(ANALYSIS) In Montenegro, both the Serbian and Montenegrin Orthodox churches claim the rights to use Orthodox religious sites. But the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is not recognized by any other Orthodox church, and the conflict hits at questions over national identity, church-state relations and even U.S.-Russia relations.
Read MoreEvery year on Holy Saturday, the day before Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christians believe that the Holy Fire appears inside the Tomb of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They believe this light, captured by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the confirmation of the Resurrection. For them, it’s a miracle, a manifestation of Holy Spirit.
Read MoreThe monastery Visoki Decani is one of the holiest sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church and is now considered endangered by Europe’s leading heritage site preservation organization.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Serbian Orthodox Church elected Patriarch Porfirije after its former leader died of COVID-19. Porfirije has won many international accolades for growing a drug addiction therapy program and building bridges between Serbs, Croatians and the people of Kosovo, a disputed Muslim-majority territory with many 13th and 14th century Serbian Orthodox holy sites.
Read MoreAntioch Orthodox priest Rev. Paul Abernathy is on a mission to provide resources to skeptics in his Pittsburgh, Pa. parish and community—skeptics of the COVID-19 vaccine. For months, Abernathy has visited majority Black communities door to door, discussing their views on the COVID-19 vaccine, answering questions and even ushering in a Moderna vaccine trial. Religion Unplugged spoke with him about his work, the role of faith-based organizations in the pandemic and how a spiritual life fuels a medical mission.
Read MorePatriarch Irinej contracted COVID-19 after presiding over a funeral of a bishop in Montenegro, where thousands of attendees did not wear masks or socially distance. He was known for his pro-Russian stance in Orthodoxy, his close relationship to the Serbian government and president, and for overseeing completion of one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches, St. Sava Cathedral.
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