Announcements

Stop the demolition of the church of Candlemas building in Cherkasy (Ukraine)For the first time in the history of modern Ukraine, Cherkasy local authorities are going to demolish the Orthodox church!June 6, 2016 Fr. Vladimir received a letter from the Department of Architecture of Cherkasy. The letter demands believers "to release illegally occupied land," and otherwise threatens to dismantle the building forcefully.Cherkasy organization of veterans of Afghanistan in 2002 decided to build a temple here as a part of the memorial ensemble for Afghanistan veterans. Even the basement was installed in 2010 for the future temple, but construction wasn't finished due to the lack of funding.In the same time Fr. Vladimir agreed with the local authorities to build a temporary building for worship. The implication was that the graceful temple-trailer will be in effect until the consecration of the new church. This building was installed by local inhabitants themselves and at their cost.Unfortunately, it turned out that the city authorities "suddenly" decided not to build a church and stated that "there will be no domes and crosses in the memorial". They have already allocated money for the new memorial complex without the church, and now they want to dismantle the existing one in spite of the fact that it obviously will not interfere with construction works. "Well, why is it there? It is not necessary, there is a church right there" - Vitaly Chernuha, the city's chief architect said. But there are only temples belonging to the evangelists, Yegova's witnesses and the schismatic "Kievan patriarchate"!Forgive me for not translating the map! But you can see it in a larger size: http://i66.tinypic.com/15phpc9.pngDeputy head of the veteran organization Vladimir Kovalenko says that "Afghans" are in favor of the existing temporary church to act in the future. Besides that, it is the only one church belonging to the canonical Orthodox Church in the area (see the attached map). And local authorities' decision creates obstacles and makes it impossible for believers to take part in divine services. That's why it seems to be an overt religious war against the canonical Church and violation of religious freedom. Moreover, demolition of a church building in general is a shame for historically Orthodox Ukraine!So, there are several key reasons to preserve the church where it is in spite of its "temporary" legal status:The church building is the property of the local Orthodox community.There is no legal basis to demolish it.The very heroes, who were meant to be praised by the memorial, like it.There are no local residents who oppose it.The decision of the city authorities violates religious freedom of Orthodox believers and seems to be a part of the State-run campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.Having known about this situation, I couldn't do nothing and started a petition:https://www.change.org/p/human-rights-stop-the-demolition-of-the-church-of-candlemas-building-in-cherkasy-ukraine  Please, help us! We would highly appreciate if you could sign the petition and spread the information! We want to preserve our church!Sincerely,Nadia Bazuk

Pemptousia Partnership: Today, Wednesday 18 May 2016, we have gathered here in Athens, from all over Greece, Syria, Lebanon, the rest of Europe and the Middle East, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the joint abduction of two outstanding figures in the Christian communities in Syria, His Eminence Pavlos, the Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo and Mar Johanna of the Syro-Jacobite Community, Archbishop of Aleppo, while they were conducting a humanitarian mission to the north of the city of Aleppo in Syria. Their communities are suffering and mourn their absence. Their abduction is not an isolated incident, but came about within the context of an inhuman war which has been unfolding in Syria for more than five years and bears the stamp of terrorism, as embodied by the ‘Islamic State’. The aim of the anniversary of the abduction is not merely to recall a woeful event. It is a challenge to the human conscience, both on a global and a local level, as regards the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the demolition of their homes and churches, and the danger that the whole region will be left devoid of a Christian presence. And this region is the cradle of Christianity. This call is a conscious act of solidarity with all those who are suffering the consequences of the war and is part of a common initiative, with similar events having been organized all over the world: on both sides of the Mediterranean, in America, and in Europe with the aim of breaking this three-year wall of silence and indifference and to launch a programme of common action. Therefore, with this gathering, we denounce before international public opinion the international guilt for the silence surrounding the fate of the two abducted bishops, as also the more general inability to react, regarding the persecutions of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East. We call upon the Security Council of the United Nations, the European Commission, the relevant state and institutional powers and all the parties involved to reveal the truth about the drama of the two abducted bishops and to undertake specific initiatives so that their fate can be elucidated. We also urge them to put together a plan to meet the immediate needs for the protection of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq, to the end that the Christians will be able to remain on their land, where they first put down roots two thousand years ago, and continue to practice their faith freely, in the hope that no-one else will be abducted in the future. We urge them to be aware of the fact that they bear the weight of the moral and historical responsibility for the present tragedy of the Christians in the Middle East, who have always advocated peace, progress and respect for the person, irrespective of nationality or religion. We earnestly entreat that an immediate solution be found which will bring peace and will be based on respect for the religious freedom of each person, in the conviction that peace for the world involves peace for Christians, too. Finally, we call upon all people of good will to commit to bringing an end to the inhuman terrorist attacks which are a scourge in Syria and Iraq, a threat to neighboring countries, a blow to Europe when least expected and, potentially a flash-point for the whole of the planet.  Sign the petitionHERE. This resolution is being sent to Signora Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European External Action Service, Belgium. You can watch the video of the event that took place in Athens on the 18th of May 2016 here

I've just cleaned out our bookshelves and have a whole bunch of Orthodox books and Orthodox music CDs that I'd like to sell. If you're interested in knowing what's available, just send me a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks!

I have some business cards, a lot, and I wanted to give some of them out so you can give them to their friends. Most of them have the URLs to http://JonathansCorner.com and http://CJSHayward.com against a Cambridge background. I thought I would offer them to you if you would like a few—say, up to 10. If you would like a few business cards, please PM me or email me at jonathan.hayward@pobox.com with "to the author" in the subject, and tell me how many you want and your mailing address.

Anyone on OrthodoxCircle from Salt Lake City? My husband will be traveling there this weekend- I was hoping he could connect a little with the local Orthodox community it would sure make him feel more at home! Let me know- he'll probably try to attend St.s Peter and Paul for Sunday's service   :D thanks!