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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Kyiv – The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) reported on 28 February 2007 that it is ready to cooperate with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC USA). This was in response to a recent statement from the UOC USA deploring “the continued intrusion into the life of the [UOC] USA by the [UOC-KP].”
The Metropolitan Council of the UOC USA recently stated that it “deplores the continued intrusion into the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate most recently manifested by the assignment of a bishop to the United States of America. We, the members of the Metropolitan Council of the UOC of the USA, while remaining firm in our desire and endeavors to secure a resolution to the disunity which plagues Orthodox Christian Ukraine, condemn any and all such machinations designed to disrupt the Faith and Order of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA and in the Diaspora.”
According to the subsequent statement of the Synod of the UOC-KP: “By this appointment the Holy Synod did not interfere in the affairs of the UOC USA; it only regulated the affairs of the UOC-KP in the USA. The synod states that the ‘disrupt[ion of] the Faith and Order of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA’ was not caused by the actions of the UOC-KP but by internal misunderstandings inside the UOC USA and diaspora. Therefore, attempts to explain existing oppositions in the Ukrainian Orthodox community in the USA by actions of the UOC-KP are attempts to distort the true reasons for the conflict, and, in this way, to delay its resolution for an indefinite period.”
The Synod of the UOC-KP states that the UOC-KP is ready for constructive cooperation with the UOC USA, which is part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, on the basis of brotherly love in Christ and mutual respect.
Source and previous related RISU news:
http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;14506/
http://www.uaorthodox.org/article.php?pid=532
http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;14386/
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Moscow, Mar. 2, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Only 2% of Russia’s people follow the strict fast prescribed by the Russian Orthodox faith during Lent, a survey has found.
The Lewada polling service found that 79% of Russians do not observe any form of Lenten fast. Another 15% reported that they fast occasionally, following practices such as abstaining from meat or alcoholic beverages.
The fast required by the Russian Orthodox Church is much stricter, requiring the faithful to abstain from meat, eggs, and milk products throughout Lent. Eating fish is allowed on Sundays and holy days.
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In an interview with AsiaNews, the Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion of Vienna said that Metropolitan Kirill might be a member of Putin’s delegation on the visit to Rome. Metropolitan Kirill is the chief ecumenical-affairs officer for the Moscow patriarchate.
Preparations for the meeting between the Pope and President Putin have revived discussions about the prospects for a meeting between the Pontiff and Russian Patriarch Alexei II. In the past, Putin has said that he hopes to act as a catalyst for talks between Rome and Moscow.
In his AsiaNews interview Bishop Hilarion said that relations between the Holy See and the Moscow patriarchate have been improving steadily in recent months.
Via CWNews.com
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ROME, MARCH 1, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq laments that the faithful are "losing hope" in the war-torn nation.
Father Philip Najim, procurator to the Holy See for the patriarch of Babylon, commenting to ZENIT on the situation of Catholics in Iraq, said that the "only armament we have to create peace is our prayer."
Father Najim said that, in addition to traditional Lenten sacrifices, Iraqi Catholics need to witness the peace of Christ in their behavior and attitudes by drawing strength from God.
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Mar. 1, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A Russian Orthodox prelate has told reporters that a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) and Russian Patriarch Alexei II could take place this year.
Bishop Hilarion of Vienna, who is representating the Moscow patriarchate at a planning meeting for the joint Catholic-Orthodox commission on theological dialogue, said that a meeting between the Pope and the Patriarch would be likely to take place at a “neutral” location, rather than in Russia or Italy.
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The president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, which helps the Pope to promote and coordinate the Church's charitable work, said this on Tuesday when opening an international conference at the Catholic University of St. Anthony in Murcia.
"Catholic charitable associations must work to reduce poverty, but their primary objective is to show the love of God in the world," Archbishop Cordes said.
The 72-year-old prelate exhorted ecclesial groups "to firmly maintain their roots and objectives so as not to lose their ecclesial nature, giving priority to evangelization in the charitable activities in which they engage."
His conference was entitled "Socio-Charitable Activity in the Encyclical 'Deus Caritas Est.'"
The prelate said that "Christian associations as well as believers must not seek supports in the field of socio-charitable action that are not in accord with the Gospel."
"Church and state need each other in the quest for man's good; hence, the need for cooperation between both institutions is inevitable," Archbishop Cordes added.
The prelate praised the work of civil associations, particularly those nongovernmental organizations that "engage in charitable activity philanthropically."
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