On Contemporary Narrow Mindedness in Orthodoxy

By Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia

Alas, the element of nationalism, of ethnic narrowness, is a fact that we can see very widely in the contemporary Orthodox Church. And it has of course deep historical roots. It is not only a problem of today.

Phyletism, setting nationalism above Orthodox catholicity, was defined as a heresy by the Church of Constantinople in 1872. We must keep in mind, however, that there is nothing wrong in itself with nationhood and our loyalty to our own particular people. In fact it is good. Patriotism is a noble feeling. But this feeling of national identity that humans have when they lead a balanced, full life, has to undergo metanoia, repentance, a change of mind. It has to be baptized. And very often this repentance, this change of mind, hasn't taken place and we have an untransformed nationalism. So while nationhood is precious and can be a means of grace, we must remember that Christ stands higher than all ethnic differences. "There is no longer Jew or Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus," Saint Paul instructs us [Galatians 3:28]. And we have to emphasize that what matters about the Church is its universality, its catholicity. Nationalism can be a servant but it must not be allowed to become master of our heart. And, as we said, there is a negative narrowness in the kind of intense national feelings that one encounters in Greece, and in Russia and also among British people, of course. None of us is without sin.

Actually, I have noticed while visiting Romania that though Romanians are proud of their nation they don't have the hostile, aggressive attitude toward the West and the fear of non-Orthodox churches that I encounter in other Orthodox countries. In Romania I don't hear, or only very occasionally hear, people talking about 'Judeo-Masonic conspiracies' against the Orthodox world. So, in my experience at least, Romanians seem to be more balanced than many other Orthodox in their views about the rest of the world.

But of course we mustn't generalize. In Greece, in Russia, there are also people with a wonderful vision of the universality of Orthodoxy, who value and love their native land, their national tradition, Greek or Russian, but who at the same time are universalists; and this is surely what the Western world needs. Not an Orthodoxy that is ethnic but a Catholic Orthodoxy. Not an Orthodoxy that is always condemning, but an Orthodoxy that is generous, humble, kenotic [self-emptying]. Not compromising, but not attacking the others.

This could be the kairos, the moment of opportunity for Orthodoxy. But we Orthodox are not ready. We are not Orthodox enough.

From Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality, by Kyriacos C. Markides, pp. 165-166.

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Panagia Malteza of Santorini

The miraculous icon of Panagia Malteza is found in the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple in the village of Imerovigli of Santorini. The icon received its name because it was found in the sea near Malta (the Malteze Virgin).

According to tradition, on a trip from Santorini to Malta while transporting Vin Santo, the captain of a ship, Theodoros Borlis from Imerovigli, found an icon near the island of Malta. Seeing the Panagia in a dream, he took the icon and brought it back to Imerovigli where he built a church in its honor.

The original church was built in the 19th century, but it was destroyed in 1956 following a great earthquake. In its place a new church was built. The church has a marvellous carved iconostasis with icons depicting scenes from the Old Testament. Originally the church had 12 big bells that is said to have been heard 8km away in Oia; the current bell tower only has four. It celebrates its festival annually on November 21st.

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The Holy Virgin-Martyr Cecilia of Rome

St. Cicilia (Kikilia) the Virgin-Martyr (Feast Day - November 22)

By St. Dimitri of Rostov

The holy virgin-martyr Cecilia was born in Rome to honorable and wealthy parents. Hearing the Holy Gospel preached, she believed in Christ and resolved to preserve her virginity for Him, but contrary to her will, her parents betrothed her to a noble youth, an unbeliever named Valerian, and compelled her to array herself at all times in costly apparel and golden ornaments. Beneath her rich garments, however, she wore a rough hair shirt. Her heart burned with love for Christ God, her beloved Bridegroom, and she ever entreated Him with fervor of spirit that He preserve her chastity as He knew best, keeping her free of the entanglement of wedlock. When her wedding day arrived and the sound of piping could already be heard, she sighed from a broken heart and cried unto the Lord, "Let my heart be blameless in Thy statutes, that I may not be put to shame." Weeping bitterly, she besought Him to send an angel to defend her virginity.

After night fell, the newly wed couple was led into their room, and the maiden said to her bridegroom Valerian, "Beloved youth, I have a secret I wish to reveal to you. God’s angel, whom you cannot see, has been given me as guardian of my virginity. If you touch me, he will slay you at once, for he stands here ready to defend me, his handmaiden, from assault."

Hearing this, Valerian was terrified, and with good reason, because an angel had indeed been sent from heaven to preserve Christ’s bride undefiled. Valerian asked the maiden to show him the angel, but she replied, "You do not know the true God and will remain unable to see the Lord’s angel until you are cleansed of the impurity of unbelief."

"And how may I be cleansed of it?" asked Valerian.

Cecilia replied, "There is a man called Bishop Urban who is able to cleanse the impious by Holy Baptism, thus enabling them to see holy angels. If you wish to be washed clean and behold God’s angel, go and relate to him everything I have told you. When he has cleansed you, return, and you shall see the angel and receive whatever you desire of him."

"Where can I find this elder?" asked Valerian.

"Take the Appian Way," replied the maiden, "and when you come upon paupers, say to them, ’Cecilia sent me to you, asking that you take me to the elder Urban. She wishes me to relate a secret to him.’"

Valerian took the Appian Way, as his bride had instructed him, and found paupers who knew Saint Cecilia well, for she often gave them alms. They took him to Bishop Urban, who was hiding from his persecutors in graveyards, caves, and deserted temples. When Valerian told him what the holy virgin had said, the Bishop was filled with joy. Falling to his knees and lifting his hands unto heaven, Urban wept and said, "Verily, 0 Lord, Thy handmaiden is like a labour-loving bee that bringeth nectar to Thy Church! This youth entered her chamber like a lion, but she hath sent him to me a meek lamb. Had he not believed her words, he would never have come here. Wherefore, 0 Lord, open his heart to know Thee and to renounce Satan and his works."

After Urban had prayed thus, a venerable elder appeared, clad in a robe white as snow and holding a book in his hand. The elder stood before Valerian and opened the book for him to read. Overcome by the vision, Valerian fell to the ground. Then the honorable elder raised him up and said, "Read what is written in this book, my son, and you shall be granted cleansing and behold the angel that your bride promised to show you."

Valerian looked at the book and read these words, written in letters of gold, "One Lord, one faith, one Baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is above all and through all and in you all. Amen."

The elder then asked him, "Do you believe, child, that these things are true, or do you still doubt?"

Valerian answered with a mighty voice, "Truly, there is nothing beneath heaven more certain than this confession!"

Immediately, the elder disappeared. Then the blessed Bishop Urban began to instruct Valerian, expounding upon those words. After baptizing him, the Bishop sent the young man back to his holy bride.

Valerian found Cecilia at prayer, and beheld a most radiant angel of ineffable beauty standing beside her. The angel held in his hand two garlands made of red roses and white lilies, from which came a fragrance surpassing description. He placed one garland on the maiden’s head, the other on Valerian’s, and said, "Guard these wreaths by keeping your hearts pure and your bodies undefiled. I have brought them to you from God’s paradise. They never wither, nor do they lose their fragrance, and no one can see them save those who, like you, are lovers of chastity. It is because you have agreed to guard your purity that God has sent me to you, Valerian. He wishes you to have your desire."

Valerian bowed down before the angel and said, "There is no one in the world so dear to me as my brother Tiburtius. Therefore, I entreat the Lord to deliver him from demonic perdition and to convert him as He did me. May He grant us both to attain perfection in the confession of His holy name!"

"Your request is pleasing to God," said the angel, his face radiant, "and He will grant you the desire of your heart. The Lord will save your brother Tiburtius through you, as you were saved through the maiden, and together you shall undergo martyrdom."

After saying this, the angel became invisible. The blessed Valerian and the holy maiden rejoiced in Christ and continued to meet and converse about things profitable to the soul.

Shortly thereafter, Tiburtius came to Valerian and said to him, "I smell the fragrance of roses and lilies here. Where does this wonderful smell come from? I find it so delightful that my soul seems somehow renewed!"

"You can perceive this sweet fragrance, my beloved brother," said Valerian, "because I have prayed to God for you, asking that you be deemed worthy to receive an unfading crown and come to love Him Whose blood is like a red rose and Whose flesh like a white lily."

"Am I dreaming, or are you truly speaking with me, brother?" asked Tiburtius.

Valerian replied, "Until now, we lived as though in a dream, worshipping false gods and unclean demons; but now we walk in the truth and the grace of God."

Tiburtius asked, "Who taught you these things?"

Valerian answered, "It was an angel of God that taught me. You will also see him, if you cleanse yourself of the defilement of idolatry."

Tiburtius wished to see the angel, but Valerian told him it was necessary for him first to believe in the one, true God and to receive Holy Baptism, and that after this he could expect the angel to appear. The holy virgin Cecilia began to instruct Tiburtius in the holy faith, demonstrating to him that the gods of the pagans are false and their lifeless idols impotent, and revealing to him the might of the true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. So powerful was the divinely wise teaching of the holy virgin that Tiburtius straightway turned from unbelief and cried, "I believe there to be no God other than that of the Christians! From this time forth I desire to labor for Him alone."

When she heard this, the maiden was filled with ineffable joy and instructed Tiburtius with even greater zeal, telling him of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of His miracles, Passion, and death, which He endured out of love for the race of man. Hearing her speak of these things, Tiburtius’ heart grew contrite and was set afire with love for the Lord. Sensing the warmth of his faith, the virgin said to him, "If you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, go with your brother to our Christian Bishop and be baptized by him. Then, cleansed of your sins, you will be worthy to behold the angel."

Tiburtius looked at his brother in amazement and asked, "To whom do you wish to take me?"

"Let us go to the man of God, Urban," Valerian replied. "He is the Bishop of the Christians, an old, wise, and righteous man. His face is like that of an angel, and he speaks only the truth."

"Is this the same Urban I have heard was twice condemned to death and now is in hiding, hoping to escape his sentence?" asked Tiburtius. "If we go to him and those who seek him find us with him, they will slay us also."

Cecilia replied to Tiburtius’ words by telling him of the life eternal and unchanging in heaven that awaits those who die as holy martyrs for Christ. Then Tiburtius, burning with divine desire, said, "Let those who have been deprived of their senses love this fleeting life: I desire life eternal! Take me to the Bishop quickly, brother, so that he may cleanse me and make me a partaker of everlasting life."

Valerian took his brother to the blessed Urban and told him everything that had occurred. Urban rejoiced greatly over Tiburtius’ conversion and gladly baptized him, keeping him for seven days to instruct him fully in the mysteries of the holy faith. After his Baptism, Saint Tiburtius was deemed worthy of such grace that he saw holy angels and conversed with them, and received everything he asked of God. He and his brother worked numerous miracles, healing the sick, and distributed their possessions among needy Christians, orphans, and widows. Many were the prisoners whom they ransomed, and they reverently buried a multitude of the holy martyrs who were slain for Christ in those days.

All these things were reported to Almachius, the Eparch of the city, who in obedience to the Emperor’s command was mercilessly shedding the blood of God’s servants, torturing and executing the faithful. The Eparch commanded that Tiburtius and Valerian be seized and brought before him. Almachius asked them, "Why do you dishonor your noble estate and give burial to those who, in accordance with the Emperor’s command, have been put to death for their numerous transgressions? So doing, you have squandered your wealth on outcasts. Can it be that you have fallen into the same error as they?"

As the elder brother, Tiburtius answered, "May God deem us worthy to be counted among His servants, who have renounced that which seems to exist but does not, and have found that which would seem not to exist but does!"

"What do you mean, speaking of what seems to exist but does not?" asked the Eparch. "I do not understand you."

Tiburtius explained to Almachius that everything this transitory world possesses and promises merely appears to be, but in reality is nothing, because it quickly vanishes. But the life to come, which those who love this world imagine does not exist (for they cannot see it), truly exists and abides unchanging unto the ages. At the end of time the good and faithful shall receive a rich reward, but the evil and unbelieving shall inherit eternal fire and torments. The Eparch spoke with the brothers for a long time, and they offered him an explanation of the holy faith and told him the value of renunciation of the world. He did not accept their teaching, however, and demanded that they offer sacrifice to the gods.

Since the saints refused to obey his command, the Eparch ordered that Valerian be beaten mercilessly with a staff, but the saint rejoiced and said, "The time I have awaited has come! Today is my day of rejoicing!"

Meanwhile, a herald cried, "See and beware! Do not show disdain for the gods and goddesses!"

"Citizens of Rome," the holy martyr Valerian addressed the people, "do not let the torments I suffer turn you away from the truth! Make bold to destroy the idols of wood and stone, for all who worship them shall burn in fire eternal!"

Then a senator named Tarquinius came to the Eparch and said to him in secret, "If you do not hasten to put these men to death, the other Christians will give to the poor everything they possess, and nothing will remain for you."

The Eparch therefore ordered that both martyrs be taken to the place called Pagus, near the temple of Jupiter. If they did not consent to offer sacrifice there to Jupiter, the saints were to be beheaded. A chamberlain named Maximus was sent with the executioner and the soldiers to witness the beheading. On the way, he began to weep as he looked upon the holy passionbearers and said, "0 precious blossom of youth! 0 union of brotherly love! 0 comely pair of noble and honorable youths! Why do you voluntarily choose death, hastening as though to a great feast?"

Saint Tiburtius answered, "If we were not certain that eternal life awaits us, we would not rejoice at the thought of losing our lives in this fleeting world."

"What sort of life follows this life?" asked Maximus.

"As our flesh is covered by clothing, so our souls are clad by flesh. After death, the body returns to dust, but in time like a phoenix it will come to life. Moreover, if the soul is holy and righteous, it is straightway translated unto the good things of paradise, there to await the resurrection in joy."

Maximus was moved to compunction by these words and said, "If I knew for certain that I would inherit the life of which you speak, I also would renounce this fleeting life."

Saint Valerian said to the chamberlain, "If you wish to be certain to gain life everlasting, then vow to us that you will sincerely repent, turn away from error, and be converted unto the God Whom we preach; and we promise you that when we are beheaded and depart from the body, God will open your eyes, and you shall behold the glory of the life we inherit."

"May I be consumed by fire if from this hour I do not believe in the one God, Who grants us life eternal after this temporal life," vowed Maximus. "I ask only that you fulfill what you have promised."

"Order your servants not to hinder us from going to your house and remaining there for a short time, and we will attempt to bring to you someone who can enlighten your soul, so that you see clearly that which we have promised you," said the saints.

Maximus joyfully led the martyrs to his home, for none of the soldiers dared contradict his orders. There the saints preached the word of salvation, teaching the members of his household to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. All those present listened attentively until nightfall, and Maximus, his entire household, and many of the soldiers came to believe. That night, the holy virgin Cecilia came to them, accompanied by priests. Everyone who believed was baptized, and passed the night in prayer and conversation about life eternal.

When the morning star appeared, the holy virgin said to Christ’s passionbearers, "Be brave, 0 soldiers of the Lord! Darkness has lifted and dawn has come; put on the garment of light and go forth to complete your contest. You have fought the good fight and finished your course; depart now to receive the crown of righteousness which the Lord shall bestow upon you."

The saints hastened to the place of execution, and as they passed the temple of Jupiter, the priests sought to compel them to offer incense on the god’s altar, for no one was permitted to pass by the temple without sacrificing. All those who entered or left the city were stopped by the priests and led to Jupiter’s altar, but the martyrs refused to obey, and mocked the priests’ foolishness. Because of this, their sacred heads were promptly cut off.

Immediately after the saints’ execution, Maximus swore before everyone present, saying, "I behold God’s angels shining like the sun! They have taken the souls of the martyrs to heaven in great honor, escorting their blessed spirits to a place of repose as though they were fair maidens being led into a bridal chamber." At this, many of the heathen believed in Christ.

The Eparch learned that Maximus had accepted the Christian faith, and commanded that he be beaten mercilessly with rods. While this was being done, the martyr surrendered his soul into the hands of the Lord. His body was taken by the holy virgin Cecilia, who buried it with the remains of the holy martyrs Tiburtius and Valerian. She had the image of a phoenix depicted on Maximus’ tomb since he had come to believe in the resurrection of the dead after hearing it likened to the rising of a phoenix.

Later, the Eparch ordered that a search be made for the possessions of Tiburtius and Valerian. Nothing was found, however, because Saint Cecilia had already distributed everything to the poor. He therefore sent his servants to seize the blessed maiden. When they came to take her away, she said to them, "Hear me, brethren: although you are servants of the Eparch, I do not think you find pleasure in his unbelief. It is my desire to suffer and die for my Christ, and I wish to have no further part in this fleeting existence, because I seek life everlasting. Take me away, so that I may depart unto heaven more quickly! Have no pity for my youth, but deliver me unto death!"

The servants felt compassion for the saint, marvelling at how such a fair, wise, and noble maiden could so desire death. They entreated her not to destroy her beauty by voluntarily accepting torments, so she said to them, "I do not destroy my youthful beauty but exchange it for something better, trading filth for gold, clay for precious stones, and the worldly habitation of the body for the most radiant palaces of heaven. Do you truly suppose this is a poor exchange? If only you would make it also!"

Cecilia spoke for a long time about the reward that awaits the righteous, and everyone who heard her was moved to compunction. Indeed, a great multitude of people, both men and women, had gathered in her house to hear her teaching. The saint then cried out to all with a loud voice, "Do you believe that everything I have told you is true?"

With one voice they replied, "We believe that the Christ Whom you preach and serve is the true God!"

The holy virgin was filled with unutterable joy and at once sent for Bishop Urban, who came to her house and baptized the four hundred men and women who had come to believe. Thus did Cecilia’s house become a church of Christ.

After these things had taken place, the unjust Eparch Almachius had Christ’s righteous handmaiden brought before his judgment seat. He began by questioning her concerning the faith and heard her preach the name of Christ. Then he said to her in a harsh voice, "Where did you acquire such boldness?"

"From a pure conscience and undoubting faith," replied the saint.

"Do you not know, wretch, that the Emperor has given me power to destroy you or to grant you life?" asked the judge.

The saint answered, "You lie when you say that you have power to grant life. You ought to have said only that you have power to put to death, not to give life, for while you can slay, you can give life to no one!"

The judge insisted, "Sacrifice to the gods and renounce Christ, and you will be set free."

But Cecilia declared instead that she was prepared to die for Christ, so the persecutor commanded that she be taken to her home and put to death in an overheated bathhouse. She was tormented by the flames and smoke for three days and nights, but the grace of God cooled and revived her. When Almachius learned that the martyr was still alive after remaining so long in the blazing bath, he ordered that she be beheaded by the sword. The executioner came and struck her neck thrice but failed to sever her head. Leaving her thus, he departed. The faithful gathered up her blood with a sponge and cloth, and the saint remained alive for another three days, speaking plainly and confirming the believers in the faith. Finally, while praying, she delivered her soul into God’s hands and was buried with reverence.

Source

Further Notes:

A Church was later erected in her name at the place of her martyrdom, in her house in Rome, and her memory was honored in the catacomb of St. Kallistos. Her tomb was discovered in 817, and when it was opened in 1599, her Holy Relics were uncovered—intact and unharmed, in a state of incorruption.

The original Latin text of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia relates that during her wedding, while the melodies of worldly music resounded, the Saint sang hymns of love in her heart to Jesus, her true Bridegroom. Perhaps this is why St. Cecilia is associated with music in the West, where she is considered its Patron Saint.

Source

To read about the discovery of the relics of St. Cecilia, see here.

The reliquary of the holy martyr at her monastery "Fuori le Mori," "outside the walls" of ancient Rome.

HYMN OF PRAISE: The Holy Martyr Cecilia

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Cecilia-strong in faith, rich in faith -
Her faith is more beautiful than the stars, more precious than gold.
She nailed herself to the Lord, as to the Cross,
And sacrificed youth, joy, marriage and honor for Christ!
The cruel demon could steal nothing from her;
And when only her body remained, she gave it to Christ.
For the love of Christ, she gave the whole world -
Even two worlds: her body and her pure soul.
Thus does the flame of faith burn, and the flame of love,
And by that flame, Cecilia glorified herself.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
In godly wise let us, the hosts of the faithful, sing hymns to her wedded to Christ of her own will, Cecilia, whose pure heart with virtues was adorned; for she wholly put to shame the conceit of Almacius, and she shone bright as the sun amidst them that pursued her and then appeared to those upon the earth as a divine staff that strengthened the holy Faith.

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Angela Merkel Says "Too Little Christianity" in Germany

November 22, 2010
Christian Telegraph

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her fellow-citizens to stand up more for Christian values, saying Germany suffered from “too little Christianity,” reports Christian Concern for our Nation.

Addressing her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Karlsruhe on 15 November 2010, Mrs Merkel said that she took the current public debate in Germany on Islam and immigration very seriously.

“We don’t have too much Islam, we have too little Christianity. We have too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind,” Mrs Merkel said with applause from the hall.

Germany needs more public discussion “about the values that guide us (and) about our Judeo-Christian tradition. We have to stress this again with confidence, then we will also be able to bring about cohesion in our society,” she added.

Mrs Merkel’s conservative allies have previously called for an end to immigration from “foreign cultures” — a reference to Muslim countries — and more pressure on those who do not want to integrate into German society.

In her 75-minute speech before the audience of 1,000 delegates she also emphasised her party’s Christian roots, conservative family values and spoke out against pre-implantation diagnostics.

In October 2010, Mrs Merkel said that most Turks and Muslims who came to Germany in the 1960s to jumpstart the German economy after World War II have not integrated into German society. They kept their language, religion and most of their cultural habits. Instead of blending in, they created their own parallel societies.

“Of course integration has changed our society, but not at the expense of our core values… We are Christians and this informs everything we do… We are for diversity but we will not abandon our basic beliefs,” she said at the time.

At the beginning of this month, the BBC conducted an interview with Thilo Sarrazin, a writer and former member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, who has changed the debate over immigration in Germany. Mr Sarrazin said “the failure to integrate on the part of migrants from Muslim countries can’t be due to a fault on our side – because all are treated equally. It has to be because of a characteristic of Muslims themselves.”

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Turmoil In Kalymnos Over "Sacred" Slipper

November 22, 2010
Romfea.gr

Turmoil prevails in Kalymnos over charlatans who are walking around the island to peoples homes, on the streets and in the squares carrying a box in which they say is a "slipper" which belongs to a Saint.

These crooks ask the faithful to venerate the "sacred" slipper leaving always a donation which ends up in their pocket.

Metropolitan Paisios of Kalymnos, Leros, and Astypalea took a position on this and asked the faithful not to be scandalized by those who play with God.

On this matter the Holy Diocese issued the following statement:

"From the Sacred Metropolis is announced that without its authorization there is wandering in homes, streets and squares of Kalymnos, a box within which is a supposed slipper of a saint to be venerated by the faithful.

This act excites the religious feelings and creates multiple comments by the faithful. Therefore, the Metropolis encourages the faithful to refrain from works and activities outside the Church which scandalizes the pious Kalymnian People."

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Patriarch Kyrill Brings Icon Which Belonged To St. Seraphim of Sarov To Ukraine

November 22, 2010
Interfax

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Monday arrived in Kiev for a visit.

Several dozen priests led by Ukrainian Metropolitan Vladimir met Kirill at Kiev's airport.

To mark Metropolitan Vladimir's 75th birthday, the patriarch brought a Loving Kindness icon, a supposedly miracle-working icon showing the Virgin Mary caressing a Baby Jesus. The icon will be displayed in Kiev churches until December 6.

"It is a great holy item that St. Seraphim of Sarov had in his monastic cell. He prayed before this icon and died before this icon," Patriarch Kirill told reporters.

The icon was rescued when the Monastery of St. Seraphim in Diveyevo was ravaged and nuns from Diveyevo kept it in Murom, a town in Russia's Vladimir Region, after which a priest took it over and kept it before it was returned to the church.

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Seeking Proof in Near-Death Claims

October 25, 2010
Wall Street Journal

At 18 hospitals in the U.S. and U.K., researchers have suspended pictures, face up, from the ceilings in emergency-care areas. The reason: to test whether patients brought back to life after cardiac arrest can recall seeing the images during an out-of-body experience.

People who have these near-death experiences often describe leaving their bodies and watching themselves being resuscitated from above, but verifying such accounts is difficult. The images would be visible only to people who had done that.

"We've added these images as objective markers," says Sam Parnia, a critical-care physician and lead investigator of the study, which hopes to include 1,500 resuscitated patients. Dr. Parnia declined to say whether any have accurately described the images so far, but says he hopes to report preliminary results next year.

The study, coordinated by Southampton University's School of Medicine in England, is one of the latest and largest scientific efforts to understand the mystery of near-death experiences.

At least 15 million American adults say they have had a near-death experience, according to a 1997 survey—and the number is thought to be rising with increasingly sophisticated resuscitation techniques.

In addition to floating above their bodies, people often describe moving down a dark tunnel toward a bright light, feeling intense peace and joy, reviewing life events and seeing long-deceased relatives—only to be told that it's not time yet and land abruptly back in an ailing body.

The once-taboo topic is getting a lot of talk these days. In the new movie "Hereafter," directed by Clint Eastwood, a French journalist is haunted by what she experienced while nearly drowning in a tsunami. A spate of new books details other cases and variations on the theme.

Yet the fundamental debate rages on: Are these glimpses of an afterlife, are they hallucinations or are they the random firings of an oxygen-starved brain?

"There are always skeptics, but there are millions of 'experiencers' who know what happened to them, and they don't care what anybody else says," says Diane Corcoran, president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, a nonprofit group in Durham, N.C. The organization publishes the Journal of Near-Death Studies and maintains support groups in 47 states.

Dr. Corcoran, a retired Army colonel who heard wounded soldiers talk of such experiences as a nurse in Vietnam, says many military veterans have had near-death experiences but are particularly hesitant to talk them for fear of being branded psychologically disturbed.

Some investigators say the most remarkable thing about near-death reports is that the core elements are the same, among people of all cultures, races, religions and age groups, including children as young as 3 years old.

In his new book, "Evidence of the Afterlife," Jeffrey Long, a radiation oncologist in Louisiana, analyzes 613 cases reported on the website of his Near Death Research Foundation and concludes there is only one plausible explanation: "that people have survived death and traveled to another dimension."

Skeptics say there is no way to verify such anecdotal reports—and that many of the experiences can be explained by neurobiological changes in the brain as people die.

In the 1980s, British neuroscientist Susan Blackmore theorized that oxygen deprivation was to blame and noted that fighter pilots also encountered tunnel vision and hallucinations at high altitudes and speeds.

This year, a study of 52 cardiac-arrest patients in Slovenia, published in the Journal of Critical Care, found that the 21% who had near-death experiences also had high blood levels of carbon dioxide, which has been associated with visions, bright lights and out-of-body experiences.

A study of seven dying patients at George Washington University Medical Center, published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, noted that their brainwaves showed a spurt of electrical activity just before they were pronounced dead. Lead investigator Lakhmir Chawla, an intensive-care physician, notes that the activity started in one part of the brain and spread in a cascade and theorized that it could give patients vivid mental sensations.

Some scientists have speculated that the life review some patients experience could be due to random activation of the dying brain's memory circuits. The sensation of moving down a tunnel could be due to long-buried birth memories suddenly retrieved. The feeling of peace could be endorphins released during extreme stress.

Other researchers say they have produced similar experiences by stimulating neurons in parts of the brain—or by giving patients ketamine, a tranquilizer and sometime party drug.

Yet researchers who have studied near-death experiences note that such experiments tend to produce only fragmentary visions and hallucinations, not the consistent, lucid and detailed accounts of events that many resuscitated patients report. One study found that people who had near-death experiences had higher blood oxygen levels than those who didn't.

Several follow-up studies have found that people undergo profound personality changes after near-death experiences—becoming more altruistic, less materialistic, more intuitive and no longer fearing death. But some do suffer alienation from spouses or friends who don't understand their transformation.

Other relatives understand all too well.

Raymond Moody, who first coined the term near-death experience in his 1975 book "Life After Life," explores the even stranger phenomenon of "shared death experiences" in a new book, "Glimpses of Eternity." He recounts stories of friends, family and even medical personnel who say they also saw the light, the tunnel and accompanied the dying person partway on his or her journey. "It's fairly common among physicians who are called to resuscitate someone they don't know—they say they've seen a spirit or apparition leave the body," says Dr. Moody.

Meanwhile, in his book, "Visions, Trips and Crowds," David Kessler, a veteran writer on grief and dying, reports that hospice patients frequently describe being visited by a deceased relative or having an out-of-body experience weeks before they actually die, a phenomenon called "near-death awareness." While some skeptics dismiss such reports as hallucinations or wishful thinking, hospice workers generally report that the patients are otherwise perfectly lucid—and invariably less afraid of death afterward.

Mr. Kessler says his own father was hopeless and very sad as he was dying. "One day, he had an amazing shift and said, 'Your mother was here—she told me I'd be dying soon and it will be fine—everyone will be there."

Dr. Parnia, currently an assistant professor of critical care at State University of New York, Stony Brook, says verifying out-of-body experiences with pictures on the ceiling is only a small part of his study. He is also hoping to better understand whether consciousness exists apart from the brain and what happens to it when the brain shuts down. In near-death experiences, people report vivid memories, feelings and thought processes even when there is no measurable brain activity.

"The self, the soul, the psyche—throughout history, we've never managed to figure out what it is and how it relates to the body," he says. "This is a very important for science and fascinating for humankind."

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Magic Mormon Underwear

This is a production by atheists, so there is some explicit language, but it does speak factually about one of the Mormon church's famous "secrets" and some connections it has with Freemasonry.

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Documentary: Valaam "Step to the Skies"

The life of Russian Orthodox monks on the island of Valaam. In Russian with English subtitles.

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Apostates Reunite With Orthodoxy In Russia

November 21, 2010
Mospat.ru

On November 21, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, administered the rite of reuniting those who temporarily fell away from the Orthodox Church by diverting into schisms and sects, at the church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted-in-Ordynka.

The archpastor addressed the congregation with the following instruction:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, today the rite of your reuniting with the holy Orthodox faith has been administered to you. It consisted of two parts: first you renounced all the false teachings, schismatic and sectarian, which you shared in the past, and in the second part you have taken a vow that you will be faithful to Christ and His saving commandments and have been reunited with the Holy Orthodox Church through the laying of a bishop’s hands.

It is a great and important day for you because each of you has been led by the Lord to the true faith and has been saved from delusion and deception. The Orthodox faith is salvific; the Orthodox Church has in her all that is necessary for giving people salvation and eternal life. And it is not only in afterlife but already here, on earth, that salvation awaits us.

For many people today the very word ‘salvation’ in the context of Christian message is not understandable. ‘Why and from what should we be saved?’ they ask. Now you know from which you have to be saved in this life. You know why the Orthodox faith is salvific – because it is here, on earth, that the struggle unfolds for human souls, from which some come out winners while others losers. Losers are those who have failed to find the way to true God, who have diverted into a path of delusion, who have committed themselves to deceivers, schismatics, sectarians, false believers, liars and other people who temp human souls and deprive them of normal life here, on earth, and eternal salvation in the future life.

You have reunited with the Church, and from now on all these delusions have been left behind in your former life. Never remember them, do not try to analyze what false teachers told you. The Lord has delivered you from this evil. Keep away from it as far as possible. And if you have relatives and friends in sectarian or schismatic communities, bring them to the true faith, tell them calmly what the Orthodox Church lives by, do not condemn them, do not reproach them, do not be annoyed with them, but pray for these people and reveal to them the truth and beauty of the Orthodox faith through your own example, through your spiritual and church life.

Try to make confession and take communion regularly so that through the sacrament of repentance you may unite with the Lord and receive from Him the forgiveness of sins and through the sacrament of communion you may unite with God in all your soul, body, spirit and mind in the way that, according to St. Paul, Christ may live and work in you (cf. Gal. 2:20).

May God bless your church path and your whole life. May He help you to be never caught in the nets of deception and false teaching, but to stand firmly in your Orthodox faith and to bring others to the true faith. May the Lord preserve you all”.

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Constantine ("Come On, Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners)

Another catechetical song about one of our great Saints, set to a classic tune.

See also: Empress Theodora ("Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles)

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Various Videos Featuring Elder Iakovos Tsalikis of Evia (+ 11/21/1991)

Starac Jakov from Bogoljub on Vimeo.
An 83-minute documentary about Elder Iakovos


Elder Iakovos speaks about his death


Elder Iakovos speaks about fasting


Elder Iakovos chanting Paschal hymns


Elder Iakovos teaching pilgrims


Elder Iakovos chanting the Akathist to the Theotokos

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Empress Theodora ("Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles)

While Theodora was not a Monophysite (though she may have been at one point), the song is still entertaining. She died Orthodox and is considered a Saint of the Church. More can be read here.

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The Lord's Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

- Matthew 7:24-27

Icon fresco from Hilandari Monastery on Mount Athos

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Iconography of the Entrance of the Theotokos at Hilandari Monastery

Hilandari Monastery (Chilandari or Hilandar) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, founded in 1198 by the monk Simeon Nemanja (Stefan Nemanja, King of Serbia from 1168 to 1196) and his son Sava (St. Sava Nemanjic, 1174-1235, first Serbian archibishop and author).

The Katholikon is the principal church of the Hilandar Monastery and is dedicated to the Entrance of the Virgin Mary Into the Temple (Nov. 21). It was built in 1293 and rebuilt in the 14th century by King Milutin of Serbia. The katholikon also has an older marble sanctuary screen behind the more modern one of carved wood.

More can be read about the katholikon here.

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The Thoughts of Angels Compared With the Thoughts of Men

"The angelic hosts are not enslaved by their thoughts, or by the things of this world. They gaze upon created things, but their thoughts do not become enslaved by them; for the center of their thoughts is in servitude only to the power of God, through which they love all creation. As for us, when we see an object that attracts us, we immediately become attached to it. This is terrible and it is also deadly. If this lasts for a length of time, then this object becomes our idol. An object takes the place in our heart that belongs to God - no matter whether it is an inanimate object, a living thing, or a person."

- Elder Thaddeus of Serbia (+2002)

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Armenians of Turkey Rejecting Turkish Names Adopting Christianity

November 20, 2010
Pnaorama.am

Armenians of Tundjeli state of Turkey founded “Union of faith and aid for Dersimi Armenians”. After 8 months of preparatory activities, the organization was officially recorded a week ago, “Ermenihaber.am” news website reported.

The president of the union is a former journalist, 50-year-old Armenian Selhattin Gyulteqi, who changed his name 8 months ago taking Mihran Prgich Armenian name and adopted Christianity rejecting his name and Islam.

The president of the union says they will manage to save their identity due to the organization. The mission of the union is to christen 600 Armenian families living in Turkey to save their language, religion and culture. Special Armenian language studies will be organized for those Armenians who don’t speak Armenian.

The organization will also discover lost Armenian cemeteries, cultural monuments, mines of gold, find financial support and recover them.

“I’ve founded this organization with my seven friends. I don’t want Dersimi Armenians to have Kurdish or Turkish names. We should not live hiding our identities. For 50 years I was living with others’ religion, now I’m happy I found myself,” Mihran Prgich said.

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"Indiana Jones" Search for Stolen Cypriot Icons Across Europe

November 20, 2010
London Daily News

The Church of Cyprus has increased its efforts to search and repatriate stolen icons from the Mediterranean island with international observers describing the campaign as something resembling an “Indiana Jones” pursuit.

The Church of Cyprus has escalated its efforts across Europe to repatriate stolen byzantine artefacts from the northern third of the island which has been illegally occupied by the Turkish army since invasion of July 1974. It has long been the case that the Turkish troops and settlers have been selling important icons or religious artefacts to the open market, prompting the Church of Cyprus to start a campaign to find and repatriate them. This strategic goal among others has been undertaken by the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Institutions, based in Brussels.

Head of the campaign for the repatriation of the stolen artefacts is His Grace, Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis, a Theologian and Archaeologist who graduated from the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki.

During a meeting in Brussels Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis said to the London Daily News:

"We ask from those who have in their possession ancient, important religious artefacts from the occupied Cyprus, and probably misled by dealers to buy them, to respect our religious heritage and offer them back to their legitimate owner, the Church of Cyprus".

With a team based in the centre of Brussels, Bishop Porfyrios is constantly travelling across the European Union to "hunt down" as he puts it, individuals who are profiting from selling stolen artefacts from Cyprus. In a recent case in Germany six Byzantine icons which dated back to the 18th and 19th century were returned to the Church of Cyprus. The six icons were in the possession of a family in Munich of Germany, which according to sources had been "concerned how the icons ended up in Germany". The family contacted the Embassy of Cyprus in Berlin and asked for an investigation of the case. The Church of Cyprus armed with experts verified the Cypriot origin of the icons. The icons were works of the School of Hagiography of the Monastery of Saint Heraklidios which flourished in Cyprus between the 18th and 19th century.

The six icons are:

1. Large icon of Saint John the Theologian (1762), a donation of the Metropolitan of Paphos Saint Panaretos, for a temple of a Church in the occupied Cyprus.

2. Small icon of Saint John the Theologian (18th century) from the iconostasis of the Monastery Panagia of Tohniou.

3. Small icon of Saint Heraklidios (18th century).

4. Small icon of Saints Anargyroi, Kosmas and Damianos (1810).

5. Small icon of Palm Sunday (18th century).

6. Small icon of the Baptism of Christ (1792).

The London Daily News contacted several leading auction houses in London with one representative stating that “we are aware that many icons linked to Cyprus are stolen items” as a result of the illegal Turkish invasion in 1974 and therefore are sold under "extreme caution" because many of these are also claimed by the authorities of Cyprus.

Photo credit: Icon of the Baptism of Christ (1792) Church of Cyprus

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The Entry Into the Temple of the Most-Holy Theotokos

"And the priest received her [the Theotokos], and kissed her, and blessed her, saying, 'The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the children of Israel.' And he sat her on the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her."
(The Protoevangelium of James, Section 17)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

When the Most-Holy Virgin Mary reached the age of three, her holy parents Joachim and Anna took her from Nazareth to Jerusalem to dedicate her to the service of God according to their earlier promise. It was a three-day journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem but, traveling to do a God-pleasing work, this journey was not difficult for them.

Many kinsmen of Joachim and Anna gathered in Jerusalem to take part in this event, at which the invisible angels of God were also present. Leading the procession into the Temple were virgins with lighted tapers in their hands, then the Most-Holy Virgin, led on one side by her father and on the other side by her mother. The virgin was clad in vesture of royal magnificence and adornments as was befitting the "King's daughter, the Bride of God" (Psalm 45:13-15). Following them were many kinsmen and friends, all with lighted tapers.

Fifteen steps led up to the Temple. Joachim and Anna lifted the Virgin onto the first step, then she ran quickly to the top herself, where she was met by the High Priest Zacharias, who was to be the father of St. John the Forerunner. Taking her by the hand, he led her not only into the Temple, but into the "Holy of Holies", the holiest of holy places, into which no one but the high priest ever entered, and only once each year, at that. St. Theophylact of Ochrid says that Zacharias "was outside himself and possessed by God" when he led the Virgin into the holiest place in the Temple, beyond the second curtain - otherwise, his action could not be explained.

Mary's parents then offered sacrifice to God according to the Law, received the priest's blessing and returned home. The Most-holy Virgin remained in the Temple and dwelt there for nine full years. While her parents were alive, they visited her often, especially Righteous Anna.

When God called her parents from this world, the Most-holy Virgin was left an orphan and did not wish to leave the Temple until death or to enter into marriage. As that would have been against the Law and custom of Israel, she was given to St. Joseph, her kinsman in Nazareth, after reaching the age of twelve. Under the acceptable role of one betrothed, she could live in virginity and thus fulfill her desire and formally satisfy the Law, for it was then unknown in Israel for maidens to vow virginity to the end of their lives. The Most-holy Virgin Mary was the first of such life-vowed virgins, of the thousands and thousands of virgin men and women who would follow her in the Church of Christ.


HYMN OF PRAISE: Saints Joachim and Anna

The parents of the Holy Virgin
Lead her to the holy Temple,
And according to their promise
They give her to the Lord.
They lead the Temple to the Temple,
While angels chant,
And chant with joy
To the young Virgin in purest attire.

The virgins accompany our Virgin,
With hymns and tapers;
Zacharias leads her
To the Holy of Holies;
And into the Holy Place he takes her,
Where the awesome mystery is hidden.

Where the Ark of the Covenant is,
Where the golden lampstand is,
Where the staff and the manna are,
Into the guarding place of all mysteries;
There the pure Virgin is led -
The Mystical Ark of the Living Christ.


Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Today is the prelude of God's pleasure and the proclamation of man's salvation. The Virgin is clearly made manifest in the temple of God and foretells Christ to all. Let us also cry out to her with mighty voice, "Hail, fulfillment of the Creator's dispensation."

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Today, the most pure temple of the Savior, the precious bridal chamber and Virgin, the sacred treasure of God, enters the house of the Lord, bringing the grace of the Divine Spirit. The Angels of God praise her. She is the heavenly tabernacle.

Oikos
Seeing the grace of God’s ineffable and divine mysteries evident and manifestly fulfilled in the Virgin, I rejoice; and I am at a loss to understand the ineffable and strange manner in which the immaculate Maid alone proved to be chosen above all creation visible and invisible. Therefore, wishing to extol her, I am greatly perplexed in mind and speech. Nevertheless I dare to do it, and I proclaim and magnify: A heavenly tabernacle is she.

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Metropolitan Kallistos Ware: On Traditional Orthodox Clerical Attire In the West

By Kyriacos C. Markides

I had already made arrangements to interview Kallistos Ware, bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church and leading scholar of Eastern Orthodoxy at Oxford University. An Anglican convert, Bishop Kallistos did more than anyone I knew to create bridges and understanding between Eastern Christianity and the West, making the spiritual wisdom of Eastern Christianity accessible to readers and spiritual seekers throughout the world....

After checking in at the Galaxy Hotel, a homey English inn, I walked the distance to our appointment on Canterbury Road. Conscious of British punctuality, I rang the bell of the Saint Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality at exactly one o'clock. Bishop Kallistos opened the door and welcomed me warmly. It was the second time I had met with him, the first being four years earlier. Tall and gentle looking, the sixty-six year old bishop wore the black robes of an Orthodox monk, his face hidden behind a white, robust beard. As with my earlier visit I felt as if I were meeting a resurrected stately prince of Byzantium, right in the heart of Oxford.

"How do they relate to you in this town, seeing you dressed in your black cassock?" I asked as we walked to an Italian restaurant nearby.

"They are accustomed to seeing me around by now," Bishop Kallistos replied in jest. "Most people, of course, don't understand what I represent but they are used to my strange appearance. When I was ordained a priest, my elder on the island of Patmos, Father Amphilochios, told me that I should always wear the black cassock and let my beard grow. He said that in this way I would constantly be acting as a witness of Orthodoxy in the West."

From Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of Christian Spirituality, pp. 148-151.

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Saint Gregory the Decapolite and His Relics in Bistritsa Monastery

Saint Gregory Decapolites (Feast Day - November 20)

Saint Gregory the Decapolite was born in the Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities) in the eighth century. From his childhood he loved the temple of God and church services. He read the Holy Scripture constantly and with reverence.

In order to avoid the marriage which his parents had intended for him, he secretly left home. He spent all his life wandering: he was in Constantinople, Rome, Corinth, and he lived as an ascetic on Olympus for a while. St Gregory preached the Word of God everywhere, denouncing the Iconoclast heresy, strengthening the faith and fortitude of the Orthodox, whom the heretics in those times oppressed, tortured and imprisoned.

Through his ascetic effort and prayer, St Gregory attained the gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. After overcoming the passions and reaching the height of virtue, he was permitted to hear angelic singing in praise of the Holy Trinity. St Gregory left the monastery of St Menas near Thessalonica, where he had labored for a long time, and he went again to Constantinople in order to combat the Iconoclast heresy. At the capital, a grievous illness undermined his strength, and he departed to the Lord in the year 816.

St Gregory was buried at a monastery in Constantinople, and many miracles took place at his tomb. As a result, the monks removed the holy relics of St Gregory and enshrined them in the church where people could venerate them.

When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the relics of St Gregory were carried to the region of the Danube by a Turkish official. In 1498 Barbu Craiovescu, the Ban of the Romanian Land (Wallachia) heard of the miracles performed by the holy relics and bought them for a considerable sum of money. Barbu Craiovescu placed the relics in the main church of Bistritsa Monastery which he founded in Rimnicu Vilcea, where they remain to the present day.

A small book describing the miracles and healings performed by St Gregory the Decapolite in Romania has been written by Abbess Olga Gologan, who reposed in 1972.

Source

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
The twofold lamps of divine gifts, Proclus, shepherd of New Rome, and Gregory, scion of Decapolis, guide us by the light of grace as divinely-inspired fathers. Let us draw near and eagerly beseech them, that we may receive forgiveness and salvation of our souls.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
The Church knoweth thee to be a shining sun that enlight'neth all men with the rays of cures and with the beauty of virtue. Hence, O truly blessed Father, Christ's faithful servant, we all celebrate thy venerable memorial, O wise Gregory most righteous; and we now honour thy valiant struggles for Christ.

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Patriarch Irinej: "God Willing, Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia Will Be One"

November 15, 2010
B92

SPC Patriarch Irinej says the Drina River - which runs between Serbia and Bosnia - is "no border" for the Serb nation.

The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church said that the river is rather "a bridge" between Serbia and Serbs in Bosnia, uniting them on their "path of St. Sava".

"The Drina River is not a border but a bridge that connects us. Although, in a way, we are one even today, God willing, we will soon really be one," Irinej told Banja Luka's Fokus magazine.

For now, continued the patriarch, "it is enough that we are one as a nation, as the Orthodox Church, and that we are on the same path of St. Sava and Christ".

He saluted the Serb people of Banja Luka - the Bosnian Serb entity (RS) largest town - and said they were fighting to preserve their faith and name.

"(They fight) to preserve the Serb name. Although this is not at all an easy task, they are succeeding."

Irinej praised his predecessor, His Holiness Patriarch Pavle, on the anniversary of his death, and described as being "in many ways unique", both as patriarch and monk.

"He pressed forward all the time, never looking back. All that crowned one holy life, a wonderful evangelical example in our time. All that was felt by the nation during his funeral," said Irinej.

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Bishop Artemije Stripped of His Rank For Disobedience

November 19, 2010
Lethbridge Herald

The Serbian Orthodox Church stripped a former Kosovo bishop of his ranks on Friday after he tried to regain control over monasteries and openly challenged the church leadership.

The church said in a statement that it made "this very hard and painful decision" because its former bishop, Artemije, openly broke the church laws.

The dispute between ex-Bishop Artemije and the church leaders is the most serious clash within the Serbian church in years. It reflects the divisions between the moderates and the hardliners in this Balkan nation.

Artemije is staunchly anti-Western and conservative. The church removed him from the post in February amid allegations that millions of dollars in church and state funds had been embezzled under his leadership.

Artemije has denied any wrongdoing and has refused the church's orders to retire. He has gathered his followers and demanded that he be given back his post in Kosovo.

On Friday, Artemije defied the church by breaking into a monastery in northern Kosovo and holding a liturgy there with his followers.

Serbian media reported later Friday that Artemije and his followers also tried to take control of other monasteries in Kosovo.

The church statement said police have detained at least two of Artemije's supporters outside the Crna Reka monastery in southern Serbia, close to Kosovo.

There was no immediate comment from the police.

While serving as the spiritual leader of Serbs in Kosovo, Artemije had ordered his clergy to cease contact with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian authorities and the EU mission there after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

The decision to demote Artemije to the position of a monk was brought during the ongoing gathering of the church elders Friday. The church also said it would file criminal charges against Artemije over the attempted takeover of the church property.

The current Serbian Patriarch, Irinej, is considered to be a moderate. He took over the church's helm after the death last year of his predecessor, Patriarch Pavle.

Related articles:

Disgraced Serbian Bishop Artemije Threatens To Start "New Church"

Disgraced Kosovo Bishop Launches Mutiny Against Serbian Church

Bishop's Followers in Two Kosovo Monasteries

SPC Synod Defrocks Rebel Bishop

KPS Escort Defrocked Bishop Out of Monastery

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Moderate Chosen as Serbian Bishop in Kosovo

November 19, 2010
BalkanInsight

The Synod of the Orthodox Church has appointed a more conciliatory figure to head the Raska-Prizren diocese than his predecessor.

The Synod of Serbia's powerful Orthodox Church has appointed a peace-maker as its new bishop in Kosovo, a religious analyst told Balkan Insight.

"Teodosije's election to head the Raska-Prizren diocese suggested that the Church intended to start adopting "a softer tone towards the international community in Kosovo," Zivica Tucic said.

The Church has been seen as pursuing a more open course since Bishop Irinej of Nis was elected 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church on January 22.

Kosovo's previous bishop, Artemije, was a nationalist hard-liner, fiercely critical of the international community's actions in Kosovo, which most Serbs regard as an integral part of their country and whose independence they do not recognise.

Artemije was forced to retire in May after several close associates were found guilty of embezzlement.

The two bishops had been in conflict over whether the Church should cooperate over the reconstruction of monasteries and churches in Kosovo with the international community. Many were damaged or destroyed when members of Kosovo's Albanian majority staged anti-Serbian riots in 2004.

A Church source told Balkan Insight that Teodosije was viewed as more flexible on the subject of working with the international community. He also enjoys the support of many Kosovo Serbs. "He has been travelling around Kosovo, bringing humanitarian aid to people," the same source said.

The Serbian Orthodox Church has yet to decide on Artemije's ultiumate fate, having suspended him from his duties. Tucic said the Synod would either allow him to remain a retired bishop, or formally defrock him. "No one can tell what the 40 members of the assembly will agree on," he said.

Read also:

The Holy Assembly of Bishops Elected Bishop Teodosije as a New Bishop of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija

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Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople

St. Proklos (Proclus) of Constantinople (Feast Day - November 20)

Saint Proclus lived during the reign of Saint Theodosius the Younger. A disciple and scribe of Saint John Chrysostom, he was ordained Bishop of Cyzicus about the year 426, but because the people there unlawfully elected another bishop before his arrival, he remained in Constantinople. In 429, Nestorius, who had been Archbishop of Constantinople for about a year, and had already begun his blasphemous teaching that it is wrong to call the holy Virgin "Theotokos," invited Bishop Proclus to give a sermon on one of the feasts of our Lady, which he did, openly defending in Nestorius' presence the name "Theotokos," that is, "Mother of God." Saint Proclus was elevated to the throne of Archbishop of Constantinople in 434. It was he who persuaded Emperor Theodosius the Younger and his holy sister Pulcheria to have the most sacred relics of his godly teacher Saint John Chrysostom brought back from Comana, and triumphantly received them upon their return to the imperial city (see Jan. 27 and Nov. 13). He reposed in peace in 447.

Source

Proclus was renowned for the sanctity of his life and for his modesty, with which he succeeded to calm down the Church and to make many Nestorians return to her. Before ascending the throne of Constantinople, he was ordained Bishop of Kyzikos (426-434) by Patriarch Sisinios of Constantinople.

After the death of Patriarch Maximian, he was consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople, serving from this role for 12 years and 3 months "in a good way" according to the sources. Proclus returned the relics of his teacher St John Chrysostom to Constantinople in 438. He was reknowned for his preaching, for which the Roman officer Valusian (before being baptised a Christian) declared that "if Rome had three men like Sir Proclus, ther would not be there a single pagan."

With the Tomus to the Armenians, he proves that the basis for the Nestorian heresy are the christological opinons of Theodore of Mopsouestia without, however, mentioning him explicitly (435). Speeches and letters of Proclus are saved, and have been published by K. J. P. Migne, F. Schwartz, F. J. Lorey.

To Proclus has wrongly been attributed the Speech regarding the tradition of Divine Liturgy, which was composed in the 16th century due to the disputes between the Latins and the Protestants regarding the origin of the Divine Liturgy.

Being declared a Saint of the Orthodox Church, his holy memory is honoured on the 20th of November.

Source

HYMN OF PRAISE: Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Glorious disciple of a glorious teacher,
O most-wise Proclus, servant of the Savior,
You strengthened the Faith and destroyed heresy,
For which the Holy Church praises you,
And the Church magnifies its giant,
Who, by glorifying God, glorified himself.
As a skilled helmsman, you guided the Church,
Beheld miracles and glorified God.
Clairvoyant of spirit, with a mind filled with grace,
You resonated with the Spirit like a finely tuned string.
Taught by the Spirit, you instructed the emperor
To transport the relics of the golden-mouthed Patriarch,
And with the emperor and the people you openly beheld
Glorious miracles manifest from the relics.
Now, in Paradise eternal, pray for us,
That the faithful endure in the Faith to the end!

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
On this day, thy ven'rable departure from us, O wise Proclus blest of God, is celebrated fittingly with joy by her that in very truth is the most honoured of cities in all the world.

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Grave of St. Maximus the Confessor Discovered in Tsageri, Georgia

The name of Maximus the Confessor is closely linked with Georgia: after the Church Father was exiled from Byzantium in 662 with two of his disciples, he spent his last days in Lazica, Western Georgia, and was cast in the fortress of Schemarum, perhaps Muris-Tsikhe near the modern town of Tsageri. He died there on 13 August 662. It is interesting that the monastery where his grave was discovered is named after Saint Maximus.

October 26, 2010
Rustavi 2

French anthropologists have confirmed that the grave of Saint Maximus the Confessor is in Tsageri, Svaneti Region, Georgia. A special conference dedicated to the discovery was held in the Youth Centre of the Saint Trinity Cathedral yesterday. The participants have discussing the details of the discovery and history of Saint Maximus. They said the only holy part of Saint Maximus` body has been so far held in Israel.

French scientists presume that after popularizing the discovery, the Tsageri monastery will become a place of pilgrimage for many worshippers due to the grave of the Saint Maximus.

For the video news report, see here.

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