CHURCHES IN BRIEF" "
Czech Repubic: visit of patriarch BartholomewEcumenical patriarch and archbishop of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, paid a visit to the Czech republic last week to participate at Orthodox celebrations of the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of Ss. Cyril and Methodius to the region of Great Moravia. On 23 May he met with cardinal Dominik Duka, archbishop of Prague. “The patriarch of Constantinople is a symbol of the Church that was born at the East, in the area of Greek language and Greek culture that has formed our faith and our dogmas and put a base to the growth of whole Christian civilization”, said cardinal Duka. According to his words, it was exactly this culture that influenced development of religious of life in the region of Great Moravia centuries ago. “We try to develop brotherly relations with Roman Catholic Church and maintain a dialogue also with other Christian confessions”, affirmed patriarch Bartholomew recalling visits of the last three popes in Constantinople and expressing hope for the visit of new pope Francis. After participation at celebrations of the Cyrilo-Methodian jubilee in Mikulcice on 25 May, the ecumenical patriarch headed to Slovakia to meet with representatives of Christian Churches and state.Slovakia: “Switch off TV, switch on yourself!”About 7,000 children and their parents participate at the 13th edition of a project entitled “Switch off TV, switch on yourself!” organized by the Movement of Christian Children’s Communities on 27 May – 2 June. During the week, participants of the campaign want to reduce time spent by watching television and playing computer games and dedicate it to more creative activities. More than 900 volunteers have prepared special events like competitions, workshops, trips and games for children from 131 towns and villages of Slovakia. “We see attractivity of the campaign in a fact that it offers a quality alternative to passive spending of free time, developing not only individual skills of children but also contributing to building of mutual relations”, explains one of coordinators of the project, Ivana Kacurová. The motto of this year’s edition is “Discover a treasure” inviting children, their parents and relatives to discover their special gifts. For more information: www.erko.sk. Ukraine: cartoons featuring religious topicsThe Catechetical Commission of Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) organized an official presentation of cartoons “Holy Sacraments” and “A Spiritual Necklase – Stradch” on 28 May at the premises of O. Dovzhenko Cultural Educational Center in Lviv. Commission representatives hope that the appearance of Ukrainian films with religious topics could serve as an “alternative to most current cartoons that present evil, violence and aggression and provoke children to replicate bad manners and behaviour in real life”. The cartoon about Holy Sacraments introduces the essence and the depth of each one of the seven sacraments. The material will be useful not only for children but also for their parents, who are the first teachers of faith in God to their children, as well as catechists who can use the cartoons in their classes to explain important fact of faith in an attractive way. “A Spiritual NecklaceStradch” narrates in a direct and interesting style the history of the pearl of Ukrainian Christian Pilgrimage that is found in Stradch. According to Rev. Andriy Stadnytskyi, the vice-director of the Catechetical Commission of UGCC Kyiv-Halych Major Archbishopric, Christian churches in Ukraine are the prayerful song of the Ukrainian people to Almighty God, “resounding from ancient times up to the present”.
