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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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risu.org.ua - On October 18, 2016, during its regular session the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church elected and appointed new bishops for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate.
In particular, viceroy of the Pokrov-Goloseevsky Monastery, Archimandrite Isaac (Andronik), and abbot of the Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery on the “Tserkovschina” tract, Archimandrite Tikhon (Sofichuk) were appointed as vicars of the Kiev Metropolia. The Holy Synod of the UOC also appointed the viceroy of the Dormition Monastery, Archimandrite Benjamin (Mizhinsky), as vicar of the Chernovitsko-Bukovinskoy diocese.
The Synod also granted Metropolitan Nifont of Volyn and Lutsk his retirement. Bishop Nathaniel of Kamin-Kashyrskyi was appointed to as ruling bishop of the Volyn Diocese.
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CWN - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in England on October 18 and expressed his concerns about developments within Anglicanism.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow “drew Archbishop Justin Welby’s attention to the Russian Orthodox Church’s concern over the liberalization of the Church of England’s teaching on church order, particularly, the ordination of women as priests and bishops and on the family and morality,” according to the Moscow Patriarchate.
“His Holiness Kirill expressed hope that the Church of England will oppose [the] challenges of the modern world and seek to preserve the Gospel’s teaching,” the patriarchate added.
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office stated that “uppermost in the conversation was their shared compassion for Christian, and other, minorities in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East.”
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CWN - The prior of a Syrian monastery called upon the international community to “stop doing business with Saudi Arabia.”
Father Jacques Mourad, who was held captive by the Islamic State for five months until he escaped, said that “if the world is really serious about putting an end to the ravages of the fanatics, then it will have to stop doing business with Saudi Arabia, because that is where the funding and weapons for ISIS are coming from.”
“Bombing achieves nothing,” he told Aid to the Church in Need. “The US has been bombing Syria and Iraq for years, and now the Russians are doing so too. And what have they achieved? Have they stopped the terrorist violence? Absolutely not!”
Father Mourad added that “the solution cannot be simply eliminating those who persecute us. The only way of stopping the extremists is to enter into a dialogue with Islam. That has been my personal experience.”
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CWN - The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church traveled to Berlin on October 17 to address the Atlantic Council’s task force on the future of Iraq.
Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako emphasized that if Mosul is liberated from ISIS, “the involved Western governments should assist the refugees in returning to their homes, securing areas of conflict, providing full protection for them, restoring their rights and properties, contributing to the reconstruction of towns and cities, compensating the resulted damages, and helping the restoration of the cultural and religious heritage of all its components,” according to a statement from the patriarchate.
Patriarch Sako also called upon the UN to push for changes to the Iraqi constitution to foster the separation of religion and state.
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CWN - As the Iraqi army began an offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako appealed for national unity.
Expressing concern over “voices of division, inflexibility, and breakup,” he said, “I strongly believe that we Iraqis are one family, despite of our different affiliations,” as he called for a “genuine and civil democracy that respects everyone.”
“I pray: may God protect us, shorten our suffering, preserve the purity of our human kinship, and watch over the unity of our beloved country,” he added.
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CWN - At least four schoolchildren were killed in Aleppo, Syria, in a bombardment on the beseiged city’s Christian quarter on October 13.
Bishop George Abou Khazen, the apostolic vicar of Aleppo, told the AsiaNews service that the shelling of the Sulaymaniyah neighborhood hit a school, among other civilian targets. The shells were launched from the eastern section of Aleppo, which is now held by rebels fighting against President Assad. The rebels in turn have been bombed in a Russian-backed offensive.
“Aleppo is now a living hell,” said Bishop Khazen. He joined Pope Francis in begging for a ceasefire.
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