Patriarch

Before that, at 9 o'clock, a holy liturgy will be held, which is common prior to every assembly, it was confirmed to Tanjug in the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

This decision was made by the Holy Synod of Bishops as the supreme canonical authority in the Church, authorized to schedule sessions of the highest church body.

Greek Archbishop Ieronymos informed the Holy Synod on Friday that he has refused an invitation from Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to attend a meeting of Orthodox leaders.
According to a statement issued by the Holy Synod, Ieronymos refused the invite because the calling of such meetings of Orthodox leaders is the sole privilege of the ecumenical patriarch based in Istanbul.

Disapproval over this uncivilized piece of legislation that entered into parliamentary procedure few days ago has put a display of unprecedented unity into motion.

Negative attitudes towards the proposed law and its consequences have been expressed by Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Russian Patriarch and the US Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback.

In a sign of continued deep rifts in the Orthodox Church, a Serbian bishop had condemned the Patriarch of Constantinople, the nominal head of the Church, for mentioning the head of the disputed Orthodox Church in Ukraine in a service.

Both Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Teoctist used to be champions of the Christian faith and felt in their activity the help of Jesus Christ, on Friday said Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at his meeting with Pope Francis.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) said he "expected nothing else" of these Catholic clerics in Croatia.

Speaking for the tabloid Kurir, the patriarch announced his full response.

The Hierarchy of the Church of Greece, comprised of 82 bishops, will decide in late February whether or not to recognize the autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine, which was formally granted independence from Moscow last Sunday by Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios.

Christmas, as well as Easter, is a time for church primates to send out spiritual messages to the faithful.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios on Thursday criticized as "unacceptable" a decision by the Russian Orthodox Church to sever eucharistic communication with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.