Orthodox News

While most of the Western world has packed the Christmas decorations away, Orthodox Christians in the east are celebrating today.

Adhering to the Julian calendar, the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7th. In Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral, the Russian Patriarch delivered the festive service to a congregation of 5,000, including church leaders and politicians. Two thirds of the population of 144 million are members of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Read full text of Orthodox Churches Celebrate the Nativity…

Beograd, December 21, Interfax – Serbian Prime Minister Voislav Kostunica is honoured with a high award of the Russian Orthodox Church – the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd class.

The award was presented to the head of Serbian government by chairman of the Unity of Orthodox People International Public Foundation Valery Alekseyev on behalf of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.

While accepting the award, Kostunica underscored that the Russian and Serbian people are closely bound by history, culture and the Orthodox faith.

Present at the meeting was Serbian minister for religious affairs Milan Radulovich, press service of the Serbian cabinet of ministers reports.

10:44 December 14 | B92
PARIS—Wednesday Seven Orthodox and six Islamic monuments in Kosovo should be the first to be restored over the next two years, recommends the Experts Committee on the Rehabilitation and Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage in Kosovo.

The Committee met for the first time on 9 December at UNESCO in the presence of representatives of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and of the Council of Europe. The sites recommended for restoration are: Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior and Church of Bogorica Ljeviska and Hammam Mehmet Pasha (Prizren); Church of Saint Sava and Hamman (Kosovska Mitrovica); Church of the Presentation of the Virgin (Lipljan); Church of Saint Archangel Michael (Stimlje); Church of Saint Petka (Vitina), Budisavci Monastery (Klina); Red Mosque (Pec); Hadum Mosque (Dakovica); Decani Mosque; Hammam of Ali Bey (Vucitrn).

Read full text of UNESCO to start reconstruction of Kosovo cultural heritage…

KIM Info Service
Decani, December 11, 2005

After months of insisting by the Visoki Decani Monastery administration and international representatives in Kosovo and Metohija on Friday, December 9, two signs were finally put up bearing the name of Visoki Decani Monastery, one located in the town center and another on the road leading to the monastery. The signs were written in three languages -Albanian, Serbian and English – and placed in order to indicate the existence and road to the monastery, which was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites last year. The signs were put up a day after the monastery received a visit from representatives of the Decani municipal assembly, who conveyed the municipality’s desire to enhance cooperation with the monastery to Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan, the head of the monastery.

Read full text of Monastery sign painted over in black…

KIM Info Service
December 9, 2005

At the most recent meeting of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s Council for Kosovo and Metohija of the Holy Assembly of Bishops, Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan, a superior of Visoki Decani Monastery, informed the members of the Council and the Holy Synod of Bishops with the critical present situation of Serbian Orthodox holy shrines, especially in Metohija (the Western part of the Province) , and emphasized the need to find mechanisms for internationally guaranteed protection as soon as possible in cooperation with relevant experts in order to enable the survival of the monasteries in this region. Bishop Teodosije has also informed Martti Ahtisaari, the special envoy of the UN Secretary General for negotiations on Kosovo of these problems during his visit to Visoki Decani Monastery, appealing to the International Community to undertake more concrete measures to stop the systematic campaign against Christian holy shrines in this region.

Read full text of Pressures against Serbian holy shrines in Kosovo continue…