[asypecresty]

Link to report of incorrupt body of Greek Orthodox monk discovered 15 years after burial. Glory to God for all things!!

[ZesePreodaNed]

Who said they can't kill Greeks? They did in 1974 (6,800-9,300 killed, 2,000-3,000 missing/presumed dead) without anyone deciding to step in to help the Cypriots. The UN came in the nick of time to stop the Greeks any allies fighting back. Ironic isn't it.

[ahagotyou]

> This URL site is worth down-loading

http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_...9/4candles.swf In Christ, Vasilis

[ZesePreodaNed]

Irenaios comeback is dealt a blow

The former Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Irenaios, suffered a serious blow in his attempt to wrestle back power in the Church after the Israeli Supreme Court yesterday rejected his appeal to have the process to elect his successor annulled.

The court’s decision now paves the way for a special council of clerics who ousted Irenaios to meet today to compile a short list of candidates to replace the former patriarch. Irenaios was also ordered to cover court costs, totaling 15,000 shekels (some 2,700 euros).

Once the candidates have been nominated, the list will be made known to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority — the three governments with authority over the Jerusalem Patriarchate — for approval. If no problems arise, then the election of a new patriarch should take place by August 15, sources said.

Meanwhile, in a further snub toward Irenaios, the Palestinian Authority officially recognized the caretaker patriarch, Cornelius, Bishop of Petra, who was appointed in May.

KATHIMERINI Wednesday July 20, 2005

Patriarch Alexy II arrives in Kazan

14:15

KAZAN, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia has arrived in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, on a two-day visit to mark the 450th anniversary of the local eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"This year Kazan marks its 1000th anniversary," Alexy II said. "The Kazan eparchy turns 450 and tomorrow we will celebrate the day of the Kazan icon of the Virgin Mary."

The patriarch praised the wise decision of the Tatar government to build the Kul Sharif mosque, which opened in June.

The first divine service will be conducted in the recently restored ancient Annunciation Cathedral.

Kazan celebrates its 1000th anniversary in August.

The mosque and the cathedral are the core of the Kazan Kremlin.

More than ten archpriests from the Volga Federal District will attend the celebrations.

Alexy II brought the 18th century copy of the miraculous Kazan icon of the Virgin Mary, which had been kept in the Vatican for many years. Last summer the copy was returned to Russia.

The famous Kazan icon disappeared in 1904. The Church says that even its copies have been responsible for miracles.

NOVOSTI Wednesday July 20, 2005

[ahagotyou]

"Who said they can't kill Greeks? They did in 1974 (6,800-9,300 killed, 2,000-3,000 missing/presumed dead) without anyone deciding to step in to help the Cypriots. The UN came in the nick of time to stop the Greeks any allies fighting back. Ironic isn't it."

Also, in 1955 the Turks burned many Christian homes and businesses and killed many Christians..but not one word was mentioned in any of the West's papers. It was the same when the Turks murdered the entire population in Smyrna in 1922...No mention of it was allowed in any of the West's papers..(freedom of the press..are you joking?)
Read the former ambassador from the USA to that region, George Horton's account of what the Turks did in Smyrna. George Horton was the American Consul at the time It is quite a read; and it will dispell the myth we have here in the USA about "FREEDOM OF THE PRESS". You can down-load all of his accunt for FREE by going to this site:http://www.ellopos.net/politics/turk...t/download.asp
Vasilis Kirikos}

[asypecresty]

Biblical Pool of Siloam Is Uncovered in Jerusalem
Tue Aug 09 2005 00:09:33 ET

Workers repairing a sewage pipe in the old city of Jerusalem have discovered the biblical Pool of Siloam, a freshwater reservoir that was a major gathering place for ancient Jews making religious pilgrimages to the city and the reputed site where Jesus cured a man blind from birth, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reports.

The pool was fed by the now famous Hezekiah's Tunnel and is ``a much grander affair'' than archeologists previously believed, with three tiers of stone stairs allowing easy access to the water, according to Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archeology Review, which reported the find Monday.

``Scholars have said that there wasn't a Pool of Siloam and that John was using a religious conceit'' to illustrate a point, said New Testament scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. ``Now we have found the Pool of Siloam ... exactly where John said it was.''

A gospel that was thought to be ``pure theology is now shown to be grounded in history,'' he said.

The discovery puts a new spotlight on what is called the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trip that religious law required ancient Jews to make at least once a year, said archeologist Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa, who excavated the pool.

``Jesus was just another pilgrim coming to Jerusalem,'' he said. ``It would be natural to find him there.''

The newly discovered pool is less than 200 yards from another Pool of Siloam, this one a reconstruction built between A.D. 400 and 460 by the empress Eudocia of Byzantium, who oversaw the rebuilding of several Biblical sites.

[exchpaypaleg]

Dear Byron,

Bravo! Isn't what you say above placed in the Light of being a Christian in Truth, a KEY to Peace among peoples, nations, ethnic groups.

LOVE -- Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Prudence, Courage, Fear of the Lord. Is.11:1-2 Which express the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit at the Heart of the Blessed Trinity. God is Love! Love one another as I have loved you.

Respect of oneanother, reverence and awe for LIFE! without blame, or taking it for granted.

When will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?
to treat one another with love and justice? . . . Perhaps a seed at a time needs to be planted, cultivated and nurtured and brought to fruition for a harvest of Thankfullness.

My heart and prayer go out as a cry for Mercy to God upon all of us.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner.
Most Holy theotokos, save us!

[asypecresty]

An icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker flows myrrh in the Russian church in Antwerp

Antwerp, July 26, Interfax - An icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, began to flow myrrh in a parish of the Moscow Patriarchate in Antwerp several days ago, press service of the Brussels and Belgium archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church reported to Interfax on Wednesday.

The parishioners noticed the first signs of myrrh-flowing during Sunday divine service on July 16. Two clear drops appeared beneath the saint’s right eye on the icon and turned into tear-resembling streams of clear oily fluid.

Then St. Nicholas’ omophorion was covered with dewdrops, and the worshippers saw with their own eyes the thin streams of myrrh beginning to flow and exhaling strong fragrance, a source in the archdiocese said.

After the liturgy the rector of the church celebrated a prayer service with akathistos hymn to St. Nicholas. All the worshippers were singing, while the myrrh was gushing from the right hand of the saint raised in blessing. The stream left an oily imprint on a paper icon.

There were no signs of myrrh-flowing on the icons placed near the St. Nicholas icon made of the same material, the press service specified.

The myrrh-drops and fragrance were receding on the days that followed, probably because many pilgrims coming from Belgium and the neighboring countries to worship before the icon touched it.

Many different ailments and hardships of life were alleviated in Brussels during the last week. The believers think it to be the result of the prayer to St. Nicholas.

The rector of the church will record all testimonies of people who received help from the myrrh-flowing icon.

[asypecresty]

Glory to God for all things!!!


http://www.spiritdaily.com/pantocratoricon.htm

http://www.allsaintsbloomington.org/index.html

[ahagotyou]

CONSTANTINOPLE – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople received the Thessaloniki Bar Association’s directorate at
the Phanar last week and disclosed a new attempt by the Turkish Government to embezzle property belonging to the Patriarchate and the Greek community and asked for help to confront any such arbitrary acts. "We are determined to defend our rights in every way. We are asking for nothing more than our rights. We are citizens of this country. We are fulfilling our duties toward the state, but precisely for this reason, we are also seeking our rights in full," the Ecumenical Patriarch said on July 26. "We do not want to be treated like second rate citizens," he added. The Ecumenical Patriarch further pointed out that, while the majority of the
Turkish population genuinely desires accession to the European Union, Turkey must meet its obligations if it wants to shorten its path to Brussels. Turkey must change to become part of the EU, the Patriarch said three days later, in a strongly-worded recrimination against the injustices inflicted on Turkey’s Christian minorities, warning Turkish authorities that the changes in the country must be more than skin-deep if it wanted to become part of Europe.
"If we really want to become Europeans, we must change our attitudes, not just make some reforms and pass a few new laws that are sometimes implemented and sometimes not," he stressed. "We must radically change the way we think, and this is what the Europeans are telling us," he added. The Patriarch made the statements during the scheduled opening of a summer camp for children organized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the opening of which had been so delayed by the failure of Turkish authorities to push through the
necessary paperwork, parents had taken their
children back home.
"We are declaring the start of the Paidopolis,
though only symbolically, because our children’s camp is opening without our children. And this is due to the hard-heartedness of certain state services, which made sure to postpone, using various ways and means, and each time found some excuse to prevaricate," Bartholomew said, pointing out that July has already passed. The Patriarch spoke forcefully about the way Turkish authorities handled the
Patriarchate’s institutions and property, and the fact that the Turkish Government still refuses to reopen the theological school on Halki, which has now been closed for 34 years.
"The Ecumenical Patriarchate has never intended to create problems for the State and our government. On the other hand, it demands its rights from the State, and does not allow the State to press, repress and be unjust to its own citizens. We are not strangers in this land," the
Patriarch said. Reuters reported that, in a leading story in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet this past Monday, August 1, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said the Patriarch "has exceeded the limits of his role," and accused Bartholomew of "seeking privileges" for Turkey’s small Orthodox community. The Patriarchate expressed its "sorrow" over Sahin’s statements on Tuesday, August 2, and emphasized its "prayers and efforts for our country’s accession to the European Union, and that our citizens might live in justice and prosperity." – The Athens News Agency

[heinz_1966]

the external suffering of the militant church make her more deep more creative in doing het best for her members

[bitymnmictada]

Dear Eleftheria,

I see you are also based in Cyprus! I am in Nicosia.

I recently visited Turkey, from Constantinople down the west coast to Smyrna, where the events of 1922 took place. I went there because I wanted to see the Ancient Greek, and particularly the Byzantine sites of interest.

I did get a sad sense of the Greek community in Constantinople and the Christian sites in general, especially the Orthodox Christian, being in decline, or at the very least not being given the honour they deserve. I was astonished by the extent in which the face of Ataturk dominated everything: his picture is literally everywhere. The Turks are clearly proud of their country and their civilisation, and the Turkish government, judging from the pictures and statues and memorials of Ataturk and other national figures, no doubt cashes in on people's national pride - Turkey is also a country where there is great and apparent division between the rich and the poor, the haves and have-nots. For example, in the city of Bursa, I noticed a crippled man who could only "walk" by dragging his lifeless body along using his arms; this shabbily dressed man was begging drivers on the motorway for money. This was in the industrial area of the town, which was also shabby and ugly. I confess it breaks my heart that people actually live in these conditions. As tourists, we didn't stay in this part of the town of course. Our hotel was a five-star place in the "nice" part of Bursa - very near one of Ataturk's glorious residences.

I learned a lot on this trip. I learned not to hate the Turks, or any of God's children. I learned that they are as near-sighted in their national pride as we are. Nationality and ethnicity become idols, exactly at the point where we cease to see our neighbour as a human being.

I also learned that history is one of the most important lessons in the school curriculum. No doubt both Turkish children and Greek children have not always been given fair readings in history by their teachers. So injustices on both sides ought to be fairly and objectively reported and made public. We can't even have a football match between our countries without fights and indignities, and that's nothing to be proud of!

Another observation I would like to make, painful as it is in one sense to admit, is that we Greeks and Greek-Cypriots tend to blame everybody but ourselves for the disasters that befall us: its not us, its the Turks, or the Israelis, or the Americans. I'm not saying there aren't any political agendas there; but don't we all sadly have political agendas in this fallen world? And how fair are we to one another within the national frontiers even of our own countries? Do we treat one another with the love and justice we are created to offer, and which we complain our "enemies" have not shown us?

Even from a purely secular viewpoint, objectivity and fairness in our dealings with our neighbours (and this includes the views we hold about us and them) is important; how much more important is it then for Christians to love their enemies, while of course at the same time protecting their mother Church and all its members?

In Christ
Byron

P.S. I just wish to point out that I ascribe to no particular political party here in Cyprus or abroad. If I have a "political" agendain writing this, it's the fact that I am myself of mixed origin (half Greek-Cypriot, half English-Jewish), and therefore I wish to be respectful to the ancestors and heritage of all people everywhere.

[asypecresty]

After a century of struggle, a new monastery rises - Reuters
------------------------------------------------------
Volume 8 Number 52 - Monday, September 11, 2006 Posted: September 8, 2006


By Luke Baker

NABLUS, West Bank, Sept 8 (Reuters) - In a matter of weeks, once the bells are in place and the marble tiles laid, the final chapter in a century-long saga over a Greek Orthodox monastery in the middle of the West Bank may finally be written.

The monastery at Jacob's Well, on the edge of the Palestinian city of Nablus, stands on the site where the Bible says Christ stopped on his way through Samaria 2,000 years ago and asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water.

Construction of a church at the well began under Emperor Constantine in the 4th century but it wasn't until 1908, under the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, that the monastery that now stands here, surrounded by olive trees, began to take shape.

It was an ill-fated beginning.

Funded largely by the Russian branch of the Orthodox church, the money dried up with the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 and almost nothing more was done to the monastery for the next 80 years as it fell victim to the region's politics.

Only in 1998 did the Palestinian authorities give final approval for work to be completed.

For Ioustinos Mamalos, the priest who has overseen the monastery for 26 years and lives there alone, it has been a worthwhile wait, even if it has been accompanied by tragedy, including the murder of his predecessor.

It's been a long time, so it's a very good feeling to see it finished," he said, sitting in the garden in front of the white-stone building, drawing patiently on a cigarette.

"I think in three to four months it will all be done, after 100 years. Although a church is like a house -- it's never completely finished," he added wryly.

WELL'S COOL WATERS

Mamalos says the work was held up for decades because Israelis, who have occupied the West Bank since 1967, did not want a Greek Orthodox church built on a site that some Jews consider sacred.

Many believe the grisly murder of Mamalos' predecessor in the monastery's crypt was linked to this dispute, although Israel has not elaborated on why it opposed construction.

Today, the monastery looks complete, until you step inside where two rows of gothic columns supporting the domed roof rise over an uneven dirt floor. There are no pews and very little religious ornmentation.

Tiles for the floor, which are being imported from Greece, are held up at a port in Israel, while cast-iron bells that will eventually be installed in the towers over the stained-glass doorway are sitting on the ground gathering dust.

Only the underground crypt, site of the well that Jacob purchased for 100 pieces of silver 4,000 years ago, feels fully imbued with a sense of history and religious significance.

The crypt's walls are decorated with icons, while tall candles sit in the corners and chalices hang from the low ceiling. In the centre, stands the plain stone well, with a modern metal bucket on a long rope hanging above it.

At 40 metres (130 feet) deep, clean and cool water can still be drawn from the spring.

"It's good water, very healthy for everyone," says one of two Palestinian boys who help look after the monastery.

MURDERED PRIEST

It was here in the crypt that Mamalos' predecessor, Archimandrite Philoumenos, took shelter in November 1979 when a group of people, believed to be fanatical Zionists, broke into the monastery and attacked him with hatchets.

According to Orthodox Web sites, his face was cleaved in two, his eyes plucked out and the fingers of his right hand, used to make the sign of the cross, were chopped into pieces.

No one was ever arrested for the murder, which took place a week after a Zionist group had come to the monastery claiming that it was a Jewish holy place and demanding that all the crosses and other religious iconography be removed.

For Mamalos, who has spent 46 years in the Holy Land, it is a harrowing memory.

"They murdered my predecessor, so it hasn't always been a calm or peaceful life," the 65-year-old priest said of his time in Nablus, a place he now thinks he will never leave. Locals say his perfect Arabic is littered with clever Nablus slang.

An amusing raconteur with a long white beard tinged with nicotine stains, Mamalos speaks six languages and is quick to jump into a political debate. And he does not shy away from criticising Israeli authorities.

"The Israelis are always coming here to check on us, to harass us. Sometimes they think Palestinian fighters are hiding here," he said. "Once they destroyed one of our gospels because it was in Arabic, but I give the services in Arabic."

His latest beef with the authorities is over the tiles, which have been stuck at customs for weeks.

When they are released and the bells are finally hung, he plans to hold a special service of commemoration.

"It will be nice to perform a special ceremony here," he said, admiring the monastery from the garden. "It's a piece of the Holy Land. A small piece maybe, but a piece all the same."

[asypecresty]

Moscow, October 5, Interfax - Moscow - Nizhniy Novgorod highway management has reported a decrease in the accident rate at the sections where cases with Orthodox icons have been placed.

According to statistics, the number of accidents at these sections has decreased by 13%, the number of the injured by 42% and the death toll by 67%.

Recently another icon case has been placed on the Moscow - Nizhniy Novgorod highway and it is planned to place two more cases in the nearest future, the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate has reported in Thursday.

link

[ZesePreodaNed]

This is an undersatatement, by the way, there are more than 1.2 million , more like 5-6 millinon in North and South America.

Their numbers are still small compared to megachurch growth patterns, with 1.2 million Eastern Orthodox Christians in America. But adherents say there's been a surge in people drawn to the faith. Original Source

[darieBarexish]

I wonder whether there are any statistics on whether or not this also occurs in Greece, given the profusion of roadside shrines and little churches in interesting places, including in people's fields. Given that Greeks drive like utter maniacs, they could do with all the divine intervention they can get!

[asypecresty]

[link ] here for full story

[darieBarexish]

Thank you for the link, Antonios, the only gripe I had with the story was the description of the letters in the Christ-child's halo - it would certainly not have been alpha and omega!