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.

Armenian Orthodox Catholicos Visits France

Catholicos-Patriarch Karekin II (Nersessian) of Echmiadzin has undertaken a pastoral visit to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Marseille in southern France. While in France Catholicos Karekin celebrated the 80th anniversary of Holy Translators' Church in Marseille and met with the hierarchs, clergy, and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Church in France as well as with Bishop Anba Athanasius of the Coptic Orthodox Church in France. More here.

Fast for Eritrean Orthodox Church Announced

Three days of fasting and prayer for the clergy and faithful of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church in Eritrea have been announced. The days are to be observed on 24, 25, and 26 July, and clergymen are requested to especially remember Patriarch Abune Anthony of Asmera, who has been placed under house arrest by the Eritrean regime, at any Divine Liturgies they serve on these days. More here.

Bulgarian Orthodox Primate Marks 41 Years as Patriarch

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church yesterday marked the 41st anniversary of the election of Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) to the Sofia Patriarchate with celebratory services in Sofia's Cathedral of St. Alexander of the Neva concelebrated by the Church's hierarchs in Bulgaria. More in Bulgarian here.

Syriac Orthodox Church Announces Plans to Open Private University in Syria

The Syriac Orthodox Church has announced plans for the construction of a church-affiliated private university near al-Qamishli in northeastern Syria. The new Al-Akhtal University will focus on scientific fields, with faculties of dentistry, engineering, medicine, and pharmacology (among others) planned. More here.

Place of the Nativity Listed as a World Heritage Site

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has approved the Palestinian National Authority's request that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem be listed as a World Heritage site. The church was listed as being "in danger" due to the political unrest in the area and its general need for significant repairs. More here.

'No Comment' from Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Language Law

Archbishop Mitrophan (Yurchuk) of Bila Tserkva, a spokesman of the autonomous Church of Ukraine, has called for a "constructive dialogue" between the proponents and opponents of the recent legislation establishing Russian as a regional official language alongside Ukrainian while at the same time distancing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the conflict by noting that the Church supports the integrity of the Ukrainian state, but refuses to participate in the political process when it does not touch on matters affecting public morality. More in Ukrainian here.

Bulgarian Orthodox Youth Pilgrimage Planned from North America

The Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of New York, the United States, and Canada is organizing a youth pilgrimage to Bulgaria, with visits to holy places throughout the country. To sign up for the pilgrimage please visit the pilgrimage's website.

First Services Held at New Russian Orthodox Church in Lisbon

Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko) of Korsun has led the first services to be celebrated at the new Russian Orthodox Church of St. Felix in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The church was transferred to the Eparchy of Korsun, which cares for the communities of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Church in Western and Southern Europe, from the Roman Catholic Patriarchate of Lisbon.

Following the services Bishop Nestor met with all the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Portugal to discuss the possibilities for the future development of the Church in the country. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Representatives Consider Withdrawal from Egyptian Constituent Assembly

The Coptic Orthodox Church is considering withdrawing its representatives from the Egyptian Constituent Assembly, charged with revising the Egyptian constitution, due to efforts on the part of Islamist members of the Constituent Assembly to strengthen the place of Islamic law in the document. More here. H/t to Ad Orientem.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Consecrates New Bishop of Shuya

As part of his recent pastoral visit to the Eparchy of Bryansk in western Russia Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) of Moscow celebrated the consecration of the new diocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Bryansk as well as the consecration of Archimandrite Nicon (Fomin) to the episcopacy as Bishop of Shuya. Axios! Bishop Nicon's diocese is part of the newly established Metropolitanate of Ivanovo in central Russia. More here.

50,000 Christians Flee Syria?

In a repose to the Duma a Russian diplomat serving in Syria has estimated that 50,000 Christians have fled Syria or been killed during the course of the ongoing Syrian conflict. More here.

Russian Orthodox Church to Promote Environmental Conservation

The Moscow Patriarchate, the All-Russian Society of Nature Protection, and the World Russian People's Council have signed an agreement to work together to promote the conservation and protection of the environment. Commenting on the agreement, Fr. Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, noted that over the last twenty years conservation efforts hadn't been a priority for the Russian Orthodox Church due to the assortment of political and economic challenges facing its members, but that the Church needed to encourage its clergy and laity to become more actively involved in protecting the environment.

The signatories have yet to agree to concrete steps on environmental issues that they can take together, but plan to discuss (among other possible plans of action) programs to encourage churches and monasteries to take an interest in the physical state of the areas around them to encourage a greater overall awareness of the state of environment being a community responsibility. More in Russian here.

Photo of the Day: Consecration of Bishop Nicon of Shuya

Archimandrite Nicon (Fomin) being consecrated Bishop of Shuya by Patriarch Cyril (Gundyayev) and other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church in Bryansk's Holy Trinity Cathedral. More pictures from the service can be found here.

In Memoriam: Archpriest Peter Gillquist

Fr. Peter E. Gillquist, a retired clergyman of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, fell asleep in the Lord last night at the age of seventy-three. Born into a Lutheran family, the future priest went on after university to become a full-time staff member of the Evangelical Protestant Campus Crusade for Christ, eventually becoming one of the organization's regional directors. He also worked as a senior editor for Thomas Nelson Publishers, being involved in the 1970s on the overview committee for the New King James Version Bible.

While still working with Campus Crusade Fr. Peter and some of his colleagues became convinced through their studies that the Orthodox Church was the only one that had preserved the ancient Christian Faith through the centuries. In 1973 this led to their organization of a network of house churches in the USA and Canada, at first called the "New Covenant Apostolic Order" and later (after 1979) the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), as part of their efforts to live the Orthodox Faith as they knew it.

After exploring the possibility of joining the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America or the American Orthodox Church (OCA) the majority of the EOC joined the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. (Although several EOC parishes that initially refused to be united with the Orthodox Church were later accepted through the OCA.) Fr. Peter went on to serve as director of the archdiocesan department for missions and evangelism as well as project director for the Orthodox Study Bible. He reposed due to a recurring skin cancer. May his memory be eternal! Further information about Fr. Peter and funeral announcements should be posted here.

Controversy in Bulgaria Over Archons

Controversy has engulfed the Bulgarian Orthodox Church due to its recent decision to follow the example of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church in awarding the providers of large monetary contributions with the imperial East Roman title of archon (literally "ruler"). Guidelines for awarding the title were recently approved by the Bulgarian Orthodox Holy Synod. The decision came under widespread criticism immediately after its publication, with some seeing it as a public expression of the power of the mafia in the country and the Church. One of the country's hierarchs, Metropolitan Nathaniel (Kalaidzhiev) of Nevrokop, has publicly criticized the Holy Synod's ruling. More here.

EU, Montenegro to Begin Membership Talks

Montenegro and the European Union (EU) are set to begin talks this week concerning the former's admission to the EU. They were scheduled after Montenegro met preliminary human rights and legal standards necessary for consideration for EU membership. More here.

Romanov Memorial Cross Vandalized

The memorial cross at the site of the discovery of the remains of the last Russian imperial family near Yekaterinburg has been vandalized. It is unknown whether the vandalism was a random act or an indirect attack on the Russian Orthodox Church. More here.

Bulgarian Government Supports Jerusalem Church Initiative

An initiative launched in western Bulgaria for the construction of a Bulgarian Orthodox representation church in Jerusalem has gained the support of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church attempted in the past to establish a representation in the Holy City, but was later forced by the Bulgarian Communist regime to halt its efforts. More here.

Coptic Orthodox Delegation Meets with Morsi

Metropolitan Pachomius of Beheira, locum tenens of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, visited Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Morsi today to congratulate him on his electoral victory. Morsi assured Anba Pachomius and those with him that he would remain in close contact with the Coptic Orthodox Church and that he would not allow any in Egypt to "condescend" to its native Copts. More here.

Turkey Returns Properties to Bulgarian Orthodox Church

The Turkish government has announced that it intends to transfer ownership of seven properties in Constantinople formerly belonging to the Bulgarian Orthodox Exarchate to the representation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Constantinople. The properties include both a former monastery and a Bulgarian Orthodox cemetery. More here.

New Egyptian Government to Include Coptic Vice-President

It has been announced that newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party intends to appoint a Copt and also a woman to the Egyptian vice-presidencies as a sign of his intention to be a president for all Egyptians, very much in opposition to his previous campaign comments on the suitability of women and non-Muslims serving in the Egyptian presidency. More here.

In Memoriam: Metropolitan Meletius of Nicopolis

Metropolitan Meletius (Kalamaras) of Nicopolis of the Greek Orthodox Church has fallen asleep in the Lord. A native of the Peloponnese, as a young man Metropolitan Meletius studied theology in Athens before serving in the Metropolis of Messenia. In 1980 he was consecrated ruling hierarch of the Metropolis of Nicopolis and Preveza in southern Epirus, which he shepherded until his repose on 21 June at the age of seventy-nine. May Metropolitan Meletius' memory be eternal! More in Greek here.

Update (12:35pm): An English-language press release on Metropolitan Meletius' repose can be found here.

Assyrian Patriarch Meets with Chinese Christians

Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV (Khnanya) of the Church of the East has met in Chicago with the director of Hong Kong's Jingjiao Fellowship to discuss relations between the Assyrian Church and the Fellowship, which was founded to promote awareness of the ancient presence and activity of the Church of the East in China. During the meeting the Fellowship's head presented the Assyrian patriarch with a copy of the first translation of the Assyrian Divine Liturgy into Chinese. More here.

Russian President Visits Holy Places in Jerusalem, Bethlehem

As part of his recent state visit to Israel Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has made a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, stopping at the Church of the Resurrection (the "Holy Sepulchre") in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In Jerusalem the president was welcomed by Patriarch Theophilus III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem and representatives of the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. More here.