviet victory there. Orthodox Church in Russia, albeit in a limited capacity. Realizing the power the church had The goal of reviving the Church was multifold. to unite Russia and its near abroad—and It showed the West that Russians were free to seeking to bring Nazi-controlled territory back practice religion. It also provided an inclusive narrative. (Continue next page) 5

Putin said , sacred meaning “for Russia, like the When church publications, such as The Truth Temple Mount in Jerusalem for and About , called for Russians .” to take up arms, they rarely spoke of defending That narrative was a sideshow—only a quarter the Soviet state or the Marxist-Leninist system. of Russians are aware that came to Rather, the war was a holy war for a fatherland the region under Vladimir the Great. Still, that was not Soviet but Russian. Putin’s rhetoric, as Mykhailo Not all were thrilled about returning to the Cherenkov noted in FIRST THINGS , establishes sphere of Soviet, or even Russian, influence. Russian Orthodoxy as the bedrock for national “This presented the Soviets with a problem as identity. It makes sense for Putin and the they recovered these territories because these church to tie ’s Orthodox Christian churches were nationalist, non-Russian. Some community spiritually and administratively to of them, particularly in western Ukraine, Moscow. [were] ardently Ukrainian nationalist and “For the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, strongly opposed to the return of Soviet there are no other Orthodox churches—they power,” Steven Merrit Miner, author are all impostors and of Stalin’s Holy War and a professor at Ohio schismatics,” writes Cherenkov. “The University, told me. “You want to get those [Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow clergy out and replace them with people who Patriarchate] confirmed not only its spiritual, would be more obedient. That’s what the but also its political dependence on Moscow.” Russian Orthodox Church did. It’s a function Portraying the conflict among rival Orthodox to some degree of re-occupation of this swath churches in Ukraine as a war against the of the Soviet Union that has undergone Ukrainian people has given rise to a movement German occupation.” that uses language redolent of that in texts So, on September 4, 1943, Stalin summoned like The Truth About Religion in Russia, where Orthodox authorities in the dead of night to re- “schismatics” were those acting against the institute the office of the Moscow Patriarchate, will of the state. The Kremlin, then and now, is which had been vacant since Patriarch hellbent on labeling Kiev as a haven for neo- Tikhon’s death in 1925, and prior to that, since Nazis and fascists. Peter the Great. Days later, thousands poured Even Putin’s logic is similar to that of Stalin’s into a Moscow cathedral to see Metropolitan in the 1940s. Tying the Church to a larger Sergey be named patriarch. The atheistic nationalist narrative allows Putin to shift the USSR now had a church that operated under balance of power away from self-determinist the watchful eye of the state. movements. It makes it easier to bring Stalin’s instrumentalization of the Church has “misbehaving” jurisdictions under one roof been revived by Putin. His “Russian world” while bolstering the church’s credentials as concept, which views Russia as a transnational protector of the greater Russian world’s entity unconstrained by the Federation’s heritage. borders, received the church’s imprimatur in In the end, a little help from the Church is 2009. Here, Kirill used the Kievan Rus’ , the crucial for any “ mystical victory .” predecessor to imperial Russia, and the coming of Christianity to the region in the tenth Hannah Gais is a nonresident fellow at Young century as evidence that Russian identity was Professionals in Foreign Policy and assistant tied to the church’s historical jurisdiction. editor at the Foreign Policy Association. You can follow her on Twitter @hannahgais. Putin adapted Kirill’s appeal to imbue his invasion of Ukraine with spiritual significance. , where Vladimir the Great was said to have been baptized in the , has, 6

to prepare for the Synod of Bishops on the The family: family next October. It was precisely the family, its sacramental nature and the challenges laid workshop and before it by a rapidly-changing society, which was the object of reflection and examination. From the discusssions it emerged that: training ground for The whole of the Catholic Church, and especially its expression of a more Eastern humanity tradition represented by the continent's Eastern Catholic Churches, gives its yes to the family , Meeting of Eastern Catholic bishops 2015 the fundamental cell of human society where Prague - Břevnov, Czech Republic, 4-7 June every person becomes more and more him / 2015 herself, not just as a place of cultural and intellectual growth, of emotional and social growth, but above all as a place where 's plan for every person is accomplished. The family, the domestic Church spoken of by Saint John Chrysostom and repeated by the Second Vatican Council, as workshop and training ground for humanity, is not just the place where the transmission of faith happens, but where the fundamental principles of living together are learned. In it each person is called to give him / herself and to accept the other, growing in mutual love. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters are called to love The "yes" of the Eastern Catholic Churches to each other: everyone in the family has a unique the "family", the situation in Ukraine and of and important role. the Churches of Central-Eastern Europe in The Eastern Catholic Church says its yes to the relations with civil society were the focus of the family because in the dark moments of history meeting of the Eastern Catholic bishops of the in numerous countries of Central Eastern Europe continent. In Prague more than 40 Eastern it was families which kept alive the freedom of Catholic bishops prepared for the Synod on the the human person, the various national Family. identities, their rich cultural and spiritual The annual meeting of the Eastern Catholic heritage. It was Christian families which kept hierarchs of Europe took place this year in alive faith in God and hope in a better future. Prague (Czech Republic) at the invitation of His Precisely for this, in preparation for the Synod of Lordship Mgr Ladislav Hučko , Apostolic Bishops, confirming the priority of the family in for Byzantine Rite Catholics resident in the ordinary pastoral work of the respective the Czech Republic. churches, the episcopal participants at the In Prague, more than 40 Eastern Catholic meeting were committed to promoting an bishops in Europe met to examine in depth the evermore careful preparation for the sacrament relationships of friendship and unity among the of matrimony, so that husband and wife, with continent's Eastern Catholic episcopate, through the strength of grace, might generate a true the exchange of information about the life of the communion of life welcoming children and respective churches at the national level and educating them. They committed themselves to about the sensitive relations between Church and spiritually accompanying and guiding families; civil society and with the other Christian to supporting and promoting the communities of churches. The meeting was also an opportunity families, parishes which, with the help of the respective priests, too, seek to continue and 7

witness to the beauty of being, in the image of administrative, economic and financial profile. God, a communion of people. While the participants recognised the need of the Their yes to the family l eads them to be close to national and local churches to work for an ever all families, especially those experiencing times greater transparency in the management of their of crisis or difficulties, poor families, the needy finances and go along with the managmement who feel excluded by society. If every person models in force in their respective countries, in needs to be loved and helped, it is the family, the the face of the various attempts to discredit the privilged place, where that happens, but – the Church in this field and having ascertained the bishops said in Prague – the Church is and groundlessness of the accusations in the cases always will be beside them, ready to reach out reported at the meeting, the participants called the hand of friendship, to show a neighbourly on those responsible to enfore justice to act with and compassionate face, bringing the comfort impartiality and on the basis of a right which and mercy of God. must be equal for everyone. In times of great vulnerability and major moral, During the meeting, the participants met His economic and social crisis, we hope that Eminence Cardinal Dominik Duka OP , Governments may become evermore aware of Archbishop of Prague, for a friendly discussion the important role of the social and educative about the challenges of the new evangelisation cohesion of the family so that it might legislate of the Church in the Czech Republic, a country on its behalf, on work and on migration. shaped by profound Christian roots, an The situation in Ukraine inheritance sadly often unrecognised. In the face of the on-going situation of external The meeting also saw a presentation by the local aggression in the east of the country, the Exarch, His Lordship Mgr Ladislav Hučko , on participants demonstrated their solidarity with the history and the current challenges of the the people of Ukraine, above all the Greek Greek-Catholic Church in the Czech Republic. Catholics, exhorting them to pursue the path of Participants at the meeting, facilitated by the dialogue and unity between the country's Council of European Episcopal Conferences Christian churches which a particular attitude of (CCEE), included His Grace Mgr Giuseppe misinformation – especially at the international Leanza , Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech level – aims to undermine. At this dramatic Republic; His Grace Mgr Cyril Vasil' , moment in the country's history, all the churches Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for are committed to supporting the difficult path of the Oriental Churches who brought greetings the rebuilding of social cohesion first of all from the Prefect of the Vatican dicastery, His through a path of conversion, the only weapon in Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri . Also the face of those who think of corruption as the participating were Fr Lorenzo Lorusso OP , only controlling principle of society. Faced with Under-secretary of the aforesaid Vatican the greatest humanitarian disaster since the fall Congregation, and Mgr Duarte da Cunha , of the totalitarian regime, His Beatitude CCEE General Secretary, who brought greetings , of from the President of the continential episcopal -Halyč, thanked his confrères for the body, His Eminence Cardinal Péter Erdő , prayers and spiritual closeness of the sister Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest. churches, and recalled the generosity of the The 2016 meeting will take in Fatima (Portugal) various national Caritas organisations, calling in October. for a renewed solidarity of the international The meeting ended on 7 June with the community: hunger and poverty do not take celebration of the in the Greek holidays! Catholic Cathedral of St Clement along with the The Catholic Church in South-East Europe local community. Of particular concern is a too "discretionary" Finally the bishops entrusted the challenges, attitude – bordering on discrimination – of expectations and hopes of all families and the numerous local administrations which seem to work of the Synod to the protection of the want to attack the Catholic Church under the Mother of God. 8

CHURCH OF THE EAST 3. His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod The common secretary of this meeting was the CIRED 3 Very Rev. William Toma, Archdeacon. Meeting between the delegations of the Assyrian The meeting began with the Lord’s Prayer in a Church of the East and the Ancient Church of singular love, as King says in the Old the Church for the achievement of a unified Testament: “How very good and pleasant it is, Church of the East. when kindred live together in Unity!” (Psalms A cordial and fraternal meeting took place in 133:1) Representatives of both branches showed Chicago, IL USA at the premises of St. sincere love and the desire in fulfilling a complete unification of the Church of the East, after nearly fifty years of separation within our Holy Church. The recommendations for unity of the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East were submitted to each other through the representatives chosen by the leadership of each branch. They will be submitted and discussed in their Andrew’s Assyrian Church of the East on individual Holy Synods. After the Friday, the 22nd of May 2015. recommendations are discussed, a date and The representatives of the Ancient Church of the venue shall be designated for a second meeting – East were: for further examination of the responses to the 1. His Beatitude Mar Yakoob Danil. recommendations submitted today. Metropolitan of Australia & New Zealand In conclusion, the meeting came to a close with 2. His Beatitude Mar Zaia Khoshaba, a positive awareness and belief of both Metropolitan of Canada & the U.S. delegations in the fulfillment of unification, as is 3. His Grace Mar Gewargis Younan, Bishop of the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Chicago, IL Who said, “That they may all be one. As you, The representatives of the Assyrian Church of Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also the East were: be one in us” (John 17:21). 1. His Beatitude Mar Gewargis Sliwa, +Mar Gewargis Sliwa+Mar Yakoob Danil Metropolitan of Iraq & Russia Metropolitan Metropolitan May 22, 2015 2. His Grace Mar Iskhaq Yousif, Bishop of Chicago, Illinois USA Nohadra, Erbil, & Russia 9

Martyrdom serves Christian recognized as martyrs by Tawadros. “I assure you and the Christian community in unity, tells Coptic Egypt and throughout the Middle East of my Orthodox patriarch unceasing prayer,” Pope Francis wrote to By Ann Schneible Tawadros, “and I remember in particular the Coptic faithful recently martyred for their Vatican City, May 12, 2015 / (CNA/EWTN News ).- In a Christian faith. May the Lord welcome them message sent Sunday to into his Kingdom.” the leader of the Coptic Pope Francis also made mention of the Orthodox Church, Pope document recently produced by members of the Francis said advances Joint International Commission for Theological toward reconciliation are Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the strengthened by the Oriental Orthodox Churches. martyrs and that Entitled “The Exercise of Communion in the Christians must unite to Life of the Early Church and its Implications for confront shared global our Search for Communion Today”, the challenges. document was finalized during the commission's “Today more than ever we twelfth annual plenary meeting, held in Rome are united by the this past January. ecumenism of blood, “I am certain that Your Holiness shares my hope which further encourages that this vital dialogue will carry on and bear us on the path towards abundant fruit,” Pope Francis said. peace and reconciliation,” Pope Francis wrote The commission's next plenary meeting is set to May 10 to Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. take place in Cairo, hosted by the Coptic Like the Bishop of Rome, the Coptic Orthodox Orthodox Patriarchate. Patriarch of Alexandria is known as “Pope” to Pope Francis' letter took note of the common his followers. challenges facing Christians of separated Pope Francis' message marked the second Churches, particularly in terms of family life, anniversary of his meeting with Tawadros in “which require us to work together in Rome; the day has become an annual celebration confronting these issues.” of fraternal love between the Catholic and The Bishop of Rome told Tawadros, “I Coptic Orthodox Churches. appreciate your appointment last year of a The Coptic Orthdox Church is an Oriental delegate to participate in the Extraordinary Orthodox Church, meaning it rejected the 451 Synod of Bishops dedicated to the family. It is Council of Chalcedon, and its followers were my hope that our cooperation in this area may historically considered monophysites – those continue, especially in addressing matters who believe Christ has only one nature – by related to mixed marriages.” Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox. The May 2013 meeting between Pope Francis “With thanksgiving to the Lord, I recall our and Tawadros marked the first visit of a Coptic advances along the path of friendship, united as Orthodox patriarch to Rome in 40 years. we are by one baptism,” Pope Francis wrote. Shenouda III, Tawadros' predecessor, visited Bl. “Though our communion is yet imperfect, what Paul VI in 1973, and St. John Paul II returned we have in common is greater than what divides the visit to Egypt in 2000. us. May we persevere on our journey to full Pope Francis concluded his message saying that communion, and grow in love and “with these sentiments, and recalling what has understanding.” rightly become known as the day of friendship More than 90 percent of the Christians in Egypt between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the are Coptic Orthodox, and 21 Coptic men Catholic Church, I exchange with Your Holiness working in Libya were beheaded by the Islamic a fraternal embrace in Christ the Lord.” State in February. Soon afterwards, the 21 were

10

Fleeing ISIS Into Exile, Syriac This time, eight months later, they drive by night Christians Sing the Oldest while, behind them, Mosul burns. The fathers stay eyes-front, following the rear- lights of the Music on Earth car ahead. Children are quiet but awake. There is BY GEORGE RICHARDS / APRIL 16, 2015 no laughter and no singing, no cars toot their HTTP://WWW.NEWSWEEK.COM/ horns. The monastery is dark, lit only in flashes from the headlamps. Otherwise, it is only by the smell of the oleander, and the steady cooling of the air, that they know they are on the road to Mar Mattai. Among them is Sarmad Ozan, formerly a young deacon in the cathedral in Mosul, where he sang the daily liturgy. When ISIS captured the city, the cathedral clergy thought they would stay. In a few days, however, ISIS issued its infamous decree: convert to Islam, pay a tax on unbelievers or die. Sarmad, his fellow clergymen and this band of 50 Christian families fled to find sanctuary in their mountain stronghold. They leave behind the bodies of brothers and fathers, and the shelled--out ruins of their shops and houses. They also leave behind much of A Syrian monk swings incense during mass what it meant to be a Syriac Christian. in the monastery Mar Musa al-Habashi in The ancient cities of Nimrud and Nineveh that Nebek, north of Damascus GHAITH ABDUL- they visited proudly to show their children the AHAD/GETTY glories of the Assyrian empire from which they claim descent – soon these will be bulldozed by The last time they came along the road to the ISIS. They leave behind the treasures of Assyria monastery of Mar Mattai in northern Iraq, it was in the Mosul museum – ISIS will loot the September. Then, there was a queue of cars smaller antiquities for the black market and stretching back to Mosul. There were little girls smash the statues too big to sell. And on the way in white dresses with curly hair tied up in to Mar Mattai, they pass the monastery of Mar ribbons. Mothers carried sponge-cakes in boxes Behnam: its gates are already barred by ISIS. on their knees. Their husbands, moustaches From the steeple flies the black flag. In a few combed and blazers brushed, were looking months, it will be destroyed. forward to an aniseed tot of arak when they What they carry with them is their liturgical arrived. music. It preserves strains of the earliest As they left the city behind, the road climbed religious chants of Mesopotamia and of court into the mountains, dusty, sandy and dotted with songs sung for Assyrian emperors 2,000 years oleander bushes. The stickiness of the plain gave before Christ. Its antiquity is matched by its way to a cool, dry breeze. simplicity: clergy and congregation sing At the end of the road, the monastery was together, dividing between boys with high overflowing: this was one of the great festivals voices and older, bigger men who sing more for Syriac Christians in Iraq and beyond. There deeply. Beyond this there is no distinction of was feasting and prayers, and the singing of note or pitch, and no melody. The call and Syriac chant, perhaps the oldest extant music in response format is thought to enact a the world, a sacred and archaic call and response conversation between man and God. (Continue in a language that would have been understood next page) by Jesus. 11

Tonight, they will again sing the old songs. They acting on behalf of the state when you perform make for the inner rooms: the hermits’ cells that rite. It's clear as hell to me that this is what a burrowed into the cliff--face; the ’ Room, priest is doing," said Reardon, reached by with its reliquaries set in niches in the rock; the telephone. chapels dug deep into the holy mountain. "Lay people don't face the sacramental question There, crammed into the rough caves, Sarmad like a priest. They are trying to obtain the same and the other push to the front and stand civil contract and benefits as anyone else and in a line. They are joined by the old monks and they have to get that from the state. It's two the priests, in black cassocks and embroidered different moral questions." skull-caps. The priests start the singing in deep This is a timely question, as the U.S. Supreme voices, then the deacons and younger men Court nears a crossroads on same-sex marriage. answer at a higher pitch. Now the other men in The issue of whether clergy should clip this tie the congregation fall in, back and forth, call and to the state is one that is causing tensions -- not response, as it has been for millennia. just between doctrinal liberals and It grows quicker, and louder, filling the small conservatives, but also between those with rooms in the belly of the monastery. But Sarmad differing views of the theology of marriage and hears something else – the congregation are approaches to current political realities. weeping as they sing. Because tomorrow, or In a recent LifeWay Research survey, 6 in 10 soon after, they will leave for the Kurdish Americans disagreed with the statement that territories, for the refugee camps and then for "marriage should be defined and regulated by abroad, in Sarmad’s case for Newcastle in the the state" and 49 percent agreed that "religious north of England, where he was when I spoke to weddings should not be connected to the state's him; and they may never hear this music again. definition and recognition of marriage." However, 71 percent of pastors disagreed with When sacraments conflict the statement, "Clergy should no longer be involved in the state's licensing of marriage." with state marriage licenses At the conservative journal First Things , 444 April 25, 2015 • TERRY MATTINGLY Universal Syndicate clergy and lay leaders had, as of earlier this Father Patrick Henry Reardon's note to his flock week, signed "The Marriage Pledge," promising: at Chicago's All Saints Orthodox Church was "We will no longer sign government-provided short and simple -- yet a sign of how marriage certificates. We will ask couples to complicated life is becoming for traditional seek civil marriage separately from their church- religious believers. related vows and blessings." "Because the State of Illinois, through its These debates are about "strategy and timing, legislature and governor's office, has now re- not ... faithfulness," stressed evangelical activist defined marriage, marriage licenses issued by John Stonestreet, writing at BreakPoint.org. agencies of the State of Illinois will no longer be Clergy will know it's time to exit the "civil required (or signed) for weddings here at All marriage business" when they are forced out. Saints in Chicago," he wrote in the parish "Stay in the game! ... Refuse to render to Caesar newsletter. authority that does not belong to him," The key words were "or signed." The veteran Stonestreet argued. "Get censured! Get sued! Be priest was convinced that he faced a collision nice and kind, but firm; keep the witness as long between an ancient sacrament and new political as you can." realities that define a civil contract. His goal, he The Rev. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics said, was not to "put my people in a tough spot," and Religious Liberty Commission of the but to stress that believers now face Southern Baptist Convention, recently wrote that complications when they get married -- period. any church that embraces the sexual revolution The question priests must ask, when signing is "no longer a church of Jesus Christ." Yet a marriage licenses, is "whether or not you're pastor who signs (Continue next page)

12

a marriage license is "not affirming the state's Friday, 1 May 2015 definition of marriage," he argued, but bearing witness to "the state's role in recognizing THE SPIRITUAL PATH OF ST. marriage as something that stands before and is foundational to society." This topic is sure to be discussed as clergy and http://fatherdavidbirdosb.blogspot.com/ activists gather in Washington, D.C. for the April 25 March for Marriage. Reardon noted my source: Pravoslavie/ru that his church's national leader, while not St. Seraphim of Sarov prayed on a rock for a directly addressing the marriage-license issue, thousand days. sent a pastoral letter to his bishops, clergy and In the Orthodox Church saints emerge. No laypeople noting that marriage debates cannot be central office in an institution checks, qualifies avoided. and certifies a person as a saint. On one reading, The upcoming Supreme Court decision could we are all saints. The word simply means "set "mark a powerful affirmation of marriage apart" and that's how between one man and one woman ... or it can Christians have initiate a direction which the Holy Orthodox understood themselves Church can never embrace," stated Metropolitan since ancient times: set of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian apart for service to God Archdiocese of North America. "Throughout the in, but not of, the world. history of our faith our Holy Fathers have led the "He who truly loves God Orthodox laity" to unite to "preserve the faith considers himself a against heresy from within, and against major wanderer and newcomer threats from societies from without." on earth, for in him is a At his altar, said Reardon, this means, "I cannot striving towards God in represent the State of Illinois anymore. ... I'm not soul and mind, which making a political statement. I'm making a contemplates God theological statement." alone." Certain people emerge as standouts in Terry Mattingly is the director of the the church. Their chief characteristic is the Washington Journalism Center at the Council search to live in the presence of God with every for Christian Colleges and Universities and leads fiber of their being, and to recognize God's the GetReligion.org project to study religion and presence in creation and humanity. the news. Such a saint was Seraphim of Sarov, author of the saying quoted above. Seraphim was born PRAYER OF SOUFANIEH Prohor Moshnin in 1759 in Kursk, Russia, to a merchant family, and he showed strong spiritual sensitivity from childhood. After recovering from a childhood illness, he entered the Unity of Hearts! Unity of monastery at Sarov in 1778. In 1786 he took Christians! Unity of the final vows to become a monk and received the name Seraphim, which means "fire" or Feast of Easter! "burning," in part because of his zeal at prayer. After 1793, the year he was ordained a priest of the church, he moved to a forest hermitage five miles north of the monastery, and began to see BRING A FRIEND TO people as a starets, Russian for "elder," meaning a spiritual director. People flocked to him over OUR MEETING! the last decades of his life. Early in this period he sustained a (Continue next page) 13

severe beating at the hands of robbers, which left Church of. St. Giovanni him with a hunchback for the rest of his life. At the trial for these men, who had been captured, Crisostomo-St. John Chrysostom Seraphim offered them words of forgiveness. (Also known as “ The animals in the forest especially loved Seraphim, and he fed them even as legend says Giovanello”- that they fed him, too. Among his animal friends was a bear often depicted with him on one of the St. Little icons that commemorate his life. Our annual John). animal blessing at St Anthony of the Desert Mission this Saturday is in honor of St Gerace, Seraphim. Calabria, St. Seraphim says about faith: "Faith, according to the teachings of St. Antioch, is the beginning Italy--10th c. of our union with God: the true believers are the stone of the church of God, prepared for the edifice of God the Father, which is raised up to the heights by the power of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Cross and help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). The works of faith (fruits of the Spirit) are love, peace, longsuffering, mercy, humility and bearing one's cross. True faith cannot remain without works. One who truly believes will also surely perform good works." Central to Seraphim's approach to the faith was the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, which he called the "true goal of the Christian life." He gave his life over to this acquisition through prayer and discipline and he urged the same practice on his visitors. His most remembered saying is, "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." Prayer, ascetic discipline and acts of mercy achieve this, over a long time. Seraphim said, "Only deeds performed for Christ give us the fruits of the Holy Spirit." The Orthodox Church in Russia recognized Seraphim as a Saint in 1903, the 70th year after his death. Orthodox churches around the world held a centennial celebration of his recognition as saint in 2003. People continue to come to pray at the grave of St Seraphim and to experience his presence in their lives in many ways for counsel and healing.

14

Vatican announces subtitle of achieved unity of Armenian Catholic and Pope’s new encyclical; Orthodox martyrs in heaven. Pope Francis concelebrated Mass April 12 with Orthodox prelate to be Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX present at release Tarmouni in the presence of Karekin and thousands of Armenian Catholic and Catholic World News - June 10, 2015 Orthodox faithful. The Holy See Press Office has confirmed that Media attention focused on the diplomatic Pope Francis’s second encyclical will be tensions created between the Vatican and entitled Laudato Si (Praised Be), a reference to Turkey when Pope Francis used the term St. ’s Canticle of the Sun. “genocide” to describe the deaths of up to 1.5 The press office also announced the encyclical’s million at the hands of the Ottoman- subtitle (“on the care of our common home”) Turkish empire in 1915-18. and the names of those who will be presenting While the Mass marked the 100th anniversary of the encyclical at its June 18 release. the genocide, Pope Francis also used the Joining Cardinal Peter Turkson, the president of occasion to encourage ecumenical relations and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, will to declare St. a doctor of the be Orthodox Archbishop John Zizioulas of church. The 10th-century Armenian monk is Pergamon, who will represent the Ecumenical venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox. Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Hans At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis handed a Joachim Schellnhuber, the director of the message to Catholicos Karekin expressing his Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research hopes that the centennial of the genocide would and chairman of the German Advisory Council be “a time of deep prayer” for Catholics and on Global Change. Orthodox. “Through the redemptive power of Laudato Si will be the first papal encyclical to Christ’s sacrifice, may the blood which has been have a non-Latin title since Venerable Pius XII’s shed bring about the miracle of the full unity of 1957 encyclical Le pèlerinage de Lourdes. his disciples,” the pope wrote.

The fact that those who died in 1915-18 were Armenian Catholics and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic, is a sign Orthodox seek unity their of “the ecumenism of blood,” a unity that exists through common suffering, the pope said. martyrs enjoy Commemorating their deaths together, he said, BY CINDY WOODEN “reflects on earth the perfect communion that Catholic News Service exists between the blessed souls in heaven.” Pope Francis greets Armenian Catholic Speaking at the Mass, Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Catholicos Karekin Tarmouni during an April 12 Mass in prayed that “the martyrs St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican to would unite us as mark the 100th anniversary of the children and servants of Armenian genocide. (CNS the one Lord Jesus Christ photo/Cristian Gennari) so that we would learn VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While and commit ourselves to Catholic and Armenian Orthodox establishing love, justice theologians continue discussions and peace in the world.” aimed at full unity, Pope Francis and The Armenian Orthodox Catholicos Karekin II of Etchmiadzin, officially distanced patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic themselves from Rome Church, commemorated the already- and Constantinople in the (Continue next page) 15

sixth century; the churches now commonly Catholics and Orthodox seek to referred to as Catholic and Greek Orthodox overcome liturgical calendar differed with Armenian church leaders and other differences Rome, June 12, 2015 (Ecclesia) Oriental Orthodox bishops over theological - The Pope said today in Rome that the solution explanations of Christ’s identity as both human to the Passover joint celebration between and divine. Catholics and Orthodox must pass the proposal But throughout history contacts continued for a fixed date, leaving aside the current between members of the various Christian tradition."We have to put ourselves in line and communities and, in fact, at the end of the 12th the Catholic Church is willing, from Blessed century Armenian Orthodox and Roman Paul VI (Pope from 1963 to 1978) to set a date Catholic leaders in Cilicia (now in southern and renounce the first solstice after the full Turkey) re-established full unity. But the moon of March," he said at a meeting with a agreement was not accepted by all Armenian thousand priests held in the Basilica of St. John Orthodox. Lateran. A new attempt was made at the Council of Easter is the first Christian party in importance Florence in the 15th century and the foundation and antiquity, as already at the Council of was laid for a formal structure for the Armenian Nicaea in 325, there are provisions on the date Catholic Church, preserving the liturgical and of conclusion: first Sunday after the full moon spiritual heritage of Armenian Christianity. Pope following the spring equinox (March 22 to April Benedict XIV in 1742 named the first Armenian 25). Catholic Catholicos for the community. These dates are referenced, in most countries, The Armenian Orthodox sent observers to the the so-called 'Gregorian calendar', introduced in Second Vatican Council and were seen as early 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. promoters of the modern ecumenical movement. The Byzantine Rite Churches, however, In 1996, the patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic continue until today 'Julian' solar calendar Church and Pope John Paul II signed a joint created in 45 BC by the Roman Emperor Julius declaration officially ending more than 1,500 Caesar. years of doctrinal disagreement over the According to Francisco, this is a problem that theological explanation that Christ is one person "everyone wants to solve," leaving aside the in two natures, undivided and unconfused. possibility of use as a reference the date of Through dialogue, the churches declared they Passover, 14 nissan. profess the same faith in Christ and said the The Pope praised the role of the Ecumenical differences that drove the churches apart in the Patriarch of Constantinople (Orthodox), sixth century were semantic rather than Bartholomew I, in the search for a common doctrinal. Easter on orthodoxy within, and considered it a The Armenian Apostolic Church has more than "scandal" that the resurrection of Jesus is 6 million members today. While based at celebrated on different dates in the various Etchmiadzin, near ’s capital, the Christian communities. devastation of the genocide, World War I and "A more permanent solution will have to be a decades of Soviet domination led to widespread fixed date, imagine the second Sunday in April," emigration. The church has dioceses around the he added. world. Francisco stressed the common commitment to the The Armenian Catholic patriarchate is based in defense of "fundamental Christian values" and Beirut, Lebanon; its more than 566,000 suggested to priests reading some Orthodox members are served by dioceses and other theologians to understand the "wealth" of this structures in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, tradition. Turkey, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Greece, Latin The next encyclical of Pope will be presented on America and New York. Thursday by a Catholic and an Orthodox and the text includes two numbers dedicated to Bartholomew I, as "great defender of the creation." 16