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The five patriarchs of Antioch at their June 8 meeting in Damascus. Credit: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch via Facebook/Antiochpatriarchate.org Damascus, Syria, Jun 10, 2015 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The five Christian patriarchs of Antioch met in Syria on Monday, calling for peace in the Syrian civil war while reaffirming that Christians have a place in the Middle East. The Christian leaders described themselves as an authentic people of the land, who are “deeply rooted in its earth that was watered by the sweat of our fathers and grandfathers, and we confirm more than ever that we are staying.”...

Moscow, June 5, Interfax - The Russian Church believes the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis may address the peacekeeping initiatives in the Middle East and the other regions, specifically, the issue of the protection of Christians. "We can expect that cooperation in this sphere between Russia and the Holy See will continue developing. Russia and the Vatican are very influential members of the UN and their joint actions aimed at protecting Christians, especially if they are joined by other countries, can be fruitful," hieromonch Stefan (Igumnov), secretary of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations...

Have you heard of mantle grabbing? Also called grave sucking and grave soaking, I'm concerned about how it's sweeping through charismatic circles. The following are seven concerns I have about grave sucking: 1. It distracts from the true power source of our anointing. The Word of God is clear that the true source of our anointing is from God (Acts 1:8). James 4:4 teaches that if we draw near to God He will draw near to us. Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1 and 119, and 2 Timothy 3:15-16 teach that meditation on the Word day and night is the key to...

I wrote the following letter to a friend of mine. With his permission (and some editing to protect identities), I would like to share it with you. ------------------------------------------------ Dear Father and Matushka: How wonderful to refer to you in that way! I saw the photos of your ordination, but rather than send an email, I decided to write you a letter. Something about the tactile, physical nature of paper does you more honour, I believe, than something written electronically. We know each other, though perhaps not as well as we should. Perhaps in the years to come, we can have...

MOSCOW, June 5, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – Churches that have deemed homosexuality morally acceptable have rejected Christianity and are preparing their followers to accept the Anti-Christ, according to one of the leading figures in the Russian Orthodox Church. His statement came as the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it is ending “formal contacts” with the United Protestant Church of France and the Church of Scotland over those churches’ abandonment of traditional Christian sexual morality. In its statement, the church said ecumenical dialogue was pointless after France’s United Protestant Church last month voted to allow pastors to officiate at same-sex “marriages” and...

Ukranian Catholics hope he will raise the war in their homelandPope Francis will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin next Wednesday at a time when the war in eastern Ukraine is intensifying. The visit, confirmed by papal spokesman, Jesuit Fr Federico Lombardi, will be the pontiff’s second meeting with the Russia leader, the first having taking place in November 2013. Since then, however, war has broken out in eastern Ukraine over the disputed Donbass region, with Russian forces widely suspected of assisting in aiding rebel forces in the neighbouring country. Russia has also annexed the Ukrainian province of Crimea, with allegations...

The Russian Orthodox Church says it is severing ties with the main protestant churches of France and Scotland over the issue of same-sex unions. The Moscow Patriarchate said on June 3 that "formal contacts" with the two institutions were pointless after France's United Protestant Church last month voted to allow pastors to bless same-sex marriages and the Church of Scotland approved ordaining clergy in same-sex civil unions. "We regretfully acknowledge, that today we have a new divide in the Christian world, not only regarding theological subjects, but regarding moral issues as well," the patriarchate said in a statement. The Moscow...

Moscow, June 3, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate criticizes the decisions of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland to consecrate homosexuals and of the United Protestant Church of France to bless homosexual marriages. "These decisions of the Church of Scotland and the Church of France have deeply disappointed the Russian Orthodox Church as they seem incompatible with norms of Christian morals," the Department for External Church Relations says in its statement posted Wednesday on its official website. Guided by definitions of the Bishops' Councils, which say that future relations with many Protestant communities depend on their faithfulness to norms of Gospel...

It has become a common occurrence over the years for Muslims in the Middle East who have converted to Christianity to claim to have been compelled to do so after dreaming of a person who they believe is Jesus Christ. Now, one militant belonging to the brutal Islamic State that has massacred Christians has converted to his victims' religion after dreaming of "a man in white" with a startling message, according to one missionary's account. "One of our YWAM workers in the Middle East was contacted by a friend earlier this year and they met up and he was introduced...

Evolutionary theorists have a very difficult time suggesting a mechanism for life. How do plain chemicals – minerals and dissolved substances – combine in a manner that constitutes a living thing? In fact, why would they? I have no interest in discussing the pro’s and con’s of evolutionary theory. It is not interesting to me if you think Darwin was wrong or the devil incarnate. I want to think about some other things. Those other things can be seen first in the questions already asked. How do minerals and substances combine in a manner that constitutes a living thing? Among...

Armenians in Turkey who opted to live as Muslims to avoid mistreatment are recovering their true identities in collective baptisms. The latest such baptism came in May when 12 Armenians from Dersim (Tunceli) recovered their identities. The saga of Armenians who were compelled to live as Muslims goes back to 1915 massacres. Armenian children were adopted by Muslim families, women married Muslim men and some families converted to Islam to save their lives. These Armenians, who for a century were forced to conceal their identities, are trying to return to their roots. This activity is more prevalent among Anatolian Armenians,...

Moscow, June 1, Interfax - A brawl broke out at an unsanctioned gay pride event between its supporters and opponents in central Moscow on Saturday afternoon. The incident started with an ATV pulling over near the Moscow city hall and LGBT activists lighting up flares, an Interfax correspondent reported from the scene. However, Orthodox activists immediately showed up and started a brawl. Police have detained several people and put them into a bus. Some Orthodox activists wearing St. George ribbons and chanting 'Christ is Risen!' gathered near a monument to Yury Dolgoruky in front of the city hall.

The American Dream is embodied in strength. Gen. George Patton famously said, “America loves to win and cannot abide a loser.” The spirituality of winning is probably the fastest growing and most attractive version of “Christianity” to be found on the American scene. Mega Churches, seating 10’s of thousands have sprung up as temples of success. Nobody wants to be sick. The dependence it fosters, the way it changes and shapes a life are a form of powerlessness that holds no attraction. Poverty (however it is measured) is a massive struggle against forces that steal human dignity. Most homes in...

In a village 20 km south east of Mosul in northern Iraq, Islamic State (IS) militants have burned an Iraqi Christian woman to death. Sa’ed Mamuzini, representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Mosul, told BasNews on Tuesday that the militants burned the 80-year-old Iraqi Christian woman, who was from Kremlis in the Nimrud area of the Hamdaneya sub district, east of Mosul. Mamuzini said that villagers told him that the woman was killed for failing to comply with the strict laws of the Islamic State.

Video from the canonization of St. Alexis of Wilkes Barre PA in 1994.

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9 “Such is the message of the Cross to each one of us. However far I have to travel through that valley of the shadow of death, I am never alone.” +Metropolitan Kallistos Ware Much of my young adult life has been a deep struggle with depression. One wouldn’t be too far amiss to say it is virtually a plague in today’s world; in fact, most people I know suffer from...

The “hotbed of sodomy” Eurovision Song Contest final has again been blasted by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), after the Primate called the international music event “repulsive”. The Leader of the ROC, the Patriarch of Moscow, made the comments last Thursday, echoing the remarks of other traditional religious and political figures, when he made reference to Thomas Neuwirth, the bearded ‘lady’ who won last year’s competition. Speaking of the bearded, cross-dressing performer, who performs under the name Conchita Wurst, Patriarch Kirill said: “All those bearded female singers… [are] repulsive to our soul and our culture”.

The Chinese government has allowed the ordination of Russian Orthodox priests, for the first time in 60 years, the AsiaNews service reports. Metropolitan Hilarion, who heads the external-affairs department of the Moscow patriarchate, announced the ordinations after his return from a visit to China. His trip came shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Metropolitan Hilarion reported “very constructive talks” with government officials in Beijing, adding that China is a society that properly values the “role of culture, traditions and the moral factor in shaping the lives of...

Nothing is as difficult as true theology. Simply saying something correct is beside the point. Correctness does not rise to the level of theology. Theology, rightly done, is a path towards union with God. It is absolutely more than an academic exercise. Theology is not the recitation of correct facts, it is the apprehension and statement of Beauty. It is this aspect of liturgical life that makes it truly theological. It is also the failure of most contemporary Christian worship efforts. Gimmicks, emotional manipulation and a musical culture that barely rises above kitsch reveal nothing of God – and embarrassingly...

The Romanian Patriarchate is calling on the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case, to “once again reject” the legislative proposal on the regulation of the civil partnership, since this represents “an attack on the enduring value of the family and the identity thereof.” The Romanian Patriarchate took this stance amid third-time attempts in recent years “to regulate the civil partnership, a bill which was every time massively rejected in Parliament.” According to the cited source, “ever since the oldest times, the Romanian people have cultivated the legacy of utmost respect towards the family, called the Church at...