The Russian Orthodox parish in Iceland has been assigned land for the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas in Reykjavik.

Mayor of Reykjavik Vilhjamur Vilhjamsson handed the agreement on the assignment of the land to head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Kirill during a meeting in Moscow, the Moscow Patriarchate reports.   FULL ARTICLE LINK

The Greek government is urging the State of Israel to immediately recognize Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarch ahead of an Israeli High Court ruling on the appointment this fall, a senior Greek official said this weekend.

The remarks and the ongoing legal battle come nearly two years after the church first appointed Theophilos III to the top church position in the Holy Land in a move Israel never recognized, and less than five months before Israel's High Court of Justice is expected to rule on a petition filed by the Greek patriarch of Jerusalem to instruct the Israeli government to recognize his election.   FULL ARTICLE LINK

Holy See spokesman on ecumenical issues, Cardinal Walter Kasper, says that there is hope that Pope Benedict may meet Moscow Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II in what would be a groundbreaking meeting.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the meeting could take place within a year according to Cardinal Kasper.   FULL ARTICLE LINK