Russia’s Orthodox Church dismisses talk of union with Rome (Greek Reporter) Russia’s Orthodox Church dismissed talk of union between Orthodox and Catholic Churches but it confirmed earlier in the week that a meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Pope Francis is possible. Bishop Hilarion, the Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, said that the schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism has existed for centuries and there are fundamental dogmatic differences between the two churches…
SCOTUS denies religious exemption on vaccine to NY health workers (CNS) The Supreme Court turned down emergency requests Dec. 13 from New York health care workers seeking a religious exemption from the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for its health care employees. The Supreme Court denied the requests from the two groups in a brief written order without explanation. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have allowed the religious exemption…
Church leaders warn of threat to Christian presence in Holy Land (Vatican News) Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders in Jerusalem have released an appeal to the civil authorities in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan regarding the Christian community in the Holy Land. The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem signed a joint statement on 13 December on “the Current Threat to the Christian Presence in the Holy Land. They note that “fringe radical groups” have stepped up pressure on the local community through “frequent and sustained attacks…”
Is this the synagogue where Mary Magdalene worshipped? (Crux) A 2,000-year-old synagogue has been found in what is believed to be the hometown of Mary Magdalene. The synagogue is the second to be found in ancient Magdala, after the first was found in 2009 during the construction of a Catholic visitor’s center in the town – now called Migdal – off the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel…
