by William Spencer for the Saker blog What can be healed in this war? It seems miraculous that I was drawn to the Russian sphere in the past several years, because I feel such a deep connection there, Anglo-European mutt that I am, and in spite of the fact that I’ve never been to Russia or Ukraine. I became obsessed with the history of Russia and Ukraine, and Ukrainian Nationalists
C.S. Lewis, in his preface to St Athanasius’ On the Incarnation, urges us to study the classics. He lamented how today (his “today,” but equally if not more importantly our own) people are more interested to read about the great figures of the past rather than the works themselves. He emphasized the need to return to the classic texts of the past, both to expose our own all-too-often hidden presuppositions
by Stephen Karganovic for The Saker blog Introduction to Bishop Artemije interview I initially met Bishop Artemije, the exiled ruling hierarch of the Kosovo diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a few years ago, after the expulsion from his see in 2010 and the deplorable abuse that he suffered at the hands of his synodal brethren. At first glance, that frail man, tiny of stature but of imposing spirit, hardly
Irenic& Official visit of His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X to the Serbian Orthodox Church From October 11to 19, 2018 BELGRADE – 19th of October 2018 – This historical visit, the first since Antiochian Orthodox Patriarch THEODOSIOS VI (Abou-Rjaili) visited Belgrade, was made in the context of the difficult and painful circumstances that are facing the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East. This visit also coincides with
Question: As an Orthodox Christian in America we are taught to almost worship our Bishops, and they can do no wrong. We are to strictly obey them unless they ask us to break the law, or hurt someone. However, what happens when they err? What is one to do? As a struggling Orthodox Christian in America I would appreciate advice from other Orthodox Christians. Iconodule (this question was originally posted
Note from the Saker: I wrote this article before taking a break to write my thesis and I am posting it now even though my summer fundraiser will only end on Wednesday. I just don’t want you to have to wait for the end of my fundraising drive before getting your news and analysis, especially on the Ukraine (which has been requested by many), but if you have not contributed
Foreword by The Saker: Today the Nazi-occupied Ukraine is celebrating “independence day”. The festivities will center on a military parade in which the Ukronazis will try to ape the Russian Victory Day parade, but will feature US Hummers, NATO style uniforms and the usual torrent of hate-filled russophobic statements. The highlight of the parade will be the march of the Aidar death squad. As for the regime in Kiev, it
by Katherine Frisk for the International reporter Just over a year ago I had little to no understanding of Orthodox Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church, it’s history or how it differed from the West. It was largely due to the war in Ukraine that I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the people of Eastern Ukraine and what motivated them. After watching numerous reports from the region I came
So the Pope met with Putin. And the media (corporate and free) is full of all sorts of opinions, analyses, interpretations, etc. Frankly, I have no interest in commenting either on the visit (though I have an opinion about it, of course) or, even less, on the mostly sophomoric and ill-informed about it. What I propose to do is to expose you to a dramatically different point of you to
Today will go down in Russian history, as a truly historical celebration of the victory over Nazi Germany. The parade – by far the most beautiful I have seen (alas, only on video, not in person) – was superb and for the first time included the Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army]. Clearly, we see history in the making. But something else, no less amazing, also happened today: Defense Minister Shoigu
Note: Having listened to this 2nd part I am particularly impressed by two statements of Sheikh Imran Hosein in particular: first, that the highest authority of the Quran allows for a free choice of religion, something I was not aware of, and second the Sheikh’s absolutely correct stance that the first ones to make a list of wrongs committed by Orthodox Christians against Muslims should be the Orthodox themselves. There
Dear friends, It is truly a HUGE pleasure for me to present you today with the first part of an interview I did with the Islamic scholar Sheikh Imran Hosein. It is a pleasure because Sheikh Imran has agreed to reply to my questions in a video rather than a text, and I think that seeing him speak is a much more powerful experience than just reading his replies in
