St. Mina’s Church, one of Nashville’s three Coptic Orthodox churches.

The Elmahaba Center Podcast was created in 2019 by three Coptic Egyptian women from a working-class neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, an area with one of the largest Coptic communities in North America. Coptic people, or “Copts,” are a Christian minority in Egypt, the majority of whom belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church; it’s one of the world’s oldest churches. Many Copts have left Egypt in self-imposed exile due to religious persecution and socioeconomic strain. The podcast—hosted by Erinie Yousief, Lydia Yousief, and Roni Nashed—takes an educational approach to some radical political and leftist ideas. It’s the first of its kind for the Coptic community, which is generally deeply religious and politically conservative. Read More

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

For our entire three-year history, Orthodoxy in Dialogue has called repeatedly for substantive action from our hierarchs, clergy, laity, monasteries, and seminaries on racial justice. See the White Supremacy and Racism section in our Archives 2017-19 and Archives 2020, especially our Open Letter to Our Beloved Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America and White Supremacy in the American Orthodox Church: An Open Letter to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.

It therefore gives us pleasure to note that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has launched an online Resource Center on Racial Reconciliation. We recommend it to Orthodoxy in Dialogue’s readers, with one major caveat. Read More

Archbishop Theodosios of Sevastia

Long live our brothers in humanity in your fight against hate and racism everywhere in this world.

From the City of Jerusalem, the City of Peace, we stand firm, in solidarity and support, with the peaceful demonstrators who are fighting to end racism, prejudice, and police brutality all over the United States and around the world.

From Palestine, the Homeland of Hope, we send each one of you a message of solidarity and support in your fight for justice and an end to racism and violence in all its forms and colors. We condemn and reject the heinous murder of George Floyd.  We condemn the systemic and institutional anti-black racism in America. Racism is evil and must be rejected, confronted, and resisted by all peaceful means. Read More

This brief report appeared under a different title earlier today at Orthodox Times. For additional context see the extensive Ukraine section in our Archives 2017-19 and Archives 2020.

Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople (L) hands Tomos of Autocephaly to Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv (R). January 2019.

Its spiritual leadership hopes that the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine will be recognized by other autocephalous Churches in 2020, according to statements made by hierarchs. While they seem to realize that this is a process that will last for years, they do not hide their nervousness as they believe that this is directly related to the trust that faithful and local priests will put in the newly created Church. This confidence seems to play a crucial role in the decision of many parishes, which are currently part of the Patriarchate of Moscow, to join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

According to sources aligned with the newly created Church, optimistic signals are coming from Romania, which, although it has taken a “wait and see” position, has not expressed any objections to the recognition of the new Church. Read More