(ANALYSIS) There is nothing unusual about turning a corner in West Virginia's maze of rough mountain roads and seeing churches with plain white walls and big porches. The new sanctuary at the Hermitage of the Holy Cross — 10 miles of twists and turns into a holler outside the town of Wayne — offers a variation on that vision. Its green-metal roof has domes resembling medieval Russian helmets, topped with golden cupolas and soaring Slavic crosses.
Read MoreThe Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate is helping the Russian government kidnap, house and falsely indoctrinate Ukrainian children, according to expert testimony before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Read MoreAfter decades of falling religious affiliation and participation, key measures of religiousness in the United States have leveled off in recent years — although no revival has been detected among young people. The findings from the Pew Research Center suggest that a period of relative stability — first observed around 2020 — has continued five years after the pandemic.
Read MoreOn the same day the breakfast concluded, a local news outlet reported that two Armenian opposition podcasters had been placed in pre-trial detention. Vazgen Saghatelyan and Narek Samsonyan, co-hosts of the “Imnemnimi” podcast, had been arrested over comments made in a Nov. 10 episode about National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan.
Read MoreThe monastery is in the news again, and for unhappy reasons connected to the court decision. Under pressure from Greek Orthodox leaders internationally, the monastery's head, Archbishop Damianos, announced that he would resign as of last Friday. Meanwhile, on Sept. 8, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem unanimously resolved that Damianos be already deposed.
Read MoreHouston’s Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, one of the largest Greek Orthodox communities in the nation, expects to cover each of its walls with colorful Byzantine iconography by the year 2027, hoping to continue expanding as membership grows. Formed in 1917, the Annunciation community was the city’s first organized Greek Orthodox Church.
Read MoreAll many journalists want to talk about is “the guys.” That focus on young males swimming the Bosphorus has created plenty of mainstream news reports. This week’s “Crossroads” podcast focused on a BBC feature with this headline: “Young US men are joining Russian churches promising 'absurd levels of manliness'.”
Read MoreTorturing and killing pastors and priests, prosecuting residents for exercising religious freedom, banning worship and entire religious communities, closing churches, prosecuting missionaries and banning Scripture as extremist literature are among the most egregious atrocities Forum 18 cited in its March religious freedom survey of Ukraine.
Read MorePatriarch John X of Antioch delivered a powerful sermon at the Church of the Holy Cross in Damascus, addressing Christians in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the takeover by an Islamic rebel group.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Andriy Kostin, the prosecutor general of Ukraine, explained that his team is looking into the abductions of Ukrainian children to Russia, but also the destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage linked to Ukrainian identity, among others. He also indicated that his team is investigating mass killings, such as those in Bucha, as a crime of genocide.
Read MoreIf you fly up to high altitude to study the past 50 years of American religious life, here is what you will see.
Read MoreSerbian judo star Nemanja Majdov was slapped with a five-month ban for making the sign of the cross before he competed at the recent Paris Olympics. He was accused by the International Judo Federation of violating its code of conduct for “having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play” and barred from participating in tournaments and other events.
Read More(EXPLAINER) The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates on Friday the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (known as Petrovdan in Serbian) in honor of their martyrdom in Rome. The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is an important religious holiday for Orthodox Serbs. It marks the end of the Apostles’ Fast, which begins a week after Pentecost.
Read MoreKosovo is a region in the heart of Europe that offers visitors an amazing journey through nature, history and religion. Despite its rich history and beautiful views, tourists had avoided Kosovo for years because of the ethnic conflict between Albanians and Serbs.
Read More(EXPLAINER) The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates on Friday the Feast of St. Vitus (in Serbian Vidovdan), commemorating the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Turks, which took place in 1389. St. Vitus Day is a Serbian national and religious holiday. Here’s everything you need to know about the feast day.
Read More(ANALYSIS) After the 1966 fire, St. Michael's was rebuilt with concrete, steel and other fire-resistant materials, using 1961 drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey for reference. Today, there are leaks along joints in the church's domes, and the wooden floors squeak from water damage.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Congress of the XXV World Russian People’s Council, headed by Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, issued a document on March 27 entitled: “The Present and Future of the Russian World.” In the document, the leadership of the XXV World Russian People’s Council describes the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Close observers of Eastern Orthodox Christianity were not surprised when the recent World Russian People’s Council bluntly rejected “abortion propaganda,” efforts to promote LGBTQ rights and this age of “sexual licentiousness and debauchery.” It wasn’t surprising when that Moscow conference urged the defense of traditional families, “strong with many children,” during an era where birth rates are falling.
Read More(REVIEW) This film is not just a historical overview of the growth of Orthodox Christianity in America’s northernmost state among Native Alaskans; it also captures the fusion of Native Alaskan culture and Orthodox spirituality. The film shows what we can learn from Alaskan Orthodoxy. Becoming fully human, caring for the land and the animals are main themes discussed in this documentary. These lessons are not just important for Orthodox Christians, but for all human beings.
Read More“Sacred Alaska” is an award-winning, visually stunning documentary with compelling storytelling. The film explores the profound influence of Orthodoxy, brought by St. Herman and Russian monks in the late 18th century, on Native Alaskan society. It also highlights the unique fusion of Native Alaskan indigenous beliefs with Orthodox traditions.
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