HUGE RUSSIAN MOSAIC ARRIVES AT SERBIA'S LARGEST CHURCH
from: ABC News

(03 May) An enormous Russian mosaic started arriving at the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans Wednesday, in what Serbia's leaders hailed as a sign of "eternal" friendship between the two Slavic nations. The first part of the 40-ton mosaic, personally approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrived in 66 sections at the Saint Sava temple in Belgrade, one of the largest of Orthodox Christian churches in the world.

One section, featuring the head of Jesus, was put on display for people attending a service. When completed by the end of the year, the mosaic will cover some 1,230 square meters (13,230 square feet) of the inside of the church, whose construction started in 1985. State TV reported the mosaic will cost 4 million euros ($4.3 million) and is partly financed by Russian energy giant Gazprom.

At a ceremony inside the sprawling church, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said the mosaic "will once again show our unity and togetherness with the Russian people and the Russian state. We must cherish eternal brotherhood and friendship with the Russian federation in these turbulent times when we need friends most of all," he said. [read more...]

AZERBAIJAN: FINED FOR SELLING RELIGIOUS BOOKS
by Felix Corley: Forum 18 News Service

(10 May) Kifayat Maharramova is the most recent individual known to have been fined to punish her for selling religious literature without the required approval from the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations. She was fined in Azerbaijan's second city Gyanja [Gäncä] on 1 May. In 2017, two booksellers in the capital Baku failed to overturn similar fines on appeal. All three were fined 2,000 Manats each, equivalent to about four months' average wages for those in work.

In the southern town of Astara close to the southern border with Iran, Police are investigating after officers seized "banned" religious books. However, in Baku in March a court handed down an acquittal after a bookshop that sells Christian books proved that the items it had on sale had State Committee approval or were sample copies to be submitted for such approval. Eight years after it first applied, the State Committee has finally given the shop the licence it needs to sell religious books and items.

Forum 18 was unable to reach Nahid Mammadov, head of the State Committee "Expert Analysis" (Censorship) Department in Baku. His colleagues told Forum 18 on 10 May that he was not in the office and no one else was able to answer any questions about the religious censorship system. Religious literature and other materials can be sold or distributed only at specialised outlets which have been approved both by the State Committee and the local administration.

In addition, all religious literature produced in, published in (including on the internet) or imported into Azerbaijan is subject to prior compulsory censorship. When the State Committee does give permission to publish or import a work it also specifies how many copies can be produced or imported. All religious materials sold must have a sticker noting that they have State Committee approval. State officials have repeatedly denied that this represents censorship. [read more...]

ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE FOR VICTIMS OF WORLD WAR II HELD IN ODESA
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine

(09 May) Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and representatives of other religions gathered at the monument to the Unknown Sailor in Odesa Shevchenko park, as reported by Radio Liberty. They remembered the victims of World War II, and prayed for peace in Ukraine and those who are defending its territorial integrity in the Donbas.

Also, community activists organized a photo exhibition dedicated to the Ukrainian military killed in eastern Ukraine. The participants, including police officers who provided public safety for the memorial action attached to their clothing red poppies - a symbol of memory of victims of international armed conflicts. [read more...]

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE FAVOR STRONG ROLE FOR RUSSIA IN GEOPOLITICS, RELIGION
from: Pew Research

(11 May) Roughly a quarter century after the end of the Soviet era, Russia retains substantial influence throughout many parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Indeed, Russia is widely viewed by the region’s Orthodox Christians as an important counterweight to Western influences and as a global protector of Orthodox and ethnic Russian populations, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 18 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Majorities or pluralities in nearly all Orthodox-majority countries surveyed agree that a strong Russia is necessary to balance the influence of the West, and that Russia has an obligation to protect Orthodox Christians and ethnic Russians outside its borders.

This sentiment prevails even in the three Orthodox-majority countries surveyed that are members of the European Union: Bulgaria, Greece and Romania. But pro-Russia sentiment tends to run strongest in former Soviet republics that have Orthodox majorities and are not in the EU, including Armenia, Belarus and Moldova. Support for Russia’s geopolitical and religious role is noticeably weaker in Ukraine, an Orthodox-majority country that is still engaged in conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In addition, people in Catholic-majority or religiously mixed countries in Central and Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Hungary, are much less likely to support a strong role for Russia.

Excepting Ukraine, support for Russia’s role is widespread throughout the other Orthodox-majority countries we surveyed. For instance, seven-in-ten or more people in Greece (70%), Belarus (76%), Serbia (80%), Armenia (83%) and Russia itself (85%) completely or mostly agree with the statement, “A strong Russia is necessary to balance the influence of the West.” Further analysis shows that people who agree that conflict exists between Western values and the traditional values of their own country are more likely than others to say a strong Russia is necessary to balance the influence of the West. [read more...]

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT NAMES ORTHODOXY AS KEY PRIORITY
from: Interfax-Religion

(10 May) There are four things that are non-negotiable for Moldova, President Igor Dodon said. "I always tell our partners that there are three or four things which I will never agree to make a subject of negotiations: these are our statehood, the preservation of Moldova, and the non-unification with any other countries. Secondly, there is our neutrality; NATO is categorically unacceptable. The third matter of principle is our Orthodoxy," Dodon said at a meeting with Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin on Wednesday.

Moldova does not need those European values "that are being imposed on the Moldovans one way or another," he said. The fourth non-negotiable issue is the strategic partnership "with our Russian friends," he said. "These are the four matters of principle, which are not subject to negotiations. Importantly, a majority of Moldovan citizens support these four points," Dodon said. [read more...]

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS: WORSE THAN IN UKRAINE, BETTER THAN IN RUSSIA
from: Belarus Digest

(10 May) Last month, the Pew Research Centre released its Global Restrictions on Religion report, which gauges barriers imposed by governments as well as social hostilities towards religious organisations. Out of the nearly 200 countries studied, Belarus ranked among the 'high-risk' group when it comes to religious restrictions. In a regional context, Belarus fared worse than neighbouring Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic States, but better than in Russia. Rather surprisingly, Belarus scored relatively well with regards to the level of social hostility towards religious groups.

As another social survey demonstrated, all major Christian churches in Belarus enjoy a relatively high level of social trust. The Belarusian Orthodox Church, however, given its privileged position vis-a-vis state authorities, is more influential than others. Nevertheless, despite the significantly lower human and financial resources of other Christian confessions, Belarusians did show some trust towards them as well.

In its 'Global Restrictions on Religion' report, the Pew Research Centre, a Washington-based non-partisan fact tank, measures the level of government restrictions and social hostility towards religions in nearly 200 countries. Overall, religious restrictions imposed by the Belarusian government were less severe than in Russia, which was ranked as a 'very high-risk' country. Belarus's neighbours, such as Ukraine and Poland, scored 'moderate', while the level of restrictions in Lithuania ranked 'low'. [read more...]

HOW DID THE HOMELESS OCCUPY AN UPSCALE HOUSE OUTSIDE OF MOSCOW?
from Russia Beyond the Headlines

METROPOLITAN HILARION OF VOLOKOLAMSK SPOKE IN WASHINGTON D.C. AT WORLD SUMMIT IN DEFENSE OF PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
from Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate

METROPOLITAN HILARION MEETS PENCE, CALLS FOR 'SINGLE COALITION' AGAINST TERROR
from RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

VITALY VLASENKO RESIGNS AS “FOREIGN MINISTER” OF RUSSIA’S BAPTIST UNION
from Russian Evangelical Alliance

EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS TO ARRANGE 55 SUMMER CAMPS FOR CHILDREN IN ATO ZONE
from Religious Information Service of Ukraine

NATIONS IN NEED, BUT ONLY ONE YOU
from Mission Network News

THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DOES NOT SHARE THE VIEW THAT IT IS "IN THE KREMLIN'S POCKET"
from Interfax-Religion

ATTEMPT TO SET FIRE TO PENTECOSTALS' HOUSE OF PRAYER IN KEMEROVO PROVINCE
from SOVA Center

ALESYA’S TESTIMONY: MINISTERING TO CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN BELARUS
from Mission Eurasia

PATRIARCH KIRILL COULD VISIT U.S. IN NEAR FUTURE, SAYS MET. HILARION
from Pravoslavie.ru

RUSSIAN BLOGGER CONVICTED OF 'INCITING RELIGIOUS HATRED' FOR PLAYING 'POKEMON GO' IN CHURCH
from ABC News

May 10, 2017 - Mike Pence: 'We will finally defund Planned Parenthood'

May 09, 2017 - Why Computers Are Less Expensive Than Health Care

May 08, 2017 - Central Banking Is the Health of the State... But Not of the People

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Our first news article HUGE RUSSIAN MOSAIC ARRIVES AT SERBIA'S LARGEST CHURCH tells of the "eternal" friendship between Serbia and Russia. In our two news articles ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE FAVOR STRONG ROLE FOR RUSSIA IN GEOPOLITICS, RELIGION and in MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT NAMES ORTHODOXY AS KEY PRIORITY we see the importance of religion in the public life of several Central European countries, and the huge extent that these people's Orthodox influences their political leaning toward Russia.

Meanwhile, THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DOES NOT SHARE THE VIEW THAT IT IS "IN THE KREMLIN'S POCKET" (to quote Shakespeare, "Methinks the lady doth protest too much!") and the lack of religious freedom continues in former Soviet republics: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN BELARUS: WORSE THAN IN UKRAINE, BETTER THAN IN RUSSIA - that's Russia where hardline Orthodox have denied religious liberty to Jehovah's Witnesses nationwide and "unknown hooligans" ATTEMPT TO SET FIRE TO PENTECOSTALS' HOUSE OF PRAYER IN KEMEROVO PROVINCE. Those nasty old "unknown hooligans" are up to it again, and they will never be caught: what a shame! As the saying goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same!"

There can be no true faith without freedom, and no true freedom without faith: the two are inseparable.

Be sure to read the full news article linked to from our "OTHER NEWS HEADLINES" HOW DID THE HOMELESS OCCUPY AN UPSCALE HOUSE OUTSIDE OF MOSCOW? It's an amazing story of how Yemelyan Sosisnsky has helped 35 homeless people restore their dignity by providing them decent homes. Yemelyan says - "Every Christian, in addition to a belief in God, must show it with deeds. Otherwise, their faith turns out be to be somehow empty."

The next two "OTHER NEWS HEADLINES" tell of Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion's visit to the U.S. in which he spoke at a conference on defending persecuted Christians around the world, and while there he met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. This issue has so many headlines, each of which could be an entire article -- but then the newsletter would be just too long!

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