The following brief communiqué appeared earlier today on the website of the Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, an exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, under which jurisdiction the renowned St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris operates. We trust that an explanation of this unexpected action and the future of the Archdiocese will be made public soon.

Archbishop John of Charioupolis

Communiqué of November 28, 2018

from the Office of the Diocesan Administration 

The diocesan administration communicates to all the members of the Archdiocese that, on November 27, 2018, the Holy Synod of our Patriarchate decided to abolish the status of our Archdiocese as an Exarchate.

This decision of the Holy Synod, which has yet to be received officially at the see of the Archdiocese, was in no way requested by the Archdiocese. His Eminence, Archbishop John, was not consulted prior to this decision.

In Istanbul/Constantinople with the secretary of the Archdiocesan Council, Nicholas Lopoukhine, for a meeting of the synodal commission, Archbishop John learned of this decision during a private meeting with the Patriarch. Read More

† Anastasios
Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania

Nr. Prot. 796/18                                                                                                                   Tirana, 7th November 2018

To His Beatitude, Holy Brother in the Lord,
the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
KIRILL

Dearest Brother in Christ and Co-celebrant,

“My soul is sorrowful.” A deep pain, worry and embarrassment engulf us too, as we  follow the developments in the Ukraine issue, after the decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (11.10.2018) and of the Orthodox Church of Russia (15.10.2018), which You record in Your letter of the 29th of October 2018.

Unfortunately, they corroborate the fears we had expressed to the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (30th of July 2018), namely that the currently planned granting of autocephaly to Ukraine will be a “march in a minefield” with painful repercussions for all.

At the same time, however, we ought to remark that the latest decision of the Church of Russia is also a source of great concern. It is unthinkable that the Divine Eucharist, the mystery par excellence of the infinite love and the utter humiliation of Christ, could be used as a weapon against another Church. Is it possible that the decision and order of the Hierarchy of the Church of Russia may cancel the energy of the Holy Spirit in the holy Orthodox churches that operate under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate? Is it possible that the Divine Eucharist performed in the Churches of Asia Minor, Crete, the
Holy Mountain, and elsewhere on earth, may now become unsubstantiated for the faithful Russian Orthodox? And if they come forth “with the fear of God, faith, and love” to partake of the Sacred Gifts, is it possible that they commit “a sin,” which they should confess?  Read More

This is the first article in our On the Incarnation series for the Nativity Fast.

What does it mean for me that God has become man? How does it affect the way that I am called to live and relate to myself and other human beings? I would like to answer this question from a Pentecostal perspective that is being ever so transformed by Orthodox theology. Being both from a Pentecostal background and as a practicing psychotherapist, the idea of Christ coming as a healer and physician is of utmost importance to me theologically and practically.

The Word becomes flesh and dwells among us to identify with us and to assume fully what we are, so that He can transform a broken people into His image. Or, as St. Irenaeus of Lyons says, “Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.” The Word becoming flesh then, is the first act in bringing healing to humanity and the entire cosmos. This assumption of the flesh opens the door for others to partake by grace of what God is by His very nature.

God becoming man provides a window for His light to shine in the darkness of our pain, exposes our woundedness, shares in our suffering, and embraces us in His presence, which itself is healing and transformative. As a Pentecostal, an important part of my experience and knowledge of God is that He is a healer and wants to heal all that is broken, sick, and dying—even if, after we pray for healing, it does not come to fruition on this side of eternity. Read More

Saint Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins
Jim Forest (Illustrated by Vladislav Andrejev)
Yonkers NY: SVS Press, 2015

Saint Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins, written by Jim Forest and illustrated by Vladislav Andrejev, dramatizes the most famous story in the life of Saint Nicholas, in which he tosses gold coins through the window of a poor family so that the daughters can marry.  As the story unfurls, the readers are invited to consider alongside Nick what, if any, responsibility he bears towards those in need.  The Byzantine-influenced illustrations reference iconography, proposing an entire world populated with people recognizably similar to icons of saints in many Orthodox art traditions. 

Positioned between “Once upon a time” and the present, the text reminds us through the classic fairy-tale opening and the references to mermaids and sea monsters, paired with hagiographic notes at the back of the book, that we paint a received story full of details.  Implicitly, the text contrasts fairy tale conventions of adventure with the adventurous journey of a faithful life.  Less imaginative than the pictures, the prose is nonetheless clear, deploying stock phrasing to provide a familiar sounding rhythm to a story illustrated in a style unusual for picture books.  This marriage of familiar story language with versions of the human figure familiar (if at all) primarily from icons asks the reader to reckon with a world to be treated as if all present might be saints.  The information on the historical Saint Nicholas at the back of the book serves as an excellent springboard for further exploration.  My own reading rambled outward from the story, turning up modern discussions on the verifiability of relics (St. Nicholas’ are thought to archeologically match the hagiographic profile quite well) and national versus ecclesial claims to relics.  Read More