News of the brutal murder of Ethiopian migrant workers in Libya by the so-called Islamic state follows on from their relentless attacks on vulnerable Christians throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  It comes as the Archbishop of Canterbury visits Egypt on an eirenic visit to offer his condolences to His Holiness Pope Tawadros for the similar slaughter earlier this year  of twenty-one poor Coptic workers. Archbishop Welby also met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb. His description of the so-called Islamic state as “deeply evil” echoes the response of both Christian and Islamic leaders.

Writing to His Grace Abune Antonios, the diocesan bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Great Britain, Abba Seraphim offered his deepest sympathy at the shocking news of the brutal murder of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians at the hands of extremists in Libya. Coming so soon after the murder of the Coptic workers, he stated that he shared their grief and anguish. 

“These are terrible times for our Oriental Orthodox churches as we commemorate the centenary of the Armenian Genocide and Syriac Sayfo, to find that we now face the demonic destruction of Orthodox churches and cruel treatment of Christians across the Middle East and Africa at the hands of Daesh. We draw comfort from the knowledge that those who perish at the hands of these vicious murderers remain faithful unto death, have received the crown of life, and now dwell for ever in the presence of their Saviour. We also mourn the tragic loss of life of those recently drowned in the Mediterranean, among whom were Christians from Ethiopia and Eritrea.”

He assured Abune Antonios that the “British Orthodox Church shares your grief and joins with you in fervent prayer for the families and friends of all those killed, who are our brothers in Christ. We pray that these new martyrs will intercede for us with the Lord of mercy.”

Among the events organised by the Armenian Genocide Centenary Commemoration Committee (AGCCC) in the United Kingdom, was a special Service in Southwark Cathedral on 18 April, which Abba Seraphim and Deacon Daniel attended. The Cathedral was very full and people arrived to the sound of the duduk, an ancient double-reed woodwind flute made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia and was proclaimed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The Dean of Southwark (The Very Rev’d Andrew Nunn) warmly welcomed those attending, recalling his fond memories of a recent pilgrimage to Armenia. A number of distinguished speakers were interspersed with cultural interludes of classical music (Handel and Bach) sung by Paula Sides (soprano) accompanied by Victoria Walker on the cello, who also performed a solo. Dr. Charles Tannock, MEP, a doughty champion of Armenia, spoke of the need to proclaim the fact of the Armenian Genocide as the way to healing the past and preventing such atrocities in the future. This theme was picked up and developed by His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh (Russian Orthodox Church) who drew  parallels with current events in the Middle East; Baroness Cox of Queensbury, who emphasised freedom, justice and truth and Professor  William A. Schabus, a Genocide scholar, who warned of the dangers of denial. Towards the end, Dr. Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian Ambassador, spoke movingly of his childhood memories of conversations with his grandmother, a genocide survivor; and of the problems of keeping the ‘secret’ of the memory of the Genocide alive in the hostile environment of the Soviet Union.  The service ended with a prayer and blessing offered by the Bishop of Southwark (The Right Rev’d Christopher Chessum).

In a response to the news that the Turkish Republic has recalled its envoy to the Vatican in retaliation at Pope Francis referring to the Armenian Genocide, Abba Seraphim observed that this came as no surprise, as Turkey has a long history of denial.

Abba Seraphim applauded the Catholic Church, and other churches, who are sharing with the Armenian and Syriac Churches the commemoration of those tragic events, which saw a million and a half Armenians, as well as an estimated 300,000 Syriac Christians, driven to their deaths in a deliberately orchestrated attempt to remove them from their ancient homelands. They died as a consequence of the exertions suffered by the forced deportations of the infirm and elderly, as well as women and children, or by deliberately butchering those who might otherwise have defended themselves and their families.

The historical evidence for these terrible events is overwhelming, whilst Genocide denial, which attempts to distort the facts, questions the motivation of those remembering the victims, and even blames the victims themselves, is shameful and dishonest. Evidence has shown that those nations which can face up to their faults and have the humility to ask forgiveness for their collective sins, grow in moral stature, gain the esteem of their peers and are listened to with respect when they have something to say. Sadly Mr. Erdogan, the current President of Turkey, who, on coming to power, promised a moderate form of Islam, has proved himself authoritarian, increasingly intolerant of criticism, and a destabilising influence in the region as he steadily erodes the secular foundations of the Turkish Republic in favour of increasing Islamicisation.

The recent rise of the so-called Islamic Caliphate is predicated on the same genocidal theories which seeks the destruction of those who do not belong to the same ‘race’, which in this case is not simply a question of ethnicity, but an ever-narrowing interpretation of religious faith. Although a more recent manifestation, it is actually the heir of earlier evils which seek to destroy those whom the Creator brought into being.

Abba Seraphim reiterated that The British Orthodox Church stands in solidarity with our Armenian and Syriac brethren in commemorating these innocents who died in 1915 and will respond positively to the appeal by Their Holinesses the Supreme Catholicos of All Armenian, Patriarch Karekin II and Mar Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch, that they should be remembered at Special Services of Prayer on 21 April.

As in the past few years, Abba Seraphim presided at the Divine Liturgy for Pascha Eve at the Orthodox Church of St. Mary & St. Felix at Babingley in Norfolk, supported by Deacons Mark Saunders and Christopher Barnes, assisted by Subdeacons Roger-Kenneth Player and Trevor-James Maskery. The service was well attended by members of the congregation as well as local Orthodox families from a variety of nationalities. He asked them to keep in prayer Miss Dorothy Cossins, one of the founder members of the parish, who has always faithfully led the congregational singing for all services. She has been confined to home with mobility problems for the past few weeks and may need to move into care in the near future.

In his homily, Abba Seraphim spoke of the Orthodox understanding of Holy Week and the Resurrection Feast. He was pleased to see recently an article in The Guardian by Giles Fraser on the Western emphasis on our Lord’s passion and death, too often based on St. Anselm’s satisfaction theory of atonement and contrasting this with the Orthodox stress on Christ’s resurrection as freeing mankind from the imprisonment of death. He especially liked Fraser’s dismissal of the theological use of ‘economic’ metaphors, “Salvation is not some bloody cosmic accountancy. It’s a prison break.” Abba Seraphim highlighted St. Athanasios the Apostolic’s teachings on resurrection, “Through this union of the immortal Son of God with our human nature, all men were clothed with incorruption in the promise of the resurrection. For the solidarity of mankind is such that, by virtue of the Word’s indwelling in a single human body, the corruption which goes with death has lost its power over all.”  He felt that the saint’s emphasis on the solidarity of mankind was hugely significant, as it correctly represents the nature of God as “the lover of mankind,” rather than a callous despot enslaved by a legalistic concept of His own justice, which detracts from the purpose of the cross as a supreme act of sacrificial love by our Lord. 

On Wednesday, 18th March, Father Peter Farrington and Subdeacon Michael Kennedy drove from Kent to the ancient pilgrim destination of Little Walsingham where they had been invited by the organisers of the Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage to celebrate the Raising of Evening Incense for the participants in the pilgrimage. Walsingham is a wonderful destination at any time, peaceful and spiritual, a village given over almost entirely to pilgrims. It is the site of an appearance of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, in 1061 and became an important place of pilgrimage until the destruction of the monasteries under Henry VIII.

Father Peter and Michael Kennedy arrived in the early evening, and began their visit with prayer in the Anglican Shrine, before joining the other pilgrims in the Refectory for the evening meal. By happy coincidence while checking in at the Reception of the Shrine complex they met Father Ivan Moody, an Orthodox priest and internationally renowned composer. Father Peter has been a friend of Father Ivan online for some time, but this was the first opportunity to meet in person.

Later that evening Father Ivan gave an interesting and informative lecture on the Virgin Mary in the music of the Orthodox Church in the Anglican Shrine. His presentation was enriched by the use of many excerpts of Orthodox liturgical music. Father Peter was pleased to see some familiar faces and greeted Bishop John Goodall, Father Stephen Platt and our old friend Stephen Penna. Later in the pilgrimage he was pleased to meet Metropolitan Kallistos and Mrs. Helen Brock, the wife of the celebrated Syrian scholar, Sebastian Brock.

On Thursday, 19th March, Father Peter and Michael Kennedy were very fortunate to be able to attend a lecture by His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, one of the Trustees of the Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage Trust. He spoke on the Virgin Mary in the writings of Sergius Bulgakov. It was a pleasure to listen to such a master of his subject.

The pilgrimage then moved from the Anglican Shrine to the Catholic National Shrine a little way outside the village, at the medieval Slipper Chapel, where pilgrims would once have removed their shoes and walked the last mile barefoot to the now destroyed Abbey. In the new facilities there a solemn Catholic Mass was celebrated by Bishop Alan Hope. Father Peter greeted the bishop after the mass and presented the best wishes of Metropolitan Seraphim and the British Orthodox Church.

While the pilgrims dispersed to enjoy a lunch of soup and sandwiches, Father Peter and Michael Kennedy greeted Father George Joy of the Indian Orthodox Church, who had been invited to speak about the Virgin Mary in the Indian tradition. Father George gave an interesting presentation on the Virgin Mary in the experience of the Indian Orthodox Church, and then it was late afternoon and time for the Raising of Incense. Our host, Father Mark Woodruff, had kindly produced 50 copies of the text of the Raising of Incense which were distributed among the mixed congregation. Father George kindly celebrated the service with Father Peter, while Subdeacon Michael Kennedy expertly diaconised even though we were in a place of worship we were not familiar with.

The pilgrims participated in the service and it was with some regret that Father Peter and Michael Kennedy set out for home, as the pilgrimage was continuing until Friday afternoon. It had been a most interesting and spiritually fruitful visit and the opportunity to participate had been well worth the journey.