Associated Press correspondent Selcan Hacaoglu reports:

Turkey has launched a project to conserve an ancient Armenian cathedral and church in what is seen as a gesture of reconciliation toward its neighbor.

Turkey and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute for decades over the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. Efforts to normalize relations have been dealt a setback by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is a close Muslim ally of Turkey.

Turkey, however, says it is committed to improving ties with Armenia, and has already restored the 10th century Akdamar church, perched on a rocky island in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. It has also allowed once-yearly worship at the site as a gesture to Armenia and its own ethnic Armenian minority.

Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay said Tuesday the new project was being launched in partnership with the World Monuments Fund to conserve the remains of the cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior in Ani, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the eastern Turkish city of Kars.

According to the New York-based World Monuments Fund, Ani — "one of the world's great cities in the 10th century" — was once the site of hundreds of religious buildings, palaces, fortifications, and other structures. Today it stands abandoned, and the remnants of its celebrated buildings are in a precarious state.

The site, in an earthquake-prone area, has been listed on the World Monuments Watch since 1996.

"Ani, which is of global significance, presents particularly complicated challenges," Gunay said. "We hope that giving new life to the remains of once-splendid buildings, such as the Ani Cathedral and church, will bring new economic opportunities to the region."

Continue reading "In gesture, Turkey conserving Armenian churches" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Associated Press reports:

A Greek Orthodox church in New York City that was destroyed on Sept. 11 is taking legal action against the agency that owns ground zero, saying it has reneged on a promise to rebuild the church.

The Wall Street Journal reports that St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church filed a notice of claim against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Monday. The papers seeks to compel the agency to live up to what it says is a "binding preliminary agreement" from 2008.

The two sides spent years negotiating a deal that would let the church rebuild on land south of its original site in exchange for financial help. Negotiations broke down in March.

The agency says it hasn't seen the papers and declined to comment.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Supporters of a Greek Orthodox church destroyed on Sept. 11 say officials willing to speak out about a planned community center and mosque near ground zero have been silent on efforts to get the church rebuilt, the Associated Press reports.

But the World Trade Center site's owner says a deal to help rebuild St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was offered and rejected, after years of negotiations, over money and other issues.

Though the projects are not related, supporters — including George Pataki, New York's governor at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks — have questioned why public officials have not addressed St. Nicholas' future while they lead a debate on whether and where the Islamic cultural center should be built.

"What about us? Why have they forgotten or abandoned their commitment to us?" asked Father Alex Karloutsos, assistant to the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. "When I see them raising issues about the mosque and not thinking about the church that was destroyed, it does bother us."

Continue reading "Some want Ground Zero church rebuilt" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 8:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A special coin issued by Romania's central bank to commemorate a prime minister and religious leader who stripped Jews of their citizenship before World War II has drawn protests from Romanian Jews as well as a director at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Associated Press reports.

Radu Ioanid, who runs the museum's international archives, said he was "shocked" by the bank's decision to mint the coin depicting late Patriarch Miron Cristea, who led the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1925 to 1939 and was prime minister from 1938 to 1939.

The patriarch was responsible for revising the citizenship law, stripping about 225,000 Jews — or 37 percent of the Jewish population — of their Romanian citizenship, Ioanid said.

"I can't understand how the patriarch managed to pass through the filter," said Robert Schwartz, representative for Romanian Jews in the city of Cluj. "It is known there are black stains connected to his attitude towards the Jews." Schwartz said there were other Romanians, such as the patriarch's contemporary Queen Maria, who had done much for Jews and should have been honored.

Continue reading "Holocaust museum to Romania: Scrap 'racist' coin" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Russian Orthodox Church called Wednesday for an end to the "monopoly of Darwinism" in Russian schools, saying religious explanations of creation should be taught alongside evolution, Reuters reports.

The British news agency says Russian liberals have vowed to fight efforts to include religious teaching in schools. Russia's dominant church has experienced a revival in recent years, worrying rights groups who say its power is undermining the country's secular constitution.

The report continues:

"The time has come for the monopoly of Darwinism and the deceptive idea that science in general contradicts religion. These ideas should be left in the past," senior Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion said at a lecture in Moscow.

"Darwin's theory remains a theory. This means it should be taught to children as one of several theories, but children should know of other theories too."

Read the rest of the Reuters story.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

Greek Cypriot leaders made a blistering attack on Turkey for its occupation of northern Cyprus as Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to the divided island Friday bringing a message of peace to the region, the Associated Press reports.

Addressing Benedict, the head of Cyprus' Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II said that "Turkey has barbarously invaded and conquered by force of arms 37 percent of our homeland."

Chrysostomos said that Turkey "continues to carry out its obscure plans which include the annexation of the land now under military occupation, and then a conquest of the whole of Cyprus."

His comments came as Benedict began a sensitive three-day day visit to Cyprus, an island divided between ethnic Turks and Greeks and viewed by the Vatican as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East.

Chrysostomos also said the Turks "ruthlessly sacked" Christian artworks, saying they were seeking to make Greek and Christian culture disappear from the north. He urged the pope's help to ensure protection of the sacred Christian monuments and in the struggle against the Turks.

The pope did not respond to the archbishop's remarks. Instead, in his comments from an archaeological site where St. Paul is said to have preached in the 1st century and to have been whipped by Roman soldiers, Benedict spoke of the cooperation between Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

Earlier, the pope also declined to blame Turkey for the killing of Catholic bishop in Turkey on the eve of the trip to Cyprus.

Continue reading "Pope walks fine line in divided Cyprus" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Police in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki say they have arrested a Swiss national and a Greek Orthodox deacon for trafficking in what they said were holy relics, the Associated Press reports.

The Swiss man was arrested Sunday afternoon at Thessaloniki airport when he declared that he was carrying saints' remains. Police seized 197 bone fragments and 3 skulls, sprayed with fragrance and carrying stickers labeling them with names of well-known saints. The deacon who had given the Swiss man the supposed relics was arrested early Monday.

"This is an unprecedented case. ... We are investigating the provenance of these relics," Nikos Dimitriadis, head of Thessaloniki police's Financial Crimes division, said.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Associated Press correspondent Yaniv Zohar has filed a report from Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Orthodox Christians celebrated the millenium-old holy fire ritual:

The sound of drumbeats and hymns and light from thousands of candles and torches filled Christianity's most revered shrine Saturday as Orthodox faithful celebrated Easter Week's holy fire ritual.

Orthodox Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried at the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands, and that a flame appears spontaneously from his tomb on the day before Easter to show he has not forgotten his followers.

Worshippers carrying torches or bundles of 33 tapers signifying the years of Jesus' life waited in excited anticipation as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in the Holy Land, Theofilos III, removed his embossed gold-and-white mitre and descended with Greek Orthodox, Armenian and other Eastern rite clergy into the tomb.

After the flame appeared there, he passed it from inside the tomb to believers inside the church's main hall, who rushed to light their own candles and torches, illuminating the darkened church within seconds and filling it with smoke. Church bells pealed, and some of the faithful passed their hands through the flames they held, reflecting their belief in the fire's divine and beneficial nature.

Worshippers hoisted one of the clerics who had gone into the tomb on their shoulders after he emerged, waving a bundle of lit tapers.

"It's (a) very huge experience and it's a holy place," said a Serbian woman who identified herself only as Irena.

Continue reading "Orthodox Christians witness holy fire" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In no particular order, as selected by the brain trust at In Good Faith world headquarters, and barring any unforeseen developments in the hours that remain. Comments?

Jewish Community Center opens on Saturdays, over objections of Orthodox community

Maryland priest becomes first lesbian Episcopal Bishop

Baltimore Hebrew University closes; reopens at Towson University

Muslims meet in Baltimore, denounce terror

Episcopal nuns join Catholic Church en masse

Catholic Diocese of Wilmington declares Bankruptcy

Death of Rabbi Mark Loeb

Towson Catholic High School closure surprises students, parents

Ecumenical Patriarch, head of Orthodox Christianity, visits Maryland

City Council passes first-in-nation regulations on faith-based crisis pregnancy centers

Atheists target Baltimore, ask: Are you good without God?

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In the months since we started In Good Faith, we've attracted readers and commenters from all over the world. Ties to the Baltimore area will be helpful in spotting some familiar faces in the video above (the list appears at the end).

I wanted to take a moment to say a sincere thank you to all who have stopped by, and particularly to those who have joined in the spirited debate taking shape on these pages. During this holiday season, we wish the very best to everyone of every faith, and no faith at all.

I expect to be posting only lightly over the next few days as I take time off to spend with my family. As my father would say: Talk amongst yourselves.

Best,
Matt

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Dozens of people led by an Orthodox priest smashed a menorah in Moldova's capital on Sunday, using hammers and iron bars to remove the candelabra during Hanukkah, the Associated Press reports.

The five-foot-tall ceremonial candelabrum was retrieved, reinstalled and is now under police guard, according to the AP.

Police said they were investigating the Sunday attack but there was no official reaction from Moldova's Orthodox Church, which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church and counts 70 percent of Moldovans as members.

The Jewish community was thriving before World War II but there are now estimated to be just 12,000 Jews in the former Soviet Republic. Twenty years ago there were 66,000 Jews. Many emigrated to Israel.

The national government said in a statement that "hatred, intolerance and xenophobia" are unacceptable. The U.S. Embassy and the Chisinau city government also condemned the attack. City officials called on the church to investigate.

Jewish leader Alexandr Bilinkis called on the Orthodox Church to take a position over the priest's actions. The head of the church, Bishop Vladimir Cantarean, was at his mother's funeral in Ukraine on Monday and was expected to make a statement when he returns, the church said.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had issued his greeting and blessed the few hundred who had waited in the cold outside Ss. Constantine and Helen Orthodox Church in Annapolis – in Greek. He was stepping down from the platform when an aide said something in his ear. Bartholomew, the worldwide leader of Orthodox Christianity, returned to the microphone.

“I was told that I have to speak also in English,” he said. Laughter and cheers from a grateful crowd.

We had a story in Tuesday’s newspaper about the visit of Bartholomew, who as archbishop of Constantinople is first among equals among the 14 patriarchs of Orthodox Christianity. He celebrated the 18th anniversary of his enthronement with a doxology and a dinner at the Annapolis church.

It was his first visit to Maryland since 1997, when he made an appearance at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, and his first ever to Annapolis. In attendance were Archbishop Demetrios of America, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States; Metropolitan Evangelos, who heads the Metropolis of New Jersey, which includes Maryland; U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, the Greek-American Democrat from Baltimore County; and Cardinal William Keeler, the former Roman Catholic archbishop of Baltimore.

During his homily, Bartholomew said it was fitting to be celebrating his anniversary at Ss. Constantinople and Helen and in Maryland. A transcript follows, after the jump.

Continue reading "Scenes from Bartholomew's visit" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the global head of the 300 million-member Orthodox Christian Church, arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday to begin his sixth visit to the United States.

Archbishop Demetrios of America welcomed him at Louis Armstrong Airport with Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, members of the local clergy, local officials, local Orthodox faithful and children dressed in traditional costume.

Bartholomew blessed the gathering and issued greetings:

From the Mother Church of Constantinople and the Holy and Great Church of Christ, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we bring you greetings and blessings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We give thanks to Almighty God for granting us a safe arrival here in New Orleans, a place to which we return with much hope and expectation. We return after nearly four years, when we came in the Winter of 2006 to share in the loss and pain of the courageous citizens of New Orleans and to witness the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

We return to the place where the mighty Mississippi River nears its course into the Gulf of Mexico, and where the waves of the sea and the banks of the river overflowed. We return so that we might bear witness to the hope that is in you, the hope you have manifested through the rebuilding your lives and your community. We return in order to pray with you and to intercede with the Lord of creation, that the ‘flood of many waters shall not come nigh unto you again.'

We return to this historic and famed city, and call on your fellow citizens around the country to return here for themselves; whether to live or enjoy the unique offerings of New Orleans.

Continue reading "Bartholomew arrives" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the global leader of the 300 million-member Orthodox Christian Church, will visit Sts. Constantine and Helen Church in Annapolis next month as part of his sixth visit to the United States.

Styled "The Green Patriarch," the ecologically aware Bartholomew has come to preside over the eighth Religion, Science and the Environment Symposium, to be convenved on Tuesday in New Orleans around the subject of "Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River." While in the country, he will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the enthronement of Archbishop Demetrios of America as the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

In Annapolis on Nov. 2, Batholomew will mark his 18th year as ecumenical patriarch in a Doxology service at Sts. Constantine and Helen.

"Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's visit comes at a time of spiritual rejuvenation for our Holy Metropolis and his presence among us will inspire us to continue serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all of our hearts, minds, souls and strength," Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, whose Metropolis includes Maryland, said in statement. "I am confident that all of our pious Orthodox faithful appreciate and realize the great honor that His All Holiness bestows upon us once again by visiting us during the his visit to the United States."

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: International, Orthodox Christianity, People