Archbishop Hieronymos II of Athens and All Greece

According to UNIAN and Ekathimerini, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece reached a decision on August 28, 2019 to recognize the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. 112 International reports that eucharistic concelebration between the Churches of Greece and Ukraine took place as early as last month’s celebration of the 1,031st anniversary of the Baptism of Kyiv in 988.

However, this has yet to be reported on Ecclesia, the official website of the Church of Greece. Read More

Through Homefront training with IOCC, Orthodox parishes undertake disaster preparedness planning so they can help avert disasters and effectively respond in their communities when needs arise. (Photo: International Orthodox Christian Charities)

✠

US Parishes Prepare for Disaster with International Orthodox Christian Charities’ Homefront Program 

Comprehensive Training for Communities Fosters Resilience, Effective Response in Emergencies

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has expanded its Homefront program, equipping Orthodox parishes across the country to plan ahead and respond effectively when disasters arise.

The Orthodox Homefront comprises parishes that have undertaken disaster preparedness planning so they can help avert disasters and effectively respond when disasters arise. Homefront parishes are equipped to open their doors to the larger community as distribution centers or shelters, for example; they might house teams of volunteers working nearby or meet other community needs in an emergency. Read More

Theologians outside of the Orthodox Church have begun to explore possibilities for a “theology of disability” in conversation with the developing field of disability theory. Orthodoxy in Dialogue publishes Ms. Spoor’s testimony as a call to Orthodox theologians, pastors, thinkers, health care practitioners, and persons with disabilities to collaborate in forging a uniquely Orthodox theology of disability.

The other day, I read the article Father Isaac Skidmore published on Orthodoxy in Dialogue about the church and mental health [On Mental Health Referrals by Orthodox Clergy]. It managed to drag up some memories of quite an unpleasant time some years back, which made me want to respond to and confirm what Father Isaac wrote in his quite excellent article from my point of view—the point of view of someone who has spent time with various churches, as well as mental health professionals, since around the age of 17. Read More

The following appeared yesterday as an op-ed at the Kyiv Post at the same time as our Metropolitan Epiphanius to Join Ranks of…Elie Wiesel and Mother Teresa? was going to press.

Ukrainian activists from Svoboda and Right Sector political parties carry torches as they march in Kyiv to mark the 110th anniversary of Stepan Bandera’s birth on January 1, 2019. (Photo by Volodymyr Petrov for the Kyiv Post.)

Apparently, I don’t stand alone among children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Ukrainian immigrants in feeling alarmed at Metropolitan Epiphanius’ sympathy—or at least tolerance—for right-wing nationalist extremism within the ranks of the newly autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). I have addressed this issue twice for the Kyiv Post: first, on June 28 in Nationalist Extremism the Scourge of the Orthodox Church, and again, on August 6 in A Painful Tragicomedy Comes to an End…and Another Begins? Read More