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Christianity in the 21st century is characterized by the pursuit of church unity and the continued resistance topersecution andsecularization.[1][2]
With the election ofPope Benedict XVI, there was decentralized beatifications and reverted a decision ofJohn Paul II regarding papal elections.[3] Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamentalChristian values to counter the increasedsecularisation of manyWestern countries. He taught the importance of both the Catholic Church and an understanding of God's redemptive love.[4] Pope Benedict also revived a number of traditions, including elevating theTridentine Mass to a more prominent position.[5] He strengthened the relationship between theCatholic Church and art, promoted the use ofLatin,[6] and reintroduced traditional papal garments, for which reason he was called "the pope of aesthetics".[7]
Major lawsuits emerged in 2001, during the pontificate of John Paul II, claiming that priests had sexually abused minors.[8] As a cardinal, Benedict convinced John Paul II to put his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in charge of all investigations and policies surrounding sexual abuse in order to combat such abuse more efficiently.[9] In 2006 Pope Benedict XVI removedLegion of Christ founderMarcial Maciel from active ministry based on the results of an investigation that he had started while head of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, before his election as Pope in April 2005. Maciel was ordered "to conduct a reserved life of prayer and penance, renouncing every public ministry."[10] As pope, Benedict defrocked at least 400 priests.[11]
In July 2007, Pope Benedict issued themotu proprioSummorum Pontificum, allowing priests tocelebrate the Tridentine Mass without first having to receive permission from their local ordinary.[12][13] The PriestlySociety of Saint Pius X, which was consulted by Pope Benedict during the process, said in a statement that it "extends its deep gratitude to (Pope Benedict) for this great spiritual benefit" and "rejoices to see the Church thus regain her liturgical Tradition, and give the possibility of a free access to the treasure of the Traditional Mass ... (for those) who had so far been deprived of it."[14] The JewishAnti-Defamation League (ADL) attacked themotu proprio, because the text of theGood Friday Prayer for the Jews in the 1962 Missal includes a request to God to "lift the veil" from Jewish hearts and to show mercy, according to one translation, "even to the Jews" (or "also to the Jews"), and refers to "the blindness of that people" (to Christ).[15] In reply to such criticisms, Dr John Newton, editor ofBaronius Press, pointed out that the prayer draws heavily on 2 Corinthians chapters 3 and 4, and the invocation for God to "lift the veil from their hearts" is a direct quote from2 Cor 3:15.[16] These guidelines remained in place until July 2021, when Pope Francis abrogatedSummorum Pontificum.[17]
In October 2009, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced Pope Benedict XVI's intention to create a new type of ecclesiastical structure, called apersonal ordinariate, for groups of Anglicans entering into full communion with the see of Rome.[18] This created structures for former Anglicans within the Catholic Church independent of existingLatin Church dioceses. The personal ordinariates utilize theAnglican Use for their liturgy, ause of theRoman Rite modified with Anglican elements; the ordinariates also retain elements of Anglican spirituality and religious practice, including married priests but not married bishops.Anglicanorum coetibus was issued on 4 November 2009. "The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is equivalent to a diocese, created by the Vatican in 2012 for people nurtured in the Anglican tradition who wish to become Catholic."[19]
With support from Pope Benedict, in November 2011, CardinalAntonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of theCongregation for Divine Worship, established a "Liturgical art and sacred music commission" which will be responsible for evaluating both new construction and renovation projects as well as music used during the celebration of Mass to ensure that they comply with church guidelines.[20] Previously, it was common for churches to be renovated in a way critics often described as a "wreckovation."
On 28 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVIresigned from his ministry as pope.[21] Benedict's decision tostep down[note 1] as leader of the Catholic Church made him the first pope to relinquish the office sinceGregory XII in 1415[21] (who did so in order to end theWestern Schism), the first to do so on his own initiative sinceCelestine V in 1294,[22]
Elected in 2013,Pope Francis displayed a simpler and less formal approach to the office, choosing to reside in theVatican guesthouse rather than thepapal residence.[23] Following theresignation of Benedict, Francis became the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from theAmericas, and the first from theSouthern Hemisphere.[24]
On 18 June 2015, Francis released hisencyclicalLaudato si', in which he critiquedconsumerism andirresponsible development, lamentsenvironmental degradation andglobal warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action."[25]
On 2 August 2018, it was announced that theCatechism of the Catholic Church would be revised to state that the Church teaches that "thedeath penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person".[26][27] A full letter to thebishops regarding the change stated that it was consistent with the previous teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the dignity of human life, and that it reflected how modern society had better prison systems with a goal ofcriminal rehabilitation that made the death penalty unnecessary for the protection of innocent people.[28]
In March 2020 all public masses were suspended in Vatican City and Italy due to thecoronavirus pandemic. These suspensions began in late-February in the Archdioceses ofMilan andVenice and were extended to the rest of the Italian peninsula on 8 March.[29] Setting an example for churches unable to celebrate public masses due to the lockdown, Pope Francis began livestreaming daily masses from his home on 9 March.[30] Outside Italy, masses in cities around the world were suspended in the days that followed.[31][32] At the height of the outbreak in Italy,[33] on 27 March, Pope Francis imparted theUrbi et Orbi blessing, normally reserved for Christmas and Easter, from an emptySaint Peter's Square following a prayer for the health of all the world.[34][35] For the prayer service, Francis brought the crucifix fromSan Marcello al Corso which had processed through the streets of Rome during a plague in 1522 and is believed to have led tomiraculous curing.[36] The prayer service concluded withBenediction of the Blessed Sacrament, as church bells were rung andsirens blared across Rome.[37][38] The spread of COVID-19 soon slowed in Italy and public masses were allowed to resume on 18 May, with Pope Francis celebrating his last daily live-stream mass and first public mass since thelockdown on the centenary of the birth of Pope John Paul II.[39]
In March 2022, Francis promulgated the apostolic constitutionPraedicate evangelium, reforming theRoman Curia and allowing lay Catholics to leaddicasteries.[40]
Francis died on 21 April 2025, the morning after greeting people in St. Peter's Square for Easter Sunday. His successorPope Leo XIV was elected by the College of Cardinals on 8 May 2025.[41]
ThePan-Orthodox Council, officially styled the Holy and Great Synod, opened atCrete, on 19 June 2016. The 10 Churches that sent representatives to Crete were theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Churches ofAlexandria,Jerusalem,Serbia,Romania,Greece,Poland,Albania,Cyprus and theCzech Lands and Slovakia. Of the 14 national Orthodox churches, four did not attend the event, including theRussian Orthodox Church, theGeorgian andBulgarian Orthodox Churches, as well as theOrthodox Church of Antioch. The Council concluded on 26 June 2016, the Sunday of All Saints, with a Patriarchal Concelebration.
On 11 October 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople announced it would grant autocephaly to the "Church of Ukraine" thus separating it from the canonical jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.[42] Four days later, the Moscow Patriarchatebroke the communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over the latter's endorsement of the Ukrainian Orthodox church'sautocephaly.[43][44] The decision was made following a meeting of theRussian Holy Synod inMinsk, the capital ofBelarus.Metropolitan Hilarion announced that the Moscow Patriarchate had taken the decision to "rupturefull communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate",[45] meaning that priests from the two churches will not be able to serve together while worshippers of one cannot take communion in the other.[46]
Two months later, on 15 December 2018, aunification council was convoked by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople atSt Sophia's Cathedral inKyiv, during which theKyiv Patriarchate, theUkrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and parts of theUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) were united into a single church: theUkrainian Orthodox Church.[47]Metropolitan Epiphanius was elected the firstMetropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine of the newly unified Ukrainian church.[48]Patriarch Kirill of Moscow denounced the new Ukrainian Church as "a union of two schismatic groups."[49]
On 5 January 2019,Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed atomos officially granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The tomos was signed at St. George's Cathedral in the presence ofPetro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, and was presented to Metropolitan Epiphanius to be brought to Kyiv in time forChristmas, the first liturgy celebrated by the united Ukrainian Orthodox Church.[50][49]
On 30 May 2019, Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Synodal Department for Church, Society and Media Relations of the ROC, said the ROC was aware of the efforts of the Church of Cyprus primate,Chrysostomos II, and added that "to some extent [Chrysostomos'] actions can be considered in line with the ROC proposal (...) He has consistently held talks with representatives from various local Churches, telling of the need to resolve the problem" Legoyda also said the ROC "has repeatedly stressed the desire and the need for a pan-Orthodox decision on this issue because it cannot be resolved unilaterally"[51]
On 12 October 2019, the Orthodox Church of Greece, headed by the ArchbishopIeronymos II recognized the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, stating that "the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has the right to granting autocephalies"[52][53][54]
On 8 November 2019, thePatriarchate of Alexandria, ranked second in the diptych of the Eastern Orthodox Churches of the world, officially announced it had recognized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, andPatriarch Theodore II of Alexandria formally recognised the Autocephaly granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine earlier that year.[55][56]
On 24 October 2020, the primate of the Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, commemorated Epiphanius of Ukraine during the Divine Liturgy, thus recognising the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.[57]
In early July 2020, theTurkish Council of State annulled theCabinet's 1934 decision to establish the museum, revoking the monument's status, and a subsequent decree by Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the reclassification ofHagia Sophia as a mosque.[58][59][60] The 1934 decree was ruled to be unlawful under both Ottoman and Turkish law as Hagia Sophia'swaqf, endowed by Sultan Mehmed, had designated the site a mosque; proponents of the decision argued the Hagia Sophia was the personal property of the sultan.[61][62][63] This redesignation is controversial, invoking condemnation from the Turkish opposition, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople,UNESCO, theWorld Council of Churches, theInternational Association of Byzantine Studies, and many international leaders.[64][65]
In November 2019, the Turkish Council of State, Turkey's highest administrative court, ordered thatChora Church was to be reconverted to a mosque.[66] In August 2020, its status changed to a mosque.[67] The move to convert Chora Church into a mosque was condemned by the Greek Foreign Ministry and Christians.[68] This caused a sharp rebuke by Turkey.[69]
The President of North Macedonia expressed his hope and expectation for a final settlement of the administrative status of his country's church in the near future through the granting of an Autocephaly Tomos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, stressing that the completion of the autocephaly of the church of North Macedonia is a top national interest. The Holy and Sacred Synod of Constantinople convened Monday May 9, 2022, under the chairmanship of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and discussed extensively the ecclesiastical matter of Skopje. Having assessed in its final stage the petition of appeal of that Church to the Mother Church, along with the repeated pleas of the State of North Macedonia, the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced that it welcomes in Eucharistic communion "the hierarchy, clergy, and people of this Church under Archbishop Stefan." It makes clear that it excludes the term "Macedonian" and any other derivative of the word "Macedonia", and recognizes the name of the Church as "Ohrid". Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew clarified that it was up to the Church of Serbia to settle the administrative issues between it and the Church in North Macedonia. He promises to continue to be interested in the progress and stability of the Ohrid ecclesiastical entity.[70]
The Serbian Orthodox Church accepted the request of the Church of North Macedonia to acquire autocephaly. On May 24, 2022, the Patriarch of Serbia and the Archbishop of Ohrid co-officiated the Divine Liturgy for the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the Cathedral of Saint Clement of Ohrid in Skopje.
Postmodern Christianity has influenced the emerging church movement, with proponents challenging the mainstream Christianity on issues such as: institutional structures,systematic theology, propositional teaching methods, a perceived preoccupation with buildings, an attractional understanding of mission, professionalclergy, and a perceived preoccupation with the political process and unhelpful jargon ("Christian-ese").[71] Globally, megachurches are a significant development in Protestant Christianity.[72] In the United States, the phenomenon has more than quadrupled in the past two decades.[73] It has since spread worldwide. In 2007, five of the ten largest Protestant churches were inSouth Korea.[74] The largest megachurch in the United States isLakewood Church inHouston,Texas with more than 40,000 members every weekend and the current largest megachurch in the world is South Korea'sYoido Full Gospel Church, anAssemblies of God church, with more than 830,000 members as of 2007.[74][75]
Mark Driscoll, a leader in the emerging church movement, had more than 12,000 followers atMars Hill Church inSeattle, Washington before controversy led to Driscoll's resignation in 2014 and Mars Hill's dissolution.[76][77] Like other churches in the emerging church movement, Mars Hill combinedalternative worship withCalvinist theology. In 2015, not without controversy, a video featuring Driscoll was featured at aHillsong Church conference inSydney,Australia.[78] Hillsong Church is amegachurch, founded in 1983, that has grown to over 100,000 followers.[79] Their 2013 song "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" was released and spent 61 weeks atop theBillboardHot Christian Songs chart, longer than any other song.[80]
Some megachurches, including Lakewood[81] and Yoido Full,[82] teachprosperity theology, a controversial doctrine seen as a heresy by most Christians. In 2007,U.S. SenatorChuck Grassley opened a probe into the finances of six televangelism ministries that promoted prosperity theology:Kenneth Copeland Ministries,Creflo Dollar Ministries, Benny Hinn Ministries,Bishop Eddie Long Ministries,Joyce Meyer Ministries, andPaula White Ministries. In January 2011, Grassley concluded his investigation stating that he believed self-regulation by religious organizations was preferable to government action.[83] Only the ministries led by Meyer and Hinn cooperated with Grassley's investigation.[83] Theinauguration ofDonald Trump as the 45thPresident of the United States in 2017 featured prayers from two preachers known for advocating prosperity theology.[84] Paula White, one of Trump's spiritual advisers, gave the invocation.[85]
The heterodoxShincheonji megachurch was the source of theCOVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, with most cases in South Korea being tied to the spread of theSARS-CoV-2 virus within the megachurch.[86] On 1 March 2020, Seoul mayorPark Won-soon announced that the Seoul City Government had made a criminal complaint about the church's pastorLee Man-hee, whom Shincheonji adherents believed to be the messiah, asking for an investigation into him and twelve others connected to the sect on charges of murder by negligence and violations of the Disease Control Act, citing their negligence in preventing an outbreak among their congregants and their refusal to cooperate with the government throughout the crisis.[87]
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One month prior to theLambeth Conference, the ten-yearly gathering ofAnglican Communion bishops, a seven-dayconference of conservativeAnglican bishops and leaders held inJerusalem from 22 to 29 June 2008 to address the growing controversy of the divisions in the Anglican Communion, the rise of secularism, as well as concerns withHIV/AIDS and poverty. As a result of the conference, theJerusalem Declaration was issued and theFellowship of Confessing Anglicans was created. The conference participants also called for the creation of theAnglican Church in North America (ANCA), as an alternative to theEpiscopal Church in the United States and theAnglican Church of Canada, and declared that recognition by theArchbishop of Canterbury is not necessary to Anglican identity.[88] Follow-up conferences have been held every five years since 2008.
The conventions of four dioceses of the Episcopal Church voted in 2007 and 2008 to leave that church and to join theAnglican Church of the Southern Cone of America. Twelve other jurisdictions, serving an estimated 100,000 persons at that time, formed the ACNA on December 3–4, 2008. The ACNA is seeking official recognition as a province within the Anglican Communion.[89] TheAnglican Church of Nigeria declared itself in communion with the new church in March 2009 and the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans recognized it as well.[90][91] In June 2009, theAnglican Church of Uganda also declared itself in full communion with ACNA, and theAnglican Church of Sudan followed suit in December 2011.[92][93]
Two of the major events which contributed to the Anglican realignment were the 2002 decision of theDiocese of New Westminster in Canada to authorise a rite of blessing forsame-sex unions, and the nomination of two openly gay priests in 2003 to become bishops.Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest with a long-time partner, was appointed to be the nextBishop of Reading in theChurch of England and theGeneral Convention of the Episcopal Church ratified the election ofGene Robinson, an openly[94] gay non-celibate[95] man, asBishop of New Hampshire. Jeffrey John ultimately declined the appointment due to pressure.
Like many othermainline Protestant denominations in the United States, theUnited Methodist Church has experienced significant membership losses in recent decades. By the opening of the 2008 General Conference, total UMC membership was estimated at 11.4 million, with about 7.9 million in the US and 3.5 million overseas. Significantly, about 20 percent of the conference delegates were from Africa, with Filipinos and Europeans making up another 10 percent.[96] During the conference, the delegates voted to finalize the induction of the Methodist Church of theIvory Coast and its 700,000 members into the denomination.[96] OneCongolese bishop has estimated that typical Sunday attendance of the UMC is higher in his country than in the entire United States.[96]
Given current trends in the UMC, with overseas churches growing, especially in Africa, and US churches collectively losing about 1,000 members a week,[96] American influence on the UMC is declining. In February 2019, a Special Session of theGeneral Conference of the United Methodist Church was held inSt. Louis, Missouri, to examinechurch teachings on human sexuality. While most American delegates at the General Conference supported the One Church Plan, a resolution that would have made the UMCopen and affirming on LGBT issues, allowing individual conferences to allow same-sex marriage and openly gay clergy, the resolution failed. In its place, the Traditional Plan, opposed by most American delegates but supported by the African delegates, was passed by the conference. The Traditional Plan reaffirms traditional teachings on sexuality, penalizes UMC clergy who conduct same-sex marriages or ordain openly gay clergy beginning in 2020.[97]
Some conferences have allowed both same-sex marriage and openly gay clergy for years. One conference in theAmerican Southwest has a lesbian bishop,Karen Oliveto. It is unknown how these clergy will be affected by the rule change. A similar General Conference decision in 1984 led to the early retirement of some openly gay clergy, includingPaul Abels.[98] Many progressive clergy have vowed to ignore the new rules if and when they come into effect, and many clergy and congregations are openly contemplating the idea of a schism within the United Methodist Church.[99]
With the Traditional Plan in place, the UMC increasingly saw schism as inevitable and so plans were drawn up to be voted upon at 2020 General Conference.[100] However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the General Conference was delayed to 2021.[101]
The concept of aninternet church, utilizing livestreams of services on websites such as Youtube and Zoom, matured in the 21st century. This method of church attendance gained popularity as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, when in-person church services were interrupted.[102]
In April 2006, one person was killed and twelve injured in simultaneous knife attacks on three Coptic churches in Alexandria.[103]
In November 2008, several thousand Muslims attacked a Coptic church in a suburb of Cairo on the day of its inauguration, forcing 800 Coptic Christians to barricade themselves in.[citation needed]
In April 2009, two Christian men were shot dead and another was injured byMuslim men after anEaster vigil in the south of Egypt.[104]
On 18 September 2009, a Muslim man named Osama Araban beheaded aCoptic Christian man in the village of Bagour, and injured 2 others in 2 different villages. He was arrested the following day.[105]
On the eve of 7 January 2010, as worshippers were leaving the Mar-Yuhanna (St. John) church inNag Hammadi after EasternChristmas Mass(which finishes around midnight), three Muslim men in a car opened fire,killing 8 Christians and injuring another 10.[106][107]
On New Year's Day 2011, just 20 minutes after midnight as Christians were leaving aCoptic Orthodox Church in the city ofAlexandria after a New Year's Eve servicea car bomb exploded in front of the Church killing more than 23 and injuring more than 75.[108][109][110]
InTahrir Square,Cairo, on Wednesday 2 February 2011, Coptic Christians joined hands to provide a protective cordon around their Muslim neighbors duringsalat (prayers) in the midst of the2011 Egyptian Revolution.[111]
On 7 May 2011, an armed group of Islamists, includingSalafists,attacked and set fire to two churches includingSaint Menas Coptic Orthodox Christian Church and the Coptic Church of the Holy Virgin, in Cairo. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 12 people and more than 230 wounded. It is reported that the events were triggered by a mixed marriage between a Christian woman and a Muslim man.[112]
On 17 March 2012, theCoptic Orthodox Pope,Shenouda III died, leaving many Copts mourning and worrying as tensions rose withMuslims. Shenouda III had constantly met with Muslim leaders in order to create peace. Many were worried about Muslims controlling Egypt, as theMuslim Brotherhood had won 70% of the parliamentary elections.[113][114]Tawadros II was elected Pope on 4 November 2012.
In February 2015, twenty-one Coptic Christians werekidnapped and beheaded in Libya by ISIS insurgents. Six days later, they were canonized as martyrs by Pope Tawadros II.[115]
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In January 2017, followingtwin terrorist attacks that killed at least 27 Coptic Egyptians atSt. Peter and St. Paul's Church in Cairo in December 2016, thePresident of EgyptAbdel Fattah el-Sisi commissioned the construction of the country's largest mosque and church in the new administrative capital to become symbols of coexistence and national unity.[116] For decades, the building of churches in Egypt was restricted to avoid offendingIslam. TheCathedral of the Nativity in Cairo was inaugurated on 6 January 2019 by President el-Sisi and Pope Tawadros II.[117] On the same day of the inauguration,Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the chapel of the cathedral with the participation of some 3,000 people that included representatives from all over the country.[118][119]
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The construction of theHoly Mother of God Cathedral inStepanakert,Nagorno-Karabakh began in 2006.[120]
In October 2013 Father Asoghik Karapetyan, the director of the Museum of theMother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, stated on television that an atheist Armenian is not a "true Armenian". A spokesperson for the Armenian Apostolic Church stated that it is his personal view.[121] The statement received considerable criticism,[122] though Asoghik did not retract his statement.[123] In an editorial in the liberalAravot daily Aram Abrahamyan suggested that religious identity should not be equated with national (ethnic) identity and it is up to every individual to decide whether they are Armenian or not, regardless of religion.[124] According to a 2018 survey by thePew Research Center, in Armenia 82% of respondents say it is very or somewhat important to be a Christian to be truly Armenian.[125]
On 24 April 2015, the Armenian Apostolic Churchcanonized all of the victims of theArmenian genocide as martyrs, which began a hundred years prior to the following day on 24 April 1915; this service is believed to be the largest canonization service in history.[126][127][128] It was the first canonization by the Armenian Apostolic Church in four hundred years.[129]
On 26 September 2017, adeaconess was consecrated in theTehran Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the first Armenian deaconess in a hundred years.[130]
On 3 October 2019, Turkish newspaperHürriyet reported on a 2012 lawsuit advancing throughTurkish courts; the lawsuit was filed by PatriarchNourhan Manougianof Jerusalem in an attempt to reclaim patriarchate property confiscated by theTurkish government during the Armenian genocide in 1915.[131] According to Patriarch Manougian, the "Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem owned around 1,200 properties in Istanbul alone" prior to the genocide.[131] The court had originally dismissed the case in 2012, despite the patriarchate winning an appeal, but a decision from theConstitutional Court of Turkey ruled on 12 September 2019 that the previous court had violated the rights of the patriarchate.[131]
Amidst the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, on 8 October 2020, the mother church of Artsakhtsi ChristiansGhazanchetsots Cathedral inShushi was bombed by theAzerbaijani Armed Forces.[132] ArchbishopPargev Martirosyan ofArtsakh compared the shelling with the actions ofIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant, saying "They are bombarding our spiritual values, when we are restoring and preserving mosques".[133] Another priest at the cathedral said "I feel the pain that the walls of our beautiful cathedral are destroyed. I feel the pain that today the world does not react to what's happening here and that our boys are dying defending our Motherland".[134]
PatriarchAbune Paulos died on 16 August 2012, followed four days later byEthiopian Prime MinisterMeles Zenawi.[135] On 28 February 2013, a college of electors assembled inAddis Ababa and electedAbune Mathias to be the 6th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.[136]
On 25 July 2018, delegates from the Patriarchate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and those in the United States, declared reunification in Washington, D.C., with the assistance of Ethiopian Prime MinisterAbiy Ahmed.[137] Declaring the end of a 26 year old schism, which began in 1991 when theEthiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front seized power in Ethiopia and exiled the patriarch, the Church announced that it now acknowledges two patriarchs:Abune Merkorios, the 4th Patriarch of Ethiopia, and Abune Mathias, the 6th Patriarch of Ethiopia.
The first Patriarch of the newly independentEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church,Abune Phillipos, died in 2002 and was succeeded byAbune Yacob. The reign of Abune Yacob asPatriarch of Eritrea was very brief as he died not long after his enthronement, and he was succeeded byAbune Antonios as the 3rd Patriarch of Eritrea. Abune Antonios was elected on 5 March 2004, and enthroned as the third Patriarch of Eritrea on 24 April 2004. CopticPope Shenouda III of Alexandria presided at the ceremony inAsmara, together with the Holy Synod of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and a Coptic Orthodox Church delegation.
In August 2005, Abune Antonios, the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, was confined to a strictly ceremonial role. In a letter dated 13 January 2006, Patriarch Abune Antonios was informed that following several sessions of the church's Holy Synod, he had been formally deposed. In a written response that was widely published, the Patriarch rejected the grounds of his dismissal, questioned the legitimacy of the synod, and excommunicated two signatories to the 13 January 2006 letter, including Yoftahe Dimetros, whom the Patriarch identified as being responsible for the church's recent upheavals. Patriarch Antonios also appealed his case to the Council of the Monasteries of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Abune Antonios was deposed by the Eritrean Holy Synod[138] supposedly under pressure from the Eritrean government and he remains under house arrest.[139] Abuna Antonios was replaced byAbune Dioskoros as the 4th Patriarch of Eritrea. Many believe that Abune Antonios was wrongly deposed and still consider him Patriarch. Many Eritrean Orthodox followers disagree with the Eritrean government making decisions in religious matters.[140] The ruling Patriarch Abune Dioskoros died on 21 December 2015.[141] His seat remained vacant until 2021 when he was succeeded by AbuneQerlos.
After thefall of Mosul, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant demanded thatAssyrian Christians living in the cityconvert to Islam, pay tribute, or face execution, by 19 July 2014.[142][143][144][145] Al-Baghdadi further noted that Christians who do not agree to follow those terms must "leave the borders of the Islamic Caliphate" within a specified deadline.[145] This resulted in a complete Assyrian Christian exodus from Mosul, marking the end of 1,600 years of continuous Christian presence.[146] A church mass was not held in Mosul for the first time in 1,800 years.[147] On 9 July 2017, Iraqi Prime MinisterHaider Al-Abadi arrived in preparation to announce the full liberation of Mosul and reclaim the city after three years of ISIL control.[148]
On 18 February 2001, Pope John Paul II during hisAngelus address commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of thebaptism of the Armenian people and referred to St.Gregory of Narek (Armenian:Գրիգոր Նարեկացի) as "the great doctor of the Armenian Church."[149] In September 2001, John Paul II traveled to Armenia and participated in an ecumenical liturgy at the newly consecratedCathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator inYerevan.[150]
On 12 April 2015, onDivine Mercy Sunday, during a Mass for thecentennial of theArmenian genocide atSt. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis officially proclaimed St. Gregory of Narek as a Doctor of the Church in attendance of Armenian PresidentSerzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All ArmeniansKarekin II, Catholicos of CiliciaAram I, and Armenian Catholic PatriarchNerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.[151] He became the 36th and the first Armenian Doctor of the Church.[152] He is also the only Doctor "who was not in communion with the Catholic Church during his lifetime."[153]
Cathedral of the Holy Martyrs (Armenian:Սրբոց Նահատակաց եկեղեցի) inGyumri, Armenia, the cathedral for theArmenian CatholicOrdinariate for Armenia, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern Europe was consecrated byKrikor Bedros XX Gabroyan,Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, and CardinalLeonardo Sandri, Prefect of theCongregation for the Oriental Churches, on 24 September 2015. The ceremony was held as part of the commemoration of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The cathedral is named "Holy Martyrs" in memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide, as theArmenian Apostolic Church canonized them as martyrs.[154][155] On 25 June 2016,Pope Francis, accompanied byCatholicosKarekin II, visited the cathedral.
On 26 June 2016, Catholicos Karekin II and Pope Francis signed a joint declaration on thefamily. It stated that thesecularization of society and its "alienation from thespiritual anddivine" are damaging to the family, and affirmed that theCatholic and Armenian Apostolic churches share amarriage–based view of the family. The declaration also took note of various positive steps taken towards unity between the two leaders' churches, and "acknowledged the successful 'new phase' in relations" between them. It also lamented "immense tragedy" of the widespreadpersecution ofChristians in the Middle East; the Pope and the Catholicos prayed "for a change of heart in all those who commit such crimes and those who are in a position to stop the violence".[156]
On 5 April 2018, a two-meter-high bronze statue of St. Gregory of Narek, erected by Davit Yerevantsi, was unveiled at theVatican Gardens byMikael Minasyan, Armenia's Ambassador to the Holy See. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Pope Francis, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian Apostolic catholicoi Karekin II and Aram I.[157][158] In September 2018, ArchbishopKhajag Barsamian was appointed in early September as the first-ever representative of the Apostolic Armenian Church to the Holy See.[159]
In the summer of 2001, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria andGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria agreed to mutually recognize baptisms performed in each other's churches, making re-baptisms unnecessary, and to recognize the sacrament of marriage as celebrated by the other.[160]
Pope John Paul II officially called off all future talks between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion upon the consecration of Gene Robinson as a bishop in 2003.[161] In conversation with the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar,[162] CardinalWalter Kasper, president of thePontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, warned that if the Church of England was to ordain women as bishops, as theEpiscopal Church had already done, then it could destroy any chance of reuniting the Catholic and Anglican churches.[163] In December 2014,Libby Lane was announced as the first woman to become a bishop in the Church of England. She was consecrated as a bishop in January 2015.[164] In July 2015,Rachel Treweek was the first woman to become a diocesan bishop in the Church of England when she became theBishop of Gloucester.[165] She andSarah Mullally, Bishop of Crediton, were the first women to be ordained as bishops atCanterbury Cathedral.[165] Treweek later made headlines by calling for gender-inclusive language, saying that "God is not to be seen as male. God is God."[166]
In late 2009, in response to requests from various groups of Anglicans around the world who were dissatisfied with liberalizing movements within the Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict XVI issued theapostolic constitutionAnglicanorum Coetibus. This document invites groups of traditionalist Anglicans to form what are termed "Anglican ordinariates" or "personal ordinariates" under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, while preserving elements of the liturgical, musical, theological and other aspects of their Anglican patrimony. Under these terms, regional groupings of Anglican Catholics may apply for reception by the Holy See under the jurisdiction of an "ordinary" (i.e. a bishop or priest[note 2]) appointed by Rome to oversee the community. While being in a country or region which is part of theLatin Church of the Catholic Church, these ordinaries will nonetheless retain aspects of the Anglican patrimony, such as married priests and traditional English choral music and liturgy.
As of 2013, marrying a Catholic no longer disqualifies a person from succeeding to theBritish Crown.[167][168] The explanation published when the bill had been introduced mentioned that those who had lost their places in the line of succession by marrying a Catholic would regain their places, but that those "with a realistic prospect of succeeding to the Throne" would not be affected. The first person in the new line of succession to be affected by this change when it came into effect wasGeorge Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, who had married a Catholic in 1988, and was restored to the line of succession in 34th place, after his father the Duke of Kent, although his Catholic children remain excluded.[169] The provision of theAct of Settlement requiring the monarch to be a Protestant continues, as the monarch remains theSupreme Governor of the Church of England.
On 13 October 2019, Pope Francis canonized SaintJohn Henry Newman, a London-born priest who led theOxford Movement in the Church of England before converting to Catholicism and becoming anOratorian Father and eventually theCardinal-Deacon of San Giorgio in Velabro.[170] Newman is the first Englishman who has lived since the 17th century to be officially recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church. In attendance at the canonization ceremony in St. Peter Square wasCharles, Prince of Wales, who in 2022 would become king and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.[170]
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In June 2004, theEcumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I's visit to Rome afforded a meeting with Pope John Paul II, for conversations with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and for taking part in the celebration for the feast day in St. Peter's Basilica. Some of the bones of SaintsGregory the Theologian andJohn Chrysostom, which were looted from Constantinople by theFourth Crusade in 1204, were returned to theChurch of St George, Istanbul by Pope John Paul II.[citation needed]
TheRavenna Document in 2007 re-stated the notion that the Bishop of Rome is indeed the first (Greek:πρώτος,romanized: protos) among the patriarchs, although future discussions are to be held on the concrete ecclesiological exercise of papal primacy.[171]
Patriarch Bartholomew attended thepapal inauguration of Pope Francis on 19 March 2013, paving the way for better Catholic–Orthodox relations. It was the first time that the spiritual head of Eastern Orthodox Christians had attended a papal inauguration since theGreat Schism in 1054.[172][173] After, he invited Pope Francis to travel with him to the Holy Land in 2014 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the embrace betweenPatriarch Athenagoras andPope Paul VI.
On 12 February 2016, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow met in a VIP room atJosé Martí International Airport near Havana, Cuba. Francis arrived at 2 pm local time, and the two leaders embraced and kissed.[174] A 2-hour private meeting was followed by the signing of a joint declaration, which had been prepared in advance.[175] The30-point declaration contained a joint call by the two church primates for an end to thepersecution of Christians in the Middle East and to wars in the region, expressing their hope that the meeting might contribute to the re-establishment of Christian unity between the two churches. A range of other issues are mentioned in the declaration, includingatheism, secularism, consumerism, migrants and refugees, the importance of marriage and the family, and concerns relating to abortion andeuthanasia.[176]
On 3 July 2019, it was revealed that during a Vatican meeting with OrthodoxArchbishop Job of Telmessos, who represented the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, during the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on 29 June 2019, Pope Francis stated that unity rather than leveling differences should be the goal between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.[177] Pope Francis also gave Bartholomew nine bone fragments which were believed to have belonged toSaint Peter and which were displayed at a public Mass which was held in the Vatican in November 2013 to celebrate theYear of Faith.[178][177] Despite holding a "cordial" meeting with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, with whom the Pope has had a history of good relations,[179] on 4 July 2019, tensions between the Vatican and Russian Orthodox churches still remained, with Pope Francis stating that it is unlikely that he will visit Russia unless Putin agrees to not include the Russian Orthodox Church in the visit.[180] Putin also stated to the Pope that he would not invite the Pope to Russia without this condition. Pope Francis also hinted that was willing to support the concerns ofUkrainian Greek Catholic Church,[181] which has expressed opposition to both Putin's intervention in Ukraine and the Vatican's current relationship with Putin.[181] At the beginning of a two-day Vatican meeting with Ukrainian Greek-Catholic leaders on 5 July 2019, Pope Francis hinted that he supported the Church's concerns in Ukraine and called for greater humanitarian aid to Ukraine.[182]
On 12 November 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew, theAbbot of Xenophontos and a hieromonk fromPantokratoros Monastery onMount Athos participated in aVespers service at theAbbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy, aTrappist Catholic monastery.[183] Upon returning with the abbots to Mount Athos, Bartholomew gave a speech at Pantokratoros Monastery declaring that union with the Catholic Church is inevitable as no theological differences exist between the churches and only historical differences have kept the two churches from union.[184]
In 2016, on the 499th anniversary of the start of theProtestant Reformation, Pope Francis travelled to Sweden (where the Lutheran Church is thenational Church) to commemorate the Reformation atLund Cathedral, which serves as the seat for the LutheranBishop of Lund.[185] An official press release from theHoly See stated:[186]
The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Roman Catholic Church joint event will highlight the 50 years of continuous ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans and the joint gifts of this collaboration. The Catholic-Lutheran commemoration of 500 years of the Reformation is structured around the themes of thanksgiving, repentance and commitment to common witness. The aim is to express the gifts of the Reformation and ask forgiveness for division perpetuated by Christians from the two traditions.[186]
Anecumenical service was presided over byMunib Younan, the president of theLutheran World Federation,Martin Junge, the General Secretary of the LWF, as well as Pope Francis.[187] Representatives from the Anglican Communion, Baptist World Alliance, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Salvation Army also participated in the predominantly Catholic and Lutheran event.[188] Pope Francis, in a joint statement with Munib Younan, stated that "With gratitude we acknowledge that the Reformation helped give a greater centrality to sacred Scripture in the Church's life".[189]
On 28 April 2017, Pope Francis andCoptic Pope Tawadros ll agreed that they would not require re-baptism for Catholics who seek to join the Coptic Orthodox Church, and vice versa. The Catholic Church baptizes byaffusion (pouring) and the Coptic Orthodox Church baptizes by immersion, but this declaration means that the two churches recognize each other's baptisms as a valid sacrament.[190]
Osteen is also a leading proponent of what is sometimes called the 'prosperity gospel', which teaches that God wants people to prosper in all areas of their lives – including material success.
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)It said that Islamic State leaderAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had set a Saturday deadline for Christians who did not want to stay and live under those terms to "leave the borders of the Islamic Caliphate". "After this date, there is nothing between us and them but the sword," it said.
(1) A person is not disqualified from succeeding to the Crown or from possessing it as a result of marrying a person of the Catholic faith. (2) Subsection (1) applies in relation to marriages occurring before the time of the coming into force of this section where the person concerned is alive at that time (as well as in relation to marriages occurring after that time).
President Vladimir Putin struck up his friendship with the Pope in 2013 when Francis wrote an open letter to the Russian leader, who was chairing the G20, telling him he opposedUS military intervention in Syria.
Pope Francis will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by attending an ecumenical service in Sweden as a guest of the Lutheran Church, the Vatican said Monday. In a highly symbolic act of reconciliation that would even recently have been unthinkable for a Catholic pontiff, Francis will visit the Swedish city of Lund on 31 October for a commemoration jointly organised by his own inter-faith agency and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
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