The fact that incidents such as the one reported here are occurring in historically Orthodox societies underscores all the more the need for the Church to articulate a proper theological and pastoral response to the universal phenomenon of sexual and gender variance in human nature. 

‘Outrageous Sins’: Moldovan Church Sidelines Priest In Spat Over LGBT Support

Father Maxim Melenti (centre)

Every week, priest Maxim Melinti can be found at the Church of the Virgin Mary in the Moldovan village of Ghidighici. This past weekend was no different, except Melinti was in front of the altar, not behind it.

Melinti was relegated to the role of spectator by the Moldovan Orthodox Church, which banned him indefinitely from officiating services as of June 21, alleging he was “promoting and encouraging sexual minorities and contributing to the development of the LGBT movement in the Republic of Moldova.”

There’s just one problem: He says he didn’t do anything.

“In me, many have found the man who will understand them and treat them with respect. I do not judge anyone, I just help people get to Christ,” he told reporters at a press conference on June 26.

“Unfortunately, there was no fair, transparent, public church judgment. The act was signed in my absence. All the press rang and asked me to comment, but it was the first time I was hearing about this. No clear accusations have been presented to me, which canons have been violated by me. I was not allowed to argue. Members of our community were not consulted,” he added. Read More

Today we received a one-liner at our editorial email address:

Do monasteries still play a role in the Church, or are they a thing of the past?

We responded with a one-liner of our own:

Very much so.

Our correspondent then wrote back:

In what way? Don’t traditional Orthodox monasteries stand in the way of progress and reform?

—————

On September 3, 2017—about two weeks after we launched Orthodoxy in Dialogue—we sent the following email to about a dozen men’s and women’s monasteries in the US, selected for the simple reason that they have an email address:

Dear Fathers, Mothers, Brothers, Sisters in holy monasticism:

I am reaching out to a few monasteries to invite you to write for our new online publication, Orthodoxy in Dialogue.

As you peruse the site you may find articles with which you disagree. I hope this doesn’t deter you from contributing something. The purpose of “dialogue,” of course, is to allow a variety of voices to be heard in an atmosphere of reciprocal charity and respect. My article “Benedict’s Option” serves as a small indicator of the high esteem in which we hold monasticism and its humble witness in today’s troubled world. Read More

Father Theophan Whitfield

I am a parish priest of the Orthodox Church in America and DMin candidate at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. 

To fulfil the research requirement for the DMin, I am conducting a study entitled The Servant Parish Project, concerned with strengthening our commitment as Orthodox Christians to compassionate ministry to the poor and suffering. 

My project contributes to the literature of encouragement. Jesus for certain said, “Come and see!” But He also said, “Go and do likewise!” At the heart of the Servant Parish Project is the conviction that our faith in Jesus Christ does not just flower into right worship (doxologia), it also flowers into loving service (diakonia).   

In 1965 Father Alexander Schmemann wrote about the need to replace the false ideal of “serving the parish” with the concept of “the parish as servant.”  The two key research questions guiding my study grow from Father Alexander’s diagnosis: 

1. How should Orthodox Christians think about the commandment found throughout Holy Scripture to honor “justice” (Isaiah 1:17, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8, Luke 18:1-8)? 

2. What strategies can Orthodox parishes pursue to create “servant parishes” actively engaged in ministry to the poor and suffering in particular? 

Read More

This statement by the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States of America was published on June 20. We were notified of it today. We are grateful to Metropolitan Antony and Archbishop Daniel for speaking out on the issues raised in our Open Letter to the Church: The Humanitarian Crisis at the US-Mexico Border.

STATEMENT ON THE SEPARATION OF CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS AT THE USA-MEXICO BORDER

Recently, in reference to the ongoing controversy of separating children from their parents who have illegally crossed the border into the United States of America, our government officials on several levels quoted from Holy Scripture the following:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1)

This quote has, as far as we have been able to determine, been utilized only twice before in the history of our United States of America—by the defenders of the British Crown during the Revolutionary War and then by the defenders of slavery during the Civil War. Neither in the present instance nor in the previous two instances will one hear other quotes from Scripture that declare that submission to civil authorities is mandatory only as long as those authorities promote good works rather than acting in opposition to God. When the civil authorities are in direct opposition to God, the believer must follow God. (Acts 4:19 and 5:29)

At the outset, we wish to declare that we believe it extremely important to protect the borders of our nation and to do everything possible to make entry into our great nation as peaceful, legal and beneficial to all. It is the history of our nation to be welcoming of immigrants who may wish to come to us for a great variety of reasons. We are, however, moved to tears when we witness what has been taking place at our southern border where over 2000 children, including infants, have been taken away from their parents and housed in cold abandoned super store warehouses with only the minimum of comfort and none of the affection and love of their parents. Read More