Tag: Christianity

Serres, Central Macedonia, Greece, November 9, 2023

Photo: vimaorthodoxias.gr     

The Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers was celebrated throughout Greece and the Orthodox Churches that serve according to the New Calendar yesterday.

The day was especially festively celebrated in the city of Serres, Greece, which counts the Archangels Michael and Gabriel as its patrons.

Orthodox faithful filled the Metropolitan Church of the Archangels for the feast celebrated by the local hierarch Metropolitan Theologos of Serres and four visiting hierarchs. Orthros was led by Metropolitan Makarios of Sidirokastro, and the Divine Liturgy by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria, reports Vima Orthodoxias.

Photo: vimaorthodoxias.gr     

The splendor of the celebration was also enhanced by the presence of the wonderworking Eikosiphoinissa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was carried in procession together with an icon of the Archangels. Many local and military leaders, as well as pious faithful participated in the procession.

“If every liturgical gathering is a gathering of Heaven and Earth,” said Met. Panteleimon, “in which, apart from the faithful who participate, ‘mystically representing the cherubim, and singing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity,’ there are also thousands of archangels and myriads of angels, then this applies even more so during today’s Divine Liturgy for the Synaxis of the Heavenly Powers.”

“Not only do the holy angels assist us noetically as they sing with us the triumphant hymn, but they also convey our humble hymns to their Lord and our Lord, the Creator God, as well as to their Lady and Mistress, the Most Holy Theotokos, multiplying the value of our feeble chants with their own boldness towards God,” the hierarch continued.

Photo: vimaorthodoxias.gr     

He continued:

Let us stand humbly before God, like the holy angels and archangels, whom God rewarded by giving them incorruptibility towards evil, as they were not led astray by the pride of Lucifer, who had the delusion to think he was superior to his Creator, in order to overshadow us with the grace of God and protect us from delusion and downfall, which are easily led by arrogance and selfishness…

Let us imitate the obedience of the holy angels and archangels, who are sent as ministering spirits to serve those who will inherit salvation that is, us humans. They faithfully carry out the Divine will daily without placing anything above it, even if we deviate from it.

Let us imitate the purity of the holy angels and archangels, which is the result of their humble disposition and their continuous response to the exhortation of the archangel: “Let us stand aright, let us stand with fear,” so that they may not only see the face of God, beyond all purity, but also spiritually connect with the “purest rays of the sun,” the Most Holy Theotokos…

Let us praise and honor the holy angels and archangels and ask them to accompany us “all the days of our lives” and to protect us lest we stumble, to protect us together with the Most Holy Theotokos, whose holy and grace-filled icon we honor today.

***

Photo: vimaorthodoxias.gr     

The Eikosiphoinissa Icon comes from the monastery of the same name, which, having been founded in the year 400, is among the oldest monasteries in Europe.

When its founder St. Germanos completed the construction of the church, he began looking for a suitable board to make an icon of the Theotokos. At the location that has since been known as “The Board of the Panagia,” he found a tree with a thick trunk, and from it, the craftsmen processed a beautiful board for the image. However, while they were smoothing it, it split and became useless.

St. Germanos felt great sorrow and moved away to pray in solitude. Suddenly, a glorious light shone, and amazed, St. Germanos saw Theotokos herself, who said to him, “Germanos, faithful servant of my only begotten Son, I have seen your faith and true devotion to me, and because you were so saddened by the board splitting that was being prepared for me, behold, I am giving you my image, exactly as I am, skillfully crafted on this strewn board, without the touch of a craftsman.”

At the same time, a deaf-mute child, an assistant to the craftsmen, saw with surprise an unknown, beautiful woman with a baby, who, after standing in front of the useless board, said, “This board is quite suitable for my image, and the craftsmen are requesting another one in vain.”

The deaf-mute child not only heard what the unknown woman said but also ran frightened to St. Germanos and the craftsmen, and his speech was restored as he recounted the events. Then St. Germanos and the craftsmen hurried and witnessed with sacred awe the image, which had been imprinted miraculously on the board, shining brightly and spreading a reddish light around it.

Therefore, the name of the holy monastery is connected to the miracle of the icon, as it shone and emitted a reddish light like the porphyry of the Phoenicians.

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During the height of the Great Depression and throughout much of the turmoil, fear, and uncertainty of World War II, the Hollywood studio system spent a lot of time and money making movies to help people forget about their troubles.

With so much turmoil, fear, and uncertainty today, it is a good time to revisit the popular entertainment model of letting the world get along without us and spend 90 minutes watching something edifying and soul-warming.

It is not a matter of recapturing something that has been lost, but rather rediscovering films of value and worth that, as times continue to trouble us, radiate a sense of peace and calm, and maybe even bring a tear to our eye. Good films are like good books, we can return to them periodically and find comfort in the things we remember and a certain wonder at things we see in them for the first time.

A film like “Lilies of the Field” is just the tonic our current state of global affairs warrants. It does not have aliens in it. It does not have a superhero. There are no car chases. Nothing explodes. 

The plot is simple. None of the actors, save the leading man, are going to be mistaken for international movie stars. But as this film so beautifully demonstrates, simplicity is not always a bad thing. All these decades later, it still packs complex personal relationships and some rather pronounced explorations into the power of faith. It wonders aloud on the idea that “modern day” miracles do happen, even if the modern days of this film were back in 1963.

The movie does star a very big budget Hollywood actor of the day, Sidney Poitier. While today a man of color carrying a movie is not shocking, Poitier was a true groundbreaking figure in American films.

He was the most important African American actor of his or any generation. Actually, he was a Bahamian American actor with African roots. When “Lilies of the Field” was being made, Black people were having dogs set upon them in American cities and the Civil Rights Movement was beginning to get traction.

Poitier was a thorough leading man in a system and an era where Black actors were still either comic foils, servants, sidekicks, or secondary players. He never made a movie where he wasn’t the lead or co-lead, and his characters were never stereotypical. He had been out of the public’s view and imagination for some time when he passed away in 2022, but he left a legacy of strong performances in a variety of film genres.

Poitier made his first big impact on the film industry in the 1950s’ “Blackboard Jungle.” By the time he made “Lilies of the Field,” he was on his way to unlikely stardom — unlikely due to the color of his skin. Yet he soared over that “obstacle” with a powerful screen presence and powerful acting chops.

In the film, Poitier’s character is a traveling carpenter who breaks down on a lonely desert highway. When he stops to get water for his ailing radiator, his life changes forever — and so does the life of the rigid and stern mother superior of an order of nuns who are in desperate need of a chapel.

It may not be the most subtle film ever made. I mean, do we really expect an outcome any different than the one we get? If that formula works for every romantic comedy ever made, then why shouldn’t it work in a “niche” film like this? It is a film calibrated to perfection, covering faith, the conflict of cultures, and how two iron wills engaged for a singular purpose can create friction as well as find common ground. Ultimately, it is a film about love.

Actress Lilia Sofer, who plays Poitier’s foil as the headstrong Mother Maria, head of the order of German nuns living out of sync in the American Southwest, was a bit of a miracle herself. When she was cast for the part, she was working at the lost and found desk of the New York Transit Authority. After the film was released, she was an Academy Award nominated actress.

The world still needs miracles — just watch the news. In the meantime, if you need to take an antidote for over-indulgence of current affairs, I can think of no stronger medicine than “Lilies of the Field.” You can find it on DVD from a variety of sources. It will be the best 10 bucks you have spent in a long time.

    

This story took place in the year 2013, when a conference was organized in Kharkov dedicated to the 1000-year anniversary of Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev CavesSaint Nestor the Chronicler, of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves was born at Kiev in 1050. He came to Saint Theodosius (May 3) as a young man, and became a novice.

“>St. Nestor the Chronicler. I was invited to give a report, and asked to conduct a plenary committee.

So that I wouldn’t be late, I came to the Kiev train station with time to spare. I looked at the timetable, but the Kharkov train was not on it. I went out to the platform, but I didn’t see a train standing. A vague anguish stole upon me—did I mixed something up? There was only a half and hour left till the train’s departure, but there was still no train. I looked at my ticket, and to my horror discovered that the train leaves not from the Kiev station but from the Kursk station! In my confusion I even forgot which side the exit to the metro station was on! I asked a policeman, and he pointed the way.

And as it has happened before, I started Let us Learn to Pray. Part 1The presence of prayer in one’s life means that the person is spiritually alive; without a prayer he is dead.Standing in front of icons and bowing is not yet prayer itself—those are only attributes of prayer. The same can be said about reading a prayer: whether recited by memory or read from a book, it would be not prayer itself, but merely a way to begin.

“>praying, trying to calm myself down. Calm is the absence of movement. The Concept of Time in Science and the BibleSo far, none of the pillars of the modern physics—neither General Theory of Relativity, nor quantum mechanics, not even the string theory—have been able to explain the existence of space and time.”>Time is the symbol of movement. If there’s no movement, time stops, I thought to myself. But time was treacherously galloping on. As if on purpose, the doors at the metro stops took a long time to close. And it looked like a total mockery of me when the metro arrived at the “Kurskaya” station at exactly the time of the Kharkov train’s departure.

I could have stopped running but I decided to see it to the end. I started praying to St. Nestor, the organizer of conferences and patron saint of writers, and ask for his help. It would be shameful for me to admit to my Ukrainian colleagues that out of inattention I had confused the stations, was late for the train, and didn’t arrive at the conference. I resented the absurdity of it all.

With these thoughts, I didn’t cease to pray to St. Nestor, and I dragged my heavy suitcase up the escalator. On the final steps I had no more strength, and I still had to go through a long tunnel and, just to clear my conscience find the platform from which my train would have already left long ago…

As I walked through the tunnel, I read the timetables hanging there—and suddenly, on one of them I saw the line: “Moscow – Kharkov.”

“Probably they just haven’t changed it yet,” I thought, as I walked up the stairs with difficulty.

To my surprise, two trains were puffing on either side of the platform, and near them the conductors stood calmly conversing.

“Which is the train to Kharkov?” I asked.

One of the conductors pointed to his car.

“Can I sit in your car, and then make my way to my own?”

“Don’t rush, you have time,” he answered. “Someone’s held up the train for another five minutes.”

I decided not to risk it and alighted the nearest car. A couple of minutes later the train pulled out of the station, and I sat for a long time catching my breath and regaining my composure.

At the end of the conference, the committee praised St. Nestor the Chronicler who had gathered us all together in Kharkov.

“And I might have missed the conference, even though I had a ticket in my pocket,” I confessed, and told them what had happened to me.

After repeating the words of the conductor that someone had held up the train’s departure, I asked in all seriousness:

“Now, who could that have been?”

Everyone there looked at the icon of St. Nestor the Chronicler and laughed.

St. Benignus was born in Ireland, in what is now County Meath, and was the son of an Irish chief. He was baptized by St. Patrick, and became one of his most loyal disciples, taking over as chief bishop of Ireland.

Benignus was a gifted singer, and became known throughout Ireland as Patrick’s psalm-singer. Thousands of conversions are attributed to him through his talents.

Benignus is said to have helped compile the Irish Code of Laws and the Senchus Mor. According to Church tradition, he also contributed to the “Psalter of Cashel” and the “Book of Rights.”

Benignus was the coadjutor of the See of Armagh until 467 when he resigned. He died at the end of that year.

    

—There exists the opinion that monasteries are for those who never develop a love life. Please tell us, how did you end up at a monastery?

—I’ve always felt, since childhood, that I couldn’t live like everybody else. I told my mother, and she got very scared, saying: “It’s better not to say that, because then you’ll suddenly go to a monastery.” My mother is Orthodox, but she’s still getting integrated into Church life.

—How did you find out about the monastery?

—In school we read the life of Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of PolotskSt. Euphrosyne of Polotsk, the first Eastern Slavic woman to be canonized by the Orthodox Church, stood at the birth of the tangible representation of a spiritual heritage of universal human values.

“>St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk. I was amazed by her life. Of course, I forgot about it then, but somewhere in the depths of my soul, the hope that maybe I would join a monastery someday was born.

When I was fourteen, I started going to Sunday School. Like any teenager, I had a double life. For me it was that I had to decide: either be Orthodox, that is, renounce the joys of the world, or live a secular life. It was like this: On Saturday I’d go to a club, and on Sunday, I’d go to Sunday School. And the Lord gave me grace at the school—I wanted to listen. I didn’t see the teacher—I only heard the Lord Himself speaking to me through them, and this was nourishment for my soul.

This choice constantly tormented me: It was difficult to reconcile the Church and worldly life. If you do it, do it all the way. When I finished eleventh grade, I started preparing myself internally that I would eventually leave the world. The Lord gave me such a vision then: All things will pass. While you’re young, the world smiles at you, but after a few years, you’ll realize it’s a deception.

Then one day Sister Photinia came to our Sunday School, and we became friends. It turned out she also wanted to go to a monastery, and we went to see St. Elisabeth Convent. When I stepped inside, I felt like even the air was different. I liked it right away.

The second time I came, it was for good. My family didn’t believe it at first; they thought I’d come back soon enough. But my decision was firm.

The first sisters and spiritual father of St. Elisabeth Convent     

Initially, it was a joy to live in the monastery; everything seemed beautiful. Then there came a temptation, and I thought: “I have to get out of here.” I would look at people, and they were walking, smiling, and I had one thought: “What nuts. What have they all gathered here for?”   

—Is it not allowed to smile?

—We didn’t really joke around in my family. It was considered that a joke was something that could offend or hurt someone.

I was scared, and I decided to leave, but I postponed my departure until evening, then till the following morning, then I thought I would wait. And by the fourth day, the desire to leave was gone, and I saw the beauty in everything again.

    

—Did you ever think you’d made a mistake?

—No. When I was at home, I didn’t like big noisy crowds. It wasn’t interesting for me; my soul was tormented by the empty conversations that young people have. I sat at home in the evenings, my soul inexplicably yearned, and sometimes I would say: “Mom, I want to go home.” But my mom didn’t understand: “You are at home. What do you mean you want to go home?” I would say: “I don’t know, I just feel like I want to go home.”

I felt bad that I was just sitting around and wasting time—every minute of life is precious. I wanted to spend this minute doing good, to give it to God, so life wouldn’t be just vegetating, but serving God and neighbor. Outwardly, everything was fine. It would seem I had everything, I was loved, but my soul felt out of place, that it wasn’t where it was supposed to be.

—And now you’re at home?

—Yes. And the next step home is the The Gateway to the Kingdom of HeavenThe main thing that distinguishes the Mother of God from us is her submission to God’s will. No murmuring, no resistance can be seen in this Handmaiden of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, our Intercessor.

“>Kingdom of Heaven.

This is what it was like when I lived with my parents: I’d sit at the window, looking down from the eighth floor at the little tiny people amidst the giant buildings. And I’d think: “My life could be cut off right now, and how would I stand before God? How would I answer Him?”

I was troubled by these thoughts. But in the monastery I know: If not because of my merits, then by the prayers of the sisters, through the intercession of St. Nicholas, may the Lord have mercy.

—St. Ambrose of Optina wrote: “To live in a monastery, you need not a cart-full of patience, but a whole caravan.” Is there much that you have to endure here?

—The monastery has all the conditions for the spiritual life. If there’s nothing to endure externally, then within us there’s a world where we have to toil away, sometimes imperceptible to those around us. The most difficult thing is to be patient with yourself. The Lord humbles a person in a monastery. In the world, I had great Pride is the First Daughter of the DevilFirst of all, we need to love God, because for this temporary life He gave us such a large, comfortable earth, a great variety of plants, springs, rivers, seas, fish, animals, as well as air, fire, day, night, sky, stars, sun, and moon.

“>pride: I was praised everywhere, accepted everywhere. But here I realized that I don’t know how to do anything, I don’t know anything.

From my first days in the monastery, if I allowed any sin to enter, for example, condemnation, my soul greatly suffered from it. Even the white walls of the monastery seemed dark and gloomy. But when I realized the cause of my suffering and asked for forgiveness from God, the Lord took away the whole burden. Some people say when it’s hard: “That’s it. I’m not going to do anything, I’m going to die.” But my soul starts looking for help.

    

—You’re the youngest nun at the monastery. How old are you?

—I’m eighteen now, and I’ve been in the monastery for two years already.

—Do you sense that the sisters treat you specially?

—Yes, and it really annoyed me at first. Because my mom considered me an adult since childhood, and even when she let me go to the monastery, she said: “I know you’re an adult and you won’t choose anything bad for yourself.” It was hard for my mother when I was young; she was lonely, and I was her only friend. When I was about three years old, she could talk to me about various things, as with someone who understands everything and sees everything. So when the sisters in the monastery talk with me like I’m a child, it’s uncomfortable and hard for me.

—Can you tell us about your burning desires?

—There are so many of them! As a child, I had a desire: If I don’t do anything worthwhile in this life, let me at least do something great, some kind of self-sacrifice at the end of my life, for example, to cover someone with myself, as they write in hero stories; that is, to sacrifice myself for another. Like the martyrs. They didn’t betray God, but I constantly betray him inwardly. That’s the dream I had—to suffer for others, for God.

Many people desire prayer, spiritual feats, but now I would just like humility. The one thing my soul wants is to be humbled. When you humble yourself, you have everything: Prayer, and labors, and you notice people and you love everyone. Although it’s very hard to love, because when you love someone, you let all his sorrows and troubles into your soul, and you worry, and you pray.

We go to the children’s ward at the hospital. You look at the sick children and you think: What if your prayers are the only thing that can help them? Sometimes your soul is pained for some children, that there’s no one to protect them from the terrible world around them. This pain turns into your own pain (for yourself). Perhaps this child is suffering from the fact that you’re living negligently in the monastery; you don’t use God’s gift for good, but conceal it within yourself. It’s not just your soul that suffers from this, but the souls of the children you’re visiting. You want to help them, but you see that there’s nothing you can do. The only thing you can do is to say: “Lord, have mercy.”

​Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok in the children’s ward     

—What do you wish for those living in the world?

—I would like to wish that when things are hard for them, that they would not lose hope, but flee to God; that they might hear God.

Originally published in Russian in the journal Meeting #31, 2006

Waymart, Pennsylvania, November 8, 2023

Photo: oca.org     

At its session at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago yesterday, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America canonically elected the next bishop for the Diocese of New England.

Hieromonk Benedict (Churchill), who was nominated by the diocese OCA Diocese of New England, bishopless since 2019, nominates episcopal candidateFr. Benedict is currently the priest of St. George’s Orthodox Church in Edenton, North Carolina, in the OCA’s Diocese of the South.

“>late last month, will thus be the successor to His Eminence Archbishop Nikon, who Archbishop Nikon of Boston (OCA) reposes in the Lord“He exhibited the best traits of a true leader—the ability to listen and the ability to act decisively. We saw him not only as our bishop, but as one of us.””>reposed in 2019, reports the Orthodox Church in America.

Fr. Benedict, formerly a parish priest in North Carolina, was recently tonsured into monasticism at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania by its abbot Schema-Archimandrite Sergius (Bowyer).

And today, Fr. Benedict was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by His Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Chicago.

He will be consecrated to the episcopacy on December 1-2 at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Boston.

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Pope Francis will publish an autobiography next year in which he recounts memories of historical events from the outbreak of World War II to the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

HarperCollins Publishers announced Tuesday that it will publish the pope’s book, “Life, My Story Through History,” in the spring of 2024 in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.

“In this book we tell a story, the story of my life, through the most important and dramatic events that humanity has experienced over the past 80 years,” Pope Francis said in a statement released by the publisher on Nov. 7.

“This book was written so that people, especially younger people, can listen to the voice of an elderly person and reflect on what our planet has experienced, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

The book was co-written by Vatican journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, who interviewed Pope Francis for Italian television specials in 2021 and 2022 and recently published a book in Italian about exorcists featuring anecdotes from the pope.

According to HarperCollins, the book will feature the pope’s recollections of the start of World War II, the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jews, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the collapse of the Twin Towers, the great economic recession of 2008, the resignation of Benedict XVI, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Born in 1936 in Argentina, Pope Francis was only 2 years old when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, launching World War II, and 8 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Jesuit archbishop of Buenos Aires was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in February 2001, just months before the Sept. 11 attacks, and served as president of the Argentine bishops’ conference in 2008. He was 76 years old when he was elected pope following the historic resignation of Benedict XVI.

The pope’s book, which is not classified as a memoir, will also touch on current global issues, including abortion, racial discrimination, climate change, atomic weapons, war, and social inequalities.

Pope Francis has authored numerous books, including a book-length interview with a Spanish missionary titled “The Strength of Vocation” in 2018, “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future” in 2020, and an interview with an Italian psychologist called “Fear as a Gift” in 2023.

The pope’s first book, “The Name of God is Mercy: A Conversation with Andrea Tornielli,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2016.

Bucharest, November 8, 2023

Photo: basilica.ro     

St. Nektarios the Wonderworker of Aegina is greatly loved and venerated in Romania thanks in large part to the many miracles he has worked there, says the Exarch of monasteries of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.

Radu Vodă Monastery in Bucharest is home to a fragment of the relics of St. Nektarios and counts him among its patron saints. In honor of the upcoming feast of the Holy Hierarch, the monastery brought out the relics for veneration.

Relics of St. Nektarios and St. Ephraim carried in procession. Photo: basilica.ro     

“With joy, this morning, I placed the reliquaries of St. Nektarios and of the Holy Martyr Ephraim the New in the canopy in the courtyard of the monastery,” said Abbot Archimandrite Nektarios Șofelea (the Exarch of Bucharest monasteries), reports the Basilica News Agency.

The relics were festively carried in procession before being placed in the courtyard.

Photo: basilica.ro     

“These days are filled with joy and grace, as on Thursday, November 9, we commemorate St. Nektarios of Aegina. Our monastery has him as a protector and many faithful, both from Bucharest and outside the capital, visit us on these days, as St. Nektarios is known as a swift helper and great healer,” Fr. Nektarios emphasized.

“In recent years, the mercy of God has been shown to many of the faithful, especially to those who have gone through suffering and trials, through spiritual, but also physical illnesses, and, through the intercessions and prayers of St. Nektarios, they have found healing,” he said.

Photo: basilica.ro     

“This also explains the veneration that the saint enjoys in our country and in the entire Orthodox world, because St. Nektarios is a great healer, who helps those tried by suffering, to heal and to come closer to God.”

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The United States Catholic bishops have endorsed a Senate plan to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy at the federal level, calling it a “positive step toward protecting the right to life of preborn children.”

The legislation, called the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act,” would set federal minimum protection for unborn children at the 15th week of pregnancy. The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, would still allow states to restrict abortion earlier in pregnancy, but no later than 15 weeks.

“Not only does abortion end the life of the preborn child, but it is frequently harmful to the mother, emotionally and physically,” Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in a letter to Graham.

“Late-term abortions, such as those performed when the preborn child is 15 weeks or older, pose significant physical, and potentially fatal, risks to the mother,” Burbidge added.

The chairman said a 15-week ban is “a step toward fulfilling the ultimate imperative that all preborn children be protected from the moment of conception and that mothers be supported” and encouraged other members of Congress to co-sponsor the legislation.

“Science continues to reveal the amazing development and characteristics of babies in utero, such as their ability to respond to music, to their mother’s voice, and to other stimuli,” Burbidge said in his letter. “Furthermore, there is significant scientific evidence that babies can feel pain as early as 12 weeks’ gestation.”

Burbidge cited a report published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, which found that “the evidence, and a balanced reading of that evidence, points towards an immediate and unreflective pain experience … from as early as 12 weeks” and stated: “[We] no longer view fetal pain … in a gestational window of 12–24 weeks as impossible based on the neuroscience.”

Although the bishops support the 15-week proposal as a starting point, Burbidge emphasized that the Church urges that the government protect preborn children from the moment of conception.

“The Catholic Church remains clear and consistent in asserting that true justice demands protection for the right to life, the most basic human and civil right, for every child, from conception onward,” Burbidge said. “No person or government has the right to take the life of any innocent human being, regardless of his or her stage of development. We will never cease working for laws that protect human life from its beginning, supporting mothers in need, and ultimately making abortion unthinkable. It is long past time to provide more life-affirming alternatives that support and protect both mother and child.”

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, lawmakers in about two dozen states imposed more restrictions on abortion than were previously allowed under the Roe precedent. The case also opened the door to the federal government changing its laws on abortion.

Graham initially introduced the 15-week proposal in September of last year. In a statement at that time, he argued that it would put the United States in line with several European countries, such as France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Spain.

“After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Democrats in Congress have rallied behind pro-choice legislation which allows abortion right up until the moment of birth,” Graham said in September 2022. “I view the Democrat proposal as radical and one that Americans will ultimately reject. Our legislation is a responsible alternative as we provide exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and life and physical health of the mother.”

Abortion has become the subject of a major policy debate among lawmakers and during elections since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has been urging lawmakers to support a 15-week ban at the federal level.

Many Democratic lawmakers have spoken against further restrictions on abortion, but the plan has support among numerous Republicans. Some Republican presidential candidates have backed the 15-week plan, including Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. Former President Donald Trump has not directly answered the question when asked and Vivek Ramaswamy opposes federal rules on abortion.

Kiev, November 8, 2023

Photo: spzh.news     

A Kiev appeals court upheld the legality of the Ukrainian state’s attempts to forcefully rename the Ukrainian Orthodox Church last week.

On November 2, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal ruled to dismiss the appeal of the canonical UOC and to uphold the decision of the Kiev District Administrative Court of May 15 that declared the legality of the Ministry of Culture’s actions aimed at forcibly renaming diocesan structures, monasteries, and parishes, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists, with reference to the court website.

The Ministry of Culture’s aim is to rename the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the “Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine”—a pretext for outright banning the Church on a federal level.

Recall that Ukraine takes another step towards banning the Church—declares UOC is still part of Moscow PatriarchateThe Ukrainian state has taken another serious step towards banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“>in January, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience declared that the UOC remains part of the Moscow Patriarchate, despite the UOC’s own decision to depart from the Moscow Patriarchate the previous May, as reflected in the Ukrainian Church statutes no longer have any connection to Russian Church, state official confirms“In an official letter, Metropolitan Onuphry clearly indicated that the UOC is no longer governed by the decision of the Bishops’ Council of the ROC, and officially announced its disassociation from the Moscow Patriarchate,” Elena Bogdan said.”>UOC’s new statutes. Ukrainian Parliament votes for bill to ban UOC in first reading, second reading still to comeMany local administrations have declared bans on the Church, though at the same time, the Church’s activities have continued in those localities.”>And last month, Verkhovna Rada deputies voted 267-15 in favor of a bill that would ban any religious organization centered in Russia (the bill awaits a second reading before it can pass into law).

Although it has been legally registered as the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church” for 30 years, there have been attempts at least Fight breaks out after Ukrainian Parliament votes to force Ukrainian Church to change its name as pretext to church seizuresThe debate over the government’s interference in Church life led to a massive fight in the parliamentary hall.

“>since 2018 under President Poroshenko to forcibly rename the UOC as the “Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” although these attempts had been repeatedly blocked by Ukrainian courts.

The matter was halted by the Ukrainian Supreme Court in Supreme Court halts forced renaming of canonical Ukrainian ChurchThe Supreme Court of Ukraine has rejected the Ministry of Culture’s appeal to force the canonical Ukrainian Church to rename itself as the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, thus allowing it to retain the name it has been registered under for 30 years.

“>December 2019, but Ukraine: Constitutional Court accepts bill to forcibly rename UOCIt is well known that renaming the Church is simply laying the foundation to seize churches and outright ban the Ukrainian Church, which has come under increased pressure and persecution from the state in recent months.”>in late December, the Constitutional Court ruled that the bill calling for the forced renaming of churches or religious organizations associated with organizations in Russia is in line with the state constitution. The case was resumed again Court resumes case on forcibly renaming the Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchUkrainian authorities hope to forcibly rename the UOC as the “Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine” in order to then ban the Church on the national level.”>in May of this year, with courts twice now upholding the legality of the forced renaming.

According to the latest court writing, the UOC can be recognized as part of the Russian Church if any of the following is true:

1. UOC statutes contain indications of belonging to the ROC

2. ROC statutes contain indications that the UOC is part of its structure

3. ROC statutes contain indications that UOC hierarchs are part of its structure

In its examination, the court relied on pre-May 2022 UOC statutes, which are no longer legally valid, and the ROC statutes to make its declaration against the Church.

The appeal court’s decision states that it can be further appealed to the Supreme Court within 30 days.

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