Ethiopian Orthodox Factions Reportedly Meet in Dallas

It is being reported that a meeting is taking place today in Dallas, Texas, between representatives of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC) and the Holy Synod in Exile of the EOTC, founded in the Ethiopian Diaspora by Patriarch Abune Mercurius (Fanta) of Addis Abeba following his removal by the post-Communist Ethiopian government. The two sides are said to be meeting to discuss the possibility of a reconciliation between the two branches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. More details will be released if and when they become available.

Serb Men Marry Albanian Women

As tensions remain high between Serbian and Kosovar authorities an increasing number of men from the southern Serbian region of Raska have begun arranging marriages for themselves with women from neighboring Albania as the ongoing exodus from the Serbian countryside to the cities leaves men in rural areas with fewer marriage options. Roughly 1,000 marriages have already been contracted between the region's Serbian farmers and Albanian women while another 8,000 immigration applications for Albanian fiancees are currently being processed by the Serbian government. More here.

Armenian, Georgian Orthodox Catholicoses Agree to Committees to Resolve Issues

The Armenian and Georgian Orthodox Churches have agreed to establish committees to work towards the resolution of the standing issues between the two churches and the Armenian and Georgian nations, among them the return of appropriated Armenian Orthodox churches in Georgia and of appropriated Georgian Orthodox churches in Armenia. The decision to establish the committees was made during a meeting between Catholicos-Patriarchs Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin and Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta-Tbilisi. More here.

Theophilus III Calls for Peace Between Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem

At a gathering today of hierarchs and clergy of the Church of Jerusalem and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem called for both churches to "work to be examples of peace, non-violence, reconciliation and true symbiosis."

Patriarch Theophilus' words are a breath of fresh air as the Holy Land is the site of regular clashes between the clergy (and even the monks) of the Jerusalemite, Coptic, Armenian, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches in Israel and Palestine and also between them and the Roman Catholic Church in the area.

The full text of Patriarch Theophilus' speech can be found here.