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Patriarch Kirill is a pagan, “Russian World” is a heresy

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Author: Epiphanius Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine

The idea of ​​the “Russian World” is a heresy, and Moscow Patriarch Kirill has adopted a pagan and anti-Orthodox imperialist and nationalist ideology, which is why he must be condemned by the Orthodox world and removed from his post. This is what Epiphanius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine and Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, called for in a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew dated July 28. (The full text of the letter – below here.)

The first reaction of Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate, was that this appeal came from something that is not even a church, but a schismatic structure whose claims should not be taken seriously. (The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was established in December 2018, and a month later Patriarch Bartholomew gave it a tomos granting autocephaly. The Russian Orthodox Church did not recognize this decision – note ed.) The OCU is trying to please the Ukrainian authorities and participate in the campaign against the entire Russian people, including against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he added.

The Moscow Patriarch then said that the claim of “malicious people” that the Russian Orthodox Church exists only for Russians, for Muscovites, does not correspond to reality. The explanation was that it is in more than 60 countries around the world and for him the Orthodox, wherever they live, are part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Cyril made the comment in the “Christ the Savior” church in Moscow at a meeting with children from Ukraine – from the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and from Kharkiv Oblast. For him, this meeting was “a great joy”, “because everything affecting Donbas, Luhansk region, Kharkiv region – where people are suffering today – worries me a lot and hurts my heart, because all the Orthodox people who live there – these are children of the Moscow Patriarchate”.

After Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine, the patriarch touched on the topic several times in his sermons. According to him, the peoples of Russia and Ukraine are one whole, which external forces tried to separate, and Russia has never attacked other countries, but “only defends its borders”.

Kirill has been sanctioned by Canada and Great Britain, and the intervention of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prevented the European Union from doing the same at Lithuania’s proposal.

Here is the letter that the Ukrainian Metropolitan sent to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Your Holiness,

In accordance with the decision of the Council of Bishops of May 24 of this year I call on you to initiate examination and condemnation on a pan-Orthodox level of the activities of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev and the ethnophyletic and racist doctrine of the “Russian World” preached by him.

On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation insidiously, without an official declaration of war, launched a full-scale military aggression against Ukraine. The war launched by Russia in the center of Europe as early as February 2014 is being waged with the aim of destroying Ukrainian statehood and striking with extreme cruelty. A true genocide is being committed against the Ukrainian people before the eyes of the whole world. The aggressor is destroying peaceful Ukrainian cities, shelling hospitals and schools, raping and torturing women and minors, killing and maiming children. Among those killed by the Russian troops are the clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, religious teachers from other faiths. About 200 religious buildings, mostly Orthodox churches, were completely or partially destroyed as a result of the Russian shelling.

Russia is a country that has linked its identity with Orthodoxy for centuries. But in recent decades, the Christian faith in Russia has been subjected to paganism – insidiously replaced by a civil religion that rests on the Orthodox tradition, but is alien to the spirit of the Gospel and the content of the Orthodox faith of the Holy Fathers. Many Russian soldiers who invaded our country identify with Orthodoxy. But the deeds done by the invaders testify to them as criminals who have lost their living connection with Christ and His Church.

Each murdered child, each raped woman, each destroyed residential building and temple is not only a war crime, but also an act of denying Christ, as a result of which the criminal finds himself outside the fertile fence of the Church. But the moral responsibility for the committed crimes is borne not only by the direct perpetrators, but also by their ideological inspirers – Moscow Patriarch Kirill and like-minded hierarchs, who for decades propagated, and now blessed, the ethnophyletic and racist doctrine of the “Russian World”.

Many of the elections for the patriarchal chair of Metropolitan Kirill (2009) connect certain hopes for the revival of church life. But today, when twelve and a half years have passed since Cyril occupied the Moscow see, it is obvious that the announced reforms did not take place and the only real achievements of the 16th Moscow patriarch were the concentration of power in the hands of one man with a complete degradation of the real church council and complete dependence of the Church on the Russian state.

Metropolitan, and later Patriarch Kirill, was never a standard for professing the Orthodox faith. Some theological statements of Bishop Cyril – for example, the identification of the Third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity with the “Divine energy eternally originating from God the Father” – even caused controversy and temptations among the clergy of the Russian Church. Cyril’s almost complete indifference to theological problems kept him from completely falling into the realm of heresy. The situation changed when the hierarch, whose attention had long been focused on geopolitical problems, decided to participate in the creation of the doctrine of the “Russian World” – a nationalist ethnophyletic theory of the special role of the Russian nation and state in the world and in the Church.

On Orthodox Sunday, March 15 this year, the Declaration on the “Russian World” was promulgated, which was initially signed by more than 340 Orthodox theologians from around the world, whose number has now increased to a thousand. As noted in this Declaration, the “Russian World” is an unorthodox heretical doctrine, close to the teaching of ethnophiletism, condemned at the Council of Constantinople in 1872. “We reject the heresy of the “Russian World” and the shameful actions of the Russian authorities in allowing the war against Ukraine, caused by this vile doctrine, which has no justification – for the complicity of the Russian Orthodox Church, as actions deeply non-Orthodox, non-Christian,” noted the Orthodox theologians who signed the Declaration. Similar assessments were expressed in another public document – Open Address to the Heads of the Orthodox Churches.

While sharing most of the statements contained in the above Appeals, we also wish to draw Your Holiness’ attention to another heretical aspect of the “Russian World” doctrine that significantly distorts Orthodox anthropology. It is about denying the rights of peoples to historical self-determination or historical fatalism inherent in the doctrine of the “Russian world” in the interpretation of Patriarch Kirill. According to the latter’s mythological historical concept, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians supposedly belong to the common civilization of the “Russian World” and as such have no moral right to further historical self-determination. Their choice, made in the past, supposedly obligates them to be a part of the Russian world or the Russian state for the rest of their lives.

The denial of the freedom of entire peoples is combined in the worldview of Patriarch Kirill and his like-minded people with a racist theory in spirit, according to which Russia and the “Russian world” are something fundamentally better and higher than other nations, and Russia’s historical neighbors – Ukrainians and Belarusians – have the right to exist and have a future only as part of the Russian reality. Within this racist concept, which divides peoples and states into “real” and “artificial”, it is also quite logical in principle to deny the right of the people of Ukraine to full canonical church independence (autocephaly) and statehood.

At the same time, it is important to understand that the ideology of the modern Russian Orthodox Church poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to the entire Orthodox world. “Just as Russia invaded Ukraine, so the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Patriarch Kirill, became an invader in the Orthodox Church, for example in Africa, causing division and discord,” noted the Orthodox theologians in the aforementioned Declaration.

It is important to realize the connection between the doctrine of the “Russian World” and the specific church decisions initiated by Patriarch Kirill in recent years – from the severance of Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate (October 15, 2018) to the creation of the “Patriarchal Exarchy of Africa” . Armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (2022). At least since October 2018, all actions of Patriarch Kirill have been subordinated to a specific political goal. He seeks to radically increase the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia, to weaken the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek-speaking local churches as much as possible, and thus impose on the Orthodox world the hegemony and dictates of the Moscow Patriarch.

In the current situation, it is extremely important that the Catholic Church responds properly to the challenges arising from pagan Russian Orthodoxy. As the Gospel testifies, “every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:18). Acting according to this principle commanded by our Savior, the Church must collectively recognize that the tree that today bears the “fruits of war” is poisonous, that is, condemn the doctrine of the “Russian world” as heretical.

We call on Your Holiness and the Superiors of the Local Orthodox Churches to also look into the activities of Patriarch Cyril as soon as possible, related to his opposition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and many Local Orthodox Churches, and if this activity is recognized as containing signs of schism, to bring the Patriarch to justice to canonical responsibility.

In view of the above, we ask Your Holiness and His Beatitude the Heads of the Local Orthodox Churches to canonically qualify several decisions of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2018 – 2021, which, in our opinion, do not correspond to the principles of Orthodox ecclesiology:

• a decision to interrupt (unilaterally) the Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Church of Cyprus and the Church of Greece;

• the decision to create – contrary to the canonical tradition and the sixth rule of the First Ecumenical Council – the church structures of the Moscow Patriarchate on the canonical territory of the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria.

On behalf of the bishops of our Church and the numerous victims of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which the Patriarch of Moscow openly and unequivocally publicly approves and supports, we appeal to Your Holiness and the Heads of the Local Orthodox Churches with a request:

• to condemn the doctrine of the “Russian World” and recognize it as heretical;

• to qualify the actions of Patriarch Kirill in the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria as schismatic;

• to deprive Kiril Gundyaev of the right to occupy the Moscow Patriarchate.

With sincere brotherly love in Christ, we ask Your Holiness and His Beatitude the Heads of the Local Orthodox Churches to continue offering their prayers for the suffering people of Ukraine and to grant the request expressed in this letter – objectively, in accordance with the teachings and sacred canons of the Church, to examine the activities of the current heads of the Russian Church.

On behalf of the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Epiphanius

Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine

Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Photo: Metropolitan Epiphany during the service in Istanbul in January 2019 at the recognition of a Ukrainian church that is not subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate © president.gov.ua

The Vanished Tomb of Alexander the Great

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One of the unsolved mysteries of antiquity is the time-worn tomb of Alexander the Great. His biographer Arrian / Arrian of Nicomedia, or Flavius ​​Arrian, is a Greek who lived in the Roman Empire, historian, politician and philosopher. It is considered the most reliable source for the life of Alexander the Great. He does not mention funeral preparations, but Diodorus Siculus/Siculus (90 BC – c. 30 BC) ancient Greek historian, author of the Bibliotheca historica (“Library of History”) consisting of 40 books , divided into three parts, takes up the challenge in its “library”. Diodorus recounts that Alexander’s body was mummified in Egyptian fashion (he was, after all, the previous pharaoh of Egypt) and placed in a massive golden anthropoid sarcophagus (similar to Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus), which was then placed in another golden coffin , covered with porphyry. Alexander’s tomb is placed in a huge and richly decorated carriage. She departs, drawn by 64 mules from Persia for the long journey to Alexander’s final resting place. The motorcade even has its own team of road builders to level the road. The final destination is said to be Egypt, specifically the temple of Amun Ra in the oasis of Siwa, in the Western Desert. However, Ptolemy Soter, one of Alexander’s generals who would eventually discover the Greco-Egyptian lineage of Egypt’s Ptolemaic pharaohs, marched his army into Syria to meet the cortege. Ptolemy suggests Alexandria (instead of Siva) as the endpoint of Alexander’s sarcophagus.

Others claim that Perdiccas, another of Alexander’s generals, actually escorted the cortege back to Aigai in Macedonia—the place where Alexander’s ancestors were buried. Perdiccas was named regent for Alexander IV, the infant son of Alexander the Great, and so it is often assumed, as Aelian writes, that Ptolemy Soter forcibly appropriated the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great from the general Perdiccas and took it to Alexandria for propaganda purposes.

It would be logical for Alexander’s tomb to be in Egypt: thus the claims to the throne of the underage Alexander IV, of Ptolemy himself, would be legitimized. Alexander IV was the rightful heir to the empire, and the only circumstance which negated his inheritance was the fact that he was not pure Greek; as the son of Roxana, Alexander’s Persian (Bactrian) wife. So what would Ptolemy really have done with Alexander’s sarcophagus to further his claim to the throne of Egypt?

It is entirely possible that Ptolemy hid the sarcophagus in Levan, Phoenicia, as a method of minimizing the influence of the Alexandrian royal dynasty. When he met the cortege, Ptolemy is said to have taken the sarcophagus to Syria, an area that included the entire Levantine coast.

The problem is that Alexander the Great’s tomb is completely missing from history. Its location is one of the greatest mysteries of the archaeological world. So where does Alexander’s ornate sarcophagus finally rest?

And the great search begins. Archaeologists, historians, writer-researchers over the years have been “discovering” the tomb of Alexander the Great.

In 1887, Osman Hamdi Bey, director of the Ottoman Imperial Museum in Istanbul, reported a major find in Sidon, Lebanon. Two sets of underground chambers have been discovered and opened. There are a large number of sarcophagi. One of these is a magnificent sarcophagus carved from Greek Pentelian marble (the same used as the Acropolis), which is surrounded by some of the finest classical Greek sculpture ever discovered. The sarcophagus is of the right age and context to be associated with Alexander; but this “discovery” also brings several problems, as the descriptions of the sarcophagus in Diodorus’ “Library of History” do not match this marble sarcophagus, and the location where it was found also seems unlikely. Faced with these difficulties, the sarcophagus was attributed to Abdalonim, a Phoenician king of Sidon appointed by Alexander himself.

After millennia of searching, archaeologists believe they have found the tomb of Alexander the Great. Now at least two researchers are confident they have solved the mystery.

Two modern experts may have finally solved this age-old mystery. Author and researcher Dr. Andrew Michael Chugg (“The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great”) and archaeologist Liana Suvaltsi, each in their own way, believe they are getting closer to the truth…

There are many more questions about Alexander’s burial than – clear answers. According to National Geographic, modern historians largely agree that the ancient king was buried in Alexandria, Egypt.

When he died at the age of 32, his advisers initially buried him in Memphis, Egypt, before deciding on Alexandria. His tomb becomes a place of worship. A period of earthquakes and rising sea levels begins, threatening the city.

Suvaltsi believes that the tomb of Alexander is located in the ruins of ancient stronghold in Siwa, Egypt. In 2019, Calliope Limneos-Papakosta, director of the Hellenic Research Institute of the Alexandrian Civilization, succeeded in excavating under present-day Alexandria and made a huge breakthrough in finding the ruler’s tomb.

“This is the first time that the original foundations have been discovered,” says archaeologist Fredrik Hibbert. “It gave me goosebumps when I saw it.”

Although a promising leap forward, Alexander’s tomb has yet to be found. History says that his body disappeared when the Roman emperor Theodosius banned pagan worship in 392. The two competing theories of Chug and Suvaltsi nevertheless converge.

According to the Express, Suvaltsi believes Alexander’s wish was to be buried in the temple of the Egyptian god Amun Ra. This led her to request a permit to excavate the oasis of Siwa in 1984, which the Egyptian authorities granted her in 1989. They discovered lion statues, an entrance, and a 5,651 sq. ft. Hellenistic royal tomb. Suvaltsi believes that the carvings and inscriptions that refer to the transportation of a body were written by Alexander’s famous companion, Ptolemy.

At the time Suvaltsi said: “I have no doubts that this is Alexander’s tomb… I want every [fellow Greek] to feel proud because Greek hands have found this very important monument.”

Although in 1995 it was announced that the tomb of the ancient king had finally been discovered, the Greek government called on the Egyptian government to stop the excavations – as tensions between the two archaeologists grew. Suvaltsi continues to fight to resume excavations as Chug’s latest discoveries become promising.

Dr. Andrew Chugg believes that the sarcophagus of Nectaneb II in the British Museum in London contains the real clues to the true location of Alexander’s remains.

Chug has a different theory when it comes to Alexander the Great’s tomb. He explains in his book that the original temple of Alexander, near Memphis in Egypt, in the Serapeum complex, was built by Pharaoh Nectaneb II. Now, 16 years after the publication of his book, new evidence appears to support this thesis. A piece of masonry found in the foundations of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice exactly matches the dimensions of Nectaneb II’s sarcophagus in the British Museum – which may confirm the location of Alexander’s tomb.

Since his body disappeared in 392 and the tomb of St. Mark appeared at the same time, Chug believes that Alexander’s body was stolen from Alexandria by Venetian merchants who mistook it for St. Mark. He was then sent to Venice and has been venerated as Saint Mark in the cathedral ever since.

For Chugg, who says the fragment found in Venice is “just the right height and length” to form the outer shell of a sarcophagus in Britain, this means the remains, in Venice, are of Alexander the Great.

Even the British Museum is now convinced, having changed some of its Curator’s Comments sections to reflect this new evidence:

“This object was wrongly thought to be associated with Alexander the Great when it entered the collection in 1803,” it still reads…but! – missing the important word “wrong”.

The “discoveries” will continue. Archaeologists will argue. But perhaps the lost tomb of Alexander the Great will never be found.

Illustration: Alexander the Great – Roman mosaic

Tomb of a Mongol warrior with a horse, saber and arrows found in Transnistria

By
Petar Gramatikov
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In the vicinity of the village of Glinoe, Slobodzeya region, Pridnestrovian archaeologists discovered the burial place of a noble Mongol warrior.

His belonging to the highest military aristocracy is evidenced by a set of weapons and a horse burial arranged near the tomb, reports novostipmr.com

Employees of the research laboratory “Archaeology” of the Pridnestrovian State University made this discovery while studying the destroyed barrows. Excavations, in fact, rescue – they allow you to find and preserve ancient artifacts that contain unique historical information. This year, research was made possible thanks to a presidential grant under the program for supporting social and cultural projects.

Among the artifacts of the warrior’s tomb: iron arrowheads of various shapes, a dagger and a long saber, separate parts of a birch bark quiver have been preserved. The primary analysis of these objects and the elements of the burial rite (the shape of the pit, the orientation of the skeleton) made it possible to determine the time attribution of the burial: this is the end of the 13th century – the era of domination of the Golden Horde in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region.

Judging by the size of the skeleton, the man during his lifetime was not tall – barely 1.6 meters. Interestingly, the saber found with him is 1.3 meters long. This is clearly visible in the photograph. The hilt is located at the shoulder bones of the buried, and the edge of the blade reaches the lower leg. The warrior wielded a saber almost as tall as his.

This speaks of the strength and dexterity of a person, which is confirmed by his broad bones. The shape of the skull and prominent cheekbones, in turn, speak of its Mongoloid origin.

The quiver set indicates that this man was a skilled archer. He knew how to handle arrows with different tips, differing in shape and weight. Among them are massive three-lobed and diamond-shaped.

When skillfully used at short range, they pierced armor and chain mail, making them very effective against heavily armed infantry or cavalry.

For seven centuries, corrosion has deformed metal objects, and now they are fragments of iron slag. For example, archaeologists assembled a saber literally piece by piece. And it takes at least another six months to restore the artifact.

Doctor of Historical Sciences Vitaly Sinika, who heads the expedition of the Research Laboratory “Archaeology”, suggested that the burial of the Mongol warrior may be a reflection of the internecine war in the Golden Horde between Khan Tokhta and the governor of the western territories, Beklarbek Nogay. At the end of the 13th century, Nogai ruled the lands between the Danube and Dnieper rivers and was so strong that he pursued an independent policy and minted his own coin. Even the emperor of Byzantium, Michael Palaiologos, intermarried with him, marrying his daughter Euphrosyne for Nogai.

The powerful beklyarbek (ruler over rulers) helped one of the descendants of Genghis Khan Tokhte win the struggle for power in the Golden Horde. But Tokhtu, who took the throne, was worried about the independence of his ally, which ultimately led to a military conflict. The battle between Nogay and Tokhta, according to Arab sources, took place in 1300 in the place of Kukanlyk. Historians localize this toponym in different ways: some believe that this is the Kuyalnik estuary, others believe that we are talking about Lake Kuchurgan. One way or another, but the battle ended in the defeat and death of Nogai.

It is possible that a Mongol warrior from the vicinity of Glinoye participated in this Kukanlyk battle, which took place somewhere between the Dniester and the Southern Bug. He could be seriously wounded and die during the retreat of the remnants of Nogai’s troops. So far, this is only a version, further research will either confirm or refute it. And the fact that archaeological excavations make it possible to discover new grains of the ancient history of Pridnestrovie is confirmed every season.

Source novostipmr.com

FIFA and UNODC wrap up year-long global programme to tackle match manipulation in football

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FIFA and UNODC wrap up year-long global programme to tackle match manipulation in football

Vienna (Austria), 4 August 2022 – FIFA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) concluded its first-ever international integrity education programme, designed to support all 211 member associations in their efforts to tackle match manipulation in football.

Launched last year by FIFA in collaboration with UNODC, the FIFA Global Integrity Programme aimed to educate and build integrity capacity within 211 member associations, and to share knowledge and resources with integrity officers in football.

Since its launch in March 2021, some 400-plus representatives from governments and football associations across the globe took part in 29 workshops which covered several key topics, including establishing an integrity initiative, reporting mechanisms, competition protection, cooperation between and among member associations and law enforcement.

“Corruption and cheating have no place in our societies, and certainly no place in the world’s most popular sport. Through the Global Integrity Programme, FIFA and UNODC have made a real impact in advancing integrity in football. We will continue working in partnership with FIFA to protect the beautiful game from match fixing and other crimes, and to leverage the global force that is football in our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.

Gianni Infantino, FIFA President said: “Integrity, good governance, ethics and fair play – these are values that lie at very heart of football and are fundamental to ensuring trust and confidence in our sport. Bringing together over 400 participants from around the world, the FIFA Global Integrity Programme delivered together with the UNODC has provided an important platform to educate and strengthen ongoing efforts to combat match-manipulation and protect the integrity of football.

“I would like to thank the UNODC and Ms. Ghada Waly for the ongoing collaboration and look forward to continuing our future work and programmes together.”

As part of the FIFA Global Integrity Programme, workshops were held all six confederations, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

The FIFA Global Integrity Programme was developed in line with FIFA’s overall vision of making football truly global and the UNODC’s objective of supporting governments and sports organizations in their efforts to safeguard sport from corruption and crime.

How to Survive Death, a book that provides “a safe trip between lives”

By
Juan Sanchez Gil
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Niels with his book "How to Survive Death"
Photo credit: Thorsten Overgaard

“How to Survive Death” is also about the author’s journey, an autobiography, from rebellious youth to a fulfilling life, helping others achieve their full potential. On that journey, he never stopped searching for better answers to life’s mysteries—solutions that consistently work. Many of those who read the book will tell you that you can find those answers in it.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== How to Survive Death, a book that provides "a safe trip between lives"
Niels Kjeldsen, Credit photo: NK

“Death could be considered as natural as life itself. There is no life without death. It begins and goes on for some time, hopefully long, but for sure, it ends. And it’s better to know before it ends. Perhaps you can learn something about it, something not so bad, something even magical, that is worth knowing.” says Niels Kjeldsen, the author of the book “How to Survive Death“.

In the last chapter “What to do and what not to do when you leave the body” Kjeldsen approaches the “three parts of man” and hints that you may finish being equipped with “enough information to help any being that wants to know. It guarantees a safe trip between lives. You and your loved ones need that.“

In this hectic life that we live in “far too many things can happen so why not be on the safe side. It’s like a spiritual ‘life insurance’ you get” said Kjeldsen to The European Times.

ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw== How to Survive Death, a book that provides "a safe trip between lives"

Of course, Kjeldsen says, “you can leave it up to luck and hope everything goes well“, but according to the author who has studied the subject for many, many years “it’s not recommended. Do not hope before you go, but know before you go” affirms with serenity and certainty. 

After death, whether the body is cremated or buried, we know that flesh perishes. “But what about the spirit that animated the body, that gave it personality? What happens to it after body death? Some call this entity that runs the body the spirit or soul” says the author. 

Others use different names. How come there are so many different opinions about such an important subject? This is what is covered in this book. In the last chapter, you will find body, mind, and spirit defined in detail with the appropriate references. 

For the longest time, science has been unable to recognize the spirit, for the simple reason that the spirit is non-physical, and science has too often dealt exclusively with the material universe. However, Niels Kjeldsen continues, “the technological age has finally advanced enough to prove that there is a spiritual aspect to life and that it can be measured“. 

“The reason for this book“, tells the author “is to clarify where the soul goes after the body is dead“. Why does one want to know? Well, when you reach a certain age or lose too many loved ones, death is sort of thrown in your face, like it or not. It is worth knowing that “death might not be as bad as you have been led to believe” concludes.

“You were not given an instruction book on how to live life when you were born, but you’ve had plenty of advice—good or bad—along the way. There’s been no instruction at all on how to handle the end of this life properly” Niels tells me, “this book remedies the omission“.

I must say that Niels had left me with the candy two centimetres away from my lips, and now I can tell you, after the easy and capturing reading of the 117 pages, that this book is certainly for you, whether you believe it now or not. I hope you also enjoy the reading.

UNODC port security training brings results with interception of 36 radiated tortoises in Madagascar 

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Newsdesk
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Radiated tortoise. © David Clode / Unsplash

Toamasina and Mahajanga (Madagascar), 3 August 2022 — radiated tortoises – 11 billion goods per year, tens of millions of people – global ports are busier than ever bringing us the items and transport needed to house, feed, and move humans around the world. Ports are often spread over thousands of hectares of sea and land, meaning that criminals have many opportunities to steal or smuggle illegal weapons, drugs, and more. 

Wildlife smuggling is one such example. Thousands of endangered or protected wildlife and plants are trafficked dead or alive across the globe every year, and container shipping is the most commonly used method to conduct this illegal trade, according to the United Nations Development Programme. 

“For too long, organized criminal groups have illegally exploited flora and fauna as a low-risk, high-profit activity that could be pursued with impunity, in every region of the world,” remarked Ghada Waly, Executive Director for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Improving port governance and security can therefore have a deep impact on countering such criminal activities, which is why UNODC, through its Global Maritime Crime Programme, trained over 110 officers working at the Madagascar ports of Toamasina and Mahajanga over four weeks in June-July 2022. Participants included officers from many different agencies involved in port security – the police, immigration, customs, fire brigade, port management, and private sector operators at the port. 

The training had an immediate, concrete impact – one short day after the training concluded, a joint team of officers who had attended the training intercepted the smuggling of 36 radiated tortoises. The tortoises, native to southern Madagascar, are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to rampant poaching for their meat and the illegal pet trade. The intercepted tortoises were on their way to Comoros before being sent on to Asia, a common trafficking route for these kinds of species. 

“This interception is a direct result of the training delivered by UNODC,” said Mr. Jean-Edmond Randrianantenaina, the Director General of Madagascar’s Agence Portuaire, Maritime et Fluviale (APMF).

Further information

With Financial support from the European Union (EU), UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP), in collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and INTERPOL, are implementing a programme on Port Security and Safety of Navigation in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean Commission is coordinating this project across nine countries in the region: Angola, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, and Tanzania. To learn more about GMCP, click here.

Houses of Worship: A Dream of Faith, Thailand’s White Temple—Wat Rong Khun

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WRN Editorial Staff
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Houses of Worship: A Dream of Faith, Thailand’s White Temple—Wat Rong Khun

Thailand is home to the second largest population of Buddhists in the world, with some 64 millions Buddhists and 41,000 temples. Buddhism came to Thailand as early as the 3rd century BCE during the reign of Ashoka.

Theravada is the primary school of Buddhism in Thailand today and is traditionally conservative in doctrine and monastic discipline. The adherence to tradition can be seen in temples of Thailand (also called wats). From Wat Phra Kaew, regarded as the most sacred temple of Thailand, located in the Grand Palace, commonly called in English the Temple of the Emerald Buddha for the statue of Buddha which is a religious icon for the country; to Wat Phra Phutthabat, one of the oldest temples in the country and home to a stone which is said to have a footprint of the Buddha.

But in the northernmost region of Thailand stands a temple which is an amalgam of traditional and modern design—Wat Rong Khun. Renowned for its artistry and stark beauty it is known to English speakers simply as the White Temple and is one of the favorite locations for visitors in all of Thailand.

(JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0)

The temple was created by Thai artist ​​Chalermchai Kositpipat, originally from the province Chiang Rai where the temple is located, who became well known in the 1980s and 90s for art done in a contemporary style but with Buddhist imagery throughout it. ​​Chalermchai took this further with Wat Rong Khun, using traditional Thai and Hindu architecture and Buddhist symbology and mixing it with elements of modern pop culture. There are even murals which include modern cultural references of The Matrix, Marvel characters, spaceships and the 9/11 terrorist attacks which are set into a context of Buddhist imagery.

A mural of modern events and pop culture through the lens of Buddhist traditions
A mural of modern events and pop culture through the lens of Buddhist traditions. (E2v, CC BY-SA 3.0)

In the details of the temple the artist attempts to depict Dharma—the nature of reality regarded as a universal truth taught by the Buddha, which tells of a release from human passion or desire and accordingly a rise to new spiritual heights and understanding. When you arrive to the temple grounds you are first confronted with temptation including demons adorned with bottles of alcohol, you then cross a bridge over a sea of writhing human sculptures and arrive at the temple proper. The progression is meant to represent the transition from the cycle of life and death to the land of Buddha. The building, pristine white and shimmering glass outside and in, is demonstrative of the peace sought through the faith.

The Wat Rong Khun opened to visitors in 1997. Personally funded by ​​Chalermchai, the work continues on Wat Rong Khun to this day, and is planned for much, much more—so much so that it is expected to continue until 2070. As Chalermchai put it, “Only death can stop my dream, but cannot stop my project.”

Wat Rong Khun - Chiang Rai
(JoelRoue, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Horn of Africa faces most ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity in decades, warns WHO

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Horn of Africa faces most ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity in decades, warns WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that the Greater Horn of Africa is experiencing one of the worst hunger crises of the last 70 years.  
More than 37 million people are facing acute hunger, with approximately seven million children under the age of five acutely malnourished in the region.  

While finding food and safe water is the absolute priority, WHO said that ensuring a strong health emergency response is needed to avert preventable disease and deaths.  

The UN agency is calling for $123.7 million to respond to rising health needs and prevent a food crisis from turning into a health crisis.  

“The situation is already catastrophic, and we need to act now,” said Ibrahima Soce Fall, WHO Assistant Director General for Emergencies Response. “We cannot continue in this underfunding crisis”. 

Severe drought  

The Horn of Africa includes Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya.  

Climate change, conflict, rising food prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have compounded one of the worst droughts in the region in recent decades, according to the WHO appeal, 

“There are now four seasons where the rain didn’t come as predicted and a fifth season is estimated to also fail. Places where there is drought the problem keeps worsening and worsening,” said WHO Incident Manager Sophie Maes.  

“In other places like South Sudan, there have been three years of consecutive flooding with almost 40 per cent of the country being flooded. And we are looking at something that is going to get worse in the near future.”  

IOM

Thousands of animals have perished due to the extreme drought ravaging Somalia and the rest of the Horn of Africa.

Hunger crisis 

Over 37 million people in the region are projected to reach the third level of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification scale (IPC3) and higher in the coming months.  

This means that the population is in crisis, and only marginally able to meet minimum food needs by depleting essential livelihood assets or through crisis-coping strategies. 

The effects of drought are particularly severe in eastern and southern Ethiopia, eastern and northern Kenya, and southern and central Somalia.  

Food insecurity in South Sudan has reached the most extreme levels since independence in 2011, with 8.3 million people comprising 75 per cent of the population facing severe food insecurity. 

Cost of inaction 

Acute malnutrition leads to increased migration as populations move in search of food and pasture, according to WHO. 

And disruptions often result in deteriorating hygiene and sanitation as outbreaks of infectious diseases, like cholera, measles, and malaria, are already on the rise.  

Moreover, weak vaccination coverage and health services with insufficient resources could see a widespread increase in the number of disease outbreaks in country and across borders.

Care for severely malnourished children with medical complications will be severely impacted and result in high child mortality rates.  

Disruptions in access to health care can further increase morbidity and mortality, as emergency conditions force populations to modify their health-seeking behaviour and prioritize access to life-saving resources such as food and water.

Speakers at CEC seminar highlight the role of religion in Ukraine conflict

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Speakers at CEC seminar highlight the role of religion in Ukraine conflict

Video presentations from CEC seminar on the “role of religion in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine” are now available. The speakers representing Ukrainian churches addressed topics related to global church response, religious diplomacy and the responsibility of European churches in promoting ecumenical dialogue, while safeguarding justice and truth.

Video recording of the virtual seminar was made last month.

Among the speakers are H.E Archbishop Yevstratiy of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Deputy Head of the External Church Relations Department of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, spokesperson for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, Prof. Sergii Bortnyk, member of the Department for External Church relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Professor at the Kiev theological academy (UOC), and Dr Christine Schliesser, Director of Studies at the Center for Faith and Society at the University of Fribourg.

CEC President Rev. Christian Krieger opened the seminar, moderated by CEC Executive Secretary for Theological Dialogue Katerina Pekridou.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February this year, CEC has engaged deeply with its Member Churches, and churches beyond its fellowship, advocating for peace in Ukraine.

CEC has closely following developments in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries, highlighting experiences of the churches in Ukraine, their responses to the war and hopes for the future. CEC through its events, statements and official messages, has highlighted religious voices in Ukraine, especially voices from the churches in the country, raising awareness about the war in Ukraine.

Video: CEC seminar on the “role of religion in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine” 

Visit our page on Church response to Ukraine

New global alliance launched to end AIDS in children by 2030

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New global alliance launched to end AIDS in children by 2030
While more than three quarters of all adults living with HIV are receiving some kind of treatment, the number of children doing so, stands at only 52 per cent. In response to this startling disparity, UN agencies UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, and others, have formed a global alliance to prevent new HIV infections and ensure that by 2030 all HIV positive children can get access to lifesaving treatment.
The new Global Alliance for Ending AIDS in Children by 2030, made up of UN agencies, civil society groups, governments and international partners, was announced at the landmark International AIDS Conference, which comes to a close in Montréal, Canada, on Tuesday.

‘Healthy, informed generation’

Addressing the conference, Limpho Nteko from Lesotho shared her journey from a surprise HIV diagnosis to pioneering the women-led mothers2mothers programme to combat gestational transmission of HIV. Pregnant when diagnosed, Ms. Nteko highlighted the importance of community leadership in combating HIV:

“To succeed, we need a healthy, informed generation of young people who feel free to talk about HIV, and to get the services and support they need to protect themselves and their children from HIV”, she told delegates.

“mothers2mothers has achieved virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for our enrolled clients for eight consecutive years – showing what is possible when we let women and communities create solutions tailored to their realities.” 

Ms. Netko’s emphasis on community leadership will now be backed by the resources of an international coalition.

Four pillars for action

 Together, stakeholders in the alliance have identified four pillars of collective action:

  1. Close the treatment gap among breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with HIV and optimize the continuity of treatment.
  2. Prevent and detect new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women.
  3. Promote accessible testing, optimized treatment, and comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents exposed to and living with HIV.
  4. Address gender equality, and the social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.

The potential success of the alliance rests on its unifying nature. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima argues that, “by bringing together new improved medicines, new political commitment, and the determined activism of communities, we can be the generation who end AIDS in children. We can win this – but we can only win together.”

Only through collaboration at all levels of society, can holistic solutions be created to effectively prevent further HIV transmission, said UNAIDS.

By localizing solutions, while mobilizing worldwide commitment and resources, the alliance aims to stimulate innovation and hone the technical excellence needed to solve this pressing issue. 

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