Foreword by St Seraphim Rose on the heresy of ecumenism:
''The ideology that underlies ecumenism, which inspires the actions and statements cited above, is itself a certain heresy: the Church of Christ does not exist, no one possesses the Truth, the Church is still only being formed. But without further ado, it is clear that the self-liquidation of Orthodoxy, the "Church of Christ," is simultaneously the self-destruction of Christianity as such: for if no single church is "that Church of Christ," then the combination of all sects will not be "that Church" either, at least not in the sense intended by its founder, Christ. And if all "Christian" groups are related to one another, then all of them taken together are akin to other "religious" groups, and Christian ecumenism can only lead to a syncretic world religion.''
(Orthodoxy and the Religion of the future)
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A heretical ecumenical pact was signed in Bari Italy on 23 January 2026
Among those whose signed it were Orthodox bishops
Here is the pact:
We publish the text of the Pact between Christian Churches signed during the opening ceremony of the 1st Symposium of Christian Churches in Italy (Bari, January 23-24).
Through the peace that unites you, strive to maintain the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit. There is one body, one Spirit, just as God has called you to the one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There is one God, the Father of all. (Eph 4:3-6)
Article 1 - Foundation of communion
We recognize that our unity has its source in Christ Jesus, the one Lord and Savior, and that the Holy Spirit guides us to build relationships of authentic communion.
We confess that every division and misunderstanding between our Churches is a wound to the Body of Christ and manifests the sin of the Churches. We implore the divine grace of forgiveness and mutual reconciliation.
Article 2 – Commitment to Mutual Respect
The Churches signing this Pact undertake to recognize and respect one another as Christian communities animated by the same Spirit, avoiding any form of competition, proselytism, or oppression.
Therefore, we commit ourselves to ensuring our fidelity to the Pact: the option for dialogue is a choice to be pursued with determination even when positions diverge and when internal or external pressures fuel fractures and disagreements between us and could divide us.
Each community will safeguard its own confessional identity in truth and love, welcoming the other as sisters in faith.
We commit ourselves to pray and work to remove what still painfully separates us today.
Article 3 – Collaboration for Social Cohesion and the Common Good
In obedience to the commandment of love and the evangelical mandate, we commit ourselves to cooperate in favor of justice, peace, and solidarity among the men and women of our time.
In particular, our Churches will work in a spirit of service to:
· protect the dignity of every person created in the image of God;
· promote peace and dialogue between peoples, cultures, and religions;
· welcome the poor, migrants, the marginalized, and those who suffer;
· protect creation as a gift entrusted to our common responsibility;
· fight against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and every other form of religious discrimination.
Article 4 – Common Witness
We wish to make the unity of faith visible through common prayer, shared listening to the Word of God, and solidarity in our cities and communities.
We are aware that only a united witness, despite diversity, can be a credible sign of Christ's love for the world.
We are committed to collaborating to best proclaim the Gospel in secularized and post-secular society.
We are committed to a public presence of the Church that respects secularism and engages in dialogue with society.
We are committed to promoting the freedom and equal dignity of every Christian denomination and religion before the State through critical and constructive dialogue on the relationship between religion, secularism, and politics in the Italian context, in the awareness of the contribution that religions can make to the material and spiritual progress of society. "Every citizen has the duty to carry out, according to his or her own possibilities and choice, an activity or function that contributes to the material or spiritual progress of society" (Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Constitution).
We are committed to respecting the freedom of conscience of every person.
We are committed to pursuing religious freedom for every person.
Article 5 – Ongoing Commitment
The signatory Churches undertake to maintain an ongoing and fraternal dialogue through periodic meetings of prayer, discernment, and concrete collaboration. Each Church will promote, within its own Church, initiatives that foster understanding and mutual respect among the faithful of different Christian denominations.
We therefore undertake to ask all our communities present in the territory to develop a specific work program each year.
Article 6 – Final Invocation
We entrust this Pact to the mercy of God, that he may bless it, protect it, and make it fruitful. We pray to the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and lead us toward that full communion that only He can achieve: "that they may all be one" (Jn 17:21).
Conclusion
Signed in a spirit of brotherhood and peace in Bari, on January 23
Signers:
Catholic Church, MATTEO MARIA ZUPPI
Holy Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy, POLYKARPOS
Romanian Orthodox Diocese, SILUAN
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, CARSTEN GERDES
Bulgarian Orthodox Church, IVAN IVANOV
Waldensian Evangelical Church, ALESSANDRA TROTTA
Evangelical Baptist Christian Union of Italy, ALESSANDRO SPANU
Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, DANIELE GARRONE
Evangelical Church of Reconciliation, GIOVANNI TRAETTINO
Armenian Apostolic Church of Italy, NERSES HARUTYUNYAN
Administration of the Parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy, AMBROGIO MATSEGORA
The Church of England, JULES CAVE BERGQUIST
Serbian Orthodox Church, DUSAN DUKANOVIC
Salvation Army, LIDIA BRUNO
Coptic Church of Milan, SHENUDA GERGES
The Church of Scotland, TARA CURLEWIS
Work for the Evangelical Methodist Churches in Italy, LUCA ANZIANI
Communion of Free Churches, the delegate, EDUARDO ZUMPANO
Source: https://www.chiesacattolica.it/patto-tra-chiese-cristiane-in-italia/
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Life of St Tatiana of Rome (+226)☦️
By Hieromartyr Daniel Sysoev
The martyr Tatiana lived in the 3rd century and was a deaconess, that is, she was responsible for the administrative and economic affairs of the Church. She suffered at the hands of the ideology of her own time. In those days Rome was ruled by Emperor Alexander Severus, who supported the unification of all religions. In his private chapel he kept statues of Hercules, Zeus, Jesus Christ, Abraham, and Orpheus. He believed that one should bow to all gods and that people ought to venerate all deities, so that universal reconciliation might be achieved. Saint Tatiana was seized precisely because she refused to venerate all gods; for this “intolerance” she was executed. She is a herald of that intolerance which conquered the world. She refused to worship Apollo, who is mentioned in Holy Scripture as an evil spirit who at the end of times will destroy humanity. She came to the temple of Apollo and by prayer destroyed all the idols, thereby showing that a Christian fears nothing and is not afraid of pagan idols. It is the pagans who fear the divine power that dwells within Christians. If God has revealed Himself in Christ, then there can be no reconciliation of Truth with falsehood.
This is especially important for us to remember today, when even Orthodox Christians slip onto this rotten path of tolerance and permissiveness. Many Orthodox, out of a desire not to offend those of other faiths or confessions, do not tell them the truth — that they are perishing — forgetting a simple fact: those of other beliefs will perish anyway. And the fact that Christians remain silent about this will not make it any easier for them. For this silence the Lord will call us to account, because we did not tell a perishing person about his terrible infirmity. In the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, God says: “I have set you as a watchman, on a watchtower, to see whether the enemy is approaching.” If the watchman, seeing the enemy, sounds the trumpet and the inhabitants of the city take heed, he has saved their souls. If he sounds the trumpet and the inhabitants choose not to listen and perish in their lawlessness, then the watchman will not be guilty of their blood. But if the watchman does not sound the trumpet when he sees the enemy approaching, the townspeople will perish in their lawlessness, and the Lord will require their blood at the watchman’s hand.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you shall hear the word from My mouth and warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have saved your soul. And if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place a stumbling block before him, and he dies, because you did not warn him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezek. 3:17–20).
This also concerns Christians. If a Christian does not warn people about their evil ways, if he does not try to stop them, but instead says that he respects all religions and is tolerant of errors, then the Lord will call him to account for this wrongdoing. One must remember that the sin of a person of another faith is no less grave than the sin of adultery or murder, because it is a sin against the first commandment. Saint Tatiana is a lesson for us in this: she bears witness that there is only one true path of imitation of Christ — by words, deeds, and thoughts, in faith in the Holy Trinity. And walking along this path, it is necessary to bear witness to the joyful news of salvation. Why is Christian “intolerance” joyful? Because we impatiently cry out that we have found the path of salvation, we have seen the Light of Truth, we have received the Heavenly Spirit, we have found the true faith — come and join us! Our preaching should not be gloomy; we must proclaim Christ the Savior, who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and of His Kingdom there will be no end. Ahead lies the great Kingdom of God, the great kingdom of joy, the brotherhood of saved nations that the Lord will gather to Himself.
Saint Tatiana proclaimed this Kingdom, and therefore she died with joy. From her wound there flowed not blood, but milk, as a sign of the promised land flowing with milk and honey. Tatiana is now in the valley of eternal joy and calls us there as well. In the Church, the day of a martyr’s death is a day of triumph. It is a joy when a person departs from this world, being born into eternal life. We must remember that here we are only strangers and sojourners, and that our homeland is in Heaven, where the radiance of the infinite Light of God shines. There a loving Father awaits us, who cares for us and guides us, who saved us by the blood of His Son. He gives us life by the Holy Spirit and raises us above all the heavens. And therefore the day of a martyr is the day of a witness that death has already been conquered and that the road to Heaven has been opened — a road on which we ourselves must walk and to which we must call others, so that all may enter into the joy of their Lord.
Source: https://www.mystagogyresourcecenter.com/2026/01/homily-for-commemoration-of-holy-martyr.html