Plans are afoot to display the alleged remains of St. John the Baptist in the favorite church of the people of Sozopol in southeastern Bulgaria.

Upon the order of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, a plan has been designed by finance minister Simeon Djankov to conserve and exhibit the relics at the church of saints Cyril and Methodius.

Also slated for display are a piece of the Holy Cross which Borissov donated to the town; and the relics of St. Andrew Protokletos, which were given to the town by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Standart said.

The church has been undergoing repairs for years and is still raising funds for its complete restoration. When completed, the display of the three holy objects will make it the most sacred place in the country and in Balkans, Standart said.

The remains of St. John were discovered while archaeologists were excavating the fifth century Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist on Sveti Ivan island in the Black Sea, CNN said.

Also discovered on the site were several artifacts. However the marble reliquary (a relic urn) was built into the church altar and bore the name of St. John the Baptist.

The reliquary, shaped like a sarcophagus, was found by a team under Prof. Kazmir Popkonstantinov. It is made of alabaster and dates to the fifth century when the monastery was first built.

At that time the southern coast of the Black Sea fell under the Byzantine Empire which was ruled by Byzantium–now Istanbul, Turkey. This is the first reliquary to be discovered in the area.

It is believed the Byzantine church may have donated the relics to the monastery. Another of several sites which claim to have relics of John the Baptist is the Topkapi Palace museum in Istanbul.

The Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist became a major Christian center in the area as indicated by a two-year excavation done on the site after 1985. The excavation revealed a library, several monastic cells, a royal residence and a portion of a fortified wall with a gate, The Sofia Echo said.

The reliquary was opened by Popkonstantinov on August 1 in a ceremony in Sozopol that was attended by several dignitaries including the Bishop of Sliven, Bozhidar Dimitrov who heads Bulgaria’s National History Museum, and government minister Yoanikii. Inside was a skull, a hand and a tooth, CNN said.

The Bible says that John the Baptist was beheaded on the orders of Herod Antipas. In his lifetime he prophesied the birth of Jesus and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. He is a very significant figure in the Orthodox Church.

Further tests are pending. However Greek inscriptions on the sarcophagus indicate the birth date of the Baptist, which the Orthodox Church recognizes as June 24.

A new study shows that the ‘global south’ is gaining more power in Christianity and may redefine Christian culture in the 21^st century.

The study by Oxford Analytica says that church leaders from the global south, namely Africa, Latin America and Asia, are becoming more outspoken and have gained more influence in Protestant and Catholic churches globally, according to their website.

The study also notes that the global south is more traditional, and has been outspoken against liberals and progressives in both churches, their website says.

The global south shift is being referred to by mission circles as “reverse-mission agenda,” Forbes says. They note that more missionaries are coming from India, Latin America and Africa, and are heading to Europe.

The global south is also becoming more active in South Asia and the Middle East. Of note too is that many church leaders from the U.S. and Europe come from the south, and are forming the laity and clergy of Methodists, Lutheran, Episcopal and Catholic churches, Forbes said.

Because of this, the global south is becoming a stronger voice on a number of church issues, and are taking a more traditional stance, Forbes said.

For example, among the British Anglicans, in 2005 an open letter was issued to the Archbishop of Canterbury from 14 southern members of the General Synod calling for action against the ordaining of priests who are openly gay, Forbes said.

Also cited in the study was harsh criticism from Catholics in Africa, Latin America and Asia when Pope Benedict XVI replaced Pope John Paul II after he died. The study noted that the global south argued for a southern pope, as they now comprise the majority in the world Catholic community, Forbes said.

The study suggests that more traditional views may come to pass on issues of homosexuality and abortion; and that the direction of the spread of Christianity now seems to be coming from the global south to the north, Forbes said.
The study also notes that while the church in North America seems to be in decline, a reversal is possible as more missionaries and immigrants move north from Latin America, and most especially from Brazil, Forbes said.

Noted too is the dramatic growth of Christianity in China, which has a higher church membership than that of the Party, and which exceeds the growth of other sects and religions. According to Forbes, these shifts will also influence the north’s political agenda and may alter Chinese Western relations.