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Russia says it will not attend historic all-Orthodox meeting
NATALIYA VASILYEVA
(AP)– The Russian Orthodox
Church said Monday it would
not go to a historic meeting of all
of the world’s Orthodox churches
because other churches have
walked out.
The meeting on the Greek island
of Crete due to start on Sunday
would be the first in more
than a millennium.
The Ecumenical patriarch,
however, seemed to open the
door for further talks that could
prevent the meeting from falling
through.
Orthodox church leaders
haven’t held such a meeting since
the year 787, when the last of the
seven councils recognized by
both Orthodox and Catholics,
was held. The “great schism” that
divided the Roman Catholics and
the Orthodox followed in 1054
amid disputes over the Vatican’s
power.
Jordyn Cormier
Hey, I get it. Between Netflix
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mind. Here are 4 reasons to ditch
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Inspire your creativity. Even if
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draining on your creativity and
Hilarion, a bishop who heads
the Moscow Patriarchate’s department
of external church relations,
said in a televised statement
that Russia would not take part if
others are walking out, and suggested
the meeting be postponed.
“We have made a decision that
we will not be able to take part in
the all-Orthodox Synod if other
churches do not go,” Hilarion
said.
The announcement of the
Russian Orthodox Church, with
an estimated 100 million flock,
is a heavy blow to the plans by
Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I, who had
hoped the gathering of leaders
from 14 independent Orthodox
churches later this month could
promote unity among the world’s
300 million Orthodox Christians.
Bartholomew I ranks as “the first
among equals” in the Orthodox
world.
The Moscow Patriarchate last
week proposed holding a preliminary
meeting to discuss the
controversial issues raised by the
Bulgarian church and others.
Reverend Alexander Karloutsos,
a member of the organizing
committee of the Great and
Holy Council, told The Associated
Press on Monday that they
are inviting Moscow and other
churches to meet and discuss the
differences on June 17.
“There is no mandate to
change or postpone and we are
going to proceed. They asked for
a pre-conciliar meeting on the
17th and we expect to them to be
here,” he said. “We are the church
of love and embrace everyone.”
Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church
put the plans in jeopardy last
week saying it would not attend,
citing differences over the agenda.
Unlike the Roman Catholic
church, the Orthodox churches
are independent and have their
own leadership.
Hilarion said the Russian
church will reach out to Bartholomew
I to suggest postponing
the meeting until the differences
are resolved and all the
churches agree to come. Russia
will have to give the Crete gathering
a miss if Bartholomew does
not agree to reschedule, the Russian
church said in a statement at
4 Reasons You Should Really Read More
motivation. Allow your mind to
immerse itself into the details of
novels–to build new and incredible
worlds in your brain–rather
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improve cognition by building
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Improve your thinking skills
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Bottom of Form
Build confidence. Not only will
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life tosses your way and feel more
secure knowing that your mental
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pursuit of knowledge is one of our
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Reading is an easy way
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confidence begins to build in the
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Diversify your perspective.
Those who read often tend to be
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Studies have shown that
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perspective.
Reduce stress. Reading is a
form of active relaxation. Sure, it
can encourage you to lounge on
Low Self-Esteem is Your Ego’s Best Buddy
the end of an extraordinary meeting
in Moscow.
“All churches should take part
in the all-Orthodox Synod and
only in this case the decisions of
this assembly will be legitimate,”
Hilarion said.
The Holy and Great Council
has been 55 years in the preparation.
Since the “great schism”
there have been about a dozen
smaller Orthodox councils over
the centuries to discuss theological
or doctrinal issues, but there
has never been a meeting on this
scale.
The council aimed to take up
the mission and role of the Orthodox
Church and its global
flock, issues relating to the function
of the churches and relations
with other Christian faiths.
Unity of the Orthodox churches
is considered a key prerequisite
to any reconciliation with the
Vatican.
the hammock in the sun all day,
but reading activates your mind
while still allowing it to unwind.
In a sense, reading is like playtime
for your brain. It is also a way to
escape the stresses of your own
life for a bit by immersing you
in another world entirely. Take
a good book into a hot bath on
a regular basis and reap the rewards
of relaxation and mental
rejuvenation.
As easy as it is to get distracted
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video entertainment, don’t let
your books go by the wayside.
Reading novels makes you a more
dimensional, intelligent, balanced
human being. It’s time to crack
open that dusty novel you’ve been
putting off and rekindle the love
for reading that you’ve always
had.
Ed and Deb Shapiro
The Dalai Lama met with a
group of western psychotherapists.
He asked them what was
the most prevalent issue that they
encountered in their clients. They
unanimously replied that it was
low self-esteem.
Apparently the Dalai Lama
hadn’t heard of such a problem.
He said that in the Tibetan culture
children are not raised to
have self-esteem as a problem.
How different it is in the west!
We spend our whole lives living
with ourselves; it is the longest
and most intimate of all our
relationships. So isn’t it obvious
that we should be loving ourselves?
Yet we dislike ourselves so
easily and are constantly finding
fault. We’re beset with doubts: if
I say the wrong thing will people
laugh at me? Am I good enough?
How can anyone like me? What
am I doing with my life? Why
can’t I do anything right?
Bottom of Form
The Dalai Lama met with a
group of western psychotherapists.
He asked them what was
the most prevalent issue that they
encountered in their clients. They
unanimously replied that it was
low self-esteem.
Apparently the Dalai Lama
hadn’t heard of such a problem.
He said that in the Tibetan culture
children are not raised to
have self-esteem as a problem.
How different it is in the west!
We spend our whole lives living
with ourselves; it is the longest
and most intimate of all our
relationships. So isn’t it obvious
that we should be loving ourselves?
Yet we dislike ourselves so
easily and are constantly finding
fault. We’re beset with doubts: if
I say the wrong thing will people
laugh at me? Am I good enough?
How can anyone like me? What
am I doing with my life? Why
can’t I do anything right?
Bottom of Form
As soon as that negative voice
in our heads says: “You’re no
good, you’re worthless,” and we
believe it, then Gotcha! As long
as that voice rules, we lose.
It seems absurd that we should
dislike the one person we spend
our life with. We have the opportunity
for the most sustaining
love affair of all and instead we
criticize and invalidate, dismissing
ourselves and our needs as
unimportant.
But all is not lost! There is no
one more deserving of love than
ourselves, and in every moment
we have the opportunity to understand
this.
As it is the nature of the ego to
keep us thinking we are hopeless,
so it is our job to be constantly
aware of its mind-games. When
we do this we get to feel at home
within ourselves, to feel comfortable
in our own skin.
In times of stillness we create a
space where low self-esteem, selfdoubt,
fear, mistrust, or any other
emotion may come, be seen, and
pass through. Whatever arises is
just thoughts, and we have the
intelligence, discrimination, and
skillful means to see it for what
it is.
As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki
said:
Leave your front door
and your back door open.
Allow your thoughts
to come and go.
Just don’t serve them tea.
If we struggle or deny anything
then it will haunt us wherever we
go; if we hold on, then it is the ego
holding onto the need for recognition.
When we witness without
denial or attachment, then selfdoubt
has no power and can no
longer affects us.
Making friends with our own
minds shows us that beneath
even the darkest difficulty is the
happiness of our true nature.
What a relief!
In times of stillness we create a
space where low self-esteem, selfdoubt,
fear, mistrust, or any other
emotion may come, be seen, and
pass through. Whatever arises is
just thoughts, and we have the
intelligence, discrimination, and
skillful means to see it for what
it is.
As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki
said:
Leave your front door
and your back door open.
Allow your thoughts
to come and go.
Just don’t serve them tea.
If we struggle or deny anything
then it will haunt us wherever we
go; if we hold on, then it is the ego
holding onto the need for recognition.
When we witness without
denial or attachment, then selfdoubt
has no power and can no
longer affects us.
Making friends with our own
minds shows us that beneath
even the darkest difficulty is the
happiness of our true nature.
What a relief!