Ecumenism

Bishop Serapion Attends Reception for Newly Elevated Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop Joseph

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, January 12, 2012 | No comments.

On Sunday, January 8, His Grace Bishop Serapion attended a service and reception at St. Nicholas Cathedral honoring the Antiochian Orthodox Archbishop Joseph (Zehlaoui) who was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV on December 11, 2011.

Archbishop Joseph is the hierarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of the West.

On behalf of the Diocese, Bishop Serapion relayed congratulations and wishes for a long and blessed service to the newly elevated Archbishop.

Photos of the reception are available here.

Joint Declaration of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches (November 14, 2011)

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, November 17, 2011 | No comments.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

H.H. Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, H.H. Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, H.H. Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Orthodox Church and H.H. Abuna Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, give thanks to God for bringing us together here in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, 14 November 2011, to pray together and to reflect together on matters and concerns pertaining to our Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Family in general. We were accompanied by metropolitans, archbishops and bishops of our Churches.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Expresses Sincere Support for the Coptic Christians of Egypt

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, October 13, 2011 | No comments.

NEW YORK – At the Fall 2011 meet­ing of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Ortho­dox Arch­dio­cese of Amer­ica, the Most Rev­erend Mem­bers of the Holy Synod unan­i­mously adopted the fol­low­ing statement:

“On behalf of the faith­ful Clergy and Laity of the Greek Ortho­dox Arch­dio­cese of Amer­ica, we, the Mem­bers of the Holy Eparchial Synod, cog­nizant of our respon­si­bil­ity to speak the truth in love, hereby state and declare our sin­cere sup­port for the pious Cop­tic Chris­t­ian Faith­ful of Egypt, dur­ing this most dif­fi­cult tran­si­tion in the life of the Egypt­ian Nation.

Fur­ther­more, we deplore all acts of reli­gious vio­lence by any com­mu­nity or per­sons, know­ing that, as His All Holi­ness Ecu­meni­cal Patri­arch Bartholomew has stated so elo­quently, “A crime com­mit­ted in the name of reli­gion is a crime against religion.”

Statement of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on the Egyptian Military's Massacre of Copts

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, October 13, 2011 | No comments.

The Russian Orthodox Church has followed the developments in Egypt with concern and bitterness. Blood has been spilt and Christian churches have been destroyed again. There is another manifestation of growing intolerance towards Christians and their legal and physical vulnerability in the Egyptian society.

Our Church knows from her recent history what the suffering of innocent people and destruction of churches are. We raise our voice in defence of our Egyptian brothers in faith and call upon the world community not to be indifferent to this lawlessness. The United Nations and other international organizations and leading world powers capable of influencing the policy of the new authorities in Egypt should unequivocally come out against the persecution of Christians and do everything to help establish interreligious peace and security in the region.

Diocese Participates in Joint Oriental Orthodox Meeting

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, September 30, 2010 | No comments.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, His Grace Bishop Serapion and members of the diocese clergy participated in the Annual Joint Oriental Orthodox Liturgy and Meeting in Los Angeles.

This year, the gathering was hosted St. Ephraim Syrian Orthodox Church with His Eminence Metropolitan Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan of the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of the West, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirosian of the Armenian Orthodox Western Diocese presiding. In addition, clergy from the Coptic, Syrian, and Armenian diocese participated in the prayers.

The meeting of the clergy commenced with a presentation by Fr. George of the Syrian Church on Mar Philoxenos’ life and a homily entitled Does the Holy Spirit Leave a Sinner? Afterwards, the clergy participated in an agape meal, which was followed by presentations from His Grace Bishop Serapion and His Eminence Mousegh Mardirosian on the celebration of the Feast of the Cross in their respective church rites.

Diocese Expresses Solidarity with Russian People and Church over Wildfires

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Thursday, September 16, 2010 | No comments.

In the summer months of 2010, the land of Russia was afflicted by an extraordinary number of wildfires, their number surpassed only by their intensity. More than one-hundred villages were destroyed by the fires, at least 50 people died, and thousands were left homeless.

Out of a sense of love for, and solidarity with, the Russian people, and after a global appeal by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii made a contribution to the relief effort under the guidance of His Grace Bishop Serapion. As His Holiness Patriarch Kirill wrote in his appeal,

World Council of Churches Message of Solidarity to Christians in Egypt

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Friday, February 26, 2010 | No comments.

Concerned about the security of Christians in Egypt, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has encouraged the churches in the country to continue their involvement in Muslim-Christian dialogue."

It is a matter of regret that in Egypt today Christians can easily fall victim to violence and hatred, and that their security is not fully guaranteed. Many Copts, in particular, are made to feel like aliens in their own country."

This statement is part of a message to the member churches of the WCC in Egypt issued by the Council’s executive committee at the end of its 23-26 February meeting in Bossey, near Geneva, Switzerland.

In one of the latest attacks targeting Christians in Egypt, six Christians and one Muslim were shot down by gunmen at the conclusion of the celebration of a Coptic Christmas midnight mass in Nag Hammadi on 7 January.

"Christians and the State: Comparing Russian and Egyptian Experiences" at Claremont Graduate University

His Grace Bishop Serapion to Deliver Opening Remarks

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Saturday, February 6, 2010 | No comments.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2010, Claremont Graduate University School of Religion and Claremont McKenna College Department of Religious Studies will hold a public lecture entitled "Christians and the State: Comparing Russian and Egyptian Experiences" featuring Professor Sergei Plekhanov of York University in Toronto, Canada.

The lecture will compare relations between temporal and ecclesiastical authorities among Christians in Russia and Egypt, as well as the the historical and contemporary experiences of these two sister churches to help understand the evolving role of religion in the modern world.

His Grace Bishop Serapion will deliver opening remarks on Coptic Orthodox-Russian Orthodox ecumenical dialogue and relations.

The lecture will take place at:

Albrecht Auditorium
925 N. Dartmouth Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711

The proposed schedule is as follows:

Official Statement from Christian Churches Together in the USA on the Earthquake in Haiti and the Nag Hammadi Martyrs

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Sunday, January 17, 2010 | No comments.

At the recent annual meeting of Christian Churches Together in the USA, a fellowship of 36 churches and religious organizations in the United States, from January 12-15, 2010, church leaders gathered to deepen their fellowship with one another and present a united front in the face of recent events and tragedies that have affected the Christian community, as St. Paul says, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1  Cor. 12:26). The Coptic Orthodox Church was represented by His Grace Bishop Serapion and the Reverend Father Daniel Habib.

At the conclusion of the annual meeting, Christian Churches Together in the USA issued an official press release discussing the devastating earthquake in Haiti and the martyrdom of seven Coptic Orthodox Christian parishioners in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.

Concerning the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the press release states:

Church Leaders Condemn Violence Against Copts in Egypt

Fr. Moses Samaan
| Sunday, January 10, 2010 | No comments.

In response to the recent attack and violence against Coptic Orthodox Christians in Nag Hammadi in which six Coptic Christians were martyred, church leaders from around the world have expressed their solidarity with the Coptic Orthodox Church in various ways.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church spoke out against the violence in his weekly blessing on Sunday, saying, "Violence against Christians … has caused indignation among many people, particularly because it has taken place on the most sacred days of the Christian tradition." The Pope expressed a desire for increased accountability from the government and religious leaders. "It is necessary that both political and religious authorities do not fail to live up to their responsibilities," the pope said. "We cannot have violence in the name of God."