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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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CWN - Following the recitation of the Angelus on February 19, Pope Francis asked those gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kasai-Central province, where clashes between the army and a militia have left more than 100 dead.
“News continues to reach us of violent and brutal clashes in the region of Central Kasai of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the Pope said. “I feel intensely the grief of the victims, especially for so many children torn from their families and from school to be used as soldiers.”
He continued, “I assure my closeness and prayer, also for the religious and humanitarian personnel who work in that difficult region; and I renew my heartfelt appeal to the conscience and the responsibility of the national authorities and of the international community, so that appropriate and timely decisions are taken to help these brothers and sisters of ours.”
The Pope also prayed for "all peoples suffering also in other parts of the African continent and of the world due to violence and war. I am thinking, in particular, of the beloved populations of Pakistan and of Iraq, scourged by cruel terrorist acts in past days. Let us pray for the victims, for the wounded and for their relatives. Let us pray ardently that every heart hardened by hatred is converted to peace, in keeping with God’s will. Let us pray for a moment in silence."
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CWN - Following his February 15 general audience, Pope Francis recalled that the previous day was the liturgical memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius, apostles of the Slavs and co-patrons of Europe.
“These two brothers from Thessaloniki … brought the Gospel to the Slav peoples,” the Pope said in Paul VI Audience Hall. “Today, too, they remind Europe, and all of us, of the need to maintain the unity of the faith, tradition and Christian culture, and to live the Gospel every day.”
Referring to the two saints, he added:
May their example help you, dear young people to become missionary disciples in every environment. May their tenacity encourage you, dear sick people, to offer your sufferings for the conversion of those who are distant; and may their love for the Lord enlighten you, dear newlyweds, so you make the Gospel the fundamental rule of your family life.
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CWN - A century after the Bolshevik Revolution, officials in Saint Petersburg, Russia, have returned St. Isaac’s Cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church.
The church, built in 1858 in what was then Russia’s capital, is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. In 1931, Soviet officials converted it into the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism.
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CWN - Six bishops of the Syrian Orthodox Church have accused their Patriarch Ignatius Ephem II of “betrayal of the faith,” after the Patriarch made a gesture of respect for the Qu’ran and referred to “the prophet Mohammed.”
During a meeting with Muslim leaders, the Syrian Patriarch raised the Qu’ran in an indication of reverence. That gesture outraged some Syrian prelates, whose protests were acknowledged by the Patriarch as a “serious internal problem” for his Orthodox community.
The Patriarch defended his expressions of respect for Islam. “Christ loves everyone, and calls us to be peacemakers with everyone,” he explained.
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risu.org.ua - President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch has proposed to establish a special commission to settle all misunderstandings between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
This idea cardinal announced on February 12 at Fribourg University (Switzerland) at the anniversary meeting dedicated to the anniversary of the Havana meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of the ROC.
According to the Cardinal, this special committee could deal with healing the wounds of the past and creation of a common future.
“As for the painful situation in Ukraine, especially in the aspect of relations of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, I believe that one of the fruits of the Havana meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill can and should be a return to dialogue on many levels.
At the historical level, it seems necessary to cooperate for the purification of memory, which undoubtedly will be hard and take a long time, given the wounds of the past, both on one and the other side. Without memory healing it is difficult to imagine a common future,” Cardinal Koch was quoted as saying by Vatican Radio.
President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said that the parties should talk about real issues which, in his opinion, are probably related rather to national and political issues than theological ones, to find solutions that will help in mutual coexistence.
The ROC was represented at the anniversary meeting in Fribourg University by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
As reported, on February 12, 2016, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church met in Havana, which resulted in the signing of a joint declaration.
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CWN - The Russian Orthodox Church plans to work closely with the Vatican to call attention to the plight of persecuted Christians.
Metropolitan Hilarion, the chief external-affairs spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, said that the Moscow patriarchate hopes to “institutionalize the joint work we are doing already,” to make that work more effective. He said that he is talking with Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, toward that end.
The primary focus of the cooperative effort is the Christian community in the Middle East, Metropolitan Hilarion said.
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