Orthodox
Palestinian Americans rally, pray and organize amid crisis in Gaza
By Kathryn Post — October 23, 2023
(RNS) — 'This is not a time to say, ‘I'm stressed and I can't.’ People in Gaza need us,' said Walaa Kanan, a Palestinian American community organizer.
Two young Palestinian women died in a Gaza church, treated like ‘human animals’
By Daoud Kuttab — October 21, 2023
(RNS) — The shelling of St. Porphyrios follows efforts to dehumanize Palestinians to justify inhumane attacks.
Archbishop of Canterbury, in Jerusalem, to meet with Christians and Jewish leaders
By Catherine Pepinster — October 20, 2023
LONDON (RNS) — Speculation is growing that Welby, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church might jointly issue a statement calling for a ceasefire.
As Israel readies troops for ground assault, Gaza awaits urgently needed aid from Egypt
By Ravi Nessman, Najib Jobain, and Samya Kullab — October 19, 2023
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — One blast struck a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City where families were seeking shelter,
Ukrainian Parliament moves to bar Russian-linked church from operating in the country
By David I. Klein — October 19, 2023
(RNS) — Draft law 8371, which requires another vote before moving to the president’s desk, would give Ukrainian authorities power to examine the connection of religious groups in Ukraine to the Russian Federation and to ban those whose leadership is outside of Ukraine.
Russian Orthodox Church appoints Putin’s spiritual adviser metropolitan of Crimea
By David I. Klein — October 16, 2023
(RNS) — In March, Metropolitan Tikhon was seen at Putin's side as the president made his first visit to Crimea since full-scale war broke out between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.
Israel orders the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern part of Gaza, the UN says
By Joseph Krauss and Wafaa Shurafa — October 12, 2023
JERUSALEM (AP) — International aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis after Israel halted deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity to Gaza.
Fate of historic Sofia church unclear as Bulgaria accuses abbot of spying for Russia
By David I. Klein — October 4, 2023
(RNS) — After three Russian Orthodox Church priests were expelled from Bulgaria on charges of espionage last month, their former church is at the center of a diplomatic rift between the Russian and Bulgarian governments and an ecclesiastical one between the two countries’ Orthodox churches.
Photo essay: Ethiopian Orthodox in Ohio celebrate Meskel, connections to homeland
By Lauren Pond — October 2, 2023
(RNS) — A holiday observed by both Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches, Meskel commemorates the fourth-century discovery by Queen Helena of the True Cross upon which Jesus Christ was believed to have been crucified.
Greek court: Orthodox students cannot be exempted from religion classes
By David I. Klein — September 26, 2023
ISTANBUL (RNS) — Even exemptions in which non-Orthodox Christian students state their beliefs, the Greek Council of State ruled, did not violate human rights or European Union privacy laws.
Riding a wave of converts, one group aims to fuse Orthodoxy with Southern values
By Meagan Saliashvili — September 19, 2023
TOBACCOVILLE, N.C. (RNS) — At the group’s inaugural event, the majority of attendees appeared to represent the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, though few were ‘cradle’ Orthodox Christians.
The Eastern Orthodox bishop who loves animated movies
By Clément Girardot — September 13, 2023
(RNS) — Bishop Isaiah is the unlikely founder of a successful animation film festival that takes place every September in a rural community.
Attacks against Palestinian Christians deepens determination to stay on the land
By Daoud Kuttab — August 21, 2023
(RNS) — Palestinian Christians are doing their utmost to encourage their cohort to stay put on their lands.
Ukrainian Orthodox churches purge vestiges of Russian influence
By Meagan Saliashvili — August 18, 2023
LVIV, Ukraine (RNS) — For centuries, Orthodox Ukrainians saw the traditional Julian calendar as one of the anchors of their church’s identity. Now many are switching to the Gregorian calendar.
Russian patriarch reminds Africans of advantages in following Kremlin’s lead
By Tom Heneghan — August 2, 2023
(RNS) — Kirill's appearance underlined the importance of the soft-power influence that the Russian Orthodox Church exerts for Moscow in Africa.