Calvin Synod Herald, 2000 (101. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-01-01 / 1-2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 7 Orthodox church leaders meet after 60-year hiatus THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JERUSALEM - Setting aside their power struggles, heads of the world’s Eastern Orthodox churches assembled in Jerusalem yesterday, for the biggest Orthodox synod in the Holy Land - and the first in 60 years. In a show of unity, 14 clergymen with miters, robes and heavy golden crosses hanging from their necks gathered around a large table in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem’s walled Old City. Only one leader of the world’s 15 Orthodox churches, out because of an illness, did not attend the two-hour meeting where church history was reviewed and the transition to the future discussed. No resolutions were passed before the religious leaders posed for a group photo. The host, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Diodoros I of Jerusalem, made a passing reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that after “many painful adventures” the residents of the Holy Land were on their way to reconciliation. Diodoros asked his colleagues to work for the stability of their churches - not an easy task considering the rivalries that plague the Orthodox churches with its more than 200 million followers around the world. The biggest dispute is over the role of the patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, whose efforts to consolidate power have been denounced as “neo-papism.” Bartholomew, called the “first among equals” of the Orthodox patriarchs, has been accused of attempting to centralize the church and of getting too close to Orthodoxy’s oldest foe, Catholicism. Orthodoxy’s traditional domain encompasses Russia, much of Eastern Europe, the Balkans and pockets around the Black Sea. Disputes over the Vatican’s power were the main reason the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church split in 1054. Rather than a universal religious body without national borders like Catholicism or Islam, Easter Orthodoxy is organized into 15 independent branches that follow national and religious lines. Russian Patriarch Alexy II is still irked by Bartholomew’s recognition of the autonomy of the Estonian church after it broke off from Moscow. Alexy II fears the Ukrainian Orthodox could ask the same from Bartholomew’s ecumenical seat in Istanbul, Turkey. But Father Alexander, a church spokesman in Jerusalem, played down the rivalries. Home News Tribune Jan. 6, 2000 Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Szabó Dr. Stephen Szabó, the influential former Editor of the Calvin Synod Herald - Reformátusok Lapja, was born in 1902, when the Twentieth Century was in its infancy. After commencing his ministry in Hungary, he was commissioned to go to America and expedite the unification of the several grouping of Hungarian Reformed churches. However, the tragic events of Pearl Harbor brought about a new series of obstacles, hampering the efforts underway, yet he was unable return to his homeland during the war. Another door opened in the pastorate at Toledo, Ohio, where he served until called several years later by the Cleveland, Ohio congregation. As the senior pastor he concluded his remaining active years there, until his retirement, yet he continued to serve the Synod in varied ways. His service for Christ is now in its 74th year. In recognition of his leadership abilities, his colleagues elected him the President of the Synod twice, from 1951-1955 and 1959-1963. But the total story of his ministry is reflected, if only partially, by some interesting statistics: Baptisms 2032, Marriages 1091, Confirmations 1883, Funerals 1459. He delivered about 6000 sermons and lectures, half in English and half in Hungarian, traveling over 4,000 miles along the way. Degrees: First Ministerial Diploma - Sárospatak Seminary, Hungary Second Ministerial Diploma - Sárospatak, Hungary Bachelor of Divinity - Central Seminary, Dayton, OH Master of Sacred Theology - Western Seminary, Pittsb., PA Master of Arts (English Language & Literature) - University of Pittsburgh, PA Doctor of Philosophy - University of Debrecen, Hungary Awards: Honorary President of Sárospatak Seminary, Sárospatak, Hungary Honorary Professor - Debrecen University, Hungary Honorary Vice President - Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Honorary President - American Hungarian Reformed Ministers Association Honorary Bishop - Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ Pastor Emeritus of First Hungarian Reformed Church - Cleveland, OH Honorary Doctor’s Degree - Reformed Seminary, Debrecen, Hungary Doctor of Laws and Letters - Wesley Synod of North America Publications: In the Footsteps of the Reformers - Budapest, Hungary R.W. Emerson’s Thinking - Debrecen, Hungary History of the Holy Dexter - Miskolc, Hungary March of Truth -Wm. Eerdmanns, Grand Rapids, MI March of Truth - Dutch version, Kämpen, Holland Editor: Calvin Synod Herald/Reformátusok Lapja 1963-68 and 1989-1999 □□□
