Showing posts with label Holy Mother Russia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Mother Russia. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Bishop Williamson on Crisis in Ukraine

Edit: prepare for the end of the world, pray, and do not be deceived by the propaganda against Russia and in favor of the Ukraine.

Obviously, Rorate and other questionable sites are pro-Ukraine and Pro-Globohomo!


AMDG
 

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Cross Procession in Saint Petersburg -- October Revolution and the Return of Religion

(Moscow) Pictures of the cross procession in Saint Petersburg from September 12th. The procession led from the Kazan Cathedral over the famous Nevsky Prospect to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.


Icon of Alexander Nevski

The Rurikid Alexander Newski, Prince of Novgorod (from 1249 Grand Prince of Kiev), brought the advance of the Swedes into Russian territory to a halt at the Battle of the Neva in 1240, and in 1242 in the Battle of Peipus also that of the Teutonic Order. He has been officially honored by the Russian Orthodox Church since 1547 as a saint. The Nevsky Prospekt, a 300-year-old grand boulevard of 4.5 kilometers, connects the Tsar's winter palace to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery at the other end. In the monastery, the bones of the Saint Prince Rurikid are buried.
Along the boulevard you will also find the Kazan Cathedral, erected more than 200 years ago. It was built with St. Peter's in Rome as a model. The cathedral was built over an older predecessor, the Church of the Virgin Mary. It is named after an icon of the Mother of Kazan who is venerated in the cathedral.


Kazan Cathedral

The church is considered a memorial church for the victorious defense against Napoleon's campaign of 1812. In it, Field Marshal Michail Kutusov is buried, who as the Russian commander-in-chief, directed the defense. The Field Marshal had prayed before the fighting in the just finished church and asked the Mother of God for help.
After the Communist October Revolution, the cathedral was plundered and devastated. In 1918 the Archpriest of the Church, the philosopher Ornatsky, suffered martyrdom together with his two sons. Ornatsky had celebrated a requiem for the victims of the Communists. Shortly after, he and his two sons were then arrested. He was allowed to say a prayer for those condemned to death on a cliff above the Finnish Gulf, then he, his sons and 30 other men were shot and their bodies thrown over the cliffs into the sea.


Cross-process through the Nevsky Prospect 2016























In 1922 all the valuables, liturgical implements, and icons were confiscated by the Soviet government, and the cathedral was transformed into a museum of atheism in 1932.
In November 1990, the Sacred Liturgy was celebrated for the first time in consultation with the Museum Directorate - the museum has renamed the Museum of Religious History after the end of the Soviets. In 1999 the evacuation of the museum and the return of the cathedral to the Russian Orthodox Church was agreed. The transfer was completed in 2001. In 2002 the icon of the Mother of Kazan was returned to the church. Since 2017, the cathedral has once again been the seat of the metropolitan of Novgorod and Saint Petersburg.
After more than 90 years, the first cross-procession took place in 2013, which commemorates the transfer of the relics of the Rurikid Prince Nevsky to the monastery named after him at the end of the Nevsky Prospect. The video shows recordings of the fourth cross procession since its revival (September 2016).


Friday, October 23, 2015

When the Most Catholic Voice in Rome is the Moscow Patriarchate, That Should Be a Problem

(Rome) When one of the most Catholic voices in Rome   is that  of the Moscow Patriarchate, this is a problem. Last Tuesday  Hilarion of Volokolamsk Metropolitan addressed the Pope and the Synod of Bishops, a  message of greeting from the Moscow Patriarchate.  Archbishop Hilarion is head of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Orthodox Church. Here is the full speech of Metropolitan. The highlights come from the editorial:

Holiness,
Beatitudes, Eminences and Excellencies,

On behalf of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and the whole Russian Orthodox Church, I address our fraternal greetings to you all on the occasion of the XIV. General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, which is dedicated to the theme of the family.
In our turbulent and unsettling world, man needs solid and unshakable foundations on which he can rely in order to fully trust to be able to build  their  lives on them. The secular society that is geared primarily to the satisfaction of individual desires can give man no clear moral orientations. The crisis of traditional values ​​that we experience in the consumer society leads to a contradiction between the different preferences, even in family relationships. When on the one side,  extreme feminism  sees in  motherhood an obstacle to  the self-realization of women who have children, on the other hand, more and more regard children as a right that can be realized by any means. Increasingly, the family is seen as a connection between two people, regardless of their gender, and it is believed that the individual can choose the affiliation to one or the other sex according to his personal taste.
On the other hand, new problems occur that directly affect the foundations of the traditional family. The armed conflicts of the modern world causing a mass exodus from the war-affected regions towards the richer countries. Emigration often leads to breaking of family ties while creating a new social environment, creating  connections that often have an interethnic and inter-religious character.
These challenges and threats are, for all Christian churches alike, the need to look for the answers, by relying on the order entrusted to them by Christ,  to lead the people to salvation. Unfortunately, we often hear in Christian circles, voices demanding that there be a "Modernization" of the Church's conscience, thus the rejection of the apparently Christian apparently obsolete doctrine on the family. Nevertheless, we must not forget  the words of the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome: "conform  not on this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God: what He desires, is what is good and perfect."
The Church is called to be a light and a beacon in the darkness of this world, and Christians are called to be the "salt of the earth" and "light of the world". We all need to remember the harrowing admonition of the Savior: "If the salt loses its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is good for nothing; it is thrown out and trampled by men."  (cf.. Mt. 5:13 to 14). Such a salt that has lost the power of its own taste, are in our time what some Protestant communities who call themselves Christian but preach moral ideals  that are incompatible with Christianity. When a community of this kind, introduces the rite of blessing  homosexual unions, and a lesbian woman who describes herself as a "bishop", who prompts her churches to remove the crosses from the steeples and replace them with Islamic crescents, can such a community may be called "church"? Before our eyes is Christianity is  betrayed by those who are willing to play the game of secularized, anti-clerical and Godless society.
The leadership of various countries of Europe and America, despite numerous protests, even by the Catholic faithful, continue a policy aimed deliberately at destroying the understanding of family. Not only are homosexual connections made legally equivalent to marriage. One goes so far as  to prosecute those who because of their Christian faith, refuse to register these connections. Immediately after the end of the visit of Pope Francis, the American president Barack Obama has openly declared that the rights of homosexuals are more important than religious freedom. This clearly shows the intention of the secular authority to continue the attack against the healthy forces of society who defend  traditional family values. The Catholics are in the front line in this fight, and just against the Catholic Church, there is a veritable campaign of discredit and lies under way. Therefore, the force in defending the Christian conviction and fidelity to the tradition of the Church today are particularly necessary.
Society today comes to resemble more and more  the foolish man, "who built his house on sand" (Mt see. 7.26). It is the duty of the Church, to remind   society of its established foundation - the family as a union between man and woman, who has the birth and education of children as its goal. Only such a family, established by the Lord at the time of the creation of the world itself, is able to prevent the release of modern society into the abyss of moral relativism, or at least slow it down.
The Orthodox Church, like the Catholic, has always followed the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition in their teaching about the family and established the principle of the sanctity of marriage affirming that  based on the words of the Savior Himself (cf.. Matt 19:6 ;. Mk 10:9) In our time, this position must be united and unanimous. We must work together to defend dialogue with the legislative and executive powers of each country and at the level of international institutions such as the UN and the European Union. We can not only limit ourselves to exhortations. We need to ensure the legal protection of the family completely.
The solidarity of the Church and all people of good will is essential for the purpose, to protect the family from the threats of the secular world, and thus to safeguard our future. I hope that the fruit of this Synodal Assembly will be a development of Catholic-Orthodox collaboration in this direction.
I wish you peace, God's blessing and success in your work!
Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Il Timone
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Russia Saves Paris Christmas at Notre Dame

Edit: this bit from Gallia Watch and Tiberge, who asks, "aren't there enough Catholics in France with a little extra money to donate to such a worthy tradition? Was it necessary to take money from a foreign power, even if it was offered with the best of intentions? Of course the Socialist mayor could not violate the 1905 law on Church/State separation, and provide funds, even though funds are abundantly provided for some very anti-Christian cultural events and some very pro-Islamic festivities, such as the celebration of Ramadan at City Hall every year. Still, it seems implausible that private donations from the French Catholic community were not forthcoming."

It seems to us that actions speak louder than words but we await the season with great hope in the message of Emanuel  to be with us to the end of time, even as a child.
PARIS, November 21 (Sputnik) — Moscow has helped Paris raise funds for its main Christmas tree to be set up in the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, a source in the Russian embassy in France told RIA Novosti Friday. 
In the past, a giant Christmas tree was bought using donations collected by the local parish only, but this year's campaign fell short of its goal – so Moscow City Hall jumped in to save the day, according to the Russian Embassy in Paris. 
Russian ambassador to France Alexander Orlov has been invited to attend the switching on of Christmas tree lights on Saturday. The rector of Notre Dame de Paris, Monsignor Patrick Jacquin, will also be present to welcome the Christmas season and see the tree light up. 
Paris's Christmas tree goes up in the main square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral every year, from December to January.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Patriarch Kirill Asks for Pardon of Asia Bibi



In a letter to Hussain, Kirill warns: "There is the risk of jeopardizing the dialogue and relations between Christians and Muslims not only in Pakistan but all over the world."

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has sent a letter to the President of Pakistan Himari Hussain asking him to pardon Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy.

The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church writes, "it would be an irreparable loss for her family, her near and dear, cause a great damage to the Muslim-Christian dialogue and could also aggravate tension between Christians and Muslims both in Pakistan and in the entire world".



http://m.asianews.it/index.php?art=32622&l=en

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Number of Christians Has Quadrupled in Russia Since the End of the Soviet Union

(Moscow), 25 years after the collapse of communism and 23 years after the end of the Soviet Union, the number of Russians who profess to be Christians, quadrupled. The critical  situation of religious freedom remains in some countries of the former Soviet power.
In 1989 it was known  that not more than  17 percent of Russians professed Orthodox Christianity. Since then, it has grown as much as four times. Today, 68 percent of Russians refer to themselves as Russian Orthodox.The most recent ones were released by the independent Levada Center on the 15-18th November of the previous year conducted a survey in 130 cities.
Until a few months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union atheism was regarded as the official state ideology. 75 percent of the population of Russia at that time described themselves as atheists. As early as 1991, that number had fallen to 53 percent. According to the results of the Levada poll today,  not even 19 percent confess as atheists. In third place are professing Muslims, whose number has increased from six percent in 1991 climbing to seven percent in 2013.
Despite the impressive return of Orthodox Christianity, 70 years of state atheism has left strong traces, as the Historian and Political Scientist Andrei Zubov emphasized: "70 years of state atheism can not be overcome in  one day."  The number of Christians actually practicing  is still low. The commitment to Orthodox Christianity is above all cultural and historic in nature.  It is part of Russiandom. The Levada poll found that only four percent of Orthodox Christians attend the Divine Liturgy every Sunday. 17 percent attend the Divine Liturgy only at the high festivals. 35 percent of respondents said that they had never set foot in a church in their lives. Since 1991  83 percent of all respondents said they have never received the Holy Communion, but they are  now considerably fewer, but still 62 percent.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been building years many new churches and have tried  to rechristianize those cites which became "atheist" during the Soviet era. "We are not able to build as many churches as we would like and would need", says the "State Department" of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Religious freedom at risk

While Russia's commitment to Orthodox Christianity is experiencing a renaissance, the free exercise of religion in several Soviet Republics, which are sovereign independent States today, remains underdeveloped. In the name of "national security", Kazakhstan restricted freedom of religion in 2011.  An infringement can be severely punished.  Religious publications are subject to government censorship. The construction of churches is strictly regulated. Bibles and other religious books are confiscated, as well as icons and religious representations. They are what the state classifies as "extremist materials".
The situation in Uzbekistan is even more critical. The population is mainly Muslim, Christians are a minority. Their religious life is subject to a number of limitations. In 2013 Christians complained that reading the Bible is forbidden even in prison. The situation is similar in Turkmenistan.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Tempi


Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Putin With Pope Francis --- Enemies of the Church Desecrate Church in Rome "Till the Last Pope is Overthrown"

(Vatican / Moscow) On Monday, Pope Francis receives Russian President Vladimir Putin in audience. According to the official release to meeting by the Holy See, the situation in the Middle East and the Christians there was the focus for the 35-minute conversation, which took place in a "cordial atmosphere".  In addition to the help and protection of the Syrian Christians from their Islamist rivals, the Catholic community in Russia  was a topic of conversation. Unlike Western leaders, Putin had no difficulty expressing gestures of personal piety. During the meeting,  a church desecration took place in Rome by left-wing extremists who protested "against Putin and the Church."
The Russian head of state did not extend a future invitation. The Kremlin will not anticipate the Moscow Patriarchate on this issue."Conversations for a meeting between the Patriarch and the Pope are in progress," said Metropolitan Hilarion  a few days ago in Rome. A third country was envisaged as a  place of meeting.

Gestures of Piety From  Russia's President Putin

Pope Francis gave Putin a mosaic that shows the Vatican Gardens. Putin gave the Pope an icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir. When the icon was presented to the Pope, it was a personal gesture of the Russian President, who crossed himself at the sight of the orthodox type icon.  Pope Francis, surprised by this gesture, followed the example of piety and crossed himself also in the Latin way,
Putin bowed before the icon and kissed the sacred representation. Even this gesture of pious affection was followed by  Pope Francis. Gestures that astonished the head of state of Russia in particular. Firstly, because one of the Russian leader had lived in the atheism of "real socialism" for a long time. On the other hand, because Western heads of state and head of government in the name of an alleged "neutrality" avoid  any personal commitment while in office. Putin was not afraid to express his faith in Christ and the All Holy  Theotokos in a public gesture of personal piety.
"Maybe the Pope could take one example, and kneel a little more before the Blessed Sacrament (during the Holy Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration) instead of standing," wrote Messa in Latino .

Sacrilege in Rome During Presidential Visit

During the meeting between Putin and Pope Francis, there was a serious act of blasphemy. Left-wing extremists of the Autonomous Scene broke into a church, unfurled a polemical and obscene banner, portrayed in the style of the  extreme left  political activists of Pussy Riot, and demanded their release.
The church desecration underlines that the extremists are not merely making  a political protest against Putin, but also specifically to express hostility to Christians. The fact that an Orthodox church in Moscow or a Catholic church was indiscriminately  desecrated a Rome shows definite hatred against Christianity. While in Russia, the desecration of a church is a criminal offense, the perpetrators in the west, so also in Rome, are hoping for "mild" judges who "understand" the show of "youthful" political zeal and the smashing of statues of Mary, the destruction of crosses as "too small" to cover those half-naked appearances in churches and obscene banners for prosecution.

Fight "Until the Last Pope, the Last Tsar and the Last King is Overthrown"

For blasphemous "act of protest" in Rome, the left-wing extremists wrote on her blog: "And let's not forget the role of the church, which measures interspersed with which the freedom of women and LGBTQI person to be circumcised.We are therefore convinced that the Holy Roman Church and the Orthodox Church find points of contact: an agreement between the Patriarchs at the expense of our body is always found. We will not stop and continue the fight until the last pope, the last Tsar and the last king is overthrown."
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: tempos / Messa in latino
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMGD

Friday, November 15, 2013

Russian Parliament Passes Anti-Abortion Law

Moscow (KIPA) November 15, 2013. In Russia doctor's offices and clinics may no longer advertise for abortion. The Parliamemt, the Duma, passed it on Friday in the second and third reading.

Moskau, 15.11.13 (Kipa) In Russland dürfen Arztpraxen und Kliniken künftig nicht mehr für Abtreibungen werben. Das Parlament, die Duma, verabschiedete am Freitag in zweiter und dritter Lesung ein entsprechendes Gesetz.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Putin to Visit Pope Francis -- To Forge a New "Holy Alliance"?



(Moscow / Vatican) Russia's President Vladimir Putin will pay a visit to Pope Francis. The audience is set for Monday, the 25th of November. The meeting was strongly desired by the Russian head of state. The diplomats of the Kremlin made inquiries a few weeks ago at the Vatican to include a trip to Rome during Putin's trip to Italy, which leads him to Trieste. The wish was granted immediately by the Vatican. On the same day, the man in the Kremlin will also pay a courtesy visit to the Italian Head of State, as required by diplomatic convention. But the real destination is Pope Francis.

Putin is not just seeking a photo-op, which would immortalize him next to the head of the Catholic Church. Russia seeks to establish a new network of strategic partnerships for several years. This was exemplified with the rapprochement between the Russian Orthodox and the Catholic Church under Pope Benedict XVI., an approach that is reinforced by the reigning Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill. However, the approach involves not only the Church but also the political level. And reveals that this is not just a purely political question.

Moscow in Search of Strategic Allies

In Moscow there is a quest for similarities and potential allies for a counterweight to the United States. A power struggle under very different circumstances. It's about national interests, geopolitics, and influence. But it is also a dimly recognizable counter-model to the new Western state doctrine of relativism. At this level, Putin calls out to the West. He did this by supporting the opponents of gay marriage in France and by Russia's refusal to fall under the U.S. Cartel. In addition to a national antagonism, a new ideology has entered. A contrast that will take place globally as the different language programs broadcast by Russian television show. There are  English and a Spanish editors to supply much of the world with counter-information to Western broadcasters.

The promising contacts by Benedict XVI arose between Moscow and the Vatican, should the Kremlin so desire, will be be expanded. The opportunity to continue leading the way with Pope Francis is apparent. Putin wants to personally attend the last decisive exploratory visit on the 25th November. Syria will only be a topic of discussion to demonstrate similarities. Russia has signaled in the Middle East it is ready to take on the role of protector of the Christians, whom the West seems to be willing to give up on other interests. 

Recognized Role of Russia: Open Letter from Francis to Putin

Early September, Pope Francis signaled that Russia must play an important role with an open letter to Putin, facing the G20 summit in St. Petersburg. Specifically, it was about the Syrian conflict. This was followed by prompt cooperation in the diplomatic field between the Vatican and Russia to defuse the conflict by securing Syrian President Assad's assent to destroy chemical weapons. The fate of Christians in the Middle East will be discussed at the meeting. Pope Francis has so far avoided any gesture that could be exploited in any way in an anti-Islamic manner by the West or from Russia. Unlike the West, he avoided any mention and even praise for the "Arab spring", in whose lee the Islamists in the Middle East experienced an unexpected increase in power. But he also avoided any invitation to the old protective forces to work beyond diplomatic activities for the protection of Christians in the Orient.

A new "Holy Alliance"? - Argentine Pope is no Longer in East-West Logic of the Cold War

In Russia, there is quite an interest to forge a kind of "Holy Alliance". Moscow has set aside a lot of the old resentment against the West and its representatives. What seemed unthinkable for the Moscow Patriarch with a Polish Pope, was already possible under a German pope. Then a Pope from Argentina is definitively not in the old East-West logic in which the Catholic Church was seen as part of the North Atlantic Alliance by Russia. This is also why new opportunities of approach are seen in the East.

Opportunities that could possibly lead to long-silent and gradually prepared meeting between a pope and a patriarch of Moscow. The trail leads to Moscow on a common defense of non-negotiable values.

Papal Gesture of Goodwill for Orthodox

Pope Francis shown his hand already in several benevolent gestures toward Orthodoxy. On the return flight from Rio de Janeiro, he expressed his admiration for the Orthodox liturgy, which is to have more strongly preserved the sacred. In his Civiltà Cattolica interview, he said of the Orthodox: "From them you can learn even more the meaning of episcopal collegiality and the tradition of Synodality".

On November 12th the "Foreign Minister" of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, has already come to Rome. The occasion is the presentation of a book with contributions of the Russian philologist Sergei Averintsev (1937-2004), who was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences as an Orthodox. Hilarion's stay in Rome, are seen also as preparatory talks proceeding the 25th of November.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Wikicommons
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...
AMGD

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Putin Venerates His Patron: Russia to Commemorate Baptism of Russia

Edit: this from Pravda. This move is also being taken with a critical stance toward those countries, like Ukraine, which have crumbled to Western trends attempting to normalize apocalyptic sins:
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit commemorative events in Ukraine dedicated to the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. The visit will take place on July 27-28. The head of the Department for Relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox community Kirill Frolov shared his comments on Putin's upcoming trip with Pravda.Ru. 
"Vladimir Putin's route coincides with the route of his divine patron, Equal to the Apostles Saint Prince Vladimir. The president will first visit key celebrations. July 27 will be the day for the historic prayer, to be attended by the leaders of all local churches, headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. Then Putin will travel to Hersonissos in Sevastopol, where he will worship the shrines associated with the adoption of baptism by his patron, Saint Vladimir. In Sevastopol, Putin will also attend the parade of the Black Sea fleet, which historically guards the frontiers of our Orthodox Fatherland. 
"The Institute of CIS countries held a conference in 2007 on the fate of Sevastopol. Patriarch Kirill took part in the conference too. That was also the time, when the relics of saint righteous warrior Fyodor Ushakov, Russian naval commander and admiral of the Black Sea Fleet were brought to Sevastopol.
Read further...

Also, the Patriarch, Kiril, says that "gays" will destroy humanity and that monks should stay off the internet.  There's also a note of increasing bitterness and frustration towards Pope Francis, and his apparent ambivalence toward moral issues of the day. The Patriarch made these statements about Gomorrism, saying that they are "apocalyptic signs" on July 22nd :

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Russian Patriarch Warns That Aberromarriage Leads to Apocalypse


MOSCOW, July 21 (RIA Novosti) – Head of the Russian Orthodox Church warned Western governments on Sunday against legalization of same-sex marriages what he called a sign of approaching end of the world.
Patriarch Kirill said during a service at Moscow’s major cathedral that the recent initiatives in a range of countries to legalize same-sex marriages “is a dangerous and apocalyptic symptom” that should not spread over to Russia, according to Russian media reports.
While those who “fight the laws imposed by the minority are subject to repressions,” Kirill, who leads the Church known for its conservative views, was quoted as saying during his speech at Kazan Cathedral near Red Square on Sunday.
Russian authorities have been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups and Western officials over a recently passed law introducing punishment for “the promotion of nontraditional sexual relationships” among minors.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Putin Unleashes Largest Military Exercise Since the Fall of the Soviet Union

MOSCOW, 13 July (RIA Novosti) On the orders of President Vladimir Putin, the Russian Defense Ministry has alerted the troops to the east of the country on Saturday. At the alarm exercise, the largest in the history of the new Russia, more than 80 000 troops have participated.

In use are more than 1,000 tanks, 130 aircraft and helicopters and 70 warships, such as the Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday. Army units were involved in the military districts of the center and east, but also the Pacific fleet and Air Forces. The alarm exercise should last one week. It aims to examine the mobility of large organizations. In particular, the ability to be tested is the movementof troops over thousands of kilometers away quickly.

The Russian General Staff in February - the first time in 20 years - had triggered a practice alert that pointed out a number of problems points.

About a month later, President Vladimir Putin ordered on the night of the 28th of March, unexpectedly, large-scale maneuvers in the Black Sea. It was attended by 30 ships, 250 tanks, 50 guns, and 20 aircraft and helicopters. Forces, airborne troops and special units of the General Staff with more than 7,000 men were in use. In late May a practice alert took place on the west boundary.

Video, here....

Monday, June 24, 2013

Moldovan Orthodox Church Threatens Politicians Who Back Gomorrist Legislation With Excommunication

Edit: Just got this from a reader, Agent Provocateur   The Orthodox hierarchy is confidently opposing the darkness enshrouding the West.  Interestingly enough, they're finding common cause with the local Communist Party.
Chisinau, June 21, Interfax - The Moldovan Orthodox Church Synod has threatened politicians who back the law on equal rights for homosexuals with excommunication. 
Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova told reporters on Friday that "the first step may be to keep such politicians from taking communion." 
The metropolitan said the June 20 meeting of the Synod had lasted for ten hours and addressed the situation with the enforcement of the law on equal rights for gays and the preparations for the visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who plans to visit Moldova in September. 
"The Synod stated its position on the law on equal rights in the adopted declaration," the metropolitan said, adding that the Synod already asked the authorities to make amendments to the law and to prevent propaganda of homosexuality in society on May 19. 
"Unfortunately, our request was not heard and no measures were taken. We want to use another opportunity to draw people's attention to what is happening and we are addressing them again as the Orthodox Church the second time. When we address them the third time, specific decisions will be made," Metropolitan Vladimir said.  
The declaration posted on the website of the Moldovan Metropolia on Friday says that "the authorities have not heeded an establishment which, according to public opinion polls, enjoys the highest level of confidence in society." 
"Being ignored like this makes us draw conclusions that the Moldovan Orthodox Church and Christians, who account for 93.4% of the population, were removed from the authorities' plans in the past few years, whereas non-traditional minorities are getting more and more support from the authorities," the document says. 
The adoption of the law on the prevention of discrimination was a condition set by the European Union for the fulfillment of the plan of actions to liberalize the visa regime between Moldova and the EU. Its adoption was postponed for a long time and the name of the law was changed gradually. In May 2012, the document was adopted as the law On Equality. The guarantees of sexual minorities' rights are mentioned in the chapter of the law banning discrimination in the workplace. 
The Moldovan Orthodox Church and the Communist Party are contesting the law.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Russian Pro-Morality Bill Passes: The West is Aghast

Edit: in case you haven't seen this.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday gave its final approval for a controversial “anti-gay” bill, with only one of the 436 lawmakers present abstaining and no votes against, after a day of clashes outside the building and dozens of arrests by police. 
The bill seeks to ban the “the promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships,” making such acts punishable by a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($30,000). 
The first draft of the bill, passed by the State Duma on January 25, used the term “homosexuality” but this was replaced by the term “non-traditional sexual relationships,” in the final version Tuesday.
Link read further... 

A similar movement collapsed in Romania, however. (Surely, EU membership  threats loom somewhere on the horizon, and well, Romanians aren't Hungarians, they're not even Russians.) I found the following from the aforelinked blog, at a Political Refugee in the Global Village, which shows the determined lack of direction and conviction which typically stymies most people, unfortunately, especially churchmen, from making definitive and clear cut statements.  Auden may have struggled with sin, but he wasn't a "practicing homosexual" and he certainly didn't quibble about calling a sin a sin, either.  Understandably, as those of us with strong connections to people suffering from various kinds of sins in the Dictatorship of Relativism, we tend to waffle.  I think Auden would have objected to being called out thusly. Italics ours:

I hope this constitutional amendment  becomes law but doubt it will, simply for fear of foreign opinion.  

I do not want to be pharisaical or victimise homosexuals. As the cliché goes, many of my best friends are homosexuals (they really are). We are all fallen creatures, thoroughly imperfect, but because we break the rules this does not mean the rules about fornication, adultery and divorce  are wrong. I prefer what W.H. Auden, a practicing homosexual and a practicing Christian, said: 'Of course its a sin and we must hope that God will forgive us.'  Homosexual marriage would be a public recognition by the law that what Christianity teaches about sexual life was out of date and bigoted. It would also mean that marriage had changed in its essential meaning.  

Romanians used to be shocked by homosexuality (as by smoking joints and other things which are pretty normal further West). Now they are learning slowly from the EU that Christian teaching on the matter is bigoted. In other words, the old doctrine is a sin against the new human rights religion which seems to complement but is, in fact, replacing Christianity. 

Monday, May 20, 2013

Counter Demonstration Against Gomorrist Propaganda -- Obama's New Cultural Imperialism

Edit: If you're an American citizen, Obama is using your tax dollars to fund immorality in other countries on an anti-Crusade for the dictatorship of relativism.
(Tbilisi) U.S. President Barack Obama is running a new form of cultural imperialism. He announced that the U.S. Foreign Policy promotes gay rights around the world and to measure the implementation of human rights in the individual countries whether the "rights" for homosexuals can be guaranteed. What is meant by these "rights" corresponds one to one to the LGBT list of demands, most notably the introduction of the "gay marriage" and adoption in the law.  A similar statement was issued to all the diplomatic missions of the United States. However, not all countries share the opinion of the current U.S. government.
This also applies to Georgia. Thousands of Orthodox priests protested in the Georgian capital against a rally of homosexuals who were demanding these "rights". The priests carried banners reading "No to Spiritual Genocide" and "No to Homosexuality." The  counter demonstration had occurred after the government did not ban the Gomorrah rally, as  was requested by the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The priests were accompanied by many laymen. Young men threw eggs and stones at the gay demonstrators. The police invited them on yellow minibuses to bring them to safety. The minibuses were also attacked by counter-demonstrators. Three policemen and nine aberro-protesters had to get medical treatment.
Georgia's new prime minister Bidsina Ivanishvili condemned the violence in a statement to the press on Friday evening. On Wednesday, Ilia II, the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church had compared Gomorrists with drug addicts. Public demonstrations of homosexuals he described as a "violation of the rights of God and of the majority" of the Georgians.
"We will protect our orthodoxy and not allow that someone wipe his shoes on our faith,"  said one Orthodox participant in the counter demonstration to the New York Times.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: BBC screenshot



Link to katholisches...

Friday, May 17, 2013

Massive Protests Break up Gomorrist Rallies in Georgia


By Margarita Antidze
TBILISI (Reuters) - Priests and thousands of other Georgians broke through police barricades and forced gay rights activists to flee on Friday, cutting short their rally to mark the international day against homophobia.
Holding banners saying "Stop Homosexual Propaganda in Georgia!" and "Not in our city!", the demonstrators swarmed into a square in central Tbilisi where about 50 Georgians were rallying in support of gay rights. Police escorted the gay rights supporters onto buses and drove them away to avoid violence.
Several people, including some journalists, received minor injuries, Georgian media said.
"We won't allow these sick people to hold gay parades in our country," said Zhuzhuna Tavadze, brandishing a bunch of nettles and adding that she was ready to fight.
Edit: we hope the Catholic Bishops of the US are taking note

Monday, May 6, 2013

Patriarch of Moscow Positive About Ecumenical Course with Rome

Moscow Patriarch Kyrill I on "gay marriage": In a consumer society no one wants to relinquish his vice: "On the contrary, vice is legalized and legitimized."

Moscow (kath.net/KNA) The Moscow Patriarch Kyrill I. is expressed himself hopefully for ecumenical collaboration.  The Russian Orthodox Church is in "open dialog with the Roman Catholic Church" and hopes, that this dialog will continue to develop together with the Pope, said the Patriarch in a television interview on Orthodox Easter.

Patriarch Kyrill stressed the positive development already begun under Benedict XVI. He hopes that this trend will continue and deepen with Francis.  The new Pope is "open to social problems and sensitive to social injustice."

Under Benedict XVI. (2005-2013) relations are to have essentially improved between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, because it was decided, to put aside some "extravagant projects", said the Patriarch with a view to an earlier proposed visit to Moscow.  There is a common challenge for both churches.

As for so-called gay marriage, Kyrill I said, in the consumer culture no one wants to give up his vices: "On the contrary, vices will be legalized and legitimized."  All this leads to a "destruction of personality" and to possible economic, financial, political or ecological crises.  The enormous protest in Paris against "gay marriage" had been a "joyous surprise", said the Patriarch.  He had not expected such a powerful, religiously motivated protest.

Link...

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Moscow Patriarchate Warns Anglican Church Against Deviations From Christian Values

Edit he’s not asking, he’s telling him.  These radicals will talk all day about ecumenism, until it actually does something to unify Christians.  They’d much rather divide Christians and keep them in Schism.  There are a few characters in the Bible who were like that.

If anything, it looks like the Orthodox are growing closer to the Catholic Church, as the Patriarch of Constantinople suggested the plausibility that the Great Schism could be drawing to a close.
Russian Church hopes new head of Anglican Church will not allow female bishops, same-sex marriage

Moscow, March 25, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate expects Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, to adhere to the norms of Christian morals and the church system. He didn’t strike a conciliatory tone, no.

"We know that the Anglican Church is now going through a difficult time and various views, positions, and parties co-exist in it. However, we really hope that the traditional understanding of Christian morals and the church system will prevail in this polemic," Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, said during a meeting between Welby and representatives of the Orthodox Churches who attended his enthronement.

The introduction of the institution of female bishops will lead to the elimination of even a theoretical possibility of the Moscow Patriarchate recognizing the church hierarchy of the Anglican Church, the communications service of the Department for External Church Relations reported on Saturday. [I should think women’s ordination had already done that long ago.]

"I would like you to know about that and take our opinion into account when this issue arises again," Metropolitan Hilarion said.

Metropolitan Hilarion also said he is hoping Justin Welby will firmly defend the traditional biblical understanding of marriage as a union between a man and a woman "to prevent secular society from forcing on the Church of England the recognition of some forms of cohabitation which were never considered marriage by Christian churches."

Welby responded by saying he appreciates the comment, adding that the position of the Church of England on the issue of marriage is absolutely clear and it has recently confirmed that marriage is a life-long union between a man and a woman.

Link to Interfax-Religion...