Synod Abroad Releases Epistle

The Synod Abroad of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has released an epistle in commemoration of the anniversaries of the ROCOR's organization and the reunion of the Moscow Patriarchate and the ROCOR. The full text can be found here.

Lenten Epistle of Bishop Nicon of Boston

The Lenten epistle of Bishop Nikon (Liolin) of Boston and the Albanians of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) is worth a read given the assorted culture war articles and conspiracy theories being pushed online by people claiming to support Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington. It's sad that all of this has become such a big deal...

Kiev Patriarch Writes the Moscow Bishops' Council

Patriarch Philaret (Denisenko) of Kiev of the schismatic Ukrainian Orthodox Church has released an epistle to the Russian Orthodox hierarchs currently assembled in Moscow concerning the recent shift in the policy of the Moscow Patriarchate concerning the reception of former members of the Kiev Patriarchate. (Previously the Church of Rus' had chosen economy in receiving the Kiev Patriarchate's members, but as the schism has continued it has begun following canonical strictness, requiring the baptism of laity and the ordination of clergy received from the schism.)

Patriarch Philaret's letter to the Bishops' Council can be found here.

Nativity Pastoral Letter of the Bishop-elect of Chicago

The pastoral letter on the occasion of the Lord's Nativity from Archimandrite Matthias (Moriak), Bishop-elect of Chicago of the American Orthodox Church, can be found here.

2011 Epistles on the Lord's Nativity

Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontónis) of Constantinople has an excellent festal epistle on the occasion of the Lord's Nativity here. The epistle of Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow can be found here, whilst the epistles of Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria, Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV (Khananya) of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) of Washington, and Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of New York can be found here, here, here, and here respectively.

Epistle of the Synod Abroad on the 90th Anniversary of the ROCOR

The epistle of the Synod Abroad of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia on the occasion of its 90th anniversary can be found here.

Holy Synod of the OCA on Autocephaly

The Holy Synod of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) recently released an epistle to its flock on the Russian Orthodox Church's granting of independence (autocephaly) to its daughter in North America. The epistle reminded the American Orthodox faithful of the purpose of the OCA not to master the jurisdictions of the other Local Orthodox Churches currently present in the Americas, but rather to be the servant of their unity, to work with them to achieve a unity that will be acceptable to all the sister Orthodox Churches in the Old World as well as to the New World's only autocephalous church, the OCA. The full epistle can be found here.