In this talk, first given at the annual Orthodox pilgrimage to the monastery of Barking, England, Fr Alexander Tefft examines the long history of Barking Abbey, a monastery that played an important role in the life of the English Church. He describes the saints connected with the abbey, and poses the question: for Orthodox Christians, living in an increasingly multi-ethnic society, what is the real England?

As the Church of England prepares for a new Archbishop of Canterbury, Fr John Nankivell looks at the life and lasting influence of an earlier Archbishop of that see, St Theodore of Tarsus, focusing on the many ways in which this holy, wise and learned man transformed the Church in England.

September 3-4, 2012, Dürres, Albania. Hegumen Philip Ryabykh, Representative of Russian Orthodox Church in Strasbourg, participated and made a presentation at the Panel discussion entitled “Raising young people’s awareness of common values and their transmission: the role of parents for education, interaction between the family and educators, intergenerational relations”. The panel took place in the context of the Council of Europe 2012 Exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue “Taking responsibility for tomorrow’s Europe: the role of young people in the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue”.

The rue de Crimée is an ordinary street in Paris. Yet go through the gates and into the courtyard and you find yourself in a different world. The noise and bustle of the big city disappears and you are in an oasis of unearthly quiet and peace. This is where the Orthodox Institute of St Serge hides. The builidings are old. The steps are worn down. On the doors of the church there is a two-headed eagle. But nowhere does it feel tired and worn out by age. There is a vibrant, warm feeling of a living joy in faith. Bogoslov.ru presents its readers with an interview with Archpriest Nikolai Chernokrak, lecturer at the Orthodox Institute of St Sergius.

On February 17, 2012, rememberrussia.ru published an interview with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, in which he spoke about the church’s work to cooperate with and support expatriates living in far distant countries and about dialogue with international organizations concerning the persecution of Christians in various parts of the world.