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Turkey boosts security for Orthodox patriarch after 'attack plot'

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 07:15
Turkish police have boosted security around Patriarch Bartholomew I after an alleged plot to assassinate the Orthodox Christian leader, his office said Saturday. A spokesman at the patriarchate in Istanbul said they had been informed that one person had been arrested and that others were being sought. Turkish media said the arrested suspect, identified as Serdar A., allegedly planned to assassinate Bartholomew I on May 29, the 560th anniversary of the Turkish capture of Constantinople, present day Istanbul.

Orthodox Christians mark Jerusalem Holy Fire rite

Agence France-PresseMay 4, 2013 21:15
Throngs of Orthodox Christians filled Jerusalem's ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre and surrounding streets on Saturday for the "Holy Fire" ceremony on the eve of Orthodox Easter. Believers hold that a divine fire from heaven ignites candles held by the Greek Orthodox patriarch, in an annual rite dating back to the 4th century AD symbolising the resurrection of Christ.

Jerusalem churches urge Holy Land pilgrimages

March 26, 2013 15:15
Leaders of Christian churches in Jerusalem in an Easter message on Tuesday urged believers around the world to visit the Holy Land. "As heads of churches in Jerusalem, we call upon all Christians from around the ecumenical world to come and visit with our churches and walk with the living stones of the Holy Land in the footsteps of our risen Lord," said the heads of 11 Christian faiths in the city in a joint statement.

Jerusalem churches urge Holy Land pilgrimages

March 26, 2013 14:46
Leaders of Christian churches in Jerusalem in an Easter message on Tuesday urged believers around the world to visit the Holy Land. "As heads of churches in Jerusalem, we call upon all Christians from around the ecumenical world to come and visit with our churches and walk with the living stones of the Holy Land in the footsteps of our risen Lord," said the heads of 11 Christian faiths in the city in a joint statement.

Orthodox patriarch in rare Rome visit for papal inauguration

March 19, 2013 10:31
The visit Tuesday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to Rome to attend the inauguration of Pope Francis is a historic first, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians said. "Even before the schism of 1054 (between Eastern and Western Christianity) the patriarch did not attend the inauguration of the pope," Bartholomew told Turkish channel NTV in statements picked up by Greek media.

Russian Orthodox leader tells Pope must act together

March 14, 2013 14:15
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church told newly elected Pope Francis on Thursday they must act together to defend Christians persecuted in some parts of the world and promote traditional values against secularism. The Russian Orthodox Church shares the Roman Catholic Church's conservative stances on many moral issues but disputes still strain relations nearly a millennium after the Great Schism split Christianity into eastern and western branches.

Russia's Church, Putin welcome new Pope

March 14, 2013 05:00
The Russian Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin said Thursday they expected that newly elected Pope Francis will foster warmer ties between the Orthodox and Catholic churches. "The Russian Church welcomes the decision of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, and, as before, counts on relations between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches developing in a positive way," the head of Russian Patriarch Kirill's press service, Deacon Alexander Volkov, told the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russian Church predicts good ties with new Pope

March 14, 2013 03:30
The Russian Orthodox Church expects that newly elected Pope Francis will foster positive relations between the two churches, a spokesman said Thursday. "The Russian Church welcomes the decision of the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, and, as before, counts on relations between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches developing in a positive way," the head of the Moscow Patriarchy's press service, Alexander Volkov, told the RIA Novosti news agency.

Icon-writing, a path to recovery for prisoners in Poland

February 12, 2013 02:30
Behind the bars of a prison on Poland's eastern fringe, a dozen women serving time are lost in concentration as they learn the intricate art of icon-writing in the Orthodox Christian tradition. The centuries' old craft, which typically displays the Virgin with the baby Jesus, saints and Christ in rich strokes of dark red, green and gold is being used for the first time as part of a social reintegration programme at a major correctional facility in Bialystok.

Eastern Orthodox chief pays tribute to pope

February 11, 2013 17:02
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, paid tribute to outgoing Pope Benedict XVI on Monday, stressing the good relations the two had shared. "We Orthodox will always honour him as a friend of the Church," Patriarch Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, said in a statement after the pope announced his intention to resign.
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