ID :
125211
Mon, 05/31/2010 - 14:31
Auther :

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew ends visit to Russia.



ST. PETERSBURG, May 31 (Itar-Tass) - The Patriarch of Moscow and All
Russia Kirill and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
on Sunday discussed preparations for summoning an All-Orthodox council.
"We decided to step up the process of convening the Holy Great Council
of the Orthodox Church. Today, this is the main task for the Orthodox
world," Patriarch Bartholomew said in an interview with the Russia-24 news
channel as he summed up the results of his 10-day visit to Russia.
He said that he had personally contributed to intensification of
preparations 19 years before when he became the head of the Church of
Constantinople. The exact date hasn't yet been set or announced but it's
possible that the Council may take place already next year.
"We will finish considering themes for the Council meeting by the end
of this year or in the beginning of the next one," Patriarch Bartholomew
said.
He added that the agenda had already been set and included ten themes,
such as the procedure of proclaiming the autonomy of Orthodox churches,
the question of hierarchy in Orthodox churches and also the question of
the "fast".
The Ecumenical Patriarch said the All-Orthodox Council might go father
than discussing internal church issues and might also consider problems of
modern civilisation, including environment.
"The Church tries to keep pace with time not by sacrificing its
teaching but by searching for solutions to contemporary challenges," the
head of the Church of Constantinople said.
Two years ago the Ecumenical Patriarch who has been studying
environmental issues for many years insisted on setting up a special
commission for environment.
Patriarch Bartholomew said that eight symposiums had taken place. They
drew together representatives of all Orthodox churches as well as
representatives of other religions to establish contacts between church
representatives and scientists.
Patriarch Bartholomew has ended his 10-day trip to Russia where he
visited the holy sites of St. Petersburg. Together with Patriarch of
Moscow and All Russia Kirill he went to the Tsar Village, an imperial
summer residence near St. Petersburg. Patriarch Bartholomew was eager to
see the famous Amber Room.
The official title of the head of the Orthodox Church of
Constantinople is His All Holiness, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome
and the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Historically, the oldest Church of Constantinople has been holding the
leading positions among 15 autonomous Orthodox Churches of the world.

. Norwegian coast guards arrest Russian trawler.

OSLO, May 31 (Itar-Tass) - Norwegian coast guards on Sunday detained
the Russian trawler Izumrud in a zone established by Norway near
Spitzbergen. They claim the vessel had dumped fish.
"This is a serious environmental crime," the coast guards said. They
said that the incident had been recorded on a camera installed onboard the
helicopter. It's only after that the Norwegian inspectors landed on the
trawler's board.
At present, the Izumrud is being escorted to the Tromso port in
Northern Norway. The local police will conduct an investigation.
It's not the first time that Norwegian coast guards arrest the
Izumrud. In 2004, the vessel's captain paid a fine worth 115,00 U.S.
dollars for decreasing the volumes of fish catches in review data.

. Elections in Georgia were not free - Georgian opposition.

TBILISI, May 31 (Itar-Tass) - Georgian opposition claims that the
recent local elections in Georgia and elections of the mayor of Tbilisi
were not free.
"Representatives and activists of the ruling United National Movement
of Georgia stood near some polling stations, urging voters who were
mobilized with the help of an administrative resource to vote for them,"
Kakha Kukava, the co-chairman of the opposition Conservative Party and a
leader of the National Council, a political association that unites 12
opposition organizations, said on Sunday.
Besides, he said that President Mikhail Saakashvili, who is the
ruling party's leader, made a direct public call to vote for his party's
candidates. Saakashvili said on Sunday that he was confident in the
victory of the ruling party and the incumbent mayor of Tbilisi.
Kukava said that the parties making up the National Council would soon
announce their decision on how to fight the policy of the current
authorities, which is a policy of authoritarian rule that has already been
formed.


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