Pray for Peace in Georgia

Pray for Peace in Georgia

In any conflict in this fallen world, it is our first duty to pray for those who are suffering, especially our fellow Orthodox brethren. His Grace, Bp. BASIL has sent out this prayer:

PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE CAUCASUS: "O Master Who lovest mankind, King of the ages and Bestower of good things, Who hast destroyed enmity and givest peace to the human race: Grant peace even now unto all Thy servants who dwell in the lands of the Caucasus. Establish among our nations love one for another; quell every uprising; and allay all dissent and temptations. Grant unto them, O Lord, health and oneness of mind, protect them from all tribulations, afflictions and sudden death; bring an end to all enmity and malice which ariseth through the activity of the devil. Plant peace, O Lord, through the intercessions of the holy Theotokos, of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-called, of the first hierarchs of Moscow, of the holy Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and of the Great Martyr George the Victorious. For Thou art our Peace, and we send up glory unto Thee—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen." (Released by the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate)

Icon: St. Nino, Equal-to-the-Apostles (Click here for her Life)

In addition to our prayers, the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities), has been distributing food and hygiene supplies in Georgia's capital of Tbilisi to people displaced by the fighting in Georgia. To date, the IOCC has assisted almost 1,000 people, providing them with rations such as pasta, canned fish, rice and tea.

“Many of the displaced people we are seeing from South Ossetia are farmers who have never lived without a piece of land to farm or raise cattle so it has been difficult for them to take shelter in Tbilisi,” said IOCC Georgia Program Manager Darejan Dzotsenidze.

The IOCC expects to widen its assistance to other parts of the country as American shipments of food and other items are distributed throughout Tbilisi and the surrounding areas. The Moscow office of the IOCC is working with the Russian Orthodox Church to provide aid to people who have fled into Russia.

To help in providing emergency relief, call IOCC's donation hotline toll-free at 1-877-803-4622, make a gift on-line at www.iocc.org, or mail a check or money order payable to “IOCC” and write "Conflict in the Caucasus" in the memo line to: IOCC, P.O. Box 630225, Baltimore, Md. 21263-0225.

Abkhaz Monks Seek Release from Georgia

Abkhaz monks want freedom from Georgia
Posted on Sun Aug 17 2008

NOVY AFON, Georgia, Aug 17 (Reuters) - The balance of power in Abkhazia is clear to anyone looking out to sea from the Novy Afon monastery.

Six Russian warships are visible through the cypresses below the orange and ochre building, and military trucks with their black number plates rumble along the coastal road.

Technically, the 50 monks here belong to the Georgian Orthodox Church. But they disagree. Just like their separatist republic's politicians who won a vicious war against Georgia in 1992-3, they have declared independence from the church there.

"What does separatism mean anyway? It means you want to separate. And who do we want to separate from? From murderers," Father Vissarion, the head of the rebel state's church, told Reuters.

"If a man beats his wife, a court will allow her to leave him. People say we are Abkhazian separatists, but this means what? Are we supposed to be Georgians? We have nothing in common with them."

Father Vissarion's quest has gained fresh emphasis in recent days, although all other Orthodox churches still consider Abkhazia to be under Georgian spiritual control.

Abkhazia captured the last corner of its territory this week, after 15 years of uneasy peace. .

Their offensive took advantage of a powerful Russian operation against Georgian troops sent by President Mikheil Saakashvili to seize the second rebel region of South Ossetia.

The Georgian counter-offensive in South Ossetia and prompted the Russian invasion. The 75 percent of Abkhazians who are Christians noticed that Georgian Patriarch Ilia II has not condemned it.

"Sadly, Ilia II sees problems through the prism of politics, and those are the politics of Saakashvili. He has not spoken out against the genocide in South Ossetia," said Hieromonk Ignation, a fellow religious rebel.

The Orthodox Church, once the religion of the Byzantine Empire, has always had close ties with its rulers.

Abkhazia's monks argue that they are just doing what Georgia itself did, since it took advantage of the 1917 revolution to re-establish its independence from the Russian Patriarchate.

Abkhazian clerics have been independent in the past, and had a patriarch until the early 19th century.

They now claim to be restoring their ancient rights.

Their path has not been easy. Most clerics fled during the 1992-3 war in which the Georgians lost control of Abkhazia.

The handful that remained, who chose Vissarion to lead them, had to cobble together a national church with priests borrowed from Russia.

The differences between the rebel priests and the Georgian hierarchy are great, even though Ilia II has himself appealed for peace.

"Georgia has had harder times and still managed to overcome," Ilia II said, in comments on the Georgian Patriarchate's web site.

In the circumstances, it was perhaps unsurprising that the Abkhazian priests organized a service on Sunday for the crews of the six Russian naval vessels out in the bay.

They were also extremely accommodating to the hundreds of Russian tourists arriving every hour.

As Ignation said farewell with a quick squeeze on the arm, a Russian tourist dressed in pink hotpants, a purple vest and sparkly sandals approached him and asked for a blessing.

With only a sailor's cap over her long, blonde hair, she could not have looked more out of place next to Ignation, whose robe and hat made him resemble a huge, bearded crow.

"I bless you," he said. "But I do think you should at least cover up a bit."

Russian & Georgian Churches Appeal for Peace

Church groups back Russian, Georgian Orthodox peace appeals
Posted on Thu Aug 14 2008

Sophia Kishkovsky
New York (ENI). The patriarchs of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches have issued calls for peace as military conflict between Russia and Georgia over the pro-Russian separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia escalated into the first war between countries with Orthodox Christian majorities in modern history.

"Today blood is being shed and people are perishing in South Ossetia, and my heart deeply grieves over it. Orthodox Christians are among those who have raised their hands against each other. Orthodox peoples called by the Lord to live in fraternity and love are in conflict," Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II said in a statement on patriarchia.ru , his official Web site.

The Georgian authorities were reported as saying on 12 August that Russian troops were continuing to attack the town of Gori, although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier in the day said he had ordered troops to stop military operations in Georgia. Russia has denied attacking the town and has denied any incursions outside the disputed region of South Ossetia.

The Web site of the Georgian Orthodox Church, patriarchate.ge, reports that in a sermon on 10 August, Patriarch Ilia II called for prayers to end the conflict.

Backing for the patriarchs' appeals came from two international church groupings that said the United Nations must "ensure the territorial integrity and political independence of Georgia".

In a 12 August joint statement, the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches warned, "The use of force in the dispute over South Ossetia and Abkhazia has cost the precious lives of civilians and soldiers, risks destabilising a fragile region, and reawakens deep fears there and far beyond."

In his statement, Patriarch Alexy called for negotiations that would "respect the traditions, views and hopes of the Georgian and Ossetian peoples", and said that the Russian Orthodox Church was ready to work with the Georgian Orthodox Church in a peace effort.

Georgian Patriarch Ilia said in his sermon, ''God is with us and the Virgin Mary is protecting us but one thing concerns us very deeply: that Orthodox Russians are bombing Orthodox Georgians," He added, "Reinforce your prayer and God will save Georgia."

Ilia had earlier called on the Georgian and South Ossetian authorities, "to spare no effort to cease fire and solve disputes peacefully."

On 9 August, Russian nationalist youth groups, led by the Georgiyevtsy, a Russian Orthodox youth movement, held a prayer meeting in front of the Moscow offices of the European Union.

"We believe Saakashvili betrays Orthodoxy when he sets Orthodox peoples against one another," Diana Romanovskaya, press secretary of the Georgiyevtsy, told the Interfax-Religion news service in a reference to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgia became Orthodox in the fourth century, more than 600 years before the baptism of Rus in the Dnieper river in Kiev in 988, which Russians mark as the creation of their church.

Russia annexed Georgia, which was seeking protection from Persia, in 1801, and abolished the Georgian Patriarchate. It was reinstated after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Relations between the Russian and Georgian churches in recent years have been amicable.

The Web sites of both the Russian and Georgian churches report that before the fighting began, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent congratulations to Patriarch Ilia on his name day on 2 August.

"We appreciate your efforts in strengthening civil peace and harmony in the region among the nations and religions," read the message. "Common Orthodox traditions have been the greater factors of unity for Russian and Georgian nations for many centuries. Please accept my gratitude for your unchangeable kind attitude towards Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. We are certain that common spiritual roots, plus friendly and good neighbouring traditions will help us to overcome all existing difficulties between our countries."

Sophia Kishkovsky is a correspondent for ENI, based in Moscow. She wrote this story from New York.
Contac

Ukraine's Divided Churches

Orthodox Christianity
Brothers in Christ

Jul 31st 2008
From The Economist print edition
By the skin of their teeth, prelates of the Christian East avoid a rupture

WHENEVER two or more Orthodox Christian clerics join in celebrating the Eucharist—consecrating bread and wine in a manner that is far more elaborate, solemn and formal than is usual in today’s Christian West—it creates a special bond between them. And if one Orthodox cleric refuses to “concelebrate” with another, that is a sign of a deep, painful rift.

That helps to explain why Orthodox Christians all over the world (who may number more than 200m, if one makes generous assumptions about the religiosity of ordinary Russians and Ukrainians) looked on with fascination as two important gentlemen, one from Moscow and the other from Istanbul, came together in Kiev on July 27th to conduct their church’s most important rite. This was a powerful, if provisional, moment of reconciliation between the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Moscow, whose relations have been scratchy for most of the past decade.

It was a close-run thing: the 1,020th anniversary of the advent of Christianity among the Slavs, celebrated with enormous fanfare by Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko, might just as easily have led to a dramatic bust-up between the two institutions whose multiple disagreements have cast a shadow over Orthodox Christian affairs in places ranging from New York to Paris to Beijing.

In the end, however, rupture was avoided. A basis was also laid for better relations in future, thanks to careful diplomacy by Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is by tradition the “first among equals” in the Orthodox hierarchy.

Read the rest here at the Economist.

Church Backs Russian & Georgian Orthodox Peace Appeals

Church groups back Russian, Georgian Orthodox peace appeals
Posted on Thu Aug 14 2008

Sophia Kishkovsky
New York (ENI). The patriarchs of the Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches have issued calls for peace as military conflict between Russia and Georgia over the pro-Russian separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia escalated into the first war between countries with Orthodox Christian majorities in modern history.

"Today blood is being shed and people are perishing in South Ossetia, and my heart deeply grieves over it. Orthodox Christians are among those who have raised their hands against each other. Orthodox peoples called by the Lord to live in fraternity and love are in conflict," Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II said in a statement on patriarchia.ru , his official Web site.

The Georgian authorities were reported as saying on 12 August that Russian troops were continuing to attack the town of Gori, although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier in the day said he had ordered troops to stop military operations in Georgia. Russia has denied attacking the town and has denied any incursions outside the disputed region of South Ossetia.

The Web site of the Georgian Orthodox Church, patriarchate.ge, reports that in a sermon on 10 August, Patriarch Ilia II called for prayers to end the conflict.

Backing for the patriarchs' appeals came from two international church groupings that said the United Nations must "ensure the territorial integrity and political independence of Georgia".

In a 12 August joint statement, the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches warned, "The use of force in the dispute over South Ossetia and Abkhazia has cost the precious lives of civilians and soldiers, risks destabilising a fragile region, and reawakens deep fears there and far beyond."

In his statement, Patriarch Alexy called for negotiations that would "respect the traditions, views and hopes of the Georgian and Ossetian peoples", and said that the Russian Orthodox Church was ready to work with the Georgian Orthodox Church in a peace effort.

Georgian Patriarch Ilia said in his sermon, ''God is with us and the Virgin Mary is protecting us but one thing concerns us very deeply: that Orthodox Russians are bombing Orthodox Georgians," He added, "Reinforce your prayer and God will save Georgia."

Ilia had earlier called on the Georgian and South Ossetian authorities, "to spare no effort to cease fire and solve disputes peacefully."

On 9 August, Russian nationalist youth groups, led by the Georgiyevtsy, a Russian Orthodox youth movement, held a prayer meeting in front of the Moscow offices of the European Union.

"We believe Saakashvili betrays Orthodoxy when he sets Orthodox peoples against one another," Diana Romanovskaya, press secretary of the Georgiyevtsy, told the Interfax-Religion news service in a reference to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgia became Orthodox in the fourth century, more than 600 years before the baptism of Rus in the Dnieper river in Kiev in 988, which Russians mark as the creation of their church.

Russia annexed Georgia, which was seeking protection from Persia, in 1801, and abolished the Georgian Patriarchate. It was reinstated after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. Relations between the Russian and Georgian churches in recent years have been amicable.

The Web sites of both the Russian and Georgian churches report that before the fighting began, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent congratulations to Patriarch Ilia on his name day on 2 August.

"We appreciate your efforts in strengthening civil peace and harmony in the region among the nations and religions," read the message. "Common Orthodox traditions have been the greater factors of unity for Russian and Georgian nations for many centuries. Please accept my gratitude for your unchangeable kind attitude towards Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. We are certain that common spiritual roots, plus friendly and good neighbouring traditions will help us to overcome all existing difficulties between our countries."

Sophia Kishkovsky is a correspondent for ENI, based in Moscow. She wrote this story from New York.
Contact: editor@directionstoorthodoxy.org

Metropolitan PHILIP Responds to GOARCH establishing Arab Vicariate

www.antiochian.org

August 7th, 2008

To: The Esteemed Hierarchs, Members of The Archdiocese Board of
Trustees, Clergy and Faithftil of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese of North America:

On August 5, 2008, The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America issued a
press release which established a vicariate with the name 'Vicariate for
Palestinian/Jordanian Communities in the USA'. The membership of this
vicariate will consist of those communities in the USA which were
originally part of the Patriarchate of Antioch, but most recently (since
1993) were uncanonically claimed by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. From
an historical perspective, it has been clear since the disintegration of
Orthodox unity which existed in North America until 1917, that the
Arabic-speaking Orthodox people in North America have been exclusively
under the pastoral care of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian
Archdiocese of North America. Similarly, the Greek-speaking Orthodox
people (e.g. Cypriot, Greek, Egyptian, Turkish, etc.) have always been
under the pastoral care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
What reaction would occur if the Antiochian Archdiocese were to
establish a vicariate for Greek communities which separate themselves
from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese?!

These former "Jerusalem Patriarchate" communities separated themselves
from the Antiochian Archdiocese without canonical releases, and in some
cases are served by priests who are under canonical suspension. It is
important to point out that since this separation occurred in 1993 we
have taken extraordinary measures to reconcile these communities with
The Antiochian Archdiocese and have appealed to both the Patriarchate of
Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Antioch as well as others for
their assistance. Unfortunately, none of our numerous appeals for
intervention were answered.

As such, our directive of May 2, 2003 remains in force. To emphasize the
main point or that directive, the clergy of The Antiochian Archdiocese
are still forbidden from communing and/or concelebrating with any clergy
who are a part of this newly-formed "Vicariate far Palestinian/Jordanian
Communities in the USA" of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America,
whether in our parishes, their parishes, or as a part of pan-Orthodox
gatherings.

We lament this action by the Ecumenical Patriarchate which further
complicates the already uncanonical jurisdictional situation here and
continues to undermine the efforts of all Orthodox hierarchs of SCOBA to
achieve administrative unity and canonical normalcy in North America.

Praying that this urgent situation will be resolved in a spirit of
peace, harmony and love, we remain

Yours In Christ,
Metropolitan PHILIP
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

Copy to:
His Beadtude IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East
His Holiness ALEXY, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
His All-Holiness BARTHOLOMEW, Patriarch or Constantinople
His Beatitude THEOPHILOS, patriarch of Jerusalem
All Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
in America (SCOBA)

First read HERE.

Jerusalem Patriarchate gives up American authority and signs it over to Constantinople

And does the Jerusalem Patriarchate receive something in return from the Ecumenical Patriarchate? Sounds like they are trying to shore up Greek influence and power. I hope this is not their primary motivation, but it sure looks that way having not consulted with the Arabic (background) Orthodox Patriarchate or Archdiocese. Kyrie eleison!

Decisions on Some Palestinian and Jordanian Communities in the USA

New York, NY - After a long process that began in 1993 related to the ecclesiastical status of a portion of the Palestinian and Jordanian communities in the USA, the portion connected to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, there has been a final agreed decision by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem concerning these communities. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Jerusalem Patriarchate have agreed that the canonical and pastoral supervision of these communities and their clergy should belong to the canonically established jurisdiction in the United States which is the Eparchy of the Ecumenical Throne in America, that is, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Henceforth, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem no longer asserts any jurisdiction in the Western Hemisphere.

On Tuesday, April 1, 2008, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, together with the senior member of the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, Metropolitan Vasilios of Caesaria (Palestine) and other clergy. Final details for the implementation of the agreements were completed, with a mutual decision that these communities come under the canonical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of America. Following the meeting at the Phanar, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America was directed to proceed with the implementation of the agreements by the creation of a Vicariate for the inclusion of the clergy and communities within the Archdiocese of America. The official name of the Vicariate is: “Vicariate for Palestinian/Jordanian Communities in the USA.”

The clergy and communities of the Vicariate will be directly under the Archbishop of America and will report to the Archdiocese through the Vicar. Through the Archdiocese, all of these clergy and communities will be able to participate in the programs and agencies of SCOBA.

Contact: Ecumenical Office
Tel.: 212.570.3593
Email: ecumenical@goarch.org

GEORGIAN & RUSSIAN PATRIARCHS TAKE STAND FOR PEACE

Phone talk of the head of Georgian Orthodox Church with Metropolitan Kirill, chairman of Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations

His Holiness and Beatitude Iliya II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, had a telephone talk on 14 August with Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations.

They discussed the tragic consequences of the events last week, focusing on the condition of the civilian population in the military conflict zone.

They approved the peacemaking stand taken by the two Churches and agreed to maintain contacts and cooperation in efforts to overcome the grave consequences that the military confrontation has had for the civilians.

GEORGIAN PATRIARCH PLEADS FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II Has Left for Gori
2008-08-15

Just half an hour ago His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II accompanied with Metropolitan Daniel (Datuashvili) of Tskhum-Abkhazia Diocese and a large group of priests and nuns left for Gori. The Catholicos Patriarch is expected to meet the local population in Gori and Nikozi, and if it is available to go to Tskhinvali as well. The Patriarchate of Georgia has been delivering humanitarian assistance through IDP’s and injured population. There is opened a banking account for the Patriarchate of Georgia “For Injured in Samachablo War” at the Central Branch of Republican Bank. Please, see the banking details: 10001556118 EUR INTERMEDIARY BANK – SOCIETE GENERALE, Paris, France SWIFT: SOGE FR PP BENEFICIARY BANK – BANK “REPUBLIC” Tbilisi, Georgia Acc.: 001019083750 SWIFT: REPL GE 22 Beneficiary: SAKARTVELOS SAPATRIARKO Account: 10001556118 USD INTERMEDIARY BANK – SOCIETE GENERALE, N.Y., USA SWIFT: SOGE US 33 BENEFICIARY BANK – BANK “REPUBLIC” Tbilisi, Georgia Acc.: 00195464 SWIFT: REPL GE 22 Beneficiary: SAKARTVELOS SAPATRIARKO Account 10001556118

CAN PEACE REALLY COME FROM WAHHABIST SAUDI ARABIA?

Islam and Saudi Arabia, champions of dialogue?

by Samir Khalil Samir

The Saudi king takes more steps to show openness towards Christians, Jews and other religions. The most urgent reason is to rectify Islam’s violent image but also stems from a new attitude towards inter-faith dialogue towards the People of the Book (Jews, Muslims and Christians), but also atheists, Hindus and Buddhists.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Muslim world is showing increasing signs that it wants to engage others in dialogue. Greater tolerance is increasingly visible in Muslim countries, signs like the opening of a new church in Kuwait or one in Qatar, greater openness towards the Vatican, the letter signed by 138 Muslim scholars to Benedict XVI, the creation of a joint Islamic-Catholic commission; Saudi King Abdullah’s visit to the Holy See . . . .

More signs of openness and tolerance have come from the Saudi monarch himself like the intra-Muslim meeting in Makkah (4-6 June 2008) and the inter-faith conference in Madrid (16-18 July 2008) as a start to inter-faith dialogue, one that includes Jews as well.

Dialogue seems to be the order of the day in a religion that since 11 September 2001 and the attack against New York’s twin towers has come to be regarded by the general public as the most intolerant religion. What is going on? Here is the analysis of Islam expert Fr Samir Khalil Samir.

Read the full article HERE.
Here is another take: "In Mecca, a King is Giving Lessons in Peace"
And do take note of this (typical) bit of hypocrisy.