NEWS

Everyday news from Cyprus
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Archbishop Christodoulos Has Visited Mount Sinai
The Archbishop Christodoulos officially visited the Monastery of St Catherine at Mount Sinai from 6 to 8 of December. Metropolitans Ignatius of Arta, Constantin of New Ionia, and Ierotheos of Nafpactos (Lepando), as well as the First Secretary of the Holy Synod Theologos, Bishop of Salona, were the Archbishop’s attendants.

Do you like medieval hymns?
You have the opportunity to attend the medieval service of “Trithekti” and the “Christmass Kontakion” as has originally been composed by Romanos the melodist. Gregory Stathis, Prof. of Byzantine Hymnography at the Univ. of Athens, will direct the chorus “Masters of Chanting Art”. On Friday, 20 December, 19:00-20:30’, at the Cathedral of Athens.

Religious Leaders Urge Bush to Avoid War
In an unprecedented show of unity, Chicago's top Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have drafted a joint letter urging President Bush to avoid war with Iraq.
It is the first public statement on any national issue by the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago since the group was founded in 1984. The letter was to be released Sunday at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James. An advance copy obtained by the Chicago Tribune read, in part: "In the present situation, conditions justifying war have not been met. We still lack compelling evidence that Iraq is planning to launch an attack ... We believe that there is ample time and latitude for pursuing alternatives that could avoid warfare, saving untold thousands of lives."
Other religious groups also have voiced concerns about the possibility of war. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops acknowledged in September that Iraq posed a threat, but said it would be difficult to justify a pre-emptive attack under Catholic teachings on warfare.
Signers of the Chicago letter include Cardinal Francis George of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop William Persell of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, Rabbi Ira Youdovin of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, Metropolitan Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Chicago, Bishop C. Joseph Sprague of the United Methodist Church and Kareem Irfan, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
Irfan acknowledged that many Muslims would have preferred stronger wording.
[Source: Associated Press and Orthodox News]

Pope Asks Patriarch of Constantinople for Regular Contacts
John Paul II asked Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, "first among equals" among the Orthodox, to maintain more regular contacts, in order to arrive more rapidly at full communion.
The proposal was expressed in a papal message given to the Orthodox leader by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The message was relayed Saturday, feast of St. Andrew, patron of the ecumenical patriarchate.
The cardinal handed over the message at the end of the Sacred Liturgy, presided over by Bartholomew I, in Fanar, the see of the patriarchate. The gesture will be returned by the patriarchate, which will send an Orthodox delegation to Rome on June 29, the feast of St. Peter, brother of the Apostle Andrew.
The memory of the two saints, "invites us to seek together, day after day, full communion to carry out our common mission of reconciliation in God and to promote an authentic peaceful and Christian spirit, in a world marked by tragic divisions and armed conflicts," the papal message explained.
The quest for unity led John Paul II to propose to the Orthodox patriarch "more frequent forms of communication and regular and reciprocal exchanges among ourselves to make our relations more harmonious and to coordinate our common efforts more effectively."
The Holy Father said he shared Bartholomew I's profound desire to "relaunch the theological dialogue to reach a new phase, following the uncertainties, difficulties and hesitations of the last decade."
[Source:Zenit]

FEATURES
CEC Addresses Its Member Churches on EU Summit in Copenhagen
The Conference of European Churches (CEC) addressed its member Churches on two important issues: the enlargement of the European Union and the development of a Constitutional Treaty. Here is the full text of the letter of Church and Society Commission:

Dear Friends, Mid-December, at the summit in Copenhagen, the leaders of the fifteen current member states of the European Union are expected to take one of the most important decisions in recent European history. If indeed they agree to enlarge the EU by ten more members, including eight former communist countries from the eastern half of Europe, this decision will be welcomed by the CEC, its Church and Society Commission and all its member churches as a crucial step towards the unification of Europe.
Despite the difficulties and uncertainties, the significance of this step is clear when considered in its proper historical context. For centuries European history has been marked by bloodshed, misery and conflict. In the 20th century, this culminated in two World Wars, forty years of Cold War, and numerous local and regional conflicts with many victims. The reconciliation after the Second World War in the western part of Europe culminated in the creation of the European Union and thus, had a fruitful outcome. The development in the other pat of the continent had to overcome greater difficulties. Reconciliation, - though helping create vital linkages between many smaller communities in the region - had to overcome obstacles set up by the ruling ideology. The split of the continent between East and West was a reality throughout most of the 20th century. After the end of the Cold War, however, a historical challenge emerged: ending the East-West division of Europe. The forthcoming political decision to be taken at the EU summit in Copenhagen, will significantly contribute to ending this division. The expected enlargement of the EU must be seen not purely as an expansion of the common market, but as a part of the process of widening the area of peace, stability and social/human security in Europe.
In spite of rapidly progressing negotiations on EU enlargement and many positive signals emerging from developments in Europe, there are however many difficulties and uncertainties related to the process. Its success is still not yet fully guaranteed. To mention some of the most important obstacles:

• for a variety of reasons a kind of euro-scepticism seems to be on the increase in many countries, which might jeopardise the ratification of the enlargement treaties;
• decreasing interest of western societies in developments and situations in other parts of Europe and lack of genuine information in both East and West about each other;
• the final stage of the accession negotiation focusing on the financial framework of the process - where some EU member states may deem that the Union is too generous with the financial package it is offering to the applicant countries, whereas the applicant countries might take the view that the EU is not generous enough - may poison the whole ethos of the process;
• there are difficulties internal to the Union to be solved. The European Convention, which is bound to improve the functioning of the EU and reinforce its democratic legitimacy, is still underway. The EU is still struggling with the necessity for internal reform of certain policy areas (such as for example, the Common Agricultural Policy);
• although Romania and Bulgaria have the prospect of joining the EU within a few years, many other European countries will remain outside for the foreseeable future. The relation of the EU to its neighbours, which also includes its relation to Turkey, needs to be the subject of constant attention. The risk of a new East-West divide is a serious one. Not all of Europe is unified.

FYI