This Family Has Tattooed Christian Pilgrims For 28 Generations
JERUSALEM — Razzouk Tattoo studio in Jerusalem’s Old City is most likely the oldest in the world. It is an iconic landmark, attracting tourists from all corners of the Earth, because the Razzouk family has been tattooing since the year 1300. They began in Egypt, their homeland, tattooing crosses on Coptic Christians. Then 500 years […]
Columnist Rod Dreher Talks Orthodox Christianity And Nationalism
Many American conservatives believe that Western societies have been torn apart by the culture wars. Rod Dreher, a senior editor and blogger at The American Conservative and a convert to Orthodox Christianity from Catholicism — and earlier, Methodist evangelicalism — is one of the most influential voices in the conservative movement who has moved further […]
An Interview With The Greek Orthodox Environmental Chief For ‘The Green Patriarch’
The Greek Orthodox are known for long tradition and strict theology. Few realize they are also leaders in thinking about ecology and the environment, to the point some call their leader “the Green Patriarch.” Why? The Greek Orthodox observe many of the following societal trends: Earth has been facing a series of unprecedented ecological crises. […]
Football Coach Joseph Kennedy Talks About Life After The Supreme Court Ruling
Joseph Kennedy, a high school football coach in Bremerton, Washington, is waiting for a ruling to emerge from the Supreme Court any day in his case about prayer. And he insists he is a centrist that most Americans would agree with on religious freedom issues and the Constitution. Kennedy, a former U.S. Marine, made a […]
Q&A: Orthodox Ecumenism Expert Cyril Hovorun Talks Ukraine, Russia And Schism
Since Russia launched a military invasion into Ukraine on Feb. 24, headlines around the world have focused on the atrocities of the war and its negative effects on international relations. However, decades-long theological conflict behind the war has been underreported. In the last couple years, Ukraine has been in the center of the Orthodox schism […]
Q&A With Serbian Ambassador Darko Tanaskovic On Catholic-Orthodox Relations
Darko Tanaskovic is a Serbian university professor of Oriental studies, writer, translator and diplomat. He served as an ambassador of Serbia to Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Holy See and Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and UNESCO and is a prominent figure in the political and cultural life of Serbia. In addition to his diplomatic service in […]
Bishop Speaks About Explosive Rift Between Montenegro’s Parliament And Serbian Church
A fight broke out in the Montenegro parliament over a religious freedom law that some believe limits ties with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) and could allow the government to strip property from the church. During the fight, members of parliament hurled bottles and police wearing gas masks entered the chamber, arresting 18 parliamentarians in […]