The theme of Russian support for Greeks since the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 has been perpetuated in each generation. Russia played a major role in the creation of the Greek nation in 1832. Every generation is reminded in Modern Greek history and literature that Russia is their Orthodox brother who will always aid the Greek nation.
With thousands of tourists - mostly religious pilgrims - visiting the city, locals are keen to show that it is a safe, welcoming place. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials are using the occasion to highlight the problems caused by nearby Jewish settlements and Israel's separation barrier, which blocks access to Jerusalem.
The Arab Spring has increased pressure on Egypt's Coptic Christians, with attacks on churches and bloody clashes with Muslims and the military. Many foreign Christians feel driven to help.
The Church is often compared to a ship traveling the sea of life, and each helmsman—each Patriarch—guides the ship his own way: one must navigate stormy seas, another through a reef filled with hazardous submerged rocks, another navigates the open seas.
Vasily Tomachinsky
Fr. Phillip Gatari recently visited Moscow. He was a guest of Sretensky Monastery for two days, and celebrated the Liturgy with the brothers and other visiting monks from Mt. Athos. After the services, this joyful pastor told us about Orthodoxy in Kenya and his work as the principal of a rural school.
