Eastern Orthodox Church

On January 1, Bulgaria's Orthodox Church celebrates the Circumcision of the Lord. Circumcision is an Old Testament sacrament that began at the beginning of the second millennium before Christ. It was introduced by the forefather Abraham as a sign of the covenant between God and God's chosen people, but it also appears as a type of Holy Baptism.

A new dispute has occurred between the Russian and Ukrainian patriarchs in the southern province of Antalya as the citizens of both countries living in the city do not want to share the same churches.

Antalya, which hosts many migrants from both countries fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war, has also become one of the meeting areas of divisions within the Orthodox church.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos has sent a letter to Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy denouncing the ministry's move to desecrate one of Eastern Orthodoxy's most sacred shrines, the monastery of Soumela in Trebizond, Turkey, by granting permission to film a television ad with frenzied young people dancing as a DJ on screen plays music.

Hundreds of Istanbul residents flocked to a Greek-Orthodox church on Dec. 1, just like the first day of each month, to make wishes in the hope for them to come true.

People of all faiths come in scores to visit the Ayın Biri Kilisesi, which literally means the "Church of the First Day of the Month" in English, to make a wish.

By George Gilson

When Greek Orthodox Archbishop Athenagoras of America was elected Ecumenical Patriarch - the first among equals with a coordinating role in Eastern Orthodox Church, which is said to have 300 million faithful worldwide) - in 1948, he travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, for his enthronement on the presidential aeroplane of US President Harry Truman.

Emboldened by a change of government, the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro says schoolchildren should receive religious education classes, but experts say the issue should be approached with care.

Krivokapic said that the state, which should be serious, respecting law and order, must correct all those mistakes. The attack on the property, as he said, began with the formation of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church.

The leaders of the Catholic, Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches called on the global community to do more to protect the planet's future, dpa reported.

Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church addressed a message on the occasion of the Romanian Migrants Sunday that will be celebrated on August 22, exhorting the Romanians who live away from the country to stay in constant contact with their loved ones at home and to cherish the family - consisting of a man, a woman and children.

His Holiness announced that he was glad to see that the page opened on Instagram attracted more than 10,000 followers in just a couple of hours.