8,921
edits
Changes
m
1992;2003,2007
==Post-Communist era (1991-Present)==
*1991 Soviet Union collapses, ending [[w:Cold War|Cold War]]; representatives of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches meet in Chambesy, Switzerland, discussing relations with World Council of Churches; Ruthenian Byzantine rite Catholic Church in [[w:Zakarpattia Oblast|Transcarpathia]] was restored as a separate entity from Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church based in [[w:Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]], having about 23% of Transcarpathia's parishes compared to 60% of the Orthodox total there; Greek Orthodox [[w:Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy|Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe]] is created.
*1992 Civil war begins in former Yugoslavia; synaxis of primates of Orthodox churches in Constantinople; [[Diodoros I (Karivalis) of Jerusalem|Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem]] presented a list of [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/diodoros.aspx firm declarations] of Orthodox convictions of the [[Church of Jerusalem|Patriarchate of Jerusalem]], which was entered into the minutes of the assembly of Orthodox leaders at the [[Phanar]] on the Sunday of Orthodoxy; [[Church of Romania|Romanian Orthodox Church]] canonizes [[w:Constantin Brâncoveanu|Constantin Brâncoveanu]] (+1714).
*1993 Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Theological Commission meets in Balamand, Lebanon, issuing common document "Uniatism: Method of Union of the Past, and Present. Search for Full Communion" (the "[[Balamand document]]"); Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement "The Ecumenical Councils."
*1993 [[Church of Cyprus]] condemns [[Freemasonry]]; ''[[Orthodox Study Bible|Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms]]'' published; [[Church of Eritrea|Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] becomes autocephalous; martyrdom of [[New Martyrs of Optina Pustyn]].
*2001 Pope John Paul II of Rome [[Fourth Crusade#Papal Apology to Orthodox Church|apologizes to Orthodox Church]] for Fourth Crusade; [[Church of Alexandria|Chalcedonian]] and [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Non-Chalcedonian]] Patriarchates of Alexandria agree to mutually recognize baptisms and marriages performed in each other's churches.
*2002 Patr. [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople]] and Pope [[John Paul II]] co-sign Venice Declaration of Environmental Ethics; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement "Mysteria/Sacraments as Means of Salvation."
*2003 [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]] granted "self-rule" (similar but not identical to [[autonomy]]) by [[Church of Antioch]]; Coptic priest Fr. [[Zakaria Botros]] begins his television and internet mission to Muslims in North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and western countries, resulting in thousands of conversions; an [[Inter-Orthodox Consultation on the Draft Constitutional Treaty of the European Union|Inter-Orthodox conference on the draft Constitutional Treaty of the European Union]] took place on March 18-19, in Crete, stating that the Treaty should include a clear reference to Europe's Christian heritage.
*2004 Pope [[John Paul II]] returns [[relics]] of [[John Chrysostom]] and [[Gregory the Theologian]] to [[Church of Constantinople]]; Patr. [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople]] consecrates church in Havana, Cuba; consecration of first Orthodox church in Antarctica by [[Church of Russia]]; [[Theotokos of Tikhvin|Tikhvin Icon]] returned to Tikhvin Dormition Monastery after six decades in the United States; [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]] canonizes Fr. [[Alexis Medvedkov]], Fr. [[Dimitri Klepinine]], Mother [[Maria Skobtsova]], [[George Skobtsov]] and [[Elie Fondaminskii]] of the Russian emigration in France; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission statement "Baptism and Chrismation as Sacraments of Initiation into the Church."
*2005 Major controversy in Ukraine involving the almost exclusively western Ukraine-based [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Uniate]] Greek Catholic Church moving its administrative centre on from Lviv to Kiev, constructing a large cathedral there, and its plans to establish a patriarchate, criticized by the Orthodox [[Church of Ukraine]] and other Orthodox.
*2006 Publication of first Orthodox prayer book in Chinese and Russian; Pope [[Benedict XVI]] drops ''Patriarch of the West'' title; Russian Orthodox parish opened in Pyongyang, North Korea; Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Theological Commission meets in Belgrade, Serbia; Pope [[Benedict XVI]] visits Ecumenical Patriarchate, drawing criticism from [[Mount Athos]]; Abp. [[Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens]] visits Vatican; Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission issues statement "The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church."
*2007 Restoration of [[full communion]] between [[Moscow Patriarchate]] and [[ROCOR]]; 1600th anniversary celebration of the repose of [[John Chrysostom]]; the [[Roman Catholic Church|Vatican]] [[w:Vatican_abolishes_Limbo|formally abolishes doctrine of Limbo]]; number of Orthodox believers in Italy reaches almost one million as a result of immigration from Romania and Ukraine; synod of over 50 bishops of the [[Church of Ukraine]] announce that the UOC-MP is "an autonomous, historical part of the Russian Orthodox Church"; Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Commission meets in Ravenna, Italy, 10th plenary, led by co-presidents [[w:Walter Kasper|Cardinal Walter Kasper]] and Metr. [[John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon]], agreeing upon a joint document consisting of 46 articles providing an ecclesiastical road map in discussing union; Russian delegation walks out of Ravenna talks in protest of presence of Estonian delegation ([[Church of Constantinople|EP]]); letter "[[w:A Common Word Between Us and You|A Common Word Between Us and You]]" is sent by 138 Muslim leaders from 40 nations to the leaders of the world's Christian churches, calling for understanding and commonality; the Abp. of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams welcomed Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]] to Westminster Abbey to celebrate the publication of ''The Church of the Triune God'', the agreed statement of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue.
*2008 First Orthodox Liturgy [http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4495 celebrated at the North Pole]; [[Orthodox Study Bible]] (with [[Septuagint]]) published; [[Church of Ukraine|UOC-MP]] canonizes new martyrs of Vasyliivskyi, Fr. [[Serhii Shtenko]] and laymen [[Prokhor Bunchuk]] and [[Kyryl Pryima]], martyred during the communist persecution of the church in the 20th century; 14th Session of the Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission was held in Paphos, Cyprus; [[Metropolis of Singapore]] (Ecumenical Patriarchate) founded; [http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&id=995&tla=en Pan-Orthodox meeting in Constantinople] in October of the Primates of the fourteen Orthodox Churches, signing a document calling for inter-orthodox unity and collaboration and "''the continuation of preparations for the Holy and Great Council''".
