NEWS
Cardinal Kasper Is Visiting Greece
From 10 to14 of February, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, will be in Athens, for meetings with Greek Orthodox leaders.
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and all Greece issued an invitation prompting Cardinal Kasper's visit. Vatican officials regard the invitation as an unusually promising development.
Prior to the visit of Pope John Paul II to Greece in May 2001, relations between the Vatican and the Greek Orthodox Church were extremely cool; in fact, many Greek hierarchs resisted the papal visit. But since that visit, ecumenical relations have improved significantly. Cardinal Kasper will be returning a visit made to Rome by a delegation of Orthodox officials in March 2002.

Byzantine and Gregorian chant in Athens
The Maestores of Psaltic Art dir. by Gregorios Stathis, and the Nova Schola Gregoriana di Verona dir. by Alberto Turco, will chant in a common concert in Athens, on Monday, 10 February. The Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos and Cardinal Walter Kaspar will attend the concert, which is organized by the Dept. of Cultural Events of the Archdiocese of Athens.

Patriarchate of Jerusalem Has Joined Week for Christian Unity
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity took a decisive step in Jerusalem this year: there was the end of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate's opposition to participation in these prayer meetings.
Archimandrite Alexandros of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate participated in all the meetings. The archimandrite addressed the ecumenical celebration, held in the Cenacle on Thursday afternoon, to profess the common faith and proclaim the reconciliation of Christians in Christ.
«Christ is among us”, he said, insisting at the same time that the Mother Church of Jerusalem has her visible expression in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and its head, Ireneos I.
Archbishop Aristarchos of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate told a Jerusalem newspaper that the Orthodox participated in this Week of Prayer “with reservation, but perhaps this is already a positive change in our attitude.»
[Source: CIS]

Rebellious monks given deadline to clear out of Athos monastery
A community of more than 100 Orthodox monks was facing a Tuesday deadline to vacate a monastery on Greece's Mount Athos after defying the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch, who is regarded as the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians. After a decades-long dispute the monks of the Monastery of the Ascension at Esphigmenou were told by Bartholomeos I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, in a decree in mid-December to "leave the Athos peninsula without delay".
Aristos Kasmiroglou, acting civil governor of Athos, who signed the order enforcing the patriarchate's decision to expel the monks, blames the Esfigmenou brotherhood for resisting his strenuous efforts over several years to bring them back into the ranks of the monastic state's collective governance. He complains that they refused to send a representative on the grounds that they would have to pray together with fellow monks who retain ecclesiastical communion with the patriarch.
"I can tell you that violence will not be exercised against the monks as long as I'm here - unless issues which affect the public order and security on Mount Athos are raised. I have sworn to uphold the constitution and the law of the state," Kasmiroglou said. "I am making every possible effort for a peaceful solution," he added.
[Sources: ENI and Athens news]

Christian Churches Together in the USA
Church leaders from 30 denominations are trying to create the broadest alliance of Christians ever formed in the United States.
The loosely knit alliance, tentatively called Christian Churches Together in the USA, would gather groups that "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior according to the Scriptures."
Organizers say it would represent five segments of U.S. Christianity -- Roman Catholic, Evangelical-Pentecostal, Historic Protestant, Orthodox and Racial-Ethnic.
The Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention don't belong to either the National Council of Churches or the rival National Association of Evangelicals. But U.S. Catholic leaders are part of the new effort, and the Baptists sent an observer.
[Source: AP]

News on Christian Europe
John Bruton advocates for a reference to Christianity in the European Constitution
http://www.ecclesia.gr/English/news/jan27_dt1.html
Rolandas Naujokaitis on The European Identity and Turkey
http://www.ecclesia.gr/English/news/forum/index.html
Ecumenical Cooperation Urged for European Christians
A lay group that wants Christianity mentioned in the future European Constitution was advised by the Holy See to cooperate with other religious confessions.
See the Barcelona Manifesto on http://www.eurocristians.org/

FEATURES
Albania Showing Signs of a Comeback in Religion
An Interview with Jim Forest
Jim Forest, secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship and author of "The Resurrection of the Church in Albania" (Geneva: WCC Publications, 2002), gave ZENIT his view on what has been happening in the former Communist nation.

Q: Albania was the first atheist state in the world. In what degree is there religious freedom in this country today?

Forest: For many years no country in the world, not even the Soviet Union or China, had more repressive legislation regarding religious life than Albania.
Not only was every place of worship closed -- in most cases destroyed -- but even within the home prayer was forbidden. No cross or icon could be hung anywhere.
However, in the past 12 years, after the collapse of Communism, the major obstacles to religious life have been removed. I haven't got the figures for the Catholic Church, but only 22 Orthodox priests were still alive when Communism at last collapsed in 1990.
Of approximately 1,600 Orthodox churches, monasteries and cultural centers that existed in Albania prior to 1967, less than 5% were still standing in 1990. Those that had not been demolished had been turned into armories, post offices, barns, laundries or put to other secular purposes.
Many thousands of Christians had been jailed or sent to labor camps, often dying as a consequence. There were also those, especially clergy, who were murdered or executed.

Q: You say that the Orthodox Church in Albania has been transformed from a repressed Church into a vibrant community. How has this been achieved?

Forest: A crucial factor was the hidden churches that survived in several places -- homes where, at great risk, baptisms were conducted, confessions heard, the liturgy celebrated, and marriages blessed. Many people, though they had no access to services, nonetheless lived ... a prayerful life in their home -- again, a risky undertaking as there was always the danger of betrayal or of a child making an innocent but revealing remark at school. But perhaps the most important factor was the wisdom of the former ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios, in asking Archbishop Anastasios -- a missionary-minded Greek bishop then serving in Kenya -- to visit Albania.
The request came in January 1991. It was at the time not intended as a permanent assignment, only a reconnaissance effort to see if and how the local Church could be revived.
It would require, however, a substantial interruption of his work in Africa. "My main task was to try and find someone who could become bishop," Archbishop Anastasios told me, "but I was unable to find a priest who was prepared and strong enough. There were only a few priests who had survived, all of them old and often not in good health." It would take six months before the reluctant authorities in Tirana finally issued a visa, and that was only initially for one month. "The Communist times were over, but not completely," as Archbishop Anastasios explained. "Attitudes formed in the course of many years of propaganda do not change quickly. However, once in the country, my visa was extended."
As events unfolded, however, his visit became permanent. Archbishop Anastasios now heads the revived Orthodox Church in Albania -- a term he greatly prefers to the Albanian Orthodox Church. One can sense the scale of Archbishop Anastasios' achievement in noting that in the past 10 years 80 new churches have been built, 75 churches restored from ruin, more than 140 churches have undergone major repairs, in almost every case major, and five monasteries brought back to life.
In addition, many 20 large buildings have been erected or renovated to house the theological academy in Durres, Holy Cross High School in Gjirokaster, the office of the Archdiocese in Tirana and diocesan centers in other cities, a diagnostic center, dispensaries, guesthouses, schools and the building complex "Nazareth" -- in Tirana -- that houses the candle factory, printing house, icon atelier, restoration workshop and other church service facilities.
What is still more impressive are the many thousands of people who have been catechized and baptized, and the well-attended liturgies being celebrated in church after church.

Q: Can religion be a force for gaining peace in the Balkan region?

Forest: It is in fact a very significant force for peace already. This is of course partly thanks to the commitment of the Church to actively promote peace across religious borders, but it is also thanks to the Church's commitment to assist Albania in rebuilding its badly damaged social infrastructure, doing so always without preference or restriction.
One must also note the Church's efforts to negotiate pardon and reconciliation between individuals and groups that have been in a state of murderous enmity.
Q: Are Catholic-Orthodox relations in Albania going through a good moment?

Forest: Indeed! While they were still in print, Archbishop Anastasios made a point of using stamps Albania printed to honor Mother Teresa.

This small gesture is emblematic of the warmth the archbishop feels toward the Catholic Church and his conviction that efforts to restore unity in the Church require dialogue and cooperation animated by respect and love.

Q: Do you believe that in the international sphere there is a general disinterest regarding Albania?

Forest: Not so much disinterest as forgetfulness. Albania remains Europe's poorest country. Most roads are very poor. Many factories are in ruins.
Despite areas many of astonishing beauty, few people think of visiting as a tourist. There are enormous problems to be solved -- not only poverty and social tensions within the society, but a deeply entrenched criminal element.
Such these factors have made Albania rather a low priority for the rest of the world, though the European community has wisely made many substantial grants that are gradually strengthen the country's infrastructure.
Also, in the churches, interest is steadily rising. The Catholic Church has deep roots, notably in the north, and the Orthodox Church in the south. In both churches we must do all we can to restore the faith and relieve suffering.
Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org/