Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Budslav
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Catholic religious procession in Budslav
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Interfax learned at a press conference given by the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus following the meeting of Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus Claudio Gugerotti with the Pope of Rome that Pope Francisco Bergoglio expressed his sympathy for the people of Belarus and stated his willingness to commit the Vatican to help improve relations between Belarus and the West. The spokesman noted, “The Pope asked me to convey his sympathy and solidarity with Belarus, especially, to those who suffer, and expressed the hope that relations with the West could improve with the help of the Holy See, through respect, dialogue, and understanding”.
During the audience, the Pope also said that he was pleased to express solidarity with Belarus through a special gesture… the sending of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran as extraordinary envoy to the celebrations in Budslav. The spokesman went on to say, “The Pope promised to pray for the success of the mission of the cardinal. His Holiness gave his blessing to the Catholics of Belarus, he knows what loyal, faithful, and keen children of the Catholic Church they are after the great trials of the past. Pope also asked to convey his greetings to all Belarusians, especially the brothers of the Orthodox Church“.
Meeting in early June with the Apostolic Nuncio, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko observed that the Vatican could play a great role in facilitating relations with the EU, saying, “I have to thank you for your kind attitude towards Belarus, I’m grateful to the Catholic Church and the Vatican for the support you give us in the international arena, particularly, in the facilitating relations with the EU. It doesn’t matter if your efforts succeed or not, for I know that you’re truly sincere. I know that many of the leading figures in the Vatican share your position; some of them want to visit Belarus. Tell the Vatican that we’re always happy to receive them here”. As reported, a papal envoy, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, will participate in the celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Budslav in the Bernardine Church on 5-6 July.
25 June 2013
Interfax-Religion
http://interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=51691
Editor’s Note:
A Cabinet member said:
I’m surprised they haven’t killed him… as they did JP I.
I replied:
Perhaps, they tried, but Francisco beat the fascists in Argentina, so, it’s not hard to imagine him beating their American cousins. He’s TOUGH…
The CIA did involve itself in the deposition of Ecumenical Patriarch Maximos Vaportzis in 1948 (it was one of the more sordid episodes of the early Cold War), and rumour gives it a role in the death of Pope John Paul I Luciani (I’m not committing one way or the other… you pays your money and you takes your choice). That is, Langley’s hands were bloody in the past, so, present skulduggery isn’t beyond them. The collaboration of Potapov with Langley is disgusting and vile (and the general collaboration of the konvertsy with the Far Right is equally depraved and sordid… their “Pro-Life” bleats notwithstanding). That a priest would ally himself with such… it’s mind-blowing, isn’t it?
Another Cabinet member said:
You know, it sounds utterly scandalous even to say it, but many in American Orthodoxy will pay closer heed to what the Bishop of Rome says than anything that might come out of the MP or the Phanar. That seems to be the state of things.
Indeed. However, as Pope Francisco reveals, more and more, his LEFT stance, watch for the konvertsy to change their tune. After all, they spit on the Catholic social teachings now, in union with their rightwing “Catholic” pals. Groups such as the Acton Institute and the so-called Thomas More Law Center are NOT in sync with the Pope of Rome, and never shall be. They’re unashamed and unrepentant REBELS whose only motive is to justify the thievery of the Affluent Effluent. Does that mean that the Orthodox konvertsy are greedy, juvenile, and self-centred rebels, too? Shitbirds of a feather DO flock together… it’s a possibility…
Oh… a final note… Cardinal Tauran is vehemently anti-American… he opposes the American Hegemonic Project and opposes American warmongering throughout the world. Interesting, no?
BMD
Voices from Russia 
Thousands Queue In Russia to See Religious Relic
Tags: Belarus, Belt of the Holy Mother of God, Brest, Byelorussia, Christian, Christian relics, Christianity, Cross of St Andrew, Eastern Orthodox Church, Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, Greece, holy relics, Kazan Cathedral (St Petersburg), Kazan Icon, Kiev, Kievan Rus, Kirill I of Moscow, Moscow, Moscow Patriarchate, Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Our Lady of Kazan, Patriarch Kirill I, political commentary, politics, Pussy Riot, Relic, Relics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Russian, Russian culture, Russian history, Russian Orthodox Church, Soviet Union, St Andrew, St Petersburg, Ukraine, USSR
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On Saturday, officials said that around 65,000 people queued for hours in St Petersburg to see a religious relic brought from Greece, in the latest sign of the Orthodox Church’s influence in post-Soviet Russia. The Cross of St Andrew… said to be a relic of the X-shaped cross on which Apostle St Andrew the First-Called was crucified… was placed in St Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral (Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God) on Thursday after arriving from its historic home in Patras in Greece. A representative of the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, which helped bring the cross to Russia, told RIA-Novosti that there were some 65,000 visitors in just the first days of its display, and that the numbers are increasing all the time.
The cross came from Greece as part of commemorations of the 1,025th anniversary of the Baptism of the mediaeval Slavic state of Rus. The queue to see the relic snaked all around the cathedral with the faithful having to wait for several hours to venerate the relic. Local officials said that the atmosphere in the queue was cheerful. Tatiana Koroliova, 60, told AFP, “It’s a great event for all Orthodox. I came especially to St Petersburg from my house in the country which is 200 kilometres (125 miles) away”. The excitement recalls the frenzy that surrounded the appearance of the Belt of the Virgin Mary in Russia in 2011… also on loan from Greece… which attracted gigantic queues when it arrived in Moscow.
The communists suppressed the Orthodox Church, but it’s staged an astonishing recovery in post-Soviet Russia to become one of the country’s most powerful institutions. Symbolically, the Cross of St Andrew cross is being shown in the Kazan Cathedral in St Petersburg, which under Communism was a museum of atheism. However, the anti-Kremlin opposition accused the Orthodox Church under its powerful Patriarch Kirill of meddling in politics and instigating the harsh treatment of the Pussy Riot punk group. Two members of the punk collective are serving two-year prison colony terms for performing an anti-Kremlin song inside a Moscow church, in a case that divided Russian society. The relic is due to stay in St Petersburg until Monday, and then be taken to Kiev in the Ukraine, Minsk in Belarus, and to the Russian capital of Moscow before returning to Greece on 2 August.
13 July 2013
AFP
http://www.afpbb.co.kr/html/view.html?ano=21492
Editor’s Note:
The journey of the Cross of St Andrew is so “newsy” that even the Western press agencies are covering it. Take all Western reportage on the Rodina with a block of salt… much of it is nothing but meretricious and lying pro-crapitalist propaganda (especially, mistrust “Orthodox” lickspittles such as Sophia Kishkovsky and Serge Schmemann… they’ve sold out for the proverbial “mess of pottage“). Look at the inclusion of a blurb on Pussy Riot… most Russians don’t give a shit about these zapadniki poseurs… only a small English-speaking minority in Piter and the Centre do… and the clueless Westerners just eat it all up. However, don’t argue with Amerikantsy idiots about it… it’ll do you no good, it’ll just frustrate you to no good end, and it’ll just drive the Fox News propaganda deeper into your interlocutor’s (shallow) mind. Do mind this, though… the worst, most fanatic, and most closed-minded Amerikantsy are found amongst the “Orthodox” konvertsy… fancy that. Have a care…
BMD