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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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SOUTH CANAAN, PA [OCA Communications] -- The 103rd annual pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery here will formally open on Friday, May 25, 2007, with the celebration of Vespers and Matins, followed by a procession with the relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk and the singing of the Akathistos Hymn in his honor, at 4:00 p.m.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, will preside at the four-day celebration. Joining Metropolitan Herman will be His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; other members of the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in America; and numerous clergy and faithful from throughout North America.
On Saturday, May 26, the hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. At 2:00 p.m., the 65th annual commencement of Saint Tikhon's Seminary will be held in the school's auditorium. His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, will deliver the commencement address and will be awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree honoris causa. The Vigil will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m.
The hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Sunday, May 27, at 9:00 a.m. Vespers and Matins will be celebrated at 4:00 p.m., after which a grand banquet honoring members of the 2007 graduating class will be held at the Genetti Manor, 1505 South Main Street, Dickson City, PA at 5:00 p.m. Also slated to be honored at the banquet are the Very Rev. Sergei Glagolev, the Very Rev. Yaroslav Sudick, and Mr. Walter Palchik, who will be awarded the distinction of "trustee emeritus" for their dedicated service as members of the seminary board, and Metropolitan Herman on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Tickets are available at $35.00 by contacting Mary Sernak, 700 Delaware St., Mayfield, PA 18433 or by calling 570/876-5855.
On Monday, May 28, the early Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the monastery church at 7:30 a.m. The traditional pilgrim's procession to the monastery and the greeting of Metropolitan Herman and the concelebrating hierarchs will begin at 9:15 a.m., followed by the hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the pavilion. A General Memorial will be celebrated for all faithful departed at the grave site of His Eminence, the late Metropolitan Leonty, after the Liturgy.
At 2:00 p.m. Monday, the Service of Intercession to the Most Holy Mother of God with the anointing of the sick, infirm, and all pilgrims will be celebrated at the monastery bell tower.
The pilgrimage will close with the celebration of Vespers and Matins in the monastery church at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.
Clergy will be available for confessions on Sunday evening and Monday morning.
Throughout the pilgrimage, the faithful are invited to visit the seminary and monastery bookstore, the Metropolitan Theodosius Museum, and the various food booths. Graves will also be blessed in the monastery cemetery.
Founded in 1905, Saint Tikhon Monastery is the oldest Orthodox Christian monastery in North America.
www.stots.edu
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Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Religious leaders have taken up the Chaldean Patriarch’s appeal to save persecuted Christians in Iraq, asking for protection from the authorities and respect for human rights. However, while condemning the untenable situation, they have not lost hope that the “flames in which all Iraqis are burning will be extinguished.” Yesterday, as reported on the website Ankawa.com – Dinkha IV, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, which has its headquarters in Chicago, reiterated the words spoken by Emmanuel III Delly on 6 May in Erbil, reinforcing them with more appeals to Iraqi political and religious leaders. A “strong” reminder of the need to preserve the “social and religious mosaic” of Iraq also came from the Syrian-Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo, as reported by the website Baghdadhope. In his address, Mgr Gregotios Yohanna Ibrahim concentrated above all on the damage caused by the war in Iraq.
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 9, 2007 (VIS) - Today at 4 p.m. (9 p.m. in Rome), the Pope's plane landed at the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos in Brazil, thus beginning the sixth apostolic trip outside Italy of his pontificate. Benedict XVI was received by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, accompanied by the civil, military and religious authorities.
In his welcome address, the Pope affirmed that his visit "has a scope that goes beyond national borders: I have come to preside at the opening Session of the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean at Aparecida. This country, in the providence and goodness of the Creator, will become the cradle of the ecclesial proposals that, with God's help, will give renewed vigor and missionary impetus to this continent."
The fact that Catholics represent a majority in Brazil, he went on, "means that they must make a particular contribution to the common good of the nation. The word solidarity will acquire its full meaning when the living forces of society, each in its own sphere, commit themselves seriously to building a future of peace and hope for all."
"I am well aware that the soul of this people, as of all Latin America, safeguards values that are radically Christian, which will never be eradicated. I am certain that at Aparecida, during the bishops' general conference, this identity will be reinforced through the promotion of respect for life from the moment of conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human nature. It will also make the promotion of the human person the axis of solidarity, especially towards the poor and abandoned.
"The Church," he added, "seeks only to stress the moral values present in each situation and to form the conscience of citizens so that they may make informed and free decisions. She will not fail to insist on the need to take action to ensure that the family, the basic cell of society, is strengthened, and likewise young people, whose formation is a decisive factor for the future of any nation. Last but not least, she will defend and promote the values present at every level of society, especially among indigenous peoples."
The welcome ceremony over, the Pope travelled by helicopter to the "Campo de Marte" airport in Sao Paulo where he was received by the local authorities. He then went by popemobile to the monastery of Sao Bento where, following a moment of prayer in the chapel, he appeared at the balcony to greet and bless the faithful awaiting him below.
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2007 (VIS) - During the course of his flight to Brazil yesterday, the Holy Father held his traditional press conference for the journalists accompanying him.
"I love Latin America very much," said the Pope expressing his joy at having the opportunity to visit the "continent of hope." The aim of this journey, he said, "is specifically religious: to give life in Christ and to [help people become] disciples of Christ."
Answering a question about liberation theology, the Holy Father recalled that "with the changing political situation, the position of liberation theology is also radically different. It is clear that simplistic forms of millenarianism promising immediate and real conditions of a just life were mistaken. The question now is how the Church must be present in the struggle and the reforms necessary to guarantee conditions of justice. It is precisely on this point that theologians are divided."
Benedict XVI also spoke of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of San Salvador, murdered in 1980 as he was celebrating Mass. Describing him as "a great witness of the faith," the Pope expressed his conviction that the late archbishop "merits beatification, although his memory must be liberated from the ideological deformations of those who have sought to appropriate it for political reasons."
Going on to consider the proliferation of religious sects in Latin America, the Holy Father said "they are a sign that people thirst for God. The Church must respond to this need with a highly concrete plan and in the awareness that, apart from announcing the Christian message, it is important to help people achieve just living conditions."
Replying to a question concerning the Mexican parliament, which has just approved a law in favor of abortion, the Pope highlighted "the need for Christian politicians to remain coherent to their principles." The Church, he said, "announces the Gospel of life; life is a gift and not a threat."
For his part, Holy See Press office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. made it clear that "the Mexican bishops have not excommunicated those politicians, and neither has Benedict XVI." However, he added, "legislation in favor of abortion is not compatible with participation in the Eucharist." Upon being asked whether this meant that the politicians were effectively excommunicated, Fr. Lombardi said "no, they exclude themselves from communion."
In his replies to journalists, Benedict XVI had declared that "such excommunication is laid down in the Code, it is not arbitrary, it is simply written in the Code of Canon Law. The death of an innocent, of an unborn child, is inconceivable. It is not arbitrary, and the Church express appreciation for life and for the individuality of life from the first moment of conception."
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VATICAN CITY, MAY 10, 2007 (VIS) - The Pope began the second day of his apostolic trip to Brazil by celebrating a private Mass in the chapel of the monastery of Sao Bento in the city of Sao Paulo.
At 10.30 a.m. (3.30 p.m.) in Rome, he will pay a courtesy visit to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, in the "Palacio dos Bandeirantes," official residence of the governor of the State of Sao Paulo. The name of the palace comes from the groups of explorers, known as Bandeirantes, who in the 17th and 18th centuries penetrated the forests and the new territories of Latin America in search of gold and diamonds.
Returning to the monastery of Sao Bento, the Holy Father will meet with representatives from other Christian confessions and other religions present in Brazil.
Benedict XVI will then lunch at the monastery in the company of members of his entourage and of Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha of Mariana, Archbishop Luiz Soares Vieira of Manaus, and Bishop Dimas Lara Barbosa, auxiliary of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, respectively president, vice-president and secretary general of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.
In the afternoon, the Pope is scheduled to meet with thousands of young people in the "Paulo Machado de Carvalho" municipal stadium of Pacaembu, after which he will return to the monastery of Sao Bento to dine and spend the night.
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His Eminence ROCOR Metropolitan Laurus Announces Schedule
NEW YORK: May 8, 2007 - www.synod.com
May 15: His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus will arrive in Moscow with clergymen, the combined ROCOR choir and pilgrims from the USA. Later that day His Eminence will meet with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.
May 16: On the Apodosis of Pascha, His Eminence Vladyka will pray during Divine Liturgy in Danilov Monastery, then will visit Donskoy Monastery, where he will pray at the relics of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch and Confessor of All Russia; and view the holy items of the monastery and cemetery. During the solemn evening vigil, His Eminence will pray at Sretensky Monastery, and the combined choir under Peter A Fekula will attend Bolshoy Voznesensky Cathedral, where Patriarch Alexy will officiate.
May 17: On the feast day of the Ascension of the Lord, the ceremony of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion will take place in Christ the Savior Cathedral followed by the first joint divine service celebrated by the hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Church Abroad and of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The greeting of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia will take place at 9:15 at Christ the Savior Cathedral.
The arrival of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia is scheduled to take place at 9:30. During the greeting of His Holiness, the festal prayers will be sung by the choir of the Holy Trinity-St Sergius Lavra and the choir of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Then His Holiness will read the prayer for the unity of the Church. The decrees of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate on the confirmation of the Act of Canonical Communion will be read, followed by the reading of the Act itself. The Primate of the Moscow Patriarchate and the President of the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad will then sign the Act; following this, Many Years will be sung. After the signing of the Act, His Holiness, in concelebration with Metropolitan Laurus and the other bishops will conduct Divine Liturgy. Upon the conclusion of Liturgy, His Holiness will read a prayer of gratitude, after which the Primates of the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church will exchange greetings.
This will be followed by the opening of an exhibition on the life of the Russian Orthodox Church inside and outside of Russia in the 20 th and 21 st centuries, the Holy New Martyrs and the dialog process which led to ecclesiastical unity.
At 6 pm that evening there will be a press conference in Danilovsky Hotel given by His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany and His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.
May 18: Part of the official delegation, headed by His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, and including the clergymen-pilgrims from different dioceses of ROCOR as well as pilgrims from the USA, will travel to Holy Trinity-St Sergius Lavra and the Orthodox Icon center "Sofrino."
May 19: His Holiness Patriarch Alexy will concelebrate with His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, the bishops and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and of the Moscow Patriarchate at the great consecration of the Church of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Butovo Field, followed by Divine Liturgy. His Holiness and His Eminence both participated in the consecration of the foundation of this church in May of 2004, during the first official visit by Metropolitan Laurus to Russia.
May 20: On the 7 th Sunday of Pascha, His Holiness and His Eminence, the bishops and priests of the Russian Church Abroad will celebrate Divine Liturgy in Uspensky Cathedral in Moscow's Kremlin.
Participating in the Moscow part of the schedule will be the following bishops, clergymen and guests of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus:
OFFICIAL DELEGATION
+ MARK, Archbishop of Berlin and Germany.
+ HILARION, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.
+ KYRILL , Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America.
+ EVTIKHII, Bishop of Ishim and Siberia.
+ MICHAEL , Bishop of Geneva and Western Europe.
+ PETER, Bishop of Cleveland, Administrator of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America.
Members of the Commission on talks with the Moscow Patriarchate:
Archimandrite Luke (Murianka) , Deputy Dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville.
Mitred Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, Secretary of the Commission.
Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff, Senior Priest of the Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, Secretary of the Diocese of Berlin and Germany
Members of the Pre-Council Committee for the IV All-Diaspora Council:
Protopriest Victor Potapov, Rector of St John the Baptist Cathedral, Washington DC.
Protopriest Peter Perekrestov, Senior Priest of the Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" in San Francisco, Secretary of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America.
Priest Serafim Gan , Rector of St Seraphim Church, Sea Cliff, NY, Personal Secretary of the First Hierarch.
Protopriest Peter Holodny, Treasurer of the Synod of Bishops.
THE FIRST HIERARCH'S ATTENDANTS:
Protodeacon Victor Lochmatov
Deacon Eugene Kallaur
Deacon Nicholas Olhovsky
Subdeacon George Shatiloff
George Selinsky
Pavel Vladimirovich Lisitsin
CLERICAL PILGRIMS
Representing various dioceses of the Russian Church Abroad:
Mitred Protopriest Alexander Fedorovsky ( Diocese of Eastern America and New York )
Mitred Protopriest George Larin (Diocese of Eastern America and New York)
Protopriest John Shaw (Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America)
Protopriest Michael Protopopov (Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand)
Protopriest Michael Goudkov (Diocese of Geneva and Western Europe)
Protopriest Alexei Kotar (Diocese of San Francisco and Western America)
Protopriest Yaroslav Belikov (Diocese of San Francisco and Western America)
Protopriest Vladimir Boikov (Diocese of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand)
Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky) (Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville)
Hieromonk Nicholas (Perekrestov) (Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem )
Priest Victor Boldewskul (representing the Rector of Epiphany Church in Boston, Mitred Protopriest Roman Lukianov)
Priest John Whiteford (Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America)
Priest Andre Sikojeff (Diocese of Berlin and Germany)
Archdeacon Eugene Burbelo (Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign, NY)
Abbess Elizabeth (St Mary Magdalene Convent, Gethsemane)
Abbess Moisseia (Ascension of the Lord Convent, Mount of Olives)
May 21: His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus will perform all-night vigil along with Archbishop German of Kursk and Schema-Metropolitan Yuvenaly in Znamensky Cathedral in Kursk.
May 22: On the Translation of the Relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, His Eminence will participate in the Divine Liturgy in Kursk-Root Hermitage.
May 23-28: His Eminence will perform a pilgrimage to the holy sites of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which will conclude with a celebration of Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Pochaev Lavra, built and consecrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of blessed memory. His Eminence will be accompanied on his trip to Kursk and Ukraine by Fr Serafim, Protodeacon Victor, Deacon Eugene, Deacon Nicholas, Subdeacon George, Pavel Vladimirovich Lisitsin and George Selinsky.
From www.synod.com - The Official Website of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.