Father, bless! My name is Sergey. I am a German engineer and belong to The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, which is headquartered in Paris. Previously, we were part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but since 2019 we have been under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarchate. My question concerns the canonization of new saints. In Europe, a significant political event in February was the death of Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison camp. He was a devout Orthodox Christian. After his death, it became apparent to many in the Russian-speaking Christian community that his fate resembled the life and death of the new martyr Alexander of Munich. Among educated people (for example, Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin), there are discussions about whether we can consider Alexei Navalny a martyr. At the same time, other theologians (for example, Archimandrite Savva Mazhuko from Gomel) argue that such discussions are dangerous because they constitute religious myth-making. This issue is beyond my competence, and it is difficult for me to assess the arguments of both sides, but I assume that the opinion of representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate is influenced by the terrorist regime of usurper Putin and therefore may not be entirely objective. I am not sure if you have a specific point of view regarding the life and death of Alexei Navalny, but I would like to know your attitude towards the situation when laypeople begin to venerate deceased individuals in their prayers even before they are officially declared saints by the Church. I am a big fan of your radio shows and sincerely appreciate your contribution to strengthening the Orthodox faith worldwide. I wish all your listeners a blessed fasting period and a peaceful expectation of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Can I ask anonymously? Fr. Evan, I'm learning about Orthodoxy as a Protestant, and I worry about what it would mean to my relationships with my family if I were to join the Orthodox church. I've been told that any church outside Orthodoxy, even if it confesses the same creed, is condemned. I feel like if I were to join it would mean condemning my family and particularly my late grandmother, who was constantly in prayer and would always be singing hymns. It's a very conflicting feeling
@@e.b.03 Hi, Fr. Evan had to cancel his show for tonight due to a death in his parish community. I wanted to let you know I've saved your question and will send it to him next Sunday night the next time he goes live.
@@djondjondon’t you remember the part in the Bible where Jesus says “And only pray to me in Aramaic. Okay, I’m going to withdraw to the other side of the lake for a bit now”?
Father, bless! My name is Sergey. I am a German engineer and belong to The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe, which is headquartered in Paris. Previously, we were part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but since 2019 we have been under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarchate. My question concerns the canonization of new saints. In Europe, a significant political event in February was the death of Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison camp. He was a devout Orthodox Christian. After his death, it became apparent to many in the Russian-speaking Christian community that his fate resembled the life and death of the new martyr Alexander of Munich. Among educated people (for example, Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin), there are discussions about whether we can consider Alexei Navalny a martyr. At the same time, other theologians (for example, Archimandrite Savva Mazhuko from Gomel) argue that such discussions are dangerous because they constitute religious myth-making. This issue is beyond my competence, and it is difficult for me to assess the arguments of both sides, but I assume that the opinion of representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate is influenced by the terrorist regime of usurper Putin and therefore may not be entirely objective. I am not sure if you have a specific point of view regarding the life and death of Alexei Navalny, but I would like to know your attitude towards the situation when laypeople begin to venerate deceased individuals in their prayers even before they are officially declared saints by the Church. I am a big fan of your radio shows and sincerely appreciate your contribution to strengthening the Orthodox faith worldwide. I wish all your listeners a blessed fasting period and a peaceful expectation of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!
