Tag: Christianity

After the M23 Rwanda-backed rebels Feb. 16 occupied Bukavu, a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Catholic bishops and experts are warning this offensive in the provinces of North and South Kivu signals a clear intent to establish a permanent foreign country presence in the region.

Johan Viljoen, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the Southern Africa bishops’ conference, said such actions are a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Congo. The vast central African nation of about 100 million people remains one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its massive reserves of minerals, timber and freshwater. About two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.

“It clearly signals intent by M23 to establish a permanent presence in North Kivu. By extension, given that they (M23) are to an extent a proxy of Rwanda, it also signals Rwanda’s intention to stay there,” Viljoen said.

“This is a direct assault on DRC’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he added.

The latest report published by the Denis Hurley Institute said that the M23 rebels installed provincial officials in North Kivu province and continued their advance into South Kivu — with the milestone of capturing South Kivu’s capital Bukavu on Feb. 16.

He said the international community did not provide an adequate response as the rebels advanced despite the unilateral ceasefire that came into force Feb. 4 after a deadly battle for the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which the rebels captured at the end of January.

“The response by the international community has been pathetic,” Viljoen noted after the Feb. 8 meeting of the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community, gathered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to discuss the conflict in Congo.

“A perfect example,” Viljoen said of the international community’s reaction, is “the meeting of SADC and EAC leaders” where they “did not even mention Rwandan support for M23.”

Among other issues, the summit called for an immediate ceasefire, the restoration of essential supply lines for food and other essential commodities to ensure humanitarian support and the peaceful resolution of the conflict.

The Kivu regions’ violence is fueled by rich deposits of cobalt, coltan and gold.

Meanwhile, a top European Union bishop urged the EU to take further action over the crisis affecting millions of people in the African country.

Italian Bishop Mariano Crociata, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, or COMECE, said in a Feb. 12 statement that the international community needs to “do everything possible to resolve the conflict by peaceful means.”

Expressing deep sorrow and urgent concern about the situation, he said that the “involvement of foreign armies and militias, in particular Rwanda’s alleged support for the M23, constitutes a serious violation of international law.”

The Italian prelate leading COMECE warned that the announcement by the M23 rebels that they plan to extend the conflict to reach the capital and control the country “represents a major challenge for the DRC and the region.”

The M23 rebels and their allies have plunged the vital city of Goma into chaos, COMECE said, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands in recent weeks, according to the figures provided by the United Nations.

“Civilians, including newborn babies killed in hospital bombings, have become victims of widespread violence, while thousands seek refuge in churches, schools, and makeshift camps amid severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies,” COMECE news release said.

“The EU and the international community must put pressure on these actors to cease their support for the M23, to negotiate in good faith, to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC, halting the exploitation of its natural resources,” Bishop Crociata stressed.

During a Feb. 9 Mass to pray for peace in the country, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa said that “dialogue is the sacred word, the key word that can help us get out of our current situation.”

“We will find solutions to our crises that have lasted for decades by engaging in dialogue, even with those we consider as enemies,” Cardinal Ambongo said, urging the faithful that “the nation is in danger” and “every passing minute is crucial.”

“Let us not waste any more time if we want to save our country,” he added.

The leaders of the Justice, Peace, and Development Commission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, or SECAM, said in a Feb. 8 statement that Christians cannot remain indifferent to “this tragic situation experienced by thousands of people, including women and children, who are forced to move without any glimmer of hope on the horizon for the moment concerning the cessation of hostilities.

“We are deeply troubled by the numerous losses of life, as well as the looting and destruction of property that have caused widespread suffering and significantly disrupted the lives of countless individuals and families in the region,” the SECAM bishops said.

Congolese bishops played a part in peace negotiations in the Kivu provinces.

“The aim was to convince them that armed struggle is not a solution and that we come with a proposal that can contribute to building a lasting peace, hence the so-called ‘Social Pact for Peace and Coexistence in the Democratic Republic of Congo,’” Msgr. Donatien Nshole, secretary general of Congo’s bishops’ conference, or CENCO, said of the Feb. 12 meeting, as quoted by Fides agency.

CENCO and the Church of Christ in Congo representatives met in Goma with the leaders of the M23 militia as rebel leader Corneille Nangaa attempted to position himself as the public face for politicians and rebel groups opposing Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.

Msgr. Nshole said he was convinced that there was room for negotiations to resolve the conflict peacefully. “We explained our dynamics for dialogue and our interlocutors have agreed to participate in it.”

Meanwhile, Bishop Crociata of COMECE urged the EU and the international community “to take immediate action to ensure the cessation of hostilities as well as an absolute respect for human dignity and international law.”

Halifax, England, February 17, 2025

Fr. Gregory Hallam enrolling former Evangelicals as catechumens. Photo: antiochian-orthodox.com     

An evangelical congregation in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, is in the process of converting to Orthodox Christianity via the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland.

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan, the community will become a new Orthodox mission named after St. Hilda of Whitby, the archdiocese reports.

Most members of the congregation have already begun their journey as catechumens, including Pastor Douglas Clark and Associate Pastor Viviers Ferreira. The group has also attracted three additional individuals from Halifax and a family of five from Burnley. The process is expected to culminate in early September with formal receptions into the Orthodox Church and a potential diaconal ordination.

The Metropolitan has assigned clergy from St. Aidan of Lindisfarne parish in Manchester to oversee the new mission, with support from clergy from St. Constantine the Great in York.

This development echoes a 1995 initiative called Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy whereby the Antiochian Church first expanded in the UK by receiving several communities. With the establishment of the St. Hilda’s mission following similar steps, this marks a revival of the movement.

Currently, the community meets for worship in a Halifax school, where Fr. Gregory Hallam from St. Aidan’s has been enrolling adults and children as catechumens.

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New York, February 17, 2025

Photo: generalmihailovich.com     

By order of the mayor, February 15 was celebrated in New York City as Serbian-American Heritage Day.

This is now the second year that Mayor Eric Adams has made this proclamation. New York mayor declares Serbian Heritage DayThis was the first such day in history of Serbian-American relations in New York City.

“>Last year, the heritage day fell on February 26, coinciding with the feast of St. Simeon (Stefan) Nemanja, the progenitor of the Serbian medieval dynastic family.

This year, Serbian-American Heritage Day coincided with the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, which also marks the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, “a key event that launched the Serbian Revolution, as well as the adoption of Serbia’s first modern constitution—the Sretenje Constitution of 1835, which paved the way for international recognition of Serbian independence in 1878,” reports the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America.

The diocese writes about the importance of the proclamation and Serbian-American relations:

This declaration strongly reaffirms the respect of the City of New York and Mayor Adams for Serbia, Serbian Americans, and the Serbian community in New York, the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the Consul General Vladimir Božović. As stated in the proclamation: “New York is home to a vibrant Serbian-American community … and we are deeply grateful for its tremendous contributions.”

The Serbian community has made an outstanding contribution to the development of New York throughout history and continues to do so today, enriching its unique status as a cosmopolitan center. At the same time, New York has always been an inspiring environment for the achievements of great Serbian minds, such as Nikola Tesla and Mihajlo Pupin.

This proclamation also testifies to the increasingly strong and meaningful relations between the Republic of Serbia and the United States, particularly in the dynamic context of New York. Inspired and encouraged by this declaration, we remain committed to further strengthening the visibility of the Serbian presence here, for the benefit of the Serbian community, this great city, and the lasting friendship between Serbia and the United States.

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Jerusalem, February 17, 2025

    

A recent archaeological discovery near Jerusalem has challenged the established scholarly understanding of ascetic practices in the Byzantine era.

In a burial typically associated with male ascetics, researchers found remains of a woman wearing chains, prompting a reconsideration of women’s role in extreme religious traditions of the 5th century. The remains were identified by examining proteins in the tooth enamel, reports Sedmitza.

At the same time, the discovery should be of no surprise to Orthodox Christians familiar with the Church’s ascetic life and practices.

The discovery, made at the Khirbat el-Masani excavation site, just a few miles from Jerusalem’s Old City, by a team from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Israel Antiquities Authority, was recently revealed in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Ruins of a Byzantine monastery dated to 350–650 have been unearthed at the site. Archaeologists found on the remains in question large metal rings on the neck, arms, and legs, with a diameter of about 4 inches, weighing several dozen pounds.

Historical records show female ascetics emerged in 4th-century Roman society, with prominent examples like the noble-born St. Melania the Elder and her granddaughter St. Melania of Rome choosing lives of extreme religious devotion.

While written sources document this phenomenon, the newly discovered burial provides the first physical evidence of women using metal chains for religious mortification—a practice that scholars previously thought exclusive to male ascetics in Byzantine times.

This archaeological find indicates that women participated in the most extreme forms of ascetic practice, reshaping the academic understanding of female religious life in the period.

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Maria-Consuelo didn’t lose her home in the wildfires that burned parts of Los Angeles County in early January, but her employers did. 

For Maria-Consuelo, 74, that meant going from working 35 hours a week as a housekeeper to practically nothing.

The two other properties she worked at were also gone: a dance studio and an elderly man’s house where she spent every Monday to accompany him. She used her income to send money to her family in Guatemala, paying rent for her room, and covering her day-to-day necessities.

“For me, it’s so painful, only two or three houses survived in our neighborhood,” she said. “That was all my area of work.” 

Among the vast numbers of LA-area Latino workers in domestic jobs that often include housework, landscaping, and caregiving, everyone has heard a story like Maria-Consuelo’s. According to a recent UCLA study, at least 35,000 jobs held by Latinos could be lost due to the wildfires. This is particularly true in Pacific Palisades, where Latinos make up only 7% of the residents, but hold 34% of the jobs.

But for all the tales of Catholic Latinos like Maria-Consuelo suffering after the fires, there are just as many of faith. 

Maria-Consuelo came to the U.S. from Guatemala more than 40 years ago. She soon began working for a family in Pacific Palisades, developing a deep connection with them.

“We lost the house,” the homeowner’s son called to tell her over the phone a few days after the Palisades Fire. They cried together, she recalled. 

The first thing she could think to do was pray.

She felt God’s blessing shortly afterward when a priest from her parish, St. Agatha Church, called and asked her to come to the church.

The priest “pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and said, ‘I must help you. Please give me your information,’ ” she said. “Shortly after, he handed me a check.” 

The check was for $1,000.

“Why does God bless me like this? I feel so blessed,” she said in an interview, crying.

Despite her losses, the check from the parish — and help from her former employer — remind  Maria-Consuelo that hope hasn’t vanished.

“The service of God never ends, and neither will I, as my brother would say,” she said. “In the cemetery, there is rest, but in the service of God, there is none. Therefore, we must continue to work [on earth].”

For 37 years, Norma worked as a housekeeper, including the past four years with a family in Pacific Palisades. She remembered watching from the house window as the fire got closer, and the homeowners began worrying for Norma’s safety.

“By two in the afternoon, the owner came to the house and asked me if I wanted to leave because the fire was getting worse,” she said. Without hesitation, Norma grabbed her belongings and drove off. It took her three hours to exit Pacific Coast Highway amid the rush of residents escaping the black smoke. 

A few days later, the home’s owner reported that the house had miraculously “survived” the fire, despite some damage to the back of the building. It will be uninhabitable for at least a year, she was told. 

“What do I do next?” said Norma, a parishioner at St. Clement Church in Santa Monica. “I’m even more heartbroken for my Latino colleagues who lost their jobs and are the breadwinners for their families. But I have faith in God. I know something good will come out of this.”

As she looks for work, Norma has also begun gathering at her house with friends also affected by the fires and others in need of work. 

“I can’t just sit and wait for a job,” Norma said. After two-and-a-half weeks without work, she returned to her second job in Malibu, commuting two days a week. 

As she faces an uncertain future, Norma said she finds consolation in the timing of the disaster. 

“We’re in the Jubilee Year of Hope. If God has allowed it to be the year of hope, it’s because he has something stored for each one of us. It’s hope.”

A few days before the fire outbreak, Larisa’s manager at the car wash she worked at in Pacific Palisades had found a rock with the image of Jesus. The manager told her to keep the rock, and she did — holding on to it as a symbol of good luck and a “sign” from God.

When the fires began, “I only thought about my job, and I have a lot of work to do,” she said. When she received a call from her manager telling her to evacuate, she drove off watching ambulances rushing by. She grew concerned for the people living in the area but prayed that everything would be OK.

When Larisa arrived home, she watched images of the fires approaching her workplace in disbelief.

“When I heard people saying places were burned … I hoped the car wash wouldn’t,” she said. “That my job would be saved. No matter how much I saw the images, I had faith in God that my workplace was saved from the fires.”

The stress and worry consumed her for two days until she learned her workplace was “untouched” by the fires.

At that moment, “in my mind, the image of the rock with the ‘Christ the Teacher’ imprint came to mind,” Larisa said. “Thank you. I understand clearly now.

“Whenever something happens to me, I simply ask God to give me an answer.”

Larisa was convinced that God had performed a miracle to save her job. 

“It was my faith in him,” said Larisa, a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Los Angeles. Still, it may be a long time before she and so many other workers can return to work in the Pacific Palisades area.

Larisa strengthened her prayer life, hoping to find a job. She had taken some time to care for her sick aunt, but was determined to keep searching for work. 

“My faith and trust in God remain the same,” she said. “I’m not sure when, maybe in two or three months, but I know I will return to work at the car wash.”

The National Domestic Workers Alliance has created a fund to help these types of workers affected by the fires. Donate at act.domesticworkers.org/a/la-wildfires.

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, February 13, 2025

Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr     

The local Greek Orthodox faithful participated in the annual Walk for Life in Adelaide, South Australia, again this year.

The 6th annual Walk was held on Saturday, February 8, to raise awareness for the protection of unborn children. This year’s theme was “Real Men Protect Babies,” to emphasize men’s important role in the public discussion about abortion.

Four to five thousand people gathered for the event, including a noticeable Orthodox contingent, led by Bishop Silouanos of Adelaide of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Representatives from other Christian denominations were also present, as well as prominent public figures, state and commonwealth parliamentarians from various political parties, and government representatives.

Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr     

The Orthodox presence at the Walk “has always been numerous and enthusiastic, carrying Orthodox icons that show the sanctity that the Orthodox Church attributes to life from conception,” including the Visitation of the Theotokos and St. Elizabeth showing the Christ Child and St. John the Baptist in their mothers’ wombs.

The Diocese of Adelaide also provided logistical support for the event, with the ladies of the Central Philoptochos Society providing food, water, and refreshments.

This year, there was a concerted effort to organize a counter-demonstration to disrupt the Walk, though only about 50 people showed up, an there was no direct confrontation with Walk participants.

Orthodox Christians Orthodox Christians march for life in D.C. and San FranciscoThis year marked the 52nd annual March for Life in the nation’s capital on January 24.

“>also participated in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the Walk for Life in San Francisco again this year.

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Kirillov, Vologda Province, Russia, February 13, 2025

Photo: smotrim.ru     

Forty historical items have been returned to the St. Cyril of White Lake Monastery Museum after restoration. Among the treasures are 17th-century icons.

The collection includes seven icons from famous monasteries of the Russian north: the St. Cyril of White Lake and Ferapontov monasteries and the St. Nil of Sora Hermitage. They are already on display after restoration, reports smotrim.ru.

The icons of St. Ephrem the Syrian, the Archangel Gabriel, the Apostle Paul, and St. John Chrysostom come from the Deesis tier of the wooden Church of St. John the Baptist in the St. Nil of Sora Hermitage.

The St. Cyril of White Lake Museum is developing open storage facilities and creating new permanent exhibitions, thus is it restoring more museum items every year.

A local news report gives a closer look at the icons and other museum items:

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Photo: days.pravoslavie.ru     

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Today the Holy Church is celebrating the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the bringing of the Lord Jesus Christ into the Temple. The Gospel of Luke relates this in chapter 2 from verse 22 onwards: And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord; As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord (Lk. 2:22-23). Purification according to the law of Moses assumed that forty days were enough for a male baby and sixty days for a female baby. The tradition was observed especially strictly when it came to the firstborn—that is, the first child who, according to the Law of God, was dedicated to God. It was an ancient tradition: just as the first fruits of the harvest, the first fruits of business and income were sacrificed to God, so firstborn children were dedicated to the service of the Creator.

The family of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Virgin Mary and the named father Joseph the toiler, were people who thoroughly observed the Law of God. Now we can hardly even imagine how scrupulously the prescriptions of the Law of God were fulfilled in those days. The scribes and the pharisees were especially zealous in this, trying to fulfill every letter of the Scripture, so Christ cited the scribes and the Pharisees as an example to us Christians when in the Sermon on the Mount He says: Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:20).

To exceed means to reach and rise to a higher level. Because for a Christian the goal is not just to refrain from sin, but also to do good actively. If in the Old Testament when a person refrained from defilement, performed purification, and did not commit sins, he was considered righteous, then in the New Testament the situation changes drastically. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (Jm. 4:17). If in the Old Testament not doing evil was regarded as righteousness, then in the New Testament if you can do good and don’t do it, it’s already a sin. That’s how our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees.

In those days—a little earlier—there lived a Jewish wise man named Hillel Gamaliel, who said: “Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself—this is the law and the prophets.” Christ paraphrased this saying and formulated it differently: All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets (Matt. 7:12). Therefore, Old Testament righteousness is more passive—“don’t do that”—whereas the New Testament righteousness is active: “do that”.

So on the fortieth day Mary and Joseph brought the Infant to the Temple, to sacrifice, in accordance with the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. If we look at icons of the Meeting of the Lord, sometimes they depict how two turtledoves are sacrificed in a cage in the Jerusalem Temple for purification. And then we read: And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him (Luke. 2:25). Simeon is still venerated by the Jewish people. He is called Simeon the Great or the Righteous Simeon. His sayings are even included in various parts of the Jewish Talmud. This man was considered so righteous and pious that Jewish children still memorize his sayings in order to have in their hearts the wisdom that Simeon possessed.

In the Christian tradition St. Simeon was one of the translators of the Bible from Hebrew into Greek. That is, he lived and worked actively more than 200 years before the Birth of Christ. Then, by order of the famous Library of Alexandria, Pharaoh Ptolemy demanded from the Jews that they translate the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek. The Jews refused for a very long time, but then they agreed. Ptolemy did not really trust the Jews, so he invited seventy-two translators, and that is why this translation is called the “translation of the seventy”, or the Septuagint in Greek. And Pharaoh said: “Let each translate separately from the others, and then we will compare.” And, according to tradition, each one was placed in a separate cell, and then the Greeks would come and see if they were translating texts the same way.

So, Simeon was one of those translators, and Christian tradition has it that when he was translating the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, there were the following words: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (Is. 7:14). When Simeon read this Hebrew text in a leather scroll, he thought: “It must be a mistake. If she gives birth, she is no longer a virgin. It reads, ‘A virgin shall conceive.’ If she conceives, she is already not a virgin.” So, he took a knife to cut off the word “alma” (“virgin” in Hebrew) from the leather scroll, but when he was about to do it and replace with the word “Isha” (“wife”), suddenly a snow-white angel appeared in his cell. The angel stopped his hand with the knife and said, “O Righteous Simeon, you will live until you see with your own eyes a Virgin Who will give birth to a Son. Do not damage the text of the prophet.” And Simeon lived an extremely long life—over 200 years. He came to the Temple in Jerusalem every day, because babies were brought there daily, and he would have a good look at the mothers and at their babies to understand when he would see the Virgin Who had given birth to the Infant.

We read that the Holy Spirit was on him, meaning he could recognize with the help of the Holy Spirit Who was on him the Virgin, who had given birth. A very interesting detail: the Holy Spirit was on him, since he was an Old Testament man. Christians differ from the Old Testament people in that the Holy Spirit is not on us, but in us. As the Apostle Paul writes: The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Rom. 5:5). Because the day of Pentecost had not yet come, and all the ancient prophets had the Holy Spirit Who rested on them, but was not in them. In order for the Spirit to enter into us we must purify our inner world, as it is said: For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter (Wis. 1:4). And purification took place only on Golgotha when the Son of God shed His precious Blood, and this became the foundation of Pentecost, so that the Holy Spirit could enter into hearts cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

And we read: And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26). That is, an angel in the Spirit testified to him that he would not die until he saw the Virgin Who would give birth to a Baby born of the Most Pure One. And he tried to come to the Temple every day driven by inspiration. It says: And he came by the Spirit into the temple (Lk. 2:27)—that is, not because it was required of him, not observing some rite, but by inspiration he went to the Temple every day, blessing and glorifying God. It is very important for us, too, to always feel inspired to go to church, as the Psalmist David exclaims: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord (Ps. 121:1).

By that time, all of Righteous Simeon’s relatives and friends were dead, generation after generation had passed, and he felt like an ancient man who had outlived all his peers. And he could hardly recognize the new generation—it was a new culture with new behavior. He had aged so much that he was tired of his extraordinarily long life (as we will see below), he was burdened by these many years of life because he was surfeited with them. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him after the custom of the law… (Luke 2:27). If circumcision was performed on the eighth day, then bringing a child into the Temple on the fortieth day was a rite prescribed by law—to sacrifice two turtledoves, or two chicks, and bring the baby into the Temple to have him blessed by the priests. And when the Infant was brought into the Temple, Simeon took Him into his arms; and it suddenly dawned on this man, on whom the Holy Spirit rested: Here is the Virgin Who has given birth, the Most Holy Mary, and here is the Immaculate Infant Who was born of a Virgin. Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace [in these words we see the tragedy of a man who is tired of life]. He says it as if God had been forcibly keeping him alive… He seems to be saying: “I am tired, I am surfeited with my life, nothing keeps me here anymore, except this happiness of seeing the Infant God.”

Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel (Lk. 2:29-32).

Here we see that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that it was not just a baby, but Salvation, the Savior. “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” That is, his eyes had seen the Baby Jesus and he confesses Him to be the Savior. And further we read that it was revealed to him that Christ had come to enlighten the Gentiles. It is with the Gospel that the preaching to the Gentiles began; before the New Testament the preaching of the Word of God was only addressed to the Jews. But before His Ascension, Christ would say to His disciples: Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mk. 16:15-16). And it was revealed to Simeon and was not hidden from his keen spiritual eyes. And he concluded his prayer with the words that Christ is the glory of His people of Israel.

The Holy Fathers explain that the true Israel means those Jews who accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God. First of all, these are the Most Holy Theotokos, the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, then the Seventy Apostles, Simeon the God-Receiver and the Righteous Anna the Prophetess who also came on that day to the Temple by inspiration to rejoice in the Meeting of the Lord, Who had been brought into His own Temple. The Psalmist David exclaims: The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of all the earth (Ps. 96:5). As Solomon prayed at the consecration of the Temple of Jerusalem, he proclaimed, Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built! (2 Chron. 6:18). But here an amazing miracle occurs: the Infant Jesus, Who is also the eternal God, is brought into His own Temple. The Lord Who is brought into the Temple is what we experience during the Eucharist. When we see that the chalice with Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is being carried out, it means that the Meeting of the Lord has taken place again in the Eucharistic Canon, the Lord has come down onto the bread and wine, and they have become the true Body and the true Blood of the Son of God. And with the fear of God and faith we approach and receive Communion of the Body and Blood of the Son of God.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill gives a very interesting interpretation: this day was recognized as Orthodox Youth Day. That’s why I greet all our youth, our teenagers, and our children. His Holiness says, “In the person of Simeon, the Old Testament met with the Infant Jesus—that is, with the New Testament.” As if the elderly generation and the One Who was born in Bethlehem meet for the happiness of all people, and the Patriarch made such an interesting conclusion. That’s why we declared this day Orthodox Youth Day, because young people truly mature when they are in the tradition of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and adhere to their faith.

And Joseph and His Mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His Mother, Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against (Lk. 2:33-34). Indeed, the Lord came to the fall and rising of many in Israel. For the rising when people rose from the dead to life in Christ and with Christ and followed Him. And the fall is the tragedy of those who did not believe in Christ and those who shouted: “Crucify Him, crucify Him! Let His blood be on us and our children!” This fall was so dreadful that by these words they cursed themselves and their children. And for almost 2000 years now the history of the Jewish people has been an incessant holocaust and persecution by various nations: the Romans, the Persians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Germans and others. Therefore, Christ is indeed the subject of contention, the stumbling-block; He Himself said: I came not to send peace, but a sword (Mt. 10:34). That is, the faith of Christ separates the righteous from the unrighteous, and this is an obvious truth. And Simeon prophesied and said, addressing Mary: …A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Lk. 2:35).

When did a sword pierce through the soul of the Mother of God? When She saw Her Son being crucified on Golgotha; every nail driven into the Savior’s wrists, into the Savior’s feet, and the spear that pierced His ribs—this sword pierced through the heart of the Theotokos, as the Righteous Simeon predicted to her in the Holy Spirit.

And then we read: And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day (Luke 2:36–37). We see that this eldress lived with her husband for only seven years, became a widow. She remained faithful to her husband until a ripe old age and went to the Temple, staying there day and night. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem (Lk. 2:38).

So, we see two prophets of God—the Righteous Simeon, or Simeon the Great, and Anna the Prophetess, who testified to the Infant Christ that He was the true Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior of the world. The feast of the Meeting of the Lord poses a question to each one of us, addressed to our conscience: Did we experience a Meeting with the Lord? Was there a Meeting in our lives when we felt the presence of Christ in our lives? As I have already said, Orthodox Christians experience a liturgical Meeting with the Lord in Holy Communion when Communion enters the temple of the human body, as the Scriptures say: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16). When Holy Communion enters into us, as one of the prayers before Communion reads: through the gates that the Lord created—that is, through our mouth; and we receive the Godhead inside ourselves—the Meeting that sanctifies us, scorches the thorns of our transgressions, and deifies us, that is, restores the likeness of God in us.

The feast of the Meeting of the Lord is also a meeting of generations, as His Holiness Patriarch Kirill says. Therefore, we, the older generation, must be more attentive to the younger generations in order to pass on our faith to them. Elderly women—grandmothers and great-grandmothers—should be especially zealous in this, like this elderly widow Anna who remained faithful to her husband and went to the Temple of God, and was present where babies were blessed, waiting for the moment she would see Christ the Messiah.

The Meeting with the Lord also occurs when a person confesses for the first time in his life and reads the Holy Scriptures for the first time in his life.

May God keep you!

Nairobi, Kenya, February 13, 2025

The future Met. Makarios of Nairobi (left) and the future Pat. Kirill of Moscow (right). Photo: Romfea     

“It is time to … restore the spirit of brotherhood that once united us,” says Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in a new statement concerning his personal history with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the history of their respective Local Churches.

His statement comes in the aftermath of Syndesmos Day: The World Day of Orthodox Youth, which gathered more than 1,200 young Orthodox Christians at the Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 2.

Met. Makarios recalls that he first met the future Russian Patriarch at a meeting of Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, in Boston in 1971. His history with Pat. Kirill speaks to the deep historical ties of the Russian and Alexandrian Patriarchates, and “it is time to rekindle this bond,” the Metropolitan rites.

His statement reads:

An Unforgotten History.

Since its creation, the international Orthodox youth movement SYNDESMOS has been a bridge of unity among Orthodox Christians worldwide.

In 1971, during its assembly in Boston, two historic patriarchates met: the Patriarchate of Moscow, represented by a young Kyrill—now Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, attending for the first time, and the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, represented by a young seminarian, Andreas—now Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi.

This moment of unity, forged in youth, reminds us of the deep connections that have always existed between our two ancient Churches.

Years later, this bond was reaffirmed when Dr. Andreas Tillyrides, now Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi, authored a book celebrating 1,000 years of Orthodoxy in Russia, which he presented in Moscow while Kyrill was already a bishop.

It is time to rekindle this bond and restore the spirit of brotherhood that once united us.

​The future hierarchs in Boston, 1971. Photo: Romfea     

Met. Makarios is referring to the rift that has existed between the Russian and Alexandrian Patriarchates ever since Patriarch Theodoros changed his stance on the Ukrainian ecclesiastical issue and decided to enter into communion with the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria commemorates schismatic Epiphany Dumenko (+ VIDEO)His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa commemorated Epiphany Dumenko, the primate of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” during the Divine Liturgy today at the Church of the Archangels in Daher in the Cairo Governorate.

“>in November 2019.

A month later, Pat. Kirill Russian Synod removes Russian parishes in Africa from jurisdiction of Patriarchate of AlexandriaThe hierarchs considered and responded to the decision of Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria to recognize the Ukrainian schismatics, expressing their deep sorrow at his decision that makes it impossible to maintain Eucharistic communion with him.

“>ceased commemoration of Pat. Theodoros in the Divine services.

In August 2021, Pat. Theodoros concelebrated with “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko, the primate of the schismatic OCU, which the Moscow Patriarchate took as a point of no return. In response to this concelebration and the appeals of dozens of African clerics, the Russian Holy Synod Russian Synod announces reception of 102 African priests into its jurisdiction, creation of African diocesesThe Synod officially resolved “to accept 102 clerics of the Patriarchate of Alexandria from eight African countries into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, according to the petitions submitted.”

“>created the African Exarchate in December of that year, establishing two dioceses covering the entirety of the Patriarchate of Alexandria’s territory.

Initially, 102 African priests from various countries were received into the new Exarchate, which has considerably grown since then through active missionary work by Russian hierarchs, clergy, and lay missionaries. More than 100 Kenyan priests have joined the Exarchate, for which they have been declared Kenyan hierarchs suspend priests who joined Russian ExarchateThe decree signed by the aforementioned hierarchs and priests shows that part of their plans moving forward is to deal with the priests who have joined the Russian Exarchate.

“>suspended by the Alexandrian hierarchs.

The Holy Synod of Alexandria has ruled to Patriarchate of Alexandria defrocks second Russian Exarch of AfricaBp. Konstantin commented simply: “The fact of the matter is that I am a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. I am subordinate to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia as his vicar and to the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church as any of its bishops.”

“>defrock several hierarchs and clerics of the Russian Church who are or have been active on Alexandria’s territory throughout Africa, and in Patriarch Theodoros stops commemorating Patriarch Kirill, Russian Exarch declared defrocked by AlexandriaToday’s decision from Alexandria marks the first time another primate has ceased commemorating Pat. Kirill.”>November 2022, Pat. Theodoros ceased commemoration of Pat. Kirill in the Divine services due to the Exarchate’s continued activity.

Pat. Theodoros, who was once seen as a strong ally of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and Pat. Kirill have been out of communion with each other for more than 5 years now.

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Kenya and Chiradzulu District, Malawi, February 13, 2025

Photo: Facebook     

More than two dozen people were baptized into the holy Orthodox Church in two mass Baptism services in Africa over the weekend.

On Saturday, February 8, Archbishop Makarios of Nairobi of the Patriarchate of Alexandria visited a community of the Maasai people to baptize 19 children, he reports on Facebook.

The Archbishop writes about the grace of Baptism:

Through Baptism we are born into a new life, we acquire the possibility of spiritual growth, our image according to God is cleansed and we are able to attain to the divine likeness. Through the grace of Baptism we are able to pray and call God Father and other people our brothers and sisters. We are able to face the workings of the devil, we are able to receive Holy Communion and of course, depending on our spiritual state, we can fulfil the aim of our creation.

Such mass Baptisms are a common occurrence in Africa. OrthoChristian reported on the Baptism of a dozen children in Kenya Dozen children baptized at Kenyan parish of ROC’s African ExarchateA dozen children were baptized into Christ in at a church in Kenya last week.

“>in October.

Fr. Joachim Bakali baptizing in Malawi. Photo: exarchate-africa.ru     

The next day, Fr. Joachim Bakali of the Church of the Holy Apostle Luke in Chiradzulu District, Malawi, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and baptized 11 locals, including both children and adults, reports the Russian Orthodox Church’s African Exarchate.

The newly baptized prepared for the Sacrament for six months under the guidance of Fr. Joachim and his wife Matushka Anastasia.

About 1,000 people were baptized in Malawi over the course of a week About 1,000 Malawians baptized in one weekThe newly baptized were given cross necklaces and icons to start an icon corner with, as well as an Orthodox catechism in the Chewa language, prepared specifically for this trip.

“>last April.

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