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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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risu.org.ua - On Monday, September 18, 2017 His Eminence Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel participated in the meeting of the Ukrainian-American Community and the representatives of the Crimean Tatar organizations with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna at the Ukrainian Museum in New York City, NY.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was represented at the meeting by Bishop Pavlo (Khomnitsky), Eparch of Stamford Diocese, Bishop Basil (Losten), Bishop Emeritus of Stamford Diocese, and representatives of secular and civic organizations.
The Head of Ukrainian State thanked foreign Ukrainians for their support and assistance. “Never in the history of the Ukrainian state, after the restoration of independence, has Ukraine felt such a great assistance and unity of all Ukrainians in the world aimed to implement the tasks the Ukrainian state faces today,” he emphasized. Petro Poroshenko recalled the creation of the new Ukrainian army, inter alia, with the assistance of the Ukrainians Diaspora. The Head of State noted the steps of the U.S. Congress to help Ukraine, including the decision to provide defensive weapons.
“This is not just a position that helps increase the price the Russian aggressor will pay for assuming the offensive. It also opens an opportunity for the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries to provide the same assistance for us. We are waiting for the political decision by the United States,” the President said adding that a huge progress had already been achieved in the negotiations.
He stressed: “Another importance of defensive weaponry is not just Javelin anti-tank missiles, we produce Stugna missile, which has a different principle, but still very efficient. We are talking about radioelectronic warfare system that presents irrefutable evidence of Russia’s crimes to the world – from where they open fire to kill our civilians, where and when, what is the caliber of the heavy weaponry they brought contrary to the Minsk agreements. After all, this evidence will help us form a legal position when the crimes of Russia will be considered in The Hague”. The President emphasized that “it is not just a weaponry, but a legal instrument of protecting the Ukrainian position”.
“Ukrainians are a peaceful nation. We do not want to kill anyone, but our state has paid a huge price – over 10 thousand Ukrainians, including 2700 Ukrainian warriors killed,” Petro Poroshenko noted. He emphasized that Ukrainians are a European nation and thanked the Ukrainian Diaspora in Europe for the joint work that allowed the ratification of the Association Agreement and the beginning of its implementation.
The Head of State informed on the course of reforms in Ukraine. In particular, the education reform has been approved recently. The President added that the Verkhovna Rada would continue the consideration of the judicial reform to create an independent judicial institution and return the right to the truth to Ukrainians.
The President drew special attention to the importance of supporting the Crimean Tatars. “We must jointly demonstrate that the problem of the Crimean Tatars is our common, that we are united and preserve solidarity. We are not going to put up with the actions of the aggressor and invader,” the Head of State noted.
Petro Poroshenko also recalled the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor and the importance of recognizing it as genocide. “We do not only defend Ukraine and Ukrainians who gave life for our independence, but also remember our history,” he said.
President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Andriy Futey noted that the Ukrainians present in the meeting paid great efforts to help the Homeland and defend the rights and freedoms of Ukrainians irrespective of their place of residence. He assured: “Our goal is one united community that can influence the decisions of the U.S. Government and Congress as regards their foreign policy and, thus, help in your bilateral efforts”. According to him, they will keep trying to convince the American government to provide lethal weapons, greater funding for the defensive, energy and humanitarian assistance, as well as support in the reforms.
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Youngstown, Ohio - Many faithful, clergy, and religious from the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma and beyond took part on September 16, 2017 – Saturday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, according to the Gregorian calendar – in the pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Holy Cross of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, Ohio.
The pilgrimage, led by Bishop Bohdan J. Danylo, Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma and organized by Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, Ohio under the leadership of the church’s pastor, Fr. Lubomyr Zhybak, provided an opportunity for the pilgrims to experience diakonia through the Eucharistic Celebration, Holy Mystery of Reconciliation, prayer and fellowship in the spirit of the Ukrainian Catholic faith. The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was “The Cross of Christ as the Sign of the Lord’s Service to Humanity,” dedicated to the current Year of Diakonia in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The pilgrimage began with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy presided over by Bishop Bohdan Danylo and concelebrated by Chorbishop Anthony Spinosa, Director of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon of the Maronite Catholic Church in North Jackson, OH; Very Rev. Canon Steven Paliwoda, Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of St. Josaphat Eparchy and Pastor of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Lorain, OH; Very Rev. Canon Andriy Hanovskyi, Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cleveland, OH; Fr. Bohdan Barytskyi, rector of St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, OH; Fr. David Misbrener, Pastor of St. Peter of the Fields Roman Catholic Church in Rootstown, OH; Fr. Andrew Marko, former pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH; Fr. Lubomyr Zhybak, pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH and St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church in Austintown, OH; Deacon Donald Billy from Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH as well as religious and lay people.
During his homily, Bishop Bohdan said: “It is the beginning of the Church Year and Church is giving us a sign of cross. In all of our churches on that feast day, we, in a solemn procession, take beautifully decorated cross and carry it from the sanctuary of the church through the main gates of iconostas to be placed in the middle of the church – placed in the middle of the church to be venerated, placed in the middle of the church, so we can sing this beautiful hymn: ‘To Your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration, and we glorify Your holy resurrection.’” The hierarch also noted that “standing at the cross for us, Christians, is not just standing at the sight of crucifixion or the instrument of death, because for us, as we venerate the cross, we proclaim His [Christ’s] glorious resurrection. And perhaps each of us from different places as we gather today, it’s a time to say a prayer for our families, it’s a time to say a prayer to the Cross of Christ for our parish communities, it’s a time to say a prayer for the entire eparchy and our entire Church.” “We need to gather for prayer more often,” stressed Bishop Bohdan. The hierarch, referring to St. John of Damascus, said that we, as a community of believers, need to ask ourselves a similar question that St. John at one time asked his fellow Christians: “When you come and kiss the Cross of Christ, when you come and stay in the shadow of the cross, what is the reason you are coming? Is it just because the rest of the community is coming and performing that ritual? Is it coming and being with the Savior Himself? Are you standing in the shadow of the cross, because you believe that that cross is a sign of salvation?” At the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Bohdan said: “In the beginning of this Church Year, [the cross of Christ] is saying to us: be not afraid! Come and receive power and energy of this cross! Come and be encouraged to walk through your life that whatever crosses and suffering, trials and tribulations are to happen in our lives, we know that the cross of Christ already gave us salvation, that the cross of Christ gave us resurrection, that the cross of Christ opened for us the Gates of Heaven.”
After the Liturgy, the pilgrims had an opportunity to share a delicious meal and fellowship with Bishop Bohdan, clergy and other fellow pilgrims in the parish’s social hall.
Following the lunch, the pilgrims took part in the Akathistos in Honor of the Venerable and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord, celebrated at the shrine and presided over by Bishop Bohdan together with the concelebrating clergy, that concluded the pilgrimage.
During the pilgrimage, Bishop Bohdan likewise thanked all the pilgrims for coming on this spiritual journey. In particular, the hierarch thanked Fr. Lubomyr Zhybak and all of his parishioners for organizing the pilgrimage and for welcoming all the pilgrims to the parish’s shrine with open hearts and arms, wishing everyone to have a safe journey home. In turn, Fr. Lubomyr expressed his gratitude to Bishop Bohdan for leading this year’s pilgrimage as well as thanked all the pilgrims for participating in the spiritual event.
The pilgrimage was also an opportunity for the participants to partake in the Holy Mystery of Confession as well as to visit and pray in the parish church, located next to the shrine.
Sharing his thoughts on the pilgrimage, Fr. Lubomyr Zhybak said: “We were very happy, as always, to welcome in our midst today our shepherd, Bishop Bohdan Danylo as well as the clergy, religious and lay people. A pilgrimage is a great opportunity for people to come together to praise the Lord, to adore Him, to thank Him for the overabundant graces that He bestows upon us each and every day and of course to ask Him to continue to bless us.” “This year, in the Ukrainian Catholic Church, we are celebrating the Year of Diakonia. And so, I do hope that today the pilgrims were inspired as well as were able to strengthen their resolve to serve faithfully the Lord through the service to their neighbors,” stated the pastor, concluding: “May their zeal never get extinguished!”
Reference:
Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, Ohio (USA) was founded in 1911. In 1986, on the occasion of the 75th parish anniversary and the millennial anniversary of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine, the Shrine of the Holy Cross was erected through the sacrificial efforts of parishioners and their long-time pastor, Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest Leo Adamiak, who died in March 2010. Since January 2013 the parish and the shrine have been entrusted to the spiritual care of Fr. Lubomyr Zhybak.
Department of Information of the UGCC
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Eighteen months after the Turkish government seized control of the largest Armenian cathedral in the Middle East, secretly taken photographs inside Diyarbakir’s Surp Giragos Armenian Apostolic Church reveal considerable damage to the sanctuary and walls of the now desecrated church in southeast Turkey.
Published by The Armenian Weekly, the exclusive photographs taken this past July expose broken and sandbagged windows, one defaced crucifix, a massive hole poking through one outer wall, the removal of pews and worship utensils, empty altars, and some chipped columns. Only a few up-ended wooden pews can be seen, with no worship utensils or sacramental hangings in sight.
“So the church is really naked,” a source in Diyarbakir told World Watch Monitor.
The cathedral is located in the predominantly Kurdish city’s Sur district, which was heavily demolished in nearly a year of fierce fighting that broke out in late 2015 between the Turkish military and militants of the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
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Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - Christians in Syria are "no guests or migratory birds". They "are part of the origin of the nation, and without them there is no pluralistic Syria". This is what Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday, September 17, to a large delegation of participants in a room of the Damascus Hall at the annual youth gathering organized by the Syriac Orthodox Church. Responding to the questions posed by some of the young people present, the Syrian leader highlighted the failed attempts of the "extremists" of striking Syrian Christians in order to expel them from the Country, arguing that this operation was part of a larger design aimed at "dividing the region in sectarian States to justify the existence of the Jewish State".
During the meeting with young Christians, President Assad was accompanied by Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II. Three Bishops and numerous monks and priests of the Syriac Orthodox Church also took part in the gathering.
Recently Assad has repeatedly shown his closeness to senior Syriac Orthodox Church leaders. At the beginning of September, as reported by Agenzia Fides (see Fides 8/9/2017), the Syrian President also carried out a visit to the temporary seat of the Syriac Orthodox monastery of the Holy Cross, under construction, in the town of Saydnaya, accompanied by his wife Asma and other family members. On that occasion, Assad and his wife, accompanied by Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem, also met the children housed in the "Small Angel House", an orphanage supported by the Syriac Orthodox Church, and had lunch with them and with the monks and the nuns of the monastery. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 18/9/2017)
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csw.org - There are renewed questions regarding the current status of Patriarch Antonios of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, after he failed to deliver the traditional televised Geez New Year blessing on 11 September. Geez New Year is marked by the Eritrean Orthodox Church as the start of the year according to the Julian calendar.
The patriarch’s reappearance in public at a church service on 16 July sparked speculation about his imminent release from house arrest and reinstatement to office. He has been under house arrest since January 2007, after being removed from office, in violation of canon law, for repeatedly objecting to government interference in ecclesiastical affairs.
At the church service, the patriarch was not permitted to speak, despite being overheard asking for the opportunity to address the congregation. Instead, he was swiftly ushered off the premises and placed under house arrest at a new location.
CSW’s sources report that as the clamour to hear from the patriarch grew, a heavily-edited video of the patriarch speaking to "workers of the patriarchate" was released. Fresh photographs of the patriarch blessing selected visitors have also surfaced. However, scepticism surrounding the manner and terms of his release has deepened after the blessing for Geez New Year was delivered by Bishop Lukas, a pro-government cleric who is generally considered to harbour ambitions of being the next patriarch.
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Munster (Agenzia Fides) - "War is not fought with war, but through dialogue, forgiveness, reconciliation, and the will to start a new life and follow new paths of peace": said Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Butros Marayati, at the international meeting "Paths of Peace" organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio in Munster, Germany. As Fides learns, Marayati, who heads the Armenian community of Aleppo, a place which is symbol of the long Syrian conflict, recalled the other two Bishops of Aleppo, Siro-Orthodox Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Paul Yazigi, kidnapped on April 22, 2013, renewing an appeal for their release: "Aleppo awaits the return of its kidnapped Bishops and priests, awaits the end of war, hopes and trusts in the Lord", he said.
Recalling the immense suffering of children, women, and refugees waiting for peace, Archbishop Marayati concluded: "Their cry is 'never war again' because war is always a useless massacre".
The two metropolitan Bishops of Aleppo were kidnapped in the area between the Syrian metropolis and the border with Turkey. The car on which the two Bishops were traveling was blocked by the group of kidnappers and the driver was killed cold-bloodedly. Since then, no group has claimed the kidnapping. After more than four years since their kidnapping, there is no reliable news on the fate of the two and very often the news given is unfounded.
In recent months, in a joint message, two Patriarchs of Antioch, Greek Orthodox Yohanna X and Siro Orthodox Mar Ignatios Aphrem II, have appealed to the international community to remember the two abducted metropolitans and take appropriate efforts to obtain their release. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 13/9/2017)