News

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

HOUSTON, TX – The Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America held its spring meeting at the Renaissance Hotel in Houston, Texas on Thursday and Friday, April 26-27, with Archbishop Demetrios of America presiding.  

Following the opening prayer Archbishop Demetrios delivered his Introductory Address. He outlined three major issues that are relevant to the life and mission of the Church: religion and science, family and youth, and the increasing interest in Hellenic universal tradition in contemporary socio-cultural contexts in America. “As members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese we are the carriers of Orthodoxy and Hellenism that have a direct impact in dealing with the three issues that I have outlined,” said the Archbishop. He added that, “we must also focus on the fact that ultimately we serve the Gospel of Christ, and as St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Colossians we must offer the Gospel in a fruit bearing and growing manner (Col. 1:6).”

In his comments, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council, Mr. Michael Jaharis, congratulated the members of the Standing Committees of the Archdiocesan Council for their faithful and productive work. He also commented on the significance of the phenomenon of the increasing number of converts entering the Orthodox Church. In addition, he spoke about the inter-faith family, and family in general, and the ensuing Council’s responsibility to promote Orthodoxy and Hellenism as vital factors for the existence and growth of the Orthodox Christian family.

The Standing Committees of the Archdiocesan Council each described the recent progress of the institutions and ministries of the Archdiocese and outlined specific initiatives that will be pursued in the future. More specifically:

1. The Administration Committee outlined key administrative considerations, including the SWOT strategic process and the establishment of parish council training programs. The committee provided a review of the Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, TN. Minor amendments to the Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America were presented, discussed and accepted.

2. The Communications Committee reported on the work that was done during the Papal Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in November 2006 and the vast media coverage it received worldwide. Based on the critical issues identified by the SWOT process it also discussed the enhancement of overall communications through the development of parish list-serves, an on-line daily Observer, the publication of a parish communications handbook, and the creation of a video production studio at the Archdiocese.

3. The Youth Committee report described numerous educational initiatives and SWOT-based programs and activities. Information was provided concerning the formation of a task force for Ionian Village and the upcoming 2nd International Young Adult Conference sponsored by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on July 10-16, in Constantinople.

4. The Religious Education Committee outlined seven specific recommendations addressing the primary SWOT concern of providing effective educational material and resources for adults.  A detailed action plan was presented which included, among other initiatives, the appointment of a Religious Education Director in each Metropolis.

5. The Finance Committee presented a report on the meetings that have been held at various Metropolises in order to provide information concerning the new financial funding strategy for the Archdiocesan budget. Included in the report was a detailed financial summary of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007 income and expenses of the Archdiocese that indicated a major decrease in accumulated debt.

6. The Committee on Marriage and Family provided an overview of its work with Interfaith Marriages, the launching of a new website, and educational resources and programs for families and parents.  The Committee report also included a description of the work that is being done to address important issues facing clergy and their families.

7. The Outreach and Evangelism Committee reported on its cooperative work with the other departments and organizations of the Archdiocese. In reviewing the SWOT data the committee reiterated its intention to provide educational resources that assist in the establishment of new parishes and the interest for the Orthodox Faith among the non-Orthodox.

8. The Committee on Technology reported on the status of the Alexander Project that aims to develop a system that will empower the Archdiocese, the Metropolises, and parishes to achieve the goal of personalized ministry through the robust management of the data available to the Archdiocese. This project will provide the ability to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese to reach out and minister to all of her faithful.

9. The Greek Education Committee described the primary activities of the Department of Greek Education which included among others the staff development seminars for teachers throughout the various Metropolises, the development of performance questionnaires, and the continued cooperation with the Ministries of Education of Greece and Cyprus in training our teachers and providing new instructional materials tailored to the needs of our schools and students.  

A detailed report was presented by the President of the Retired Orthodox Clergy Association (RCA) who highlighted its goals and the work that is being done for the support of the retired clergy and presbyteres by the Archdiocese and the RCA.

Additionally, a brief report was offered by the Chairman of the FAITH Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism and announced that thus far 40 million dollars have been pledged.

On Thursday morning the Archdiocesan directors and the chairmen of the Standing Committees met to discuss the next phase of the strategic planning process based on the data obtained from the 2006 SWOT Analysis Research Project.

Source: www.goarch.org

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

In connection with that the Communication Service of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate officially states that this information is inconsistent with the truth. At present time there is only one Orthodox Church of Life-Giving Trinity in Chonbek district of Pyongyang under canonical authority of His Holiness Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

To clarify this question we would rather turn to the history of relations between Russian and Korea and one of Orthodoxy in Korea. Historical fortunes of Orthodoxy in Korea were connected with Russia. And now the Russian Orthodox Church does everything possible to restore the spiritual closeness of our nations, to renew the spiritual ties that united them in the past.

The history of Russian-Korean ties dates back to the Ancient Russia. The prominent European traveller Plano Karpini who visited the Mongolian state in the XIII century noted that he had seen a lot of ambassadors in the Great Khan’s headquarters, among them Russian and Korean ones: there were ‘a noble man Yaroslav, Grand Prince of Russia and also the Prince of Koreans.’

The first Russians to set foot upon the Korean land were seamen from the frigate ‘Pallada’, who explored the coastal waters of Korean peninsula in 1854. Among them was a vessel priest Archimandrite Awakum (Chestnoi) who had earlier been to Korea as a member of the XI Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in 1830s – 1840s.

As relations between Russia and Korea developed a necessity emerged to found a Church representation by the Russian diplomatic mission in Seoul. On 24 July 1897 the Holy Synod issued a resolution to establish the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Korea (REMK) with responsibility to take care of Russian Orthodox Christians residing in Korea and to preach Orthodoxy among local non-Christian population.

The first mission arrived in Korea in February 1900. Since its foundation until 1908 the Korean Mission was under the authority of the Saint-Petersburg diocese, from 1908 till 1921 – under one of the Vladivostok diocese, from 1921 till 1944 – under one of Tokyo diocese and since 1944 – under one of the diocese of Kharbin and East Asia.

Despite all the difficulties the Church in the Motherland had to overcome, REMK canonically remained under authority of the Russian Orthodox Church and continued as far as it could to take care of Orthodox refugees from Russia and implement missionary activities among its faithful.

The Russian Ecclesiastical Mission continued its activity until 1949 when Archimandrite Polikarp (Priimak) was expelled and all the property and lands arrested. After Archimandrite Polikarp’s expulsion all activities of the Mission on Korean Peninsula practically came to an end, although Korea itself remained under authority of Kharbin and East Asia Diocese which was transformed into East Asia Exarchate by the Patriarchal Edict 664 of 11 June 1946. The exarchate existed till 1954.

In 2002 during his visit to Russia Kim Jong-Il, the Chairman of the National Defense Commission of KPDR expressed his wish to build an Orthodox church in Pyongyang. This news received great positive response in South Korean society.

In February 2003 the delegation of North Korean Believers Society Council, headed by its chairman Chan Zhe On visited Moscow. Within the Society an Orthodox Committee was established and George Ho Ir Zin became its chairman. In April 2003 four students from KPDR began to study at Moscow Theological Seminary – candidates for further pastoral ministry in North Korea.

On 24 June 2003 Archbishop Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk (now Metropolitan, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate) blessed the foundation stone of the Life-Giving Trinity church in Pyongyang.

On 21 and 22 May 2005 with the blessing from His Holiness Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk ordained deacons Feodor Kim and John Ra - students of Moscow Theological Seminary.

In June 2006 His Holiness Patriarch Alexy received a petition from George Ho Ir Zin, Chairman of the KPDR Orthodox Committee, asking him to accept the Life-Giving Trinity church in Pyongyang under the pallium of the Russian Orthodox Church. In response to this petition the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on 17 July 2006 issued a decree to establish an Orthodox parish of the Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang under canonical authority of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

On 13 August 2006 Metropolitan Kirill, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Archbishop Veniamin of Vladivostok and Primorski Krai, Bishop Ioanafan of Abakan and Kyzyl, Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk who were in North Korea on invitation from the KPDR Orthodox Committee, concelebrated by Russian and Korean clergymen consecrated the church in honour of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang. During the visit Metropolitan Kirill ordained priests Feodor Kim and John Ra – graduates of Moscow Theological Seminary.

The Russian Orthodox Church presented the Pyongyang church with bells, an iconostasis and necessary church plates. The KPDR Orthodox committee received techniques it needed. The Korean nation which had recently suffered from disastrous floods also received a set of medical supplies as a gift from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Nowadays Bishops and priests of the Russian Orthodox Church regularly come to North Korea to concelebrate with North Korean clergymen who continue to improve their liturgical skills during seminars in Vladivostok with the last one being held in February 2007.

The KPDR Orthodox Committee makes necessary efforts to strengthen inter-Orthodox unity in coordination with the Russian Orthodox Church. Contacts of the KPDR Orthodox Committee with representatives of the Constantinople Patriarchate diocese in Seoul appear absolutely natural as well as the brotherly assistance of Orthodox believers from Seoul provided for the church of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang. Exactly the description of this assistance in a Greek magazine caused such a broad resonance in mass-media.

In October 2006 Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad received a petition from Metropolitan Sotirios who expressed his wish to celebrate at the Life-Giving Trinity church in Pyongyang on the Feast of Protection of Our Lady. The petition received positive response. During his stay in Pyongyang Metropolitan Sotirios received was warmly welcomed by George Ho – Chairman of the KPDR Orthodox Committee. During the Liturgy Metropolitan Sotirios in correspondence with canonical order prayed for His Holiness Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Laying and consecration of the Orthodox church in Pyongyang as well as numerous mutual visits and providing aid from the Russian Orthodox Church for the people of Korea received broad coverage in worldwide media. It appears that the authors of a publication in ‘Panta ta Ethni’ were not able to fully describe the history how an Orthodox church appeared in KPDR because of the small format of the article. This is why shortly afterwards ungrounded conclusions were drawn by secular journalists, who noticeably shortened the initial material in their articles and entitled it in a way which distorts reality.

The DECR Communication Service is ready to provide necessary reference materials on the subject for all researchers and journalists taking keen interest in the history and contemporaneity of Orthodoxy in Korea.

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, APR 28, 2007 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received participants in the extraordinary Synod of the Syrian Catholic Church, which has just concluded. The assembly, held in the Vatican from April 26 to 28 and presided, in the Holy Father's name, by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., was attended by His Beatitude Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon, and thirteen other bishops.

In his talk to them, the Pope affirmed that he had called the extraordinary assembly in order "to revive the secular ties that bind your Church to the Apostolic See and, at the same time, to express the esteem and interest of the Bishop of Rome for each one of you, pastors of a part of the People of God that is not large but ancient and important."

Recalling the traditional Easter readings from the Acts of the Apostles, Benedict XVI highlighted how they reveal the progress of the nascent Church "which was not always easy, but was rich in apostolic fruits. From the beginning there was no lack of external hostility and persecutions, nor of ... tensions and contrasts within the communities themselves." Yet, "despite the shadows and difficulties of various kinds which the first Christians had to face, the shining light of the Church's faith in Jesus Christ has never been extinguished."

Pope Benedict then went on to refer to John Paul II's concern for the Oriental Churches and how the late pontiff had always invited them to "to seek unity and reconciliation;" and he reaffirmed his own "profound conviction" that "today too, as at the dawn of Christianity, each community is called to give a clear witness of fraternity."

"Over these days," he went on, "you have reflected upon the means to overcome the obstacles that hinder the normal practice of ecclesial life. You are aware that this is necessary and even indispensable. It is required by the ministry of the Lord Who entrusted His flock to you; it is required for the good of the Syrian Catholic Church. It is required by the particular situation in which you live in the Middle East and the witness that the Catholic Churches together can give."

"At this time, Catholic communities have to face numerous challenges all over the world" because of dangers and problems that "can obscure the values of the Gospel. As for your own Church, the violence and conflicts suffered by a part of the flock entrusted to you represent supplementary difficulties that further endanger not only peaceful coexistence, but even people's lives."

"In such situations, it is important for the Syrian Catholic ecclesial community to announce the Gospel decisively, promoting appropriate pastoral activities to face the challenges of post-modernity, and as a shining example of unity in a fragmented world."

The Pope concluded his talk by recalling how Vatican Council II had highlighted that the Oriental Catholic Churches "are called to play a special role in furthering the ecumenical journey." And he invited the members of the Synod "to continue with enthusiasm, trust and perseverance in the missionary activity of St. Paul, following the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Ephraim and the patron saints."

After the meeting, the Pope lunched with participants in the Synod at the Vatican's "Domus Sanctae Marthae."

AC/UNITY:RECONCILIATION/SYRIAN CATHOLIC SYNODVIS 070430 (570)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, APR 29, 2007 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today, the fourth Sunday of Easter and the 44th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Benedict XVI presided at a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica during which he conferred priestly ordination upon 22 deacons of the diocese of Rome.

Eleven of the newly-ordained priests are from the Major Roman Seminary, eight from the "Redemptoris Mater" College and the other three from the Seminary of Divine Love, the "Almo Collegio Capranica," and the Seminary of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.

The Pope began his homily by referring to the Gospel episode of the Good Shepherd. "Christ," he said, "knows His sheep and His sheep know Him, just as the Father knows Him and He knows the Father. This is not merely intellectual knowledge but a profound personal relationship; a knowledge of the heart typical of those who love and are loved, of those who are faithful and who know that, in turn, they can trust. It is a knowledge of love by virtue of which the Shepherd invites His followers to follow Him, and that finds full expression in the gift He gives them of eternal life."

Addressing the newly-ordained priests, the Holy Father said "may the certainty that Christ does not abandon us and that no obstacle can prevent the realization of His universal plan of salvation be for you a cause of constant consolation - even in times of difficulty - and of unshakeable hope. The goodness of the Lord is always with you and is strong.

"The Sacrament of Holy Orders," Benedict XVI added, "makes you participants in Christ's own mission. You will be called to spread the seed of His Word, the seed that brings people to the Kingdom of God, to dispense divine mercy and to nourish the faithful at the table of His Body and His Blood. In order to be worthy ministers you must constantly nourish yourselves from the Eucharist, source and summit of Christian life.

"In approaching the altar, your daily school of sanctity and of communion with Christ, ... you will always discover the wealth and tenderness of the love of the divine Master, Who today calls you to a more intimate friendship with Him.

"If you listen to Him meekly, if you follow Him faithfully, you will learn to translate His love and His passion for the salvation of souls into life and pastoral ministry. Each of you will become, with Jesus' help, a good shepherd ready to give, if necessary, even your lives for Him."

The Holy Father went on: "Despite misunderstandings and contrasts, the apostles of Christ do not lose their joy; indeed they are witnesses of the joy that arises from being with the Lord, from love for Him and for our fellows."

At the end of his homily, the Holy Father called for prayers "so that in all parishes and Christian communities concern for vocations and the formation of priests may grow." In particular, he called upon the newly-ordained priests "to be faithful to the mission to which the Lord calls them today, and to be ready to renew every day their 'yes ' to God, their unreserved 'here I am.' And let us ask the Lord of the harvest, on this Day of Prayer for Vocations, to continue to produce many holy priests, completely dedicated to the service of Christian people."

HML/PRIESTLY VOCATIONS/...VIS 070430 (580)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

VATICAN CITY, APR 29, 2007 (VIS) - At midday, before praying the Regina Coeli with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled that today is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, during which "all the faithful are invited to pray especially for vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life."

The Holy Father referred to the fact that he had just ordained 22 deacons in the Vatican Basilica and called for all priests to be granted "the gift of perseverance, that they may continue to pray faithfully, to celebrate Mass with ever renewed devotion, to live their lives listening to the Word of God, and that day after day they may assimilate the same feelings and attitudes as Jesus the Good Shepherd.

"We also pray," he added, "for those preparing themselves for the priestly ministry, and for formators in the seminaries of Rome, Italy and the entire world. We pray for families that, in them, the 'seed' of the call to priestly ministry may continue to nurture and ripen."

This year, Pope Benedict continued, the theme of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is "vocation to the service of the Church as communion." All the baptized, he said, "are called to contribute to the work of salvation. In the Church there are, however, a number of vocations especially dedicated to the service of communion. The person primarily responsible for Catholic communion is the Pope, Peter's Successor and Bishop of Rome. Alongside him, custodians and masters of unity are the bishops, successors of the Apostles, assisted by priests. But consecrated persons and all the faithful are also at the service of communion.

"In the heart of the Church as communion," he added in conclusion, "is the Eucharist: the various vocations all draw from this supreme Sacrament the spiritual strength to build ... the one ecclesial Body."

ANG/VOCATIONS:COMMUNION/...VIS 070430 (320)

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

"Listen to the Answers That the Christian Faith Gives Us"

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Vatican translation of the address Benedict XVI gave March 21 to a delegation of the theological faculty of the University of Tϋbingen, Germany.

* * *

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
TO A DELEGATION OF THE THEOLOGICAL FACULTY
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TÜBINGEN IN GERMANY

Paul VI Audience Hall
Wednesday, 21 March 2007

Dear Bishop, esteemed Dean, distinguished Colleagues, if I may be permitted to call you such!

I thank you for this visit and I can say that it makes me deeply happy.

On the one hand, an encounter with one's past is always beautiful because there is something rejuvenating about it. On the other, however, it is something more than a nostalgic meeting.

You yourself, Your Excellency, said that it is also a sign: a sign on the one hand of how dear to me theology is -- and how could it be otherwise? -- because I had considered teaching to be my true vocation, even if the Good Lord suddenly wanted something else.

At the same time, however, it is also a sign on your part, that is, that you see the interior unity between theological research, doctrine and theological work, and pastoral service in the Church, and thus the total ecclesial commitment for the human being, for the world and for our future.

Yesterday evening, of course, I started rummaging among my memories with a view to this meeting. So it was that a memory came to mind which fits in with what you have just said, Mr Dean: in other words, the memory of the Grand Senate. I do not know today whether all the appointments still pass through the Grand Senate.

It was very interesting that when, for example, a chair of mathematics or Assyriology or the physics of solid bodies or any other subject was to be assigned, the contribution from the other faculties was minimal, and everything was resolved quite quickly because almost no one dared to speak out. The situation in the humanistic disciplines was rather different and when the chairs of theology came up in both faculties, in the end, everyone had their say.

Thus, it was evident that all the professors of the University felt in some way competent in theology; they had the feeling that they could and should participate in the decision. Theology was obviously very dear to them.

Consequently, on the one hand it could be perceived that their colleagues in the other faculties in a certain way considered that theology was the heart of the University, and on the other, that theology was precisely something that concerned everyone, in which all felt involved and somehow also knew that they were competent.

In other words, come to think of it, this means that precisely in the debate concerning the chairs of theology, the University could be experienced as a university. I am pleased to learn that these cooptations exist today, more than in the past, although Tϋbingen has always striven for this.

I do not know whether the Leibniz-Kolleg of which I was a member still exists; in any case, the modern University runs a considerable risk of becoming, as it were, a complex of advanced study institutes externally and institutionally united rather than being able to create the interior unity of universitas.

Theology was evidently something in which the universitas was present and in which it was demonstrated that the whole forms a unit, and that precisely at its root are a common questioning, a common task, a common purpose.

I think, moreover, that one can see in this a deep appreciation of theology. I consider this a particularly important fact.

It reveals that in our time -- at least in the Latin countries where the secularity of the State and State institutions is emphasized to the extreme and therefore the omission of all that has to do with the Church, Christianity and faith is demanded -- interconnections exist from which it is impossible to separate that complex reality which we call theology (which is also fundamentally linked with the Church, faith and Christianity).

It thus becomes evident in our collection of European situations -- however secular, in a certain perspective, they are and must be -- that Christian thought with its questions and answers is present and accompanies them.

I maintain, on the one hand, that this fact shows that theology itself continues in a certain way to make its contribution and to constitute what the University is.

But on the other, it naturally also implies an immense challenge to theology to satisfy this expectation, to be equal to it and to carry out the service entrusted to it and expected of it.

I am pleased that through the cooptations which have now become visible in a rather practical way -- far more than they used to be -- that the intra-university debate makes the University truly what it is, involving it in a collective self-questioning and responding.

However, I think that this is also a reason to reflect on how far we are able -- not only in Tϋbingen but also elsewhere -- to satisfy this need. The University and society, humanity, in fact, need questions, but they also need answers. And I hold that in this regard there emerges for theology -- and not only for theology -- a certain dialectic between scientific rigour and the greatest question that transcends it and constantly emerges from it: the question about truth.

I would like to make this clearer with an example. An exegete, an interpreter of Sacred Scripture, must explain it as a historical work "secundum artem", that is, with the scientific rigour that we know in accordance with all the historical elements that require it and with the necessary methodology.

This alone, however, does not suffice for him to be a theologian. If he were to limit himself to doing this, then theology, or at any rate the interpretation of the Bible, would be something similar to Egyptology or Assyriology, or any other specialization.

To be a theologian and to carry out this service for the University, and I dare to say for humanity -- hence, the service that is expected of him -- he must go further and ask: but is what is said there true? And if it is true, does it concern us? And how does it concern us? And how can we recognize that it is true and concerns us?

In my opinion, in this regard, even in the scientific context, theology is always also requested and called into question over and above the scientific perspective.

The University and humanity are in need of questions. Whenever questions are no longer asked, even those that concern the essential and go beyond any specialization, we no longer receive answers, either.

Only if we ask, and if with our questions we are radical, as radical as theology must be radical over and above any specialization, can we hope to obtain answers to these fundamental questions which concern us all.

First of all, we have to ask questions. Those who do not ask do not get a reply.

But I would add that for theology, in addition to the courage to ask, we also need the humility to listen to the answers that the Christian faith gives us; the humility to perceive in these answers their reasonableness and thus to make them newly accessible to our time and to ourselves.

Thus, not only is the University built up but also humanity is helped to live. For this task, I invoke God's Blessing upon you.

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Code: ZE07042926

Date: 2007-04-29