Bulgarian Orthodox Church Calls for Religious Education in State Schools

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church is calling upon its members to pray for the introduction of religious education into the curriculum of Bulgaria's state schools. Proposals for the introduction of religious education are currently under discussion by the Bulgarian government. More in Bulgarian here.

Malankara Orthodox Metropolitan Visits Crestwood Seminary, Discusses Curriculum Development

Metropolitan Alexios Mar Eusebius of the Southwest American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has visited Sts. Vladimir's and Nerses' Seminaries in New York to meet with the seminaries' leaderships and with the diocesan seminarians studying at St. Vladimir's. During his time at St. Vladimir's Metropolitan Mar Eusebius discussed the creation of a curriculum more oriented to the needs of the seminary's Malankara Orthodox students with the seminary's dean. More here and here.

Catholicos Karekin Receives Rector of Moscow Theological Academy

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of the Armenian Orthodox Church has received Archbishop Yevgeniy (Reshetnikov) of Verey, auxiliary of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Moscow and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, at Holy Echmiadzin. The two met to discuss ways in which the Moscow Theological Academy and the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at Holy Echmiadzin could cooperate in the education and training of the future clergy of the Russian and Armenian Orthodox Churches. More here.

Religion Curriculum Issued in Moldova

The Moldovan Ministry of Education has issued a curriculum for the teaching of the Orthodox Faith in Moldovan schools. As religion can only be taught in Moldova's primary and secondary schools at the request of students' parents the Moldovan Orthodox Church has called on its faithful in the country to approach their local schools about the organization of religion classes. More (in Romanian) here.

Bulgarian PM Supports Religious Education in Schools

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has expressed his support for mandatory religious education in Bulgaria's schools at the recent consecration of the Church of St. Procopius of Varna by Metropolitan Kiril (Yordanov) of Varna of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. During his remarks in Varna the Bulgarian prime minister singled out atheism as the single greatest threat to the Bulgarian nation. More here.

Constantinopolitan, Moldovan Orthodox Metropolitans Meet in Chisinau

As part of his ongoing visit to Moldova with relics of St. Demetrius the Great-Martyr Metropolitan Panteleimon of Berea of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church in Greece has met with Metropolitan Vladimir (Cantarean) of Chisinau at the seat of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in Chisinau. The two discussed possible areas of cooperation between their respective Churches and compared religious education in Greece with efforts to develop religious education in Moldova. More (in Romanian) here.

Catechetical Conference to be Held at Rila Monastery

With the blessing of the Bulgarian Orthodox Holy Synod a conference on catechism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will be held tomorrow at the famous Rila Monastery in southwestern Bulgaria. The conference will include clerical and lay participants and will both discuss current experiences in religious education and seek to develop principles for a comprehensive catechetical strategy to promote the spiritual enlightenment of the Bulgarian nation. More (in Bulgarian) here.

Moscow, Tbilisi Universities Sign Agreement

St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University in Moscow and St. Andrew's Patriarchal University in Tbilisi have signed a agreement that will widen educational cooperation between the universities and the joint publication of Georgian and Russian-language theological works in Georgia and Russia. More here.

Russian Orthodox Educational Reforms to Gain Western Recognition

Speaking on the ongoing reform of theological education in the institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Kirill (Hovorun) has said that one of the intentions of the reform is to gain recognition of degrees awarded by the Church's seminaries, academies, and universities by institutions of higher education in the West. His full comments can be found here (in Russian).

Theological Institutions in Bucharest and Kiev Sign Protocol

The Theological Faculty of the University of Bucharest and the Kiev Theological Academy are signing a protocol to establish a collaborative partnership between the two institutions. More here.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church Calls for Religious Education in Schools

At the recent session of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church on 9 November Patriarch Maksim reported that his petition to the Bulgarian government to introduce the compulsory study of religion into public schools in the country had been favorably received by the President of Bulgaria.