Cyprus Church picks theologian and chemistry teacher as new leader
Nicosia, CyprusReuters The Church of Cyprus’s ruling body on Saturday elected Georgios, a theologian and former chemistry teacher, as archbishop of the centuries-old church, replacing the late Chrysostomos II. Georgios, 73, will lead the Greek Orthodox Church, which has wide political and social influence on the east Mediterranean island and interests from real estate investments […]
Greek Orthodox church at World Trade Center opens at last
New York, USAP More than two decades after a tiny Greek Orthodox church in lower Manhattan was destroyed by the falling south tower of the World Trade Center, that church’s far grander replacement opened to the public this week in an elevated park overlooking the rebuilt trade centre’s memorial plaza. The new St Nicholas Greek […]
Greek officials, Church, condemn ex-bishop’s remarks on rape
Athens, GreeceAP Greek politicians and the country’s powerful Orthodox Church joined in condemning a retired bishop who claimed Friday that women aren’t raped “without wanting it.” Chrysostomos, Metropolitan Bishop of Dodoni, ordains a priest at Athens Cathedral, Greece, on Monday, 14th October, 2019. Chrysostomos’ statement in a TV interview on Friday, 2nd September that a […]
Greek Church protests US baptism for celebrity same-sex parents
Athens, GreeceAP Greece’s Orthodox Church says it will send a letter of protest to the archbishop who heads the church in the United States after he baptised the children of celebrity fashion designer Peter Dundas and his partner, Evangelo Bousis. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided at the 9th July ceremony near Athens while in Greece […]
COVID-themed candles on sale in Greece for Orthodox Easter
Athens, Greece AP Inside Greece’s Orthodox churches, candles are a symbol of faith and simplicity, slender and traditionally made of beeswax, and placed in large candleholders filled with sand. Outside, buyers are looking for a wow-factor to go with Easter gifts: They are sold with dolls, watches and karaoke microphones, or fashioned using dyes and […]
Israeli authority backs down from Mount of Olives park plan
Jerusalem, IsraelAP Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority on Monday said it was backing down from a contentious plan to encompass Christian holy sites on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives in a national park following vociferous outcry from major churches. The Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem rises above Jerusalem’s Old City and its sites are holy […]
Greek Church urges faithful to get vaccinated as cases spike
Athens, GreeceAP Greece’s powerful Orthodox Church Thursday urged members of its congregations to attend services with vaccination or test certificates, as the country’s daily number of confirmed new infections hit a record high for the second time in a few days. The governing Holy Synod of the church made the recommendations in a directive sent […]
Guatemala: Led by ‘Father Revolutionary’, Indigenous communities turn to Orthodox Christianity
DAVID I KLEIN, in a report published by Religion News Service, reports on the growth of the Orthodox church among Indigenous communities in the traditionally Roman Catholic-dominated Central American nation of Guatemala…
Pictures – Epiphany celebrations marked by pandemic
Kalofer, BulgariaAP Christians on Wednesday marked Epiphany in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which constrained celebrations in many places but didn’t stop some defying warnings to keep to traditions. Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus’ baptism during Epiphany. In Bulgaria, thousands of worshippers ignored health authorities’ warnings to refrain from mass gatherings, braving icy waters to retrieve crucifixes […]
Greek Church tells priests to ignore pandemic closure order
Athens, GreeceAP Greece’s powerful Orthodox Church is rebelling against a government order to briefly close places of worship under a weeklong drive to tighten virus restrictions before the planned reopening of schools. The conservative Church’s ruling body issued a statement Monday directing priests to admit worshippers during indoor services for Wednesday’s feast of the Epiphany. […]