Orthodox Christians

Australian Orthodox Christians. We number over 1 Million

[Dr Joanna Howe @ProfJoannaHowe]

🚨 THE SYDNEY SWANS SCANDAL ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK.

It’s been almost TWO WEEKS since the Sydney Swans pile-on began — yet not a single player has been spoken to by police, let alone charged.

So why the extraordinary media frenzy?

Because this isn’t really about five footballers.

It’s about creating the political justification for Labor’s next assault on free speech.

The Albanese Government wants to impose a sweeping new “Digital Duty of Care” on social media, supposedly to protect women and girls from “harm”.

And what better way to build public support for regulating the algorithms than to convince Australians that social media is responsible for real-world gender-based violence?

We’ve seen this playbook before.

Remember the Morrison Government? The media establishment, Labor figures and the so-called “Mean Girls” of Labor politics weaponised the Brittany Higgins allegations to bring down a government.

Now we’re seeing the same machinery at work again.

The Digital Duty of Care is the misinformation and disinformation bill by another name — and it could dramatically restrict free speech and make it harder for conservative voices to reach Australians online.

The five Sydney Swans players are the latest targets.

But the real target could be all of us.

🔥 In this explosive episode, we expose what’s really going on behind the Sydney Swans pile-on and the much bigger political agenda driving it.

WATCH NOW 👇
https://t.co/xoGGPiWk15

[Orthodox Observer @OrthoObserver]

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew issued the following message on the occasion of the Beginning of the Ecclesiastical Year and the Day of Prayers for Natural Environment, September 1, 2026.

[Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. @Philoptochos1]

Some of the best moments happen off the agenda — cruising the water as Cleveland fades into the skyline. 🛥️ #Philoptochos #ArmyofAgape 📸 MAC Creative LLC

[Dr Joanna Howe @ProfJoannaHowe]

Why is the @ChrisMinnsMP government funding Christian persecution 🤔

[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America @goarch]

How strong is your faith?

This week, learn how faith, prayer, and fasting bring us closer to Christ.

→ To find out, read @goarchDRE SUNDAY SERMON SERIES: https://t.co/JZ0suW2i2H

[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America @goarch]

This Sunday, July 19, is the 7th Sunday of Matthew!

Religious Educators, Kids Sunday Series lessons for Grades 1–12 are now live! Review & download everything you need. New lessons every Tuesday.

→ To find out, read KIDS SUNDAY SERIES: https://t.co/L4hDmMs4wb

📸 @goarchDRE

[Aus Coptic Movement @auscma]

@FIFAcom @AlsisiOfficial

[ADF International @ADFIntl]

🚨HAPPENING NOW: MEPs, legal experts, human rights advocates and others speak out about the urgent need to protect Pakistani girls from abduction, forced conversion and child marriage.

[Christian Emergency Alliance @ChristianEmerg1]

Syria: This Christian child was at the St. Elias Church in Damascus when an Islamist attacked.

Injured, shocked and scared – the girl was alone at the hospital.

We do not know the status of her family.

As her spiritual family – pray for this child, your niece in Christ – and all the Christians shattered by this evil act.

[Cillian @CilComLFC]

🇸🇾 BREAKING: A Suicide Bomber has blown himself up inside an Orthodox Church in Damascus, Syria during Sunday Mass.

25 people have died and 80 people have been hospitalized, with 30 of those in critical condition.

This is horrific. Please pray for Syrian Christians.

🙏🙏🙏

[Aus Coptic Movement @auscma]

@AlboMP @SenatorWong

[Peter Tadros @PeterTadrosAU]

I was in this very church in August 2024 and met with HG Bishop Sarabamon in Port Sudan and thousands of refugees. Sadly, the dire situation in Sudan where up to 12 million are experiencing famine is off the radar, let alone the predicament of Sudan’s ancient Coptic Community.

[St Elisabeth Convent. Orthodox Life And Chants @StElisabethConv]

THE SONG OF THE THEOTOKOS
The Song of the Theotokos (Magnificat) is chanted at Matins between canticles VIII and IX of the canon.

Music in the video: ‘The Song of the Theotokos’, fragment, chanted by the Monastic Choir of St Elisabeth Convent.

[Aus Coptic Movement @auscma]

The ongoing attacks against Christians in Sudan is deeply disturbing. The Coptic Community and their Churches and property were the first to be targeted when the 2 army generals decided to turn on each other.

[Aus Coptic Movement @auscma]

Merry Christmas to all celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christmas today. This holiday season we pray for peace in North Sudan and Syria. We remember the millions of Sudanese facing starvation. There over 3 Mil. displaced Coptic Orthodox Christians in Sudan.

[Dečani Monastery @DecaniMonastery]

🧵(1/2) Alternativna: #Serbian #Orthodox #Church in #Kosovo Targeted After Explosion at Ibar-Lepenac Canal: Journalists Warn of a 2004-Like Atmosphere

https://t.co/0uftVbT4EK

The explosion at the Ibar-Lepenac canal and the sharp accusations directed at Belgrade have dominated media attention in Kosovo. However, as was the case during the conflict in Banjska, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Kosovo has once again become the target of misinformation. Journalists interviewed for this report warn that the current atmosphere in Kosovo resembles the tense prelude to the March 2004 violence, emphasizing that these are deliberate disinformation campaigns targeting the SOC. They highlight the irresponsible behavior of Kosovo’s media and politicians, the failure to acknowledge the Church’s positive historical role, and the insufficient response from the international community.

“What’s Inside Orthodox Churches?”

Gurakuç Kuçi of the Octopus Institute appeared on Klan television last night and claimed:

“As in the case of Banjska, where significant weapons were found in the church, we do not know what is inside Orthodox churches—whether there are weapons or what kind of people occupy these religious sites.”

Kuçi’s statement followed the explosion at the Ibar-Lepenac canal in Zubin Potok. Despite the ongoing investigation, Pristina has already blamed Belgrade directly. Kuçi’s remarks, unsurprisingly, have gained traction amid the latest developments in northern Kosovo and were reported by at least six Albanian-language media outlets, including Gazeta Express, Zëri, Bota Sot, Epoka e Re, Gazeta Blic, and Bota Press.

A Campaign of Disinformation

The Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo has again found itself at the center of a disinformation campaign, similar to the one following the armed conflict in Banjska, described by Kosovo officials as a “terrorist attack.”

Kosovo journalists warn of the damaging rhetoric in the media and the spread of misinformation.

“No member of the SOC in Kosovo has been linked to any weapons, nor have weapons been found in monasteries or churches. This disinformation campaign is now targeting the Church as an institution with the greatest trust among Kosovo Serbs and significant credibility with international representatives,” said Isak Vorgučić, director of Radio Kim, in an interview with Alternativna.

“I fear the lynching atmosphere toward Serbs has reached a level similar to what we saw before the March 2004 violence,” added Darko Dimitrijević, editor-in-chief of Radio Goraždevac.

He expressed concern that Albanian-language media outlets are “competing to host analysts or ‘experts’ who collectively accuse an entire nation, the SOC, and other Serbian cultural values in Kosovo.”

Vorgučić recalled that this is not the first time the majority Albanian community and media have targeted the SOC in Kosovo while failing to acknowledge the Church’s historical role.

“The SOC in Kosovo, particularly the Diocese of Raška-Prizren, openly confronted the Milošević regime in the late 1990s and highlighted human rights abuses on the ground. After the conflict, it played a pivotal role in forming the Serbian National Council, extending a hand of cooperation to new Kosovo institutions, and continuing to advocate for human rights,” Vorgučić noted.

“Despite this, it took Kosovo authorities over a decade to implement a Constitutional Court ruling to return land to the Visoki Dečani Monastery,” he added.

“Waiting for a Spark”

Dimitrijević warned that no one, including Kosovo’s Prime Minister and ministers, is held accountable for spreading hatred and division.

“They never miss an opportunity to speak negatively about an entire nation. This hatred has become overt. The atmosphere mirrors that of March 2004, with narratives clearly signaling that they are waiting for the smallest spark from the Serbs to launch a crackdown. For now, Serbs remain silent and endure,” Dimitrijević said.🔽

[Dečani Monastery @DecaniMonastery]

Response of the #Serbian #Orthodox #Church Diocese Regarding Recent Threats and Accusations in Some #Kosovo Albanian Media and on Social Networks

https://t.co/gzIUYACQMC

The Raška-Prizren Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) is deeply concerned about the irresponsible and false statements made by certain public figures in Kosovo Albanian society. A recent statement by Selim Pacolli, an official of the “Kosovo New Alliance” and former deputy mayor of Pristina, falsely claiming that the SOC was the main organizer of violence against Albanians and calling for the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Kosovo, is as untrue as the statement made yesterday by Gerakuci Kuqi of the Octopus Institute on KLAN TV. Kuqi suggested that weapons are being hidden in Serbian Orthodox churches and questioned the character of the people residing there.

ADDRESSING SELIM PACOLLI’S STATEMENT

The SOC in Kosovo and Metohija has never supported violence or war. On the contrary, the Church has actively worked against all forms of armed conflict, as evidenced by numerous interactions with international officials who have deeply appreciated the SOC’s stance. Many of these officials have visited our monasteries and strongly advocated for their protection.

Furthermore, during the 1999 conflict, monks from monasteries such as Visoki Dečani provided protection to Kosovo Albanian civilians and organized humanitarian aid in cooperation with the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) from the United States. After the war, Visoki Dečani Monastery also served as a refuge for many displaced Serbs and Roma who were expelled from their homes. These acts of solidarity have been documented by international media, and testimonies of assistance to Albanians, such as the one reported by BIRN in December 2022, further confirm this.

ADDRESSING PROVOCATIVE STATEMENTS BY GERAKUCI KUQI

The allegations made by Gerakuci Kuqi of the Octopus Institute represent a repetition of slander that first surfaced last year through British MP Alicia Kearns, claiming that weapons were being hidden in our monasteries. This baseless claim has been refuted by KFOR, and the Kosovo Police have never confirmed or provided evidence for such absurd accusations.

Following the tragic incident near Banjska Monastery in the fall of 2023, the police and EULEX confirmed that all weapons found in the wider area of the monastery had been discarded by a group of armed Serbs retreating through the monastery grounds. These individuals temporarily stayed in a building outside the monastery walls. The investigation, as well as the final report of the Kosovo Government on the Banjska case, established that no weapons were stored in the monastery and that neither the monastery nor the Church was implicated in this tragic event.

CONCERNS ABOUT SPREADING FALSE INFORMATION

The dissemination of such false information is part of a campaign by irresponsible individuals in Kosovo’s public sphere aimed at inciting religious and ethnic hatred. These individuals knowingly spread unsubstantiated claims, which have never been corroborated by the Kosovo Government or Police. Representatives of KFOR, EULEX, and the international community are well aware of the facts.
Spreading such misinformation does not contribute to de-escalating tensions; instead, it exacerbates ethnic and religious intolerance in Kosovo and Metohija, which is detrimental to both Serbs and Albanians in the region.

For the past 30 years, our Church has consistently called for the peaceful resolution of all issues in accordance with the teachings of the Gospel.

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1Facebook posts by Selim Pacolli:
https://t.co/33bPhzdScK
https://t.co/PkXqutuh30
2Media reports with provocative statements of Gerakuci Kuqi:
https://t.co/YHA5ytuG1B
https://t.co/05YhMIwSNY

[keepingnewslocal @keepingnewsloc1]

@ChristouSteve has caused a stir again, this time over a same sex parenting booklet available in Libraries.

https://t.co/gFkkaQwGZs

[Elpidophoros @Elpidophoros]

The Resurrection of the physical body of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Center of Orthodoxy. This kind of hope which does not blame the flesh and material but sanctifies the real bodies does not exist in the history of any religion.

[Peter Tadros @PeterTadrosAU]

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrating the Feast of Resurrection. The World needs Orthodox Christianity!

#PikhristosAftont #ChristosAnesty #ChristIsRisen

https://t.co/rv2bZIZGSN