Tag: Christianity

ROME — Such is the frenetic nature of the Pope Francis papacy that even though Good Friday was less than a week ago, just a few days later it was hard to remember that it actually produced news. In the meantime, of course, we’ve had not only the pontiff’s traditional Easter activity but his latest tell-all interview book, once again, for a moment, transforming the papacy into a species of reality TV.

In this instance, Francis lifted the veil on the inner workings of two conclaves, those of 2005 and 2013, and also dished on his predecessor’s top aide, German Archbishop Georg Gänswein, claiming that he lacks “nobility and humanity” for the way in which he allegedly tried to pit Pope Benedict XVI against Francis.

As Italian journalist Massimo Gramellini put it, “At bottom, Bergoglio [the pope’s given name] is no more than a man of his times. We live in an era in which, some more and some less, we’re all exhibitionists, devoured by an insatiable need to make our lives public, in the hope of being appreciated and understood.”

Despite all that, it’s still worth returning to Good Friday for a moment, because it produced an iconic image of the late stages of the Francis papacy: An empty white chair at Rome’s Colosseum, where the pontiff had been scheduled to preside over the traditional Way of the Cross procession, but where he ended up being a no-show at the last minute due to health concerns.

In a way, it was odd that anyone ever seriously entertained the idea that the 87-year-old pope would physically attend the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) on a chilly yet humid Roman evening, exactly the wrong conditions for someone struggling to kick the after-effects of a series of colds, flu, and bronchitis. In all probability, it was likely Francis’ determination that kept the possibility alive until the very last moment, and which led to the specter of his empty chair having to be carted away in front of live TV cameras.

To be sure, Francis promptly bounced back, as he has after multiple health scares before. He presided over the Easter vigil Mass Saturday evening, the Easter morning Mass on Sunday, and then delivered his traditional Urbi et Orbi message (“to the city and to the world”), all 1,300 words of it, in his own voice. All in all, it did not seem like the specter of a pope on death’s door.

Yet, the empty chair of Good Friday remains as a reminder that, more and more, the price of Francis being able to perform in key moments as he did on Easter is scaling back, or skipping altogether, other aspects of his usual activities.

Where that gradual withdrawal will be most obvious to the naked eye will be missed public moments: General Audiences he decides to shorten or skip, for instance, or international trips he doesn’t take, or traditional liturgical celebrations he hands off to someone else.

Yet there’s a sense that the pope’s being out of the public eye is only the tip of the iceberg, because a limited Francis will translate quickly into limited Church governance.

We’ve seen popes publicly decline before, most recently during the final years of St. Pope John Paul II. His increasing frailty had consequences for ecclesiastical administration, most notably with regard to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, which erupted into full public view in the United States in 2002. Vatican officials from that era will tell you important decisions sometimes were either delayed or resolved with only half-measures, on the basis that “we can’t bother the pope with this right now.”

Yet in a routine sense, you almost wouldn’t have known that the pope was struggling. Bishops continued to be appointed around the world, teaching documents continued to be issued (including the encyclical letter “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” (“The Church from the Eucharist”) in 2003), legal decrees were promulgated, disciplinary decisions were made, and in general the ecclesiastical trains continued running on time.

To a great extent, that was because John Paul was never terribly interested in internal governance, even when he was in the flush of health. He was a decidedly ad extra pope, engaged in the broad human questions of his time, and had relatively little patience for the minutiae of management. As a result, he delegated. 

He had a powerful priest secretary, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Stanislaw Dziwisz; a commanding Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano; and his key intellectual potentate in Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He also had stocked the Vatican with strong department heads, each capable of moving the levers of power in the general direction the pope desired but without requiring his input on the particulars.

Things are quite different today, as Francis very much wields the reins of governance himself.

Francis has clipped the wings of his Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, making him more of a diplomatic mouthpiece than a genuine prime minister. He essentially dissolved the role of the priest-secretary, having two or three clerics handle pieces of the job rather than entrusting it all to one central figure, and rotating them in and out every few years. Francis also works around the established departments of the Vatican at least as much as he does through them, lessening their capacity to take up the slack someday if needed. 

This is both the blessing and the curse of a highly engaged pope: Nobody has to guess who’s really pulling the strings, but equally, there’s no one else to pull them when the pope’s hand is missing.

Whether a slowdown in governance as Francis’ limits become more pronounced is positive or negative may depend, as with most things, on point of view. If you’re the kind of Catholic who believes the Church has been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for the past 11 years and could do with a breather, you may welcome a slowdown; if you’re a Francis aficionado anxious to see him nail down as much of his legacy as possible, then all of a sudden his do-it-yourself-style papacy may seem a drawback rather than a strong suit.

However one chooses to look at it, the bottom line seems the same: As Francis increasingly leaves his chair empty, the Vatican — and the broader Church — will slow down. Some of that’s inevitable no matter who’s in charge, but the effect will be more pronounced on his watch, which is a natural byproduct of his imminently hands-on approach.

Finland, April 4, 2024

At New Valaam Monastery. Photo: yle.fi     

Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 are increasingly leaving Lutheranism and converting to holy Orthodoxy in Finland, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists, with reference to inosmi.ru.

Monasticism is also growing in the Nordic state.

While both the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Finnish Orthodox Church under the Patriarchate of Constantinople hold the status of state Churches, the former is far larger. According to Finnish government statistics from December 2021, 66.6% of the population belonged to the Lutheran church, while just 0.4% belonged to the Orthodox Church.

However, according to Fr. Mikael Sundqvist from Vantaa, just north of Helsinki, there is a noticeable trend of converts from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, there had been a slow but steady decline in Statistics published on Finnish Orthodox Church for 2017The recently-published statistics show an unfortunate decline for the fifth year in a row. At the end of 2017 there were 60,186 parishioners, which is 380 fewer than at the end of 2016.

“>Orthodox numbers in Finland.

Fr. Mikael notes that he has heard of similar trends in Stockholm and in the U.S.

“In conversations with young people, I often hear that they respect the Orthodox Church because it defends traditional values,” Fr. Mikael says.

“This is largely due to views on family and sexuality,” according to the priest.

He notes that it seems men are becoming more conservative, while women are becoming more liberal

It seems that men are becoming more conservative, and women, on the contrary, more liberal, Fr. Mikael says, though he also notes that young women are also converting, many of whom were previously taken in by esotericism and the New Age.

And the increase in converts is coupled with an increased interest in monasticism, says Abbot Mikael Nummela of New Valaam Monastery in Heinävesi.

The monastery is regularly contacted by young men who are interested in joining. Three entered the brotherhood last month, and one monk was tonsured into the Great Schema. Fr. Anthony is the first schemamonk at New Valaam in several decades.

And the brotherhood is currently the largest it is has been in several decades, since the 1960s, with 18 members of the brotherhood.

The site of the Finnish Orthodox Church lists a men’s monastery, a convent, and a men’s skete.

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Revelation: Removing the VeilThis revelation was given by God to the Apostle John because we needed to know it.

“>Part 1
If Christ Is With Us, Death Is DefeatedThe book of Revelation teaches us a lot, especially when we begin to carefully delve into its words, when we see how Christ holds the world in His hands and acts with wisdom in all things.”>Part 2
Why Did the Lord Leave Man the Book of Revelation?Only the people of God, the saints, can receive revelations from God, and only they can interpret them, because a revelation, words from God, is given from God, from the Holy Spirit.”>Part 3
For the Time Is at Hand…We have to understand that God acts outside of time, and the events of Revelation don’t relate only to the end times.”>Part 4
Blessed Is He That Readeth…Christ sent the revelation through an angel to His servant the Apostle and Evangelist John, who conveyed the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ about what he saw and heard.”>Part 5
He Hath Made Us Kings and PriestsA man who is close to God, my dears, truly feels like a king—he has no need of anything. At the same time, he may have absolutely nothing.”>Part 6

Lamp of the Church of Ephesus

With God’s help, we’ll continue our talks today about the Revelation of the Saint John the Theologian, Apostle and EvangelistThrough humility, not calling himself by name, nevertheless speaking of himself in the Gospel, refers to himself as the disciple ”whom Jesus loved.” This love of him by the Lord, showed itself when the Lord was on the cross he entrusted His Most Holy Mother to him saying: ”Behold your mother.”

“>Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Last time, we said that the Apostle John addresses seven Churches that are in Asia Minor. He wishes them grace … and peace, from Him Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; [Who] cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, every man, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen (Rev. 1:4-7). All of this will definitely happen. And after this, Christ Himself, Who spoke with the Apostle and Evangelist John, continues: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8). We said that this refers to the Holy Trinity. One of the most significant and frequent references to the Holy Trinity is in the text of Revelation.

    

We’ll now turn to chapter 1, verse 9, which says the following: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9). John the Apostle and Evangelist, our brother and partner in tribulation, in the kingdom and patience, known to us by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, was in exile on the island of Patmos for the word and testimony of God. He says this here so his further words would be trustworthy, assured, not words thrown to the wind, vague and unclear; so he gives his name, saying: “It’s John, your brother, who participates with you in sorrows, in the kingdom, and in patience by the power of Jesus Christ.” He says he ended up on the island of Patmos, where they sent him to prison for his testimony of Christ and for the word of God.

You see that the way of the Holy Apostles resembled the life of Christ. They weren’t successful in a worldly way, not everything went well in their lives, they had no worldly power or authority, but they were people who went through many sorrows, difficulties, trials, and exiles. And note that the Apostle John wrote Revelation at the end of his life. He was already quite old, but despite this, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. In those days of course, Patmos wasn’t like it is today, where we go for vacation. It was an arid island, unsettled. And if people were exiled there, it means it was a very difficult place to live.

Nicolas Poussin, Landscape with St. John on Patmos     

He was there because he testified about Jesus Christ; he was imprisoned on Patmos for preaching Christ and for the word of God. The Apostle experienced many sorrows.

When we say “tribulations,” we don’t mean just the The Deeper the Sorrow the Closer is GodIn moments of life’s trials, heavy sorrows, and illnesses, we need to feel the presence of God in our lives reliably, clearly, and convincingly. This feeling, together with the understanding of God’s close sympathy to our sorrows should be found living in our hearts, actively strengthening and consoling us.

“>sorrows and strained circumstances in which the saints found themselves. The word “tribulation” (from the Greek “η θλίψη”—“to melt”) means “complete crushing” (from the Greek “λιώνω”), when a man “melts,” “is crushed.” Therefore, through tribulation, patience, and faith, the saints became partakers of the coming Kingdom of Christ.

But only the man who has faith has patience. If a man has little faith, then he’s impatient; he wants everything to happen quickly, this minute, and in the way that he wants it. He quickly loses his composure and hope and finds himself in a state of panic. A patient man believes in God and awaits a resolution of circumstances from Him.

In the tenth verse we read: I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet (Rev. 1:10). The Apostle says he was in a state of rapture in the Holy Spirit—that’s how we should understand the words I was in the Spirit. He was in a moment of the visitation of grace, as today’s elders who had such experience would say. The Holy Spirit enraptures a man and reveals to him the events that are going to happen. As we already said in our preliminary talks, many people talk about their revelations and visions today.

However, the experience of the visitation of the Holy Spirit differs from the experience of being deceived by satan in that the people of God are conscious and understand what’s happening; they don’t lose clarity. Their awareness doesn’t leave them; they know who they are, where they are; they know that they see what God shows them, not someone who suddenly came out of nowhere. They know it’s a visitation of God, not the result of their virtues and their own strength. And most importantly, these people are distinguished by deep humility. These are humble, spiritual, ascetic people whom the Church knows and can testify to.

The Theotokos appears to St. Sergius of Radonezh, 17th C.     

People who are characterized by egotism, vainglory, and pride, who believe that “only us and no one else,” who think that everything they see and know, everything they experience, is indisputable, because they say so. Such people don’t have the Spirit of God within them. They’re in a state of prelest, of delusion. Egotism is the seal of delusion. Humility is the seal of grace. People with grace know themselves; they don’t lose their identity. They’re not like people who have fallen, who have lost their consciousness and seen and done some things in this state. Then it may turn out to be true, but we mustn’t forget that the devil has power if a man allows him to mimic the action of grace. The devil often parodies the works of God. He tries to behave like God in order to deceive people. We have to be very careful. And first of all, the seal of truth is the Church, then holiness, a virtuous life, and the humility of a man who has such experience.

Thus, the Apostle John was in a state of grace on a Sunday. This is the first time in the New Testament that the day after Saturday is called “the Lord’s Day.” It wasn’t called that before—we Christians started calling it that. This is the Lord’s Day, dedicated to the Lord. The Jews called it “the day after the Sabbath.”

The Apostle was in a state of grace on Sunday and heard a loud voice coming from behind him. The voice was like the sound of a trumpet. A strong voice. Who was it that spoke? We read in the next verse: I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven Churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea (Rev. 1:11).

    

The number seven always serves as a sign of completeness; that is, these words were to be conveyed to “all the Churches,” but especially to those Churches that were in the area of Ephesus: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

None of these Churches exist today. They were all in Asia Minor. They were taken away by our friends the Turks. I’m saying this to show you that God isn’t connected to places. God has no geographical ties. This is evidenced by the fact that all the Churches that the Holy Spirit addressed have disappeared. They disappeared because of our lack of ingenuity and intelligence. God save us! I don’t know what else is going to disappear. God isn’t connected to a place; He is beyond the bounds of places; He’s not dependent on geography and doesn’t have human senses and feelings; He doesn’t depend on all that. But we humans need to be careful.

So, write in a book, and send it unto the seven Churches. The Lord lists those Churches that were already founded by the Apostle and Evangelist John at that point, and later we’ll see how He speaks with these Churches.

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden lampstands (Rev. 1:12). The Apostle heard a voice behind him, like a trumpet, speaking to him, and he turned around to see who was talking to him. Having turned around, he saw seven golden lampstands. The Greek word used here is “λυχνοστάτης”—“stand,” “lamp holder,” not “λύχνος”—“lamp.” The Holy Fathers explain that “lampstand” is used here because the Church holds a lamp—the Gospel of Christ. Christ is the true Light, and the Church holds this lamp—it’s the stand for the lamp.

The Holy Trinity And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle (Rev. 1:13). Amidst the lampstands, he saw Someone like a man. Why is he like a man? The Apostle talks about it below. He was clothed in a tunic covering His feet and girded with a golden belt. These were the garments of bishops and kings, to show the hierarchical and royal dignity of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom all the prophecies spoke. Now the Apostle John is beholding a vision. The Prophet Daniel saw and described practically the same vision in the Old Testament.

If we turn to Daniel chapter 7, we’ll read about the vision of the Ancient of Days, Which appeared the same way the Apostle and Evangelist John describes Him. This is another proof that the prophets of the Old Testament saw Christ.

In the New Testament, Christ is incarnate as a man, but in the Old Testament, He has no human nature. Christ, the Bodiless Word, spoke with the Prophets in the Old Testament; but in the New Testament, it’s the same Christ—the Incarnate Word.

Thus, He saw a man dressed in a tunic and girded about the chest with a golden belt. The Fathers asked why the belt was about the chest. Did you know that the girdle has a symbolic meaning? In the past, in antiquity, people always wore a girdle, including the Jews. Let us recall the girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Reliquary with the girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos     

When Scripture speaks of the St. John the Baptist

“>Holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, it says he was girded with a leather belt about his waist, which is why we monastics wear a leather belt. And priests wear a belt during the services. Therefore, kings and warriors in the Old Testament wore belts. Scripture says: Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee (Jer. 1:17). The belt symbolizes chastity, abstinence, strength. It’s a symbol of the mortification of the old man. Therefore, St. John the Forerunner wore a leather belt, to demonstrate the mortification of the passions. The Jews believed that the desiring aspect of man is located in the area of the womb, so they tied a belt there, symbolizing chastity, which they should maintain.

Do you remember the old yiayias who always wore a thin belt? Sometimes they were woven. You know, the Theotokos had the same kind. When I lived at Vatopedi and took care of the precious relics, I often took the Theotokos’ belt out of the reliquary to wipe off the dust and keep everything in order. The belt is very small, two fingers wide. It consists of three pieces. It used to be bigger, but it was stolen at one point, after which the fathers cut it into pieces so it wouldn’t be completely lost. It’s woven from camel hair. The Theotokos herself wove it and embroidered it with golden and green threads.

Later, in gratitude for healing, Empress Zoe added the embroidery that has been preserved to this day. The Theotokos gave this belt to the Apostle Thomas as a blessing when they met. It reminds me of those narrow belts that our yiayias always wore.

I remember whenever my yiayia would sew a dress, she always made a small belt that she tied at the top of those beautiful dresses that women wore then. Even clothes mattered.

The order for the Sacrament of Baptism says the newly illumined should wear a robe, a white hat, and a belt. Why a belt? Because he’s a soldier now. He was baptized, girded with a belt, and he goes to fight satan, to defeat him. He needs to be girded. Therefore, a monk always wears a belt. At the time of the tonsure, we’re given monastic garments, including a belt. Moreover, the belt is leather, not fabric, or something else.

The Holy Fathers explained that the Lord wore His girdle about His chest because He was free from passions and sins.

To be continued…

St. Isidore was born in Spain around the year 560. Two of his brothers became bishops, and his sister a nun, and all three were canonized as saints along with Isidore.

Isidore’s brother Leander was the archbishop of Seville, and had a strong influence on his younger brother. He helped Isidore develop a commitment to prayer and work for the good of the Church, and Isidore joined him in converted the heretical Visigoths who had invaded Spain.

When Leander died, Isidore succeeded him as archbishop. He was determined to preserve the wisdom of the Church, even against the changes in his country from the culture of barbarian tribes. Isidore encouraged study and development in law, medicine, foreign languages, and philosophy, and compiled the first encyclopedia written from a Catholic perspective, the “Etymologiae.”

Under Isidore’s leadership, local councils pronounced the orthodoxy of the Spanish Church, fighting against errors about Christ and the Trinity. To guard the faithful against heretical doctrines, these councils promoted extensive education of the clergy.

Isidore intensified his charitable works to the poor in the last months of his life. Many in need came to his residence, and received help.

St. Isidore died on April 4, 636. He was later named a Doctor of the Church, and has recently been proposed as a patron saint of internet users because of his determination to use the world’s knowledge for the glory of God.

Washington, D.C., April 2, 2024

Bp. Alexei with the Sitka Icon at the ROCOR cathedral in D.C. Photo: flickr.com     

At the invitation of the primate of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, the wonderworking “The Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Sitka” LectureOn March 20, 2016, the Very Reverend John Kowalczyk, pastor of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Jermyn, PA delivered a lecture at Villanova University’s Connelly Center. The lecture is entitled ”The Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Sitka,” and is the first presentation in the Alaskan Exhibition Lecture Series:

“>Sitka Icon of the Mother of God is visiting the capital city and several surrounding states.

The tour of the icon, led by His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska, began on March 25 and continues through April 4.

Photo: flickr.com   

“The icon, painted by the Russian Iconographer Vladimir Lukich Borovikvsky in the late 18th century in the ‘Kazan’ style, has had numerous miracles attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Sitka,” writes the OCA’s Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Every stop also features presentations by Bp. Alexei on the history and current needs of the Alaska Diocese.

In addition to OCA churches, the icon was also present at the St. John the Baptist Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in Washington on Saturday, March 30. Watch the Icon’s arrival at the cathedral:

​

The next morning, it was present at the OCA’s St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, where Met. Tikhon and Bp. Alexei concelebrated the Divine Liturgy.

Tomorrow, the Sitka Icon will again be present at the St. Nicholas Cathedral for a Presanctified Liturgy with the Holy Synod of Bishops.

Bp. Alexei also toured the Pacific Northwest with the Icon Numerous miraculous healings by Sitka Icon of the Mother of GodHundreds of faithful came out to every stop to attend the Divine services, hear His Grace’s presentation about the needs of the Alaskan clergy, and venerate the Sitka Icon.

“>in the fall, with miraculous occurrences being reported all along the way.

In support of the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, contributions can be made online, or be sent to:

PO Box 230108
Anchorage, AK 99523

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Multiple states will have measures to expand access to abortion on their ballots in November, a key challenge for pro-life groups in the fall after their losses on similar contests in post-Dobbs elections.

The Florida Supreme Court on April 1 simultaneously ruled that the state’s Constitution does not protect abortion access and allowed a proposed amendment seeking to do so to qualify for the state’s November ballot.

Kelsey Pritchard, state public affairs director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told OSV News in an interview that while her group celebrates that the Florida Supreme Court upheld abortion restrictions in that state, “at the same time, we recognize that Florida is in real jeopardy of losing those protections through the ballot measure that they also upheld and said would be on the ballot in November.”

“And we really call on Gov. Ron DeSantis, on people in Florida who are pro-life and GOP leaders there to step up, and especially for the governor because he signed both of those bills into law and he needs to be at the forefront of protecting Florida from big abortion’s agenda,” she added in reference to laws limiting abortion signed by DeSantis, a Republican who unsuccessfully sought his party’s nomination for president in 2024.

Maryland and New York also will have efforts to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitutions on the ballot, while efforts for similar amendments to qualify for the ballot are still underway in several states including Arizona and Montana, where closely watched races for the U.S. Senate also will take place.

Ballot measures on abortion proved elusive for the pro-life movement in 2022 and 2023, despite achieving their long-held goal of reversing Roe v. Wade when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, which overturned the 1973 Roe decision and related precedent establishing abortion as a constitutional right, as well as the passage of legislation limiting the procedure in several states as well as new revenue streams of support in some states for women and families facing unplanned pregnancies.

Ohio voters on Nov. 7, 2023, approved a measure to codify abortion access in the state’s constitution, legalizing abortion up to the point of fetal viability — the gestational point at which a baby may be capable of living outside the uterus — and beyond, if a physician decided an abortion was necessary for the sake of the mother’s life or health. The Ohio results were not an outlier, as they followed losses for the pro-life movement when voters in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it.

Pritchard said, “In addition to Florida, we are involved with Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota,” other states where advocates of expanding abortion access also are seeking the requisite number of signatures to qualify for similar ballot measures to amend those states’ constitutions.

Some Democratic strategists have argued those measures could help their efforts in battleground states, as voters even in Republican-leaning states have adopted them.

Asked how the group plans to shift its strategy on abortion ballot measures in the next election cycle, Pritchard said, “What has to be different this time is the level of engagement from GOP leaders, they have to be willing to get into these fights now, and help by raising money and vocally standing in opposition and to really unveil what these measures actually do.”

Pritchard added that opponents of such constitutional amendments need “to expose that the abortion industry is lying in their ads when they say that, if you don’t pass this constitutional amendment women are going to die in your state.”

“That’s a complete lie, because it’s just an obvious truth that every state has a life of the mother provision,” she said.

Although supporters of state-level abortion restrictions note each of those laws passed in the wake of Dobbs contains an exception for circumstances where a pregnancy presents a risk to a woman’s life, critics have pointed to cases where women alleged that the laws in their states forced them to continue pregnancies despite grave risks to their health.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred and must be respected from conception to natural death. As such, the church opposes direct abortion as an act of violence that takes the life of the unborn child.

After the Dobbs decision, church officials in the U.S. have reiterated the church’s concern for both mother and child, as well as about social issues that push women toward having an abortion.

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, April 2, 2024

Photo: vema.com.au     

The faithful of St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Adelaide, South Australia, celebrated Matins and the Divine Liturgy outside on Sunday, March 31, after their church suffered severe fire damage.

The blaze occurred the evening before, the Archdiocese of Australia announced, reports vema.com.au.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames quickly, though the church nevertheless suffered considerable damage. Investigators do not believe the fire was intentional. “The parishioners of the Parish of Saint Andrew are devastated, but at the same time determined to help each in their own way to repair the damage.”

Photo: vema.com.au     

Bishop Silouan of Sinope, Vicar of Adelaide, offered his condolences:

Tragedies are always unwanted and unexpected, even if, with God’s help, they are accepted. During this sacred period of Great Lent our thoughts and prayers are intensified, while being immersed in even more compunction. The Church will be rebuilt because the Church is Christ. The Church is never destroyed because it is crucified and glorified, humbled and exalted. The Church is forever excelling in brilliance through the radiance of its perpetual resurrection.

The parish faithful “are unwavering in their determination to soon restore their church to its former beauty and glory and to beautify it even more for the glory of God.”

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A newly enacted package of bills in Michigan that decriminalizes paid surrogacy contracts ignores multiple concerns that exist within the practice, including protecting women from exploitation and human trafficking, according to the state’s Catholic bishops.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Michigan Family Protection Act on April 1. Whitmer touted the package of bills as “commonsense, long overdue” action that not only repeals the state’s ban on surrogacy contracts, but also protects families formed by in vitro fertilization (IVF), and ensures LGBTQ+ parents are treated equally.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Catholic Conference, the policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops, have warned that the bills will create a new, unregulated industry in the state that will result in the advertising, recruiting and targeting of women to become paid egg donors and surrogates.

The organization also said it fears that the state will likely see a surge in surrogate agencies and attorneys whose work is built around negotiating contracts between couples of individuals with means and “vulnerable, cash strapped young women” for the conception, birth, and forfeit of a child.

“While every child possesses inherent dignity and worth, regardless of the manner by which the child came into the world, the change in Michigan law will allow for those with resources to obtain a child at the expense of women in financial need,” Paul Long, the president and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference said in an April 1 statement.

“For profit surrogacy contracts that pay females for the use of their reproductive means violate the inherent dignity of women and unethically allow children to be the subject of a contract,” Long continued. “The practice of surrogacy undermines the significant prenatal bond formed between a child and the mother who nurtured him or her through birth.”

Michigan is the last state to legalize contractual surrogacy.

Surrogacy is a practice in which one person agrees to carry a child for an intended parent or parents. It has become a common tool for families facing infertility challenges and same-sex couples.

IVF, meanwhile, is a procedure used to help someone get pregnant. How it works is that mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab. Then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs in the woman’s uterus, which is where the babies develop.

Whitmer said the package of bills is important to allow more people to create families in Michigan.

“Decisions about if, when, and how to have a child should be left to a family, their doctor, and those they love and trust, not politicians,” Whitmer said in an April 1 statement. “If we want more people and families to ‘make it’ in Michigan, we need to support them with the resources they need to make these deeply personal, life-changing choices.”

Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, a Democrat representing Grand Rapids, similarly said in a statement that the legislation was important to show anyone can pursue dreams of parenthood.

“Today, we are taking tangible action to show the rest of the nation that Michigan is a place where anyone can pursue their dreams of parenthood without unnecessary hurdles,” Brinks said on April 1. “After years of fighting hard to grant Michiganders the freedom to grow their families through surrogacy, it’s an incredible relief and honor to be here today as this long-awaited legislation is finally signed into law.”

Conversely, Long argues that while the conference recognizes the good that exists in the desire to have children and create a family, there will be a societal cost to compensated, for-profit surrogacy.

“With the law requiring surrogates to have previously given birth to a child, young or single moms – likely those with small children of their own – will be targeted for the use of their body and enticed with money needed to provide for their children,” Long said.

Instead of these policies, Long said the state should instead focus on policies that promote and improve the state’s adoption and foster care system, “so married men and women who earnestly desire to be parents may be better connected with the thousands of children in need of loving homes.”

Earlier this year, Pope Francis called for a universal ban on surrogacy, calling the practice “despicable,” noting that a child is a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract.”

“I consider despicable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” Francis said on January 8.

The witness to our Lord Jesus Christ and His work of salvation through preaching both in word and deed, and through one’s entire Christian life, is the indisputable mission of every Orthodox Christian. Both preaching the Resurrection of Christ and any good deed performed by a Christian contribute to the revival of the fullness of Church life and prove the truth of our faith in the eyes of those who have not yet entered into the Church.

Photo: E-format.livejournal.com     

In modern conditions, every Orthodox believer has a wide scope of activities in the field of preaching Christ. The service of spreading the Gospel is of great benefit not only to those at whom this preaching is aimed, but also to preachers themselves. According to St. John Chrysostom, “no one can succeed in the work of his own salvation without saving his neighbor.” Every Orthodox Christian, regardless of his social status, can become a “co-worker with God” in enlightening others by the Good Tidings of salvation. Complications and failures are possible in this difficult work in the name of Christ. But doesn’t a true Christian feel the desire of Christ Who lives in him to save his neighbor’s soul, irrespective of possible obstacles?

One of the obstacles to “churching” people around us is the extreme diversity of society, the level of awareness of one’s place in the Church, or the degree of understanding of the need for salvation. There are more or less several types of people interested in religion and spirituality, and our approach to them on matters of faith varies greatly.

The first type is believers who have recently come to the faith and have little knowledge of the basics of the Orthodox worldview. They are called “neophytes”, or converts. Emotionally categorical, with superficial knowledge and insufficient experience, they cannot assess Church life soberly and objectively or understand Church teaching correctly. Neophytes need a mission for their integration into Church life. It should be remembered that it is a long and thorny path. At the initial stage, neophytes are in a rosy state of acquiring faith rather than in the faith itself. Believers of this category need the strict spiritual guidance of an experienced father-confessor, as neophytes are often very aggressive and intolerant towards different ways of thinking and ways of life, which in the long run affects their personal spiritual state.

    

The second type are those who were baptized in Orthodoxy, but for some reason chose another Christian denomination (Catholicism, Protestantism), while retaining a respectful attitude towards their cradle faith. Being in fact heterodox, they have not developed a negative attitude towards the Orthodox Church, but they are ready for dialogue and do not deny their background. Contact with representatives of this category, and even more so the possibility of the return of these “prodigal sons and daughters”, depends only on a deep spiritual conversation. Besides, it is necessary to give them the opportunity to have their say. After all, the problem often hides deep inside a person and becomes even more hidden when you try to moralize. When someone speaks and analyzes themselves, including doubt over the correctness of choosing a new religion, the problem can become visible and undeniable. It requires the ability to listen to a person, give him the opportunity to look into the depths of his conscience, and refraining from any moralizing, wait for his questions and answer them wisely.

The third type, which is the most numerous, are people who were baptized at birth but are totally indifferent to Orthodoxy and spirituality and do not show any interest in them. It is not so productive, but perhaps an unseen service, according to the proverb, “perseverance wins”, is possible here. Any benevolent and positive approach will help here: a conversation or a talk that destroys negative stereotypes about the Church and coldness of the heart, moral advice, preferably over a cup of tea, a personal example of faith and daily (and joint) prayer for the lost sheep of the fold of Christ. Frankness and sincerity in communication, genuine concern for the salvation of souls, and the ability to dispel doubts and answer tricky questions will inspire nominal Christians to acquire faith.

Priest Anthony Rusakevich. Vk.com     

And finally, there is the fourth type, the most difficult for Christian mission—these are atheistically or anti-clerically minded people, for whom the Church and spiritual subjects cause only negative emotions. You should not enter into aggressive and emotional polemics with such people, but, on the contrary, you should show the utmost caution, tact, and a civil attitude. Rudeness and aggression on the part of a Christian, even in the name of a good purpose, can, to the contrary, completely convince atheists and secularists of their “rightness”. Most often, these are people who were baptized in infancy, but unfortunately, for a number of reasons (sometimes not even dependent on them) they are opposed to religion and spirituality. Sometimes not even a priest, but a competent layperson should talk to these people so as not to cause rejection and aversion in them, but on the contrary, dispose them to a conversation based on mutual trust. The possibility of converting such people is not associated with polemics or enlightening talks, but with a good personal example of a Christian himself, which is conducive to neutralizing an atheist’s hatred and destroying negative stereotypes about Orthodoxy.

It is only through good examples and a constant search for optimal solutions, through sincere love and real motivation that the Christian mission to enlighten “this world” is possible.