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1. Grief over fire at Istanbul’s Balikli Greek Hospital

A fire broke out on the roof of Istanbul’s Balikli Greek Hospital on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 patients and staff...

2. Cyprus’ church wars over Ukraine quiet down

Cyprus' Tamasos metropolitan bishop Isaiah, a top contender for the archbishopric throne who fell out of favor with Archbishop Chrysostomos, traveled to Istanbul this week with the primate’s blessing, a possible signal that the island’s ugly church split over Ukraine was drawing to a quiet close ahead of possible elections...

3. East-West orthodox split deepens in Cyprus

An interview with the Archbishop of Cyprus, who used unfavorable words for detractor bishops as well as the Patriarch of Moscow, is causing all sorts of reactions on the island where campaign drama is unfolding both in a highly contested presidential election and a looming replacement for head of church...

4. Ukraine crisis stains church elections in Cyprus

A Cypriot theologian has blown the lid off the game of thrones in archbishopric elections on the island, suggesting anti-Russia agenda is behind efforts to take the vote away from believers who might favor a pro-Moscow candidate in order to task the Holy Synod with naming the winner...

5. Turkish convert to Orthodoxy caught Holy Cross in Istanbul

A Turkish citizen, who had been baptized Christian Orthodox, caught the Holy Cross in the waters of the Horned Gulf in Istanbul in a moving ceremony presided by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Bless the Waters of Fanari on the day of the Epiphany....

6. Erdogan calls on Greek Istanbulites to return

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and others that he welcomes the return of Istanbulite Greeks back to their ancestral homes...

7. Bishop apologises over reporter incident

Bishop Nikiforos of Kykkos, who told a reporter to “shut up” on Wednesday as cameras were rolling, has issued an apology, saying he regretted his behaviour, with the incident revealing tensions remain high over the Ukrainian issue...

8. Holy Synod says yoga no good

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece rebuffed a call for dialogue between Orthodox churches regarding Holy Communion in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, while also denouncing yoga and warning cleric to stay away from the Lions...

9. Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

10. Diplomatic hype over eastern Mediterranean

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias attended Christmas Mass in Istanbul amid diplomatic tensions and power play between Athens and Ankara over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean...

11. Repatriated 6th-century St. Mark mosaic to help reconstitute apse