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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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CWN - The head of the Syriac Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See, told The National Catholic Register that “the Obama administration has done very little towards the faith and the survival of Christian minorities in the Middle East.”
“So we beg the Western countries to stand up for our lives; and that means telling governments, and those who are either religious leaders in Islam or in Arabic governments, to grant full rights and liberties to all citizens, including minorities, particularly the Christian minority as well,” said Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Yonan.
The patriarch also called upon Pope Francis to invite Secretary of State John Kerry and other leading diplomats to the Vatican to address the persecution of Christians.
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CWN - Plans for a long-awaited council of all the world’s Orthodox leaders could be in jeopardy because of disagreements among the Orthodox churches, according to a leading representative of the Patriarchate of Moscow.
"There are doubts about the very possibility of a Pan-Orthodox Council being held at a time when some of the Orthodox churches are in a state of unsettled conflict,’ said Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, who heads the ecumenical department of the Russian Orthodox Church. He added that the “extremely unstable general political situation worldwide” also casts shadows on the prospects for such a meeting.
Metropolitan Hilarion said that the Moscow patriarchate remains committed to working toward a council. But he observed that there is “no unanimous understanding” among Orthodox leaders about the items that would be on the agenda for such a meeting, or the rules of procedure.
The world’s ranking Orthodox patriarchs agreed last year to summon a council for 2016 “unless prevented by unexpected circumstances.” Few details have been determined, however, and Metropolitan Hilarion said it is still too early to set dates for the meeting.
The Orthodox churches have never held a worldwide council since breaking with Rome. The Russian Orthodox Church—which claims by far the largest membership of any Orthodox body—has frequently been at odds with other Orthodox churches regarding both theological issues (such as papal primacy) and questions of jurisdiction over (such as the recognition of autocephalous Orthodox churches in the newly independent nations of what was the Soviet Union).
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CWN - A key public representative of the Russian Orthodox Church has been dismissed from his post after a clash with the Patriarch of Moscow over Church-state relations.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who was removed from his position as chairman of the Russian Orthodox Synod’s department for Church and Society, explained that he had “tried to say that we should be more critical of immoral actions taken by authorities.”
The outgoing Orthodox leader—who has developed a reputation for blunt speech—went on to say that the Moscow Patriarchate “should in no case suck up to structures that challenge Orthodox faith.” Regarding Patriarch Kirill, he said that “I don’t think he is competent on all issues and can take certain decisions alone.”
Complaints about Patriarch Kirill’s tight control over the Russian Orthodox hierarchy have surfaced elsewhere, with similar results. The dismissal of Archpriest Chaplin comes shortly after the editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sergei Chapnin, was ousted, having complained about the “new silence” that the Patriarch has enforced on the Orthodox clergy.
Archpriest Chaplin said that his dismissal would allow him to “get a breath of fresh air.” He will be replaced by Vladimir Legoyda, who has been a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Synod, and will now head a restructured department of Church, Society, and Media.
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CWN - The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Syria’s largest city have issued Christmas letters.
“The feast of the birth of Christ is one of the greatest feasts celebrated by millions of Christians around the world and particularly in Iraq,” said Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako. “But this year Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable circumstances, one the one hand because of the deteriorating condition of the situation of our country at all levels, and, on the other hand, because of what they have gone through as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.”
“On this occasion, we want to be very frank again: we will not give in to injustice,” he added. “On the contrary, we will remain attached to our land, and to our patriotism and we will continue to show love for our fellow citizens, simply because they are our brothers and sisters.”
Archbishop Jean-Clément Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria, wrote:
Here we are, for a fifth year now, celebrating the Feast of the Nativity as bombs are raining down. I do not know how many of you have lived through such a depressing and sad experience, but I can assure you it is painful these beautiful days, so ardently awaited each year, amidst shortages and lack of security, or electricity and, to top things off, cut off from the rest of the world by a strict and very tight boycott …
May Almighty God have pity on all of us and he may cause friendship to reign among men, mercy in our hearts and peace among all the peoples on earth.
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CWN - In his Christmas message, Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople says that the suffering of displaced children is “truly a disgrace for the entire human race.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch—the acknowledged “first among equals” of the world’s Orthodox prelates—writes that in today’s world many children live in dire need because they are driven from their homes. He reminds the faithful that Jesus, too, was forced to leave his country to escape the “murderous intentions” of King Herod.
Patriarch Bartholomew says that Jesus, who as a child was a “political refugee,” is now “the authentic guardian of today’s refugees.”
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CWN - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad visisted a Melkite Catholic church in Damascus on December 18, the Syrian government reports.
The Syrian leader and his wife Asma went to the parish of Our Lady of Damascu, in the Al Qussar sector of the city, which is close to a rebel-held area. The parish has occasionally been hit by rebel grenades and missiles. Syrian govenrment broadcasts showed images of Assad and his wife speaking with parishioners about their plans for the Christmas celebration.
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- Lebanon: Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai raps lawmakers for stalemate preventing election of new president
- Jerusalem Latin Patriarch issues Christmas message
- Orthodox leader: cooperate with Catholics to help persecuted Christians
- Letter of His Beatitude Gregorios III Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church on the occasion of the Feast of the Nativity - 25 December 2015