When it comes to theology, the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches are very close. We accept the same Nicene Creed, we recognize each other’s priestly and episcopal ordinations, as well as the sacraments of baptism, confession and Eucharist. Catholic and Orthodox teaching on morals are also quite compatible, with both being more conservative than Read more
Patriarchs of the world’s Orthodox Churches have agreed to hold an ecumenical council in 2016, the first in more than a millennium. The council could lead to closer ties to the Roman Catholic Church. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I fears that some churches are too isolated from each other and the outer world. Speaking to a Read more
The Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey is strongly opposing plans to reconvert Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia basilica into a mosque. ”We want Santa Sofia to remain a museum. It was a Christian church for over 1000 years,” Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople has said. ”If it is to be reconsecrated, then it should go back Read more
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the site where Jesus was crucified and rose again, may close for a day in protest over a disputed $NZ2.8 million water bill. Such a move would bar thousands of pilgrims and visitors from the church that is considered to be the most holy Christian shrine Read more