{"id":27273,"date":"2018-02-13T08:38:57","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T08:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acnmalta.org\/?p=27273"},"modified":"2018-02-13T08:38:57","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T08:38:57","slug":"russia-concrete-steps-spirit-ecumenism-murcadha-oflaherty-john-pontifex-acn-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2018\/02\/13\/russia-concrete-steps-spirit-ecumenism-murcadha-oflaherty-john-pontifex-acn-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"RUSSIA: Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism Murcadha O&#8217;Flaherty &#038; John Pontifex \u2013 ACN UK"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>RUSSIA<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The pontifical foundation <strong>Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)<\/strong> has been working to further the dialogue between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches for 25 years. The director of the foundation\u2019s British national office describes a new joint initiative in Stavropol that assists women with pregnancy problems and in other emergency situations with the support of <strong>ACN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Aid to the Church in Need is helping vulnerable women and their unborn children in Russia \u2013 fulfilling Church teaching that each and every human life has inherent dignity. Remembering that Christ reached out to those in distress irrespective of their need or status, Russia\u2019s Catholic and Orthodox Churches are helping up to 42 destitute women and their families with accommodation until they find a stable address.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The National Director of ACN\u2019s UK Office Neville Kyrke-Smith described the charity\u2019s help for this ecumenical project. During his autumn visit, Mr Kyrke-Smith joined His Eminence Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomysk to open a shelter for young mothers in Stavropol \u2013 a town whose name means the City of the Cross. The dignitaries met with those families receiving practical assistance, including a Muslim family in need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Mr Kyrke-Smith said: \u201cThis project is absolutely vital, as it supports pregnant women who are often left without any assistance from their families. The centre was founded by the Orthodox Church \u2013 and we are delighted to be able to support this important ecumenical project, helping women in a very difficult situation.\u201d ACN has given more than \u00a320,000 to the centre\u2019s sheltered accommodation, offering alternatives to abortion. It also supports women with telephone counselling, advice and information. Thanking the charity\u2019s supporters Metropolitan Kirill told Mr Kyrke-Smith: \u201cThank you and may God bless our dear friends at Aid to the Church in Need. We pray for them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Members of both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches attended the international protection of life seminar held by the Moscow Patriarchate in 2017. The seminar developed the call to \u201crespect the inalienable right to life\u201d in Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill\u2019s joint declaration. ACN\u2019s Russia expert Peter Humeniuk described the conference as taking \u201cconcrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism. The seminar focused on analysing the situation, but also \u2013 and particularly \u2013 on finding solutions.\u201d Delegates meet with a Catholic group from Milan that offers pregnancy counselling and has already saved almost 20,000 children.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Speaking of the impact of abortion on Russia\u2019s population as well as its global effect, Mr Humeniuk said: \u201cUnfortunately, abortion is very prevalent in Russia. This can be traced back to Soviet times\u2026 the Russian people are beginning to become aware of this problem because if nothing else, the demographic development in Russia &#8211; \u00a0and that of the Western world \u2013 has now become a wake-up call for many people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ACN is also supporting other projects in Russia that reflect the hope of Jesus Christ\u2019s message of healing for all people suffering difficulties and hardships: including an intensive year-long drug rehabilitation course using with success rates as high as 80 percent. And a new chapel in Stavropol \u2013 previously the Catholic community gathered in a farmer\u2019s workshop. Fr Mitrzak is the first Catholic priest residing permanently there since the Revolution and Metropolitan Kyrill is helping the chapel with registration requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Speaking of the charity\u2019s work helping vulnerable people Mr Kyrke-Smith said: \u201cWe are greatly encouraged by the Russian Orthodox and Catholic churches cooperation, particularly on social projects and protecting the right to family and life. ACN is inspired by our Saviour\u2019s own words \u2018as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me\u2019 [Matt 25:40] developing initiatives between churches helping Christ\u2019s body \u2013 our brothers and sisters in need.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The pontifical foundation <strong>Aid to the Church in Need<\/strong> has been working to further the dialogue between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches for 25 years as requested by St. Pope John Paul II and his successors to the Petrine office. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">During their historic meeting in Havana in February 2016, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow identified important areas requiring even more intense cooperation between the two churches. In response to their appeal, new opportunities for cooperation between Catholic and Orthodox Christians have in the meantime emerged. An ecumenical working group has been founded in which <strong>Aid to the Church in Need<\/strong> is significantly involved. This working group coordinates and organises initiatives, events and conferences for the protection of human life and the family as well as to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East. The crisis centre for women in Stavropol is one example of a joint initiative that has been developed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>Murcadha O&#8217;Flaherty &amp; John Pontifex \u2013 ACN UK<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RUSSIA Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism \u00a0 The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been working to further the dialogue between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches for 25 years. The director of the foundation\u2019s British national office describes a new joint initiative in Stavropol that assists women with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-newsletters"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>RUSSIA: Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism Murcadha O&#039;Flaherty &amp; John Pontifex \u2013 ACN UK - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2018\/02\/13\/russia-concrete-steps-spirit-ecumenism-murcadha-oflaherty-john-pontifex-acn-uk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RUSSIA: Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism Murcadha O&#039;Flaherty &amp; John Pontifex \u2013 ACN UK - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RUSSIA Concrete steps in the spirit of ecumenism \u00a0 The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been working to further the dialogue between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches for 25 years. 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