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My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we gaze upon the icon of the most Holy Mother of God and our Savior, we are reminded of the truths in which our faith as Orthodox Christians is rooted: the One Who is Life Itself emptied Himself and took on our human nature, that we might become partakers of His divine nature.

The Holy Virgin gave birth in time and space to the eternal God, Who came into the world to free us from sin, death, and corruption. He took on our human nature to transform us, to reconcile us to the Father, and to restore in us all that had been lost through the devil’s deceit. All creation rejoiced, as we sing during the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, as God “made her body into a throne, and her womb more spacious than the heavens.”

January 11, 2007

English Translation by Nina Tkachuk Dimas 

On the eve of the Nativity and on Nativity night, Beijing's Orthodox believers assembled for solemn divine services in "the Red Fangzi" - the oldest building (on the grounds) of the Embassy of the Russian Federation. Over eighty people came to pray on the radiant feast of Christ's Nativity — employees of Embassy of the Russian Federation with their families, compatriots living in Beijing, as well as Orthodox Christians from Ukraine, Belarus, the USA, France, Greece, Serbia and Macedonia. About half of the congregants went to confession and received communion. The Nativity message of Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia was read. The divine services in Beijing's Dormition Orthodox community were served by Archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev. On the evening of the Feast all believers were invited to share a common meal. Christmas gifts which were given to all visitors of the Fangzi during the meal brought great joy.

"Peace Warrants Great Sacrifices on the Part of All"

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 10, 2006 (Zenit.org) - Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's Dec. 21 message to Catholics living in the Middle East.

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To My Beloved Brother Bishops, Priests, and Lay Faithful in the Middle East

Bathed in the light of Christmas, we contemplate the presence of the Word who has pitched his tent among us. He is the "light that shines in the darkness" and that "gave us power to become children of God" (cf. Jn 1:5, 12). At this most significant time for the Christian faith, I wish to address a special word to you, Catholic brothers and sisters, who live in the Middle East region: I feel spiritually present in each of your particular Churches, even the smallest, sharing with you the worries and the hope with which you await the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace. To all of you I say with the biblical greeting used by Saint Francis of Assisi: may the Lord give you peace.

Christmas Message of His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, to the Archpastors, Pastors, Monastics and all Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

The earth has stretched forth its wings and receives the Creator who receives glory from the angels, a star from the heavens, praise from the shepherds, gifts from the Magi and recognition from the whole world. (Troparion from the 3rd Ode of the Canon for Compline of Christmas Eve)

Beloved in the Lord your graces the archpastors, beloved of God presbyters and deacons, honourable monks and nuns ‘fighting the good fight’ (2 Tim 4:7) and all Orthodox Christians who abide in the garden of the Church – ‘grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord’ (2 Pet 1:2).

BAGHDAD, Iraq, JAN. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Iraq's only faculty of Christian theology and a seminary have moved out of Baghdad for security reasons.

Babel College and St. Peter's Major Seminary departed for Ankawa, in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly of Babylon of the Chaldeans told Vatican Radio: "We have thought of the move for a long time: to go to a tranquil place to be able to study better. When the situation is calmer, they will return to their site." 

Izvestia, 23 December 2006

Report by Georgiy Ilyichev and Boris Kliin on poll conducted by Izvestiya and VTsIOM: "Can One Only Believe in Russia?"

Izvestiya and VTsIOM (All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion) found out what gods we pray to.

In late 2006, only 15 years after the collapse of the atheistic Soviet Union, 84% of Russia's citizens believe in God. Sixty-three percent of our fellow-citizens call themselves Russian Orthodox, 6% -- Muslims, 1% each -- Catholics and Buddhists, and followers of other traditional faiths even less; while 16% of the country's population listed themselves as staunch atheists. These figures, which will appear today on the news agency tapes, are the result of a joint project by Izvestiya and the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM). But to us it was not the quantitative indicators that were more important, especially since people by no means always tell sociologists the whole truth; it was the attempt to figure out what role faith in God plays in our society's life today. Is a Russian return to church really occurring and where might it lead us?