Sister Lyudmila - Memory Eternal

30/7/2010

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Snap Courtesy – Olena Kulygina

OBL News Service

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27/7/2010

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II will not visit Turkey to attend the service at Surb Khach church in Akhtamar Island, the head of the press service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Vahram Melikyan told NEWS.am.

According to him, two high ranking clergymen will participate in the service. However, Vahram Melikyan did not disclose their names and the precise date of the visit, noting that relevant information will be spread soon.

On September 19, Surb Khach church in Akhtamar Island will be opened for services at the initiative of the Van Governor and Constantinople Patriarchate. Turkish side stated that cross will be put on the dome.

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Karekin II undergoes a simple medical test to join registry

LOS ANGELES—His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, became the latest potential stem cell donor to join the ranks of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

The pontiff’s membership in the registry was formalized on July 22, following a simple, non-intrusive medical test that took place at in Etchmiadzin. The brief standard test, which ABMDR volunteers administer to all potential stem cell donors before they can join the registry, confirmed that His Holiness is in excellent health and hence qualified to donate bone marrow stem cells, should he be identified as a match for a patient needing bone marrow transplantation.

Commenting on his decision to join the ABMDR, the Catholicos stated: “This is an important day filled with blessings. I am pleased to note that by becoming a potential donor one can help save someone’s life. To this end, I encourage the citizens of Armenia as well as Armenians throughout the Diaspora to actively participate in the work of the registry, with the understanding that it might be one of us who can give the gift of life by donating a little blood.”

“With this I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all those who are supporting the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and once again encourage each and everyone to be of assistance by registering as potential stem cell donors,” added the Catholicos.

An ABMDR representative in Yerevan said that the Catholicos volunteered to join the registry as a personal gesture of support and more importantly, to help raise public awareness of the critical need for Armenians worldwide to register with the ABMDR as potential stem cell donors. The same source added that since ethnic Armenians have a unique genetic makeup, often their only chance of surviving a life-threatening blood-related illness is to receive a bone marrow transplant from an Armenian donor.
Last month, for the first time in the history of Armenia and the Caucasus region, the ABMDR performed a stem cell harvesting procedure in Yerevan. Thanks to the procedure, during which stem cells were harvested from a healthy donor, a bone marrow transplant was performed in Belgium, saving the life of a patient who suffered from a potentially terminal blood-related disease.
As 2010 marks the tenth anniversary of the ABMDR, a series of special events has been planned for throughout the year. In addition to recruiting bone marrow donors, these events will seek support for the establishment of a stem cell transplantation center in Armenia and the creation of support groups throughout the world.

Established in 1999, the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 15,000 donors across three continents, identified 1,696 patients, found 1,419 potential matches, and facilitated ten bone marrow transplants.

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Viktor Yanukovych

29-07-2010

President Viktor Yanukovych has demanded that law enforcement agencies immediately respond to and solve a deadly crime committed in the Ukrainian southern city of Zaporizhzhia after the blast hit an Orthodox church killing one woman and injuring nine on Wednesday.

The head of state has on Thursday met Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valery Khoroshkovsky, Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko, and Interior Minister Anatoliy Mohiliov in Crimea. The president demanded a response about the motives of the criminals. Interior Minister Mohiliov said that the ministry’s best investigators have been sent to the accident site. He added that the ministry will take all efforts to solve the case. In turn, SBU chief Khoroshkovsky called the Zaporizhzhia case unordinary. He urged to join efforts of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) and the Interior Ministry to clear the case as soon as possible. Khoroshkovsky said that for the moment all versions are being studied, as well as events that could forego the crime. Prosecutor General Medvedko expressed confidence that this crime will be solved within a week. Criminal case has been instituted on the fact of willful homicide, attempted homicide, intentional damage to property. 

Interior Ministry spokesman Dmytro Andreyev had earlier said police was considering “absolutely all the versions” of the tragedy in Zaporizhzhia, including a possible terror attack with the aim of intimidation. As reported, an improvised explosive device (30-400grm TNT) had been detonated in the Zaporizhzhia orthodox church on Wednesday. The explosion injured nine people, and one woman later died of her injuries in hospital.

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Kiev

29/7/2010

(AFP)

KIEV — An 80-year-old nun has been killed in an explosion that wounded eight others at a church in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye, officials said on Thursday.

The explosion at the church late Wednesday took place on the last day of a visit to Ukraine by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill that has been hotly disputed by nationalists. It was not clear if the events were linked.

The woman, named as nun Lyudmila, was taken to hospital in a serious condition after the blast and doctors were unable to save her, said civic health official Nadezhda Sevalneva according to local media.

“She was in a very bad condition. She had lost a lot of blood, she had 40 percent burns to the body and had numerous broken bones,” she said according to the reporter.zp.ua news site.

The building belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is under the Russian patriarchate in Moscow. The church operates in Ukraine alongside dissident Orthodox confessions, with which it has tense relations.

A criminal investigation has been opened into premeditated murder, local media said. Deadly explosions are extremely unusual in Ukraine.

Local police said that the damage to the church caused by the blast was not significant and the device appeared to have been homemade.
Borys Petrov, governor of the Zaporozhye region, said that the blast was caused by explosives of 500 grammes of TNT equivalent, reporter.zp.ua said.

Kirill’s week long visit to Kiev, Odessa and other Ukrainian cities had sparked small-scale protests led by nationalist parties like UNA-UNSO and Svoboda.

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07/27/2010

On Tuesday 27 July 2010, representatives of the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, H.E. Nabih Berri visited Antelias.

One of the reasons for their visit was to brief His Holiness Aram I on the security situation in the country and particularly at its Southern boarders.

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New Book- Voices from the East: Essays on the State and Work of the Eastern Church in the 19th Century

Edited by Rev. J.M. Neale
With essays by Andrei Nicolaevich Muraviev, Archbishop Innocent of Odessa and Bishop Macarius of Vinnitsa

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Paperback (July 2010)
ISBN: 978-1-933275-43-7
Price: $15.95 + S&H (USD)

The documents which appear in Voices from the East: Essayss on the State and Work of the Eastern Church in the 19th Century are such as are calculated to give information on the state of the Eastern Church in the 19th century; and they have the advantage of allowing its members to speak for themselves.

The first six essays and letters are from the able pen of Andrei Nicolaevich Mouraviev, late Procurator to the Holy Governing Synod. These essays include: Catholic Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism The Great Men of the Russian Church The Mission of the Altai The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception A Letter from Palestine A Letter to a Roman Neophyte These essays are followed by an Acathiston, which is the composition of one of the most pious and laborious of Russian prelates, His Eminence Innocent, Archbishop of Odessa, who was called to his reward on May 12, 1857. Besides its intrinsic beauty, it is curious, as completely fusing the Western system of separate devotion to our Lord’s individual wounds into an Eastern mould. Innocent was one of the first preachers of his time. The final essay is The Exposition of the Faith by His Grace Macarius, Bishop of Vinnitsa and Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.

Click here to Purchase the Book

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29/7/2010

New Book by His Eminence Metropolitan Abb Seraphim of the British Orthodox Church

In July 2010 Abba Seraphim addressed the annual clergy conference of the North American diocese of the Eritrean Orthodox Church; offering biblical and historical perspectives on persecution, repentance and the role of the diaspora in mission.

Click here to Purchase the Book

OBL News Service

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17/06/2010

Patriarchate if Alexandria

On 17th June 2010 His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, conducted the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Savvas the Sanctified on the 20th Anniversary of his ordination to Bishop of Cyrene (17.6.1990).

During the Liturgical Prayers as well as during his homily, His Beatitude, visibly moved, commemorated his Predecessor, Spiritual Father and Benefactor, the late Patriarch Parthenios III, by whose hands he received his hierarchy, as well as those who concelebrated at that time the late Hierarchs Barnabas of Pilousion, Chrysostomos of Zimbabwe, Irenaios of Carthage, Nektarios of Leros and Solomon of the Thebaid as well as the late Archimandrite Keladion, for whom he sang the memorial service. He also mentioned in gratitude those who prayed with him on this distinguished day, the elder Metropolitans Paul of Memphis at that time of Johannesburg and Paul of Aksum. The Venerable Primate of the Throne of Saint Mark was addressed by His Grace Gabriel, Bishop of Mareotis, Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria.

His Beatitude also awarded honorary distinctions to departing teachers, Messrs. Antonios Balaskas and Eleftherios Dokousis, who served the Patriarchal Library as well as to Mr. Ioannis Geneiatakis, Professor of the Patriarchal Academy of Alexandria “Agios Athanasios” and gave a valuable Gospel Book to the Patriarchal Church as a gift of gratitude to St Savvas. A festive celebration followed the Divine Liturgy.

Present at this spiritual gathering were His Eminence George Bishop of Zimbabwe, Representative of His Beatitude in Athens, His Eminence Nicholas of Ermopolis, Their Graces Bishops Gabriel of Mareotis, Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, Nicodemos of Nitria, Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo, Gennadios of Nilopolis, Chancellor of the Holy Synod, and Niphon of Babylonos, Hegumen of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George in Old Cairo, the Clergy of the Alexandrian Archdiocese, the Honourable Consul General of Greece in Alexandria Mr. George Diakofotakis, representatives of the Hellenic Community, Hellenic Societies and Associations, teachers from the Greek Schools and many lay faithful. 

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26/7/2010

When people think of Coronado and San Diego, they think of Sea World, the Hotel Del Coronado, and old town San Diego. They don’t know that there are thousands of people unable to find work living on the streets.

Sitting in the shadows of the Coronado Island Bridge, FOCUS San Diego launched its first meal July 14 serving the homeless in the down town San Diego area. Twenty-eight volunteers from six parishes that represented four different jurisdictions served 96 homeless.

FOCUS San Diego has an all-volunteer team that has partnered with a protestant mission called God’s Extended Hand. They have been serving meals six nights a week to those in need for over 80 years. God’s Extended Handserves meals six nights a week to those in need. FOCUS North America’s San Diego Center has partnered with them to cover the seventh night. Now no one who wants a meal will go hungry on Wednesday nights in San Diego.

FOCUS San Diego now has five partner churches and several individuals who are dedicated to helping fund projects for the needy in the area.

You can help too by donating online today to support the ministries of FOCUS NA.
Whether we are working with the hungry in San Diego or those in need throughout North America, your support makes a difference!  Thank you.

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When one thinks of Orange County, California, one doesn’t normally think of poverty since it is one of the wealthiest areas in the nation. However, there are over 20,000 children who are homeless in the county. Many of these children live in motels. In some cases there are more than six children living in one hotel room. They often do not know where their next meal will come from. FOCUS is working to unite the local orthodox Churches to serve these kids and help provide them the necessities they need.

Earlier this month FOCUS North America’s Orange County center launched a back-to-school program in conjunction with Nana’s Kids (a ministry of Grandma’s House of Hope) and the Collaboration to Assist Motel Families Orange County to help homeless kids living in motels in Orange County.  Six parishes have participated in the program as well as the Los Angeles OCF chapter.  The program is a three month commitment. Over 300 backpacks were given out with the name of a child on it. When people take a backpack, they are committing themselves to pray for and provide for that child. The backpacks will be filled with school supplies and returned at the end of July, and FOCUS Orange County will help to distribute these backpacks on August 7.  Also FOCUS North America is asking the sponsors to provide a pair of shoes for August and a bag of groceries for September.

Jacob Lee, FOCUS Orange County’s interim director, said, “The program has received overwhelming response. We could’ve have given away twice as many backpacks. I have received calls from the priests at the participating churches who said that the backpacks were great but their people wanted more. They want to get hands-on.”

FOCUS North America’s Orange County Center is dedicated to continuing its work with these children and their families that are living in motels and will be providing the hands-on action that the parishioners requested. At the beginning of September, FOCUS Orange County will begin weekly meals for the homeless families living in motels in the city of Anaheim.

You can help too by donating online today to support the ministries of FOCUS NA.  Whether we are working with homeless children in the motels of Orange County or those in need throughout North America your support makes a difference!  Thank you.

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FOCUS Minnesota has a new location as of Thursday July 15, 2010, 1600 Lake Street, Minneapolis.   Plans are already underway to serve a deli-sandwich meal there on July 28, 2010 to maintain some momentum amongst our volunteers and to establish this activity in our new neighborhood. News of the meal has been shared with our neighboring social service agencies. 

As we build programming for the poor, we look forward to an official launch of our new center. On Saturday August 14, 2010, with the blessing and cooperation of the Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association (MEOCCA), we will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at our new center. The premises will be blessed, and following that a lunch will be served to the poor. A kids table, for neighborhood families with children who might attend the meal, is also planned and will be staffed by local Orthodox college students. This event will also act as an Open House for the broader Orthodox community. This will give the Orthodox a chance to tangibly come together around our physical location, hear about our plans for the future with lots of volunteer sign-up sheets on display for future opportunities to serve. A giant wish-list will be on display as well!

We are working diligently on the following ministries which are in varying stages of development:
Food
• Community meals served in the center to increase in frequency to the level that can be sustained by O-resources.
• A food pantry available once a week stocked by donations, Minnesota Food Share and Second Harvest Heartland.
• Nutrition Education – diabetes, blood pressure, weight management, heart health education all through O-resources who are healthcare professionals to complement Nutrition/Food Access through cooperative programs with the Hennepin County WIC office in our area and The U of MN Extension Nutrition services – Operation Frontline and SNAP programs
• Food support for adults 60+ through faith-based urban ministries (various)
Occupation
• Concentrating on  job-readiness training
• Researching existing curricula to adapt for FOCUS and O-resources/volunteers 
• Planning stages for collaboration with Step-Up (city of Mpls. Program)
Clothing
• Build up a clothing closet through donations/shoe campaign started in our churches 
• Refer to St. Vincent de Paul outlet which is within blocks of FOCUS Minnesota.
• Negotiating a voucher system with local laundromats which will provide 3 wash, 2 dry and soap.
Understanding
• Working with Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches  to become a site for a parenting support group that is run in various metro locations
• After School mentoring with students from The University of Minnesota OCF
• Reading hour, homework help (bilingual as well), positive social modeling, school readiness in the Fall
• Social work intake hours for emergency services staffed by advanced students from the U of Minnesota School of Social Work 
• Supervised by volunteer licensed clinical social workers (LICSW) from the O-community
Shelter
Though we are not equipped to provide shelter at the center, we will be working with two organizations (the Salvation Army and Families Moving Forward) on an emergency referral basis to place people in transitional facilities. 
You can help by donating online today to support the ministries of FOCUS NA.  Whether we are serving at our FOCUS Minnesota Center or those in need throughout North America, your support makes a difference!  Thank you.

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Reception in Serbian Patriarchate – July 27, 2010

His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno received today in the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade representatives of the Orthodox grammar school near the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius near Moscow. This school besides the standard education has a wide range of humanitarian activities, so the members of the delegation asked His Grace Bishop Atanasije, as the vicar of His Holiness IRINEJ, Serbian Patriarch, for His blessing and spiritual and prayerful support so they could even more succesfully continue their mission.

During its stay in Serbia, the delegation had an opportunity to visit  Serbian sanctuaries in Sremski Karlovci, near Valjevo and Belgrade, about which the spoke with a special enthusiasm during the today’s reception.

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The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs:

We give the following explanations concerning the Answer of the Social – Humanist Association of Romania (ASUR in Romanian) to the remarks of the Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate:

1. THE SECULARISATION OF THE MONASTIC ESTATES INCLUDED ALL THE CHURCH ESTATES, NOT ONLY THOSE OF THE MONASTERIES DEDICATED

We are surprised by the fact that the ASUR representatives do not know that through the Bill for the secularisation of the monastic estates adopted and published on 17/29 December 1863, the state confiscated, with no discrimination whatsoever, both the estates of the monasteries dedicated to the Holy Places and of those not dedicated.

So, article 1 of the Bill mentioned: “All the monastic estates of Romania are and remain state estates.” According to historian Constantin C. Giurescu (Life and Work of Cuza Vodă, Scientific Editorial Office, Bucharest, 1966, pp. 148 – 149) in Wallachia, the monasteries not dedicated held 16,55% of the agricultural and forest terrain of the country (the dedicated ones held 11,14%), while in Moldova the not dedicated monasteries held 12,16% of the agricultural and forest terrain of the country (the dedicated ones held 19,17%). For example, about 300,000 ha of agricultural and forest terrain was confiscated from the Metropolitan See of Moldova and Bucovina through the Secularisation Bill.

If the monasteries of the Holy Places were allotted a compensatory amount of money, as compensation and support, even though never granted in the end, no compensatory measures were provided in the Secularisation Bill for the monasteries not dedicated to the Holy Places.

In this context, we mention the fact that till Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the church estates, autonomous and not dedicated, were administrated in the two Principalities, Wallakia and Moldova, by the Central House of the Church, with the incomes acquired used for maintaining and operating the units of cults, building and repairing churches, paying the clergy’s salaries, as well as for the social work or setting up schools and paying the teaching staff’s wages. The Church contributed with money to the development of the Romanian education, as well as with many intra-village plots of land, granted free of charge, on which schools have been built, a reality that can be seen today in many localities, where the schools are built close to the churches.

In 1860, the incomes of the Central House in the two Principalities have been included directly into the budgets of the two provinces, although the state should not have had any right over them. Consequently, the state assumed the responsibility to support the units of cult and the church staff. In 1863, the Bill for the married clergy and seminaries was adopted which provided the payment of the priests’ wages from the state budget, while the next year the Bill for regulating the rural properties provided the granting of an agricultural plot of land to the churches, the so called parochial rented plot of land. Yet, these agricultural plots provided modest income, as seen in the analysis of the state of the religious cults in Romania completed, the Ministry for Religious Affairs made during the two world wars, which mentioned that only 2% of the Transylvanian Orthodox parishes and 3% of those of the Kingdom could maintain themselves only by their own means.

These agricultural and forest plots of land as well as the other properties of the cults were confiscated by the communist regime after 1948.

After 1990, Bill 18/1991 of the territorial fund has limited to 5 ha the plots of land that could be retroceded to the parishes, so that most times the difference of property could never be acquired, not even today, after the legislative changes from 1997, 2000 and 2005. Before the communist regime, the Church had admirable institutions for administrating her estates (Church House, trusteeship councils, ephorates, foundations) that enabled her to support social centers, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and to help poor families. At present, a large part of her estates still belong to the state, a regrettable situation after 20 years since the fall of the communist regime in Romania.

2. THE SUPPORT FROM THE STATE BUDGET COVERS ONLY PART OF THE CULTS’ EXPENSES

The support granted from the state budget covers only a part of the expenses for the wages of the clergy and non-clergy staff of the religious cults. In the Romanian Orthodox Church there are lots of wages paid only from the eparchies funds. For example, in the Patriarchal Administration only a third of the employees benefit of support from the state budget to their wages, while two thirds are paid only from the Church funds.

Besides the wage system expenses of the church units, there are also the expenses for maintaining the buildings and covering the utilities (electricity, running water, heating, telephones etc.) provided, with great efforts, only from the church funds acquired by the production and trading of candles, calendars, religious books and objects, liturgical wine and some rents.

The maintenance and repairing of the places of worship, many of them historical monuments, also have an important place in the expenses of the cults units, most often with no support whatsoever from the state. The church patrimony is made up, in its majority, of old places of worship and buildings, which need important investments for a normal operation.

No other money allotted from the state budget in 2010 besides the financial support for the wages of the servant staff, especially for administrational, social and educational activity, create, in the case of the Romanian Orthodox Church, difficulties for sustaining the large social and educational work she unfolds at national level. The very few examples of funds provided through Government decrees to some Orthodox units of cult are isolated and irrelevant for the general aspect of the issue. In fact, all the funds from the public budget granted to the religious cults are periodically checked by the Court for Accounts and by some other public competent institutions to check the observation of their purpose and correct usage.

The objection of the ASUR to annex XII, article 8, paragraph 2 of the Bill for unitary wage system (330/2009), concerning the possibility to increase the number of posts for the clergy staff is not justified, because the increase of the number of posts is related to the extension of the pastoral-missionary, social-charitable and cultural-educational activities of the Church, for the benefit of a larger number of people in need. In this context, we inform the representatives of the ASUR that although during the last few years the Romanian Orthodox Church has increased the activity she unfolds in society, since 2008 no other extra post has been provided with state budget contribution.

3. THE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FROM THE RELIGIOUS SERVICES SUSTAIN THE PARISHES ACTIVITY

As for the benevolent contributions for celebrating the religious services (baptisms, weddings, funerals), we inform the ASUR representatives that their value is established in every parish by the parochial assembly following the proposal of the parochial council, in accordance with the material possibilities of the community of faithful (the social cases enjoy gratuitousness and support on behalf of the parishes). The contributions registered in the bookkeeping of every parish (submitted to the internal financial control) are used for maintaining the place of worship and for completing the wages of the staff employed (the majority of them provided entirely from the parish incomes).

Moreover, social centers operate in co-operation with many parishes (canteens, medical consulting rooms, old people’s homes etc.) partially or entirely subsidized by their own incomes. The attempt of generalization, with no discernment whatsoever, by the ASUR, of a few isolated cases of financial indiscipline in such situations proves their not knowing the way of organization and operation of the Orthodox Church units (parish, monastery, deanery, eparchy and patriarchate) and the correct way of administrating the funds in relation with those who offer them. This accounts for building over 2000 places of worship and organizing almost 500 social centers – as well as medical consulting rooms – by the Romanian Orthodox Church during the last 20 years with funds coming in their majority from faithful.
As for the other comments of the ASUR representatives, these are only unsuccessful attempts of an organized hostile attitude towards the religious cults, because the antireligious secularism and self-sufficient humanism are the characteristic features of the respective association.

In conclusion, we think that especially in time of multiple crises cooperation should be promoted not confrontation between the lay state and the religious autonomous cults, for the common welfare of the society.

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Romanian Orthodox Church

25/7/2010

Yesterday, 25 July, the Orthodox Church spent the 9th Sunday after the Pentecost. During the Divine Liturgy, the pericope of the Gospel according to Matthew was read relating about the Saviour walking on water and calming down the storm.

His Beatitude participated in the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the chapel of “Saint Gregory the Enlightener” of the Patriarchal Residence, where he delivered a sermon in which he explained the spiritual meanings resulting from the Holy Gospel read: “This Gospel shows us three different truths, namely the importance of the thanksgiving prayer to God for the good things received from Him, the fight against the trials of the life as means of strengthening in the faith and the relationship between the symbol of the ship in which the disciples were and the life of the Church on the stormy waves of history”, said His Beatitude, as “Lumina” newspaper informs us.

The Patriarch of Romania explained that the Saviour retired into the mountains to pray after the wonder of multiplying the bread and fish, so that He may avoid the people’s praises on one hand, and on the other hand, to thank God, showing us in this way that the prayer is the foundation of the spiritual life. His Beatitude underlined the fact that “Christ, our Lord, often retires to pray alone, because He wants to show us that we need to fill our soul with the grace of the merciful love of God-the-Father, so that when we are in front of the crowd, we may not have our soul empty, but full of the merciful love of God for the people”.

The Gospel read yesterday remembers the moment when Peter, getting the blessing of Jesus to get off the ship, started to walk on the water, but after a while, when the wind was blowing hard, he was afraid and began to sink. The Patriarch of Romania explained that: “as long as Peter was looking at Jesus, the spiritual bond with the Saviour kept him above the water; but when he started paying more heed to the ever changing storms of this world than to his relationship with God the Creator, he started to sink. The storms of this world influence the human being. So, we see that whenever we are in the storming waves of this life, we should not fear anything more than love Christ, our Lord. It is only our relationship with God in time of sorrow that can keep us above the trials, can give us courage not to sink into fear and despair. Whoever fights against the hardships of life having strong faith, and getting always the help of God, he receives power from Christ, lest he spiritually fall into fear and despair.”

The Primate of our Church also said: “The ship is the symbol of the Church in the stormy sea of history. The Church is the salvation ship that takes us from one shore to another, from the temporary earthy life to the heavenly eternal life. The wonder the Saviour made shows us that the victory comes from God if we call Him to help us and say, just like Saint Peter: ‘Save us, Lord!’.

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On July 28 the primatial visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church completed. At the airport of Boryspil His Holiness the Patriarch was seen off by Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine A.Klyuev, Ambassador plenipotentiary and extraordinary of the Russian Federation to Ukraine M.Zurabov, a host of hierarchs and clergymen.

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Patriarch Cyril and His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr headed the ministry of the Divine Liturgy in the Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Translated Using Google Translate Service

July 28, the day commemorating the holy apostolic of Grand Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, celebrated the Day of the Baptism of Rus.

In this holiday Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill Blazhennejshy Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir Divine Liturgy in the Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Among concelebrated were members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral of bishops from different countries, numerous clergy.

The divine service on the throne, established under the shadow of the square outside the Cathedral of the Dormition monastery. On the throne was the ark with a particle of the relics of St. honest apostolic Grand Duke Vladimir. The entire area in front of Cathedral of the Dormition monastery was full of people. Thousands of residents of Kyiv and pilgrims come to this festive day to pray together with His Holiness Patriarch Cyril and His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr. The service was broadcast Ukrainian television.

For a small entrance in connection with the Holy Synod, the canonical and determined the legal status of the Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan, His Holiness Patriarch Cyril elevated Archbishop of Astana and the Kazakh Alexander in the Metropolitan.

After reading the Gospel of the Russian Orthodox Church appealed to the faithful during the liturgy with preaching.

Following the Divine Liturgy of St. Seraphim welcomed His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir:

“Your Holiness, Holy Lord and Father! Dear hierarchs and all of us!

I congratulate you on the occasion of our Church, our history, our Orthodox faith.

Your Holiness! You once visited Ukraine, and we hope that this was your next visit, and we expect now the next meeting here with us. Thank you for your prayers, you are headed these days in Ukraine, thanks for the preaching and teaching, that people listened to the churches and through the media. Thank you for your laudable your travel, that no matter what invented journalists are pastoral trip committed to care about saving the souls of people …

We believe that by your prayers, God disposes all the good, believe that your visit to Ukraine, we are a little more advanced in the development of spirituality and strengthening pious lives. All of you listen attentively. This is commendable. Thank God!

You, as a child brought to the Lord as a priest’s son, shows us an example of prayer, standing in the holy Orthodox faith, and works to ensure that people understand where they came from, where they are going and where will. You give all of their talents and abilities to the service of Christ’s Church, preaching the Holy Gospel. Looking at you, to your virtuous life and work, we’ll try to catch up, to rise a step higher than are at present.

You listened with pleasure, when you stand from the pulpit in front of scientists, say the politicians, when you talk to the church pulpit. Every place where you stand and staying filled with meaning and value. You clearly and transparently tell the truth and the rules that must be followed to achieve that, as called for every man, and Christian in particular.

May God keep you, may the Lord protect you, may the Lord leads you, as it was before and continues until now, and we will pray in shrines of Kiev, that the Lord has given you and continue good health and great working ability, and piety in preaching the Holy Gospel. Bogodarovannym his word, his work and his love of the Church you open the Gospel to those near and far.

Let the blessed Lord in your life and your works righteous, your standing on God’s watch as many years as the Lord will bless. I hope many years you will be entitled to change the word of Christ’s truth.

Let the Church rejoices and rejoices that it has such a source of Chrysostom, the answers to all questions and most importantly – the preaching of the gospel far and near to the glory of God for the salvation of every one of us. ”

In memory of common prayer Blessed Lord gave to His Holiness Patriarch Cyril miter. Then His Holiness appealed to the word of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr:

“I sincerely thank you, Your Beatitude, for your kind and wise words, but most of all thank you for the feat of your life. Your whole career is a testament to dedication of the Church of God, love for his people.

You are flesh and blood of Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian spiritual energy and zeal for the orthodox faith. In the most difficult years the Lord has blessed you to lead the Ukrainian Church. Lord builds the high sveschnitsy church service the people who need at this time and in this place, and it is not by chance you are in a time of crisis, vacillation and temptations, which struck the Orthodox in Ukraine, went down to the ancient Chair of Ukrainian prelates, joining in their service past and present , drawing strength is great, united and powerful past, and passing some of these forces, that power destroyed, tormented human souls.

I thank you and never cease to admire the feat of your ministry. I visit this holy land with the intentions and objectives with those who openly proclaimed and in front of neighbors, and to distant. But, unfortunately, the enemy of the human race, whose name in Russian translates as slanderer slanders and the most holy and pure, that only can be – in the pastoral ministry, in common prayer, the word evangelism.

We should not be afraid of slander, because God is stronger than the devil, but I need to answer some of the slanderous allegations which are intended to sow tares new hostility and suspicion in the uniform of the Russian Church.

So, all dull, all without a hearing, all lost their sight, all lost their memory, I want to say that the word of the Church – it is gold, as bishop of the word – gold. The Church never wavered from his words, and when the mouth of the Local Council was confirmed as an autonomous in its administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the rights of broad autonomy, it was confirmed he was not to cancel it.

The Church does not violate his words. But we know examples where clergy give up their words and after that died spiritually themselves and others fascinated by the abyss. They say that the Patriarch arrived in Ukraine in order to limit the rights and opportunities of the Ukrainian Church. Not for this comes Patriarch to Ukraine, and to ensure that, together with the Primate of the Ukrainian Church, together with the bishops of our Church – to the Ukrainians, Russians, Moldovans, people of other nationalities – witness the world, including here in Ukraine, of Christ crucified and risen, about Christ, capable of giving force of resurrection, even the greatest sinners.

That is why we again and again to turn our words to those who are in schism. Christ’s love extends to all, and the servants of this love can not make that contrary to the word of God. And because we build relationships with our brothers, staying in a split, with one hand, based on the truth of the church, the truth of God, but on the other hand – on the basis of love. And even those who most offend, should not lose hope for salvation, because for all ascended the Cross Savior, His shed blood not only for the righteous, as for the sinners. So when we turn to the near and distant, even to those who tormented body of the Church, we do not say empty words, we’re not talking in riddles, we do not speak the language of diplomacy – we speak the language of the Gospel.

Again and again call on all to unite in one body of Christ, to praise God’s name together with the hope that this common prayer to lay all of us the mercy of God.

Today, Your Beatitude, we have the joy of celebrating the day of your angel. Promyslitelno that the Ukrainian Church is named Vladimir. Such coincidences do not happen. It is no coincidence that the finger of God, which points to you as the worthy successor of Kiev Primates of the Church, bishops, going back to Prince Vladimir and his apostolic feat. You named Vladimir, and the Life – Equal to the Apostles, asserting the unity of the Church and the heritage of Kievan Rus in all spaces of the Russian world, that world – I say again to dull – which has nothing to do with politics, power. This is a world where the holy one Church, where the deed Equal to the Apostles lived and acted through the ages. This is a spiritual force, which brings together over any political subdivisions, making many of one unit, one spiritual family, the Church of God, coming to God with prayer and hope. ”

Holy Lord handed Ukrainian Orthodox Church pectoral cross, and two of Panagia and the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery – Eucharistic vessels. By submitting gifts, His Holiness said:

“I would like to bring to you, Blessed Lord, along with his gratitude for your sacrificial work, the visible expression of their love – these are the signs of your archpastoral dignity. May the Lord and the Holy Mother, depicted in these Panagia will be your advocates and protectors. The Lord Himself let him hear your fervent prayer for the people of Ukraine and of our Church. I would also like to present you this memorable address. We are in the holy land of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and in gratitude for all that happens now under the arches of the first monastery of Holy Russia, I would refer to the memory of these Eucharistic vessels as a symbol of our unity in Christ as a symbol of our spiritual strength, that born of the Body and Blood of the Savior, the one force that could defeat any force the devil – the division, slander and lies. Let the brethren, to unite around this holy chalice, prays for the unity of our Church, the faith and piety of the Ukrainian people and all people of Holy Russia. ”

Then His Holiness blessed to distribute all praying on the square icons of the Blessed Virgin, saying:

“And each of you, my dear, who is now at this worship service, who prayed with me, I would like to convey my patriarchal blessing in the form of Mother of God. I can not personally bless each of you, but I want to do it, for the touch to each of you closes the spiritual circuit between patriarch and the faithful people. Not only do you get to this point, a blessing, but I get strength from your love and pious hearts, touching this basis, the spiritual life of the whole Church – piety of our people. May God keep you all in peace, love, oneness of mind, even prosperous Ukraine, even strengthened the friendly relations between peoples of Holy Russia, may the Lord in response to exploit the holy fathers and martyrs, confessors, that my blood courted our unity and strengthened our faith, will us today, keeping faith in the Church, to transform life on this world to Christ! Amen.

Then, concelebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Cyril and His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr hierarchs and clergy in prednesenii ark with the relics of St. Vladimir marched in procession from the Near to Far Caves Monastery. Holy Lord made a far caves prayer, and then from the balcony of the Metropolitan’s residence sprinkled holy water on the audience and congratulated them on the holiday.

Press office of His Holiness Patriarch/DECR Communication Service

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Patriarch Filaret

Kiev, July 28, Interfax – The self-proclaimed “Kiev Patriarchate” has rejected a call by the Moscow Patriarchate to repent and return to the Russian Orthodox Church.

“By considering the Kiev Patriarchate to be a schism, the leaders of the Russian Church are manipulating the minds of believers by misleading them and the entire public. There is no church schism in Ukraine, but only the division of jurisdiction (subordination),” the “Kiev Patriarchate” Synod said in statement on Tuesday.

The only possible and acceptable way of overcoming the church division in Ukraine is “by forgetting the current disputes and recognizing the autocephaly [independence] of the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the authors said.

The current leaders of the Moscow Patriarchate are trying to involve the Ukrainian authorities in destroying the “Kiev Patriarchate”, the statement said.

“It is clear from the speeches and statements made by senior members of the Moscow Patriarchate during the current visit by the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church to Ukraine that they do not want a constructive dialog to overcome the division within the Ukrainian Church, but they want to start systemic demolition of the Kiev Patriarchate under the guise of ‘changes in political circumstances’ and are trying to involve the Ukrainian authorities in this,” the document said.

The statement calls on the believers, clergy and episcopate to unite around the “Kiev Patriarchate” in the face of “new manifestations of aggression on the part of the Moscow Patriarchate against the Ukrainian Church.”

Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate said that an increasingly large number of members of schismatic communities in Ukraine are realizing the need to return to the canonical Church.

“Schism is no longer stylish. It was fashionable in 1990s to promote separatism and disintegration; there was resentment in the air. Now people are tired of that, they come to realize that they have to live in this country together with their children and grandchildren,” head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said Monday in an interview to Inter, a Ukrainian TV channel.

Increasingly more people in Ukraine are beginning to think, “Do we really need to live in the atmosphere of animosity and accusations all the time or will it still be better in the atmosphere of peace and benevolence?” he said.

Today schismatics in many Ukrainian regions express their desire to return to the canonical Church, and this process “constantly continues, although not on a massive scale yet,” the metropolitan said.

“People are pressed by this feeling of being unable to participate in the life of universal Orthodoxy. In schism, awareness of one’s own inadequacy is very strong,” the Moscow Patriarchate official said.

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Patriarch Cyril paid tribute to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War and the victims of mass Starvation in 1930’s

Translated Using Google Translate Service

July 28, 2010 upon completion of the program pastoral visit to Ukraine Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill visited Kiev memorial of Fame and a monument to victims of famine in 1930-ies.

Laying wreaths at the memorials of flowers, His Holiness prayed for the repose of the chiefs and warriors of the faith, and laid down their motherland and the people who died during the famine that had hit in 30 of the last century a number of areas of Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan.

As the Patriarch Cyril, he visited these places of memory out of the visit. “I did this at the command of the heart” – said the Holy Lord, and stressed that, as during his visit to Ukraine in the last year, he prayed for the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the victims of famine and to honor their memory, without or political assessments.

Press office of His Holiness Patriarch/DECR Communication Service

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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the brethren of Kyiv Caves Monastery lifted up prayers for the victims of the flight accident in Lviv, 2002

28-07-2010

On July 27, having attended the Far Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presided over the supper with brethren. Upon its completion His Holiness addressed the brethren with a word of admonition.

His Holiness paid particular attention to the tragic date – the eighth anniversary of the flight accident in Lviv which carried away the lives of dozens of people.

“Eight years ago an awful catastrophe took place in Lviv: the plane crashed during the air show, many people died, many became mutilated and invalids. People came to have fun, but their lives were either stopped abruptly, or they experienced incredible disaster. The Church does not forget it. Our remembrance of such events is a prayerful memory of those who tragically passed away from this life.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill called the brethren of Lavra that the Lord received their souls to the Kingdom of Heavens. Then His Holiness announced “memory eternal” to all those who was killed without penance, without prayer and took the stand before God immediately.

A reference.On July 27 2002 during the air show dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the 14th air corps (former 14th Air Fleet of the USSR) in the airfield Sknyliv, situated not far from Lviv, during the stunt-flying a battle-plane Su-27 of the Ukrainian air forces met with an accident. The plane fell on the crowd of people who came to the show. 77 people died (28 children out of them) and 300 people were injured.

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