(Vatican Radio) With a message to Orthodox believers throughout the world, the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church completed its weeklong work on Sunday.The meeting, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, took place at the Orthodox Academy on the Greek island of Crete.In the final document leaders of the 10 local or Autocephalous Churches taking part in the meeting expressed particular concern for Christians in the Middle East. They also condemned military violence, persecutions, the expulsion and murder of members of religious minorities, forced conversions, torture, executions and the trafficking of refugees.The 290 delegates at the Counci also discussed six documents on the topics of marriage, the practice of fasting, the question of autonomy, the Orthodox diaspora, the mission of the Church in today’s world, and the issue of relations with other Christian Churches.Fr Chrysostom Nassis is professor in the theology faculty of the Universit...
(Vatican Radio) With a message to Orthodox believers throughout the world, the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church completed its weeklong work on Sunday.The meeting, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, took place at the Orthodox Academy on the Greek island of Crete.
In the final document leaders of the 10 local or Autocephalous Churches taking part in the meeting expressed particular concern for Christians in the Middle East. They also condemned military violence, persecutions, the expulsion and murder of members of religious minorities, forced conversions, torture, executions and the trafficking of refugees.
The 290 delegates at the Counci also discussed six documents on the topics of marriage, the practice of fasting, the question of autonomy, the Orthodox diaspora, the mission of the Church in today’s world, and the issue of relations with other Christian Churches.
Fr Chrysostom Nassis is professor in the theology faculty of the University of Thessaloniki and was a member of the delegation of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the Council. He talked to Philippa Hitchen about the most significant results of the long awaited encounter….
The pro-life flag from the Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com). / Credit: Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com)Toronto, Canada, Apr 25, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).The International Pro-Life Flag will not fly over Toronto Catholic schools this May.Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustees voted against an April 23 motion proposed by trustee Michael Del Grande that the pro-life flag fly outside all schools and the Catholic Education Centre during the month of May, just as the board voted to fly the Pride flag in June.Del Grande's motion was defeated at the April 23 board meeting when only Garry Tanuan supported Del Grande's motion. The eight other board members in attendance and the two student trustees opposed his proposal.Though Del Grande could not muster enough backing from his colleagues, his plan, which would have also directed all TCDSB schools to teach an exclusively pro-life curriculum on May 9, the day of the National March for Life, garnered bois...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 10:52 am (CNA).Following a recent Vatican declaration on human dignity, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales condemned medical and social transgenderism while encouraging a "sensitive" response in a pastoral reflection released on Wednesday.The Vatican's doctrinal office came down strongly against gender ideology, stating that "all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected."The Catholic bishops of England and Wales followed the Vatican's lead in their April 24 statement, "Intricately Woven by the Lord," which encouraged rooting pastoral care in "acceptance … of the body as created." "We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body," they wrote. "Nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).Louisiana State Police have obtained a new search warrant to collect documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as part of an ongoing investigation into Church abuse in that state.State police spokesman Jacob Pucheu confirmed to CNA on Thursday that the bureau had obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into "numerous complaints of child sexual abuse" leveled at the archdiocese. The inquiry was first launched in 2022, he said."As part of the ongoing investigation, on Monday, April 22, 2024, SVU investigators obtained an additional search warrant to collect information and documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans," Pucheu told CNA."The archdiocese is cooperating with investigators to fulfill the terms of the search warrant," he said. "This investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time."Pucheu declined to directly provide a copy of the warrant, saying that "since it is...