The Week in Pictures: January 19 – 25, 2026
Whether you find yourself in a distant country in Africa or in a village in Romania, Orthodoxy is lived and built with faith and love. We invite you on a virtual journey through the Orthodox…
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Patriarch Daniel marks 1859 Union of Romanian Principalities as foundation of modern state
Marking the anniversary of the 24 January 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church issued a message of thanksgiving and national remembrance, describing the event as the “foundational union”…
Bessarabia Metropolitan marks Romanian Principalities Union Day, hopes “brothers will live together again”
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia expressed hope that “brothers will live together again” in a message issued on the occasion of the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. According to Metropolitan Petru,…
Romania marks 1859 Principalities Union as metropolitan Teofan urges faith and unity for future
His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina said on Saturday that the 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities was made possible with God’s help and through the vision of courageous people. However, he noted…
Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop urges prayer and action to heal divisions at Christian unity service
“Our world still bears the deep scars of division which, without prayer and without God’s help, lead to an increasingly alarming rise in misunderstanding and a sense of spiritual disconnection,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of…
Romanian bishop links family unity to national strength on Principalities Union Day anniversary
“Without united families there can be no strong nation, and without an awareness of national unity there can be no shared future,” Assistant Bishop Teofil of Trotuș said on Saturday. The assistant bishop of the…
Romanian Orthodox confessor Aspazia Oțel Petrescu remembered eight years after death
Aspazia Oțel Petrescu died eight years ago, on January 23, 2018. She was among the women who bore witness to Orthodox Christianity during Romania’s communist era. She was born on December 9, 1923, in Cotul…
Drug use rising across EU, Romanian experts and clergy step up prevention efforts
Drug consumption is rising across the European Union, while the growing diversity of substances is making it harder for health authorities to respond effectively, according to a report by the European Union Drugs Agency. In…
Signs a member of a faith community may be a victim of human trafficking: Guide
Human trafficking is a scourge affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, and victims can come from any social background, regardless of age, ethnicity or economic status. In Romania, the National Agency Against Trafficking in…
Metropolitan Teofan warns “no greater illness” than drifting from true faith at Iasi monastery feast
“There is no greater illness in the Church than drifting away from the true faith,” Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bucovina said on Sunday, during the patronal feast of the Copou Monastery in Iași. The…
London gallery stages first Brâncuși photography show in 20 years, Romanian institute says
The Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in London is hosting a photography exhibition dedicated to Constantin Brâncuși, the first of its kind in the past two decades, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London announced. The exhibition brings…
Romanian MP meets Bessarabia Metropolitan, pledges support
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, on Wednesday, received an official visit at his residence in Chişinău from a delegation from Bucharest led by Adrian Felician Cozma, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies in Romania’s…
Orthodox Christians to begin Great Lent on Feb. 23 as Pascha falls on April 12
In about a month, on February 23, Orthodox Christians will enter Great Lent, also known as the Great Fast. The Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord (Holy Pascha) will be celebrated on April 12…
Relics of St Elizabeth exhumed at Pasărea Monastery, bishop praises her example
“The face of Schema-nun Elisabeta (Lazăr) shines like the example and life of the hermits of old. She urges each of us to value time and dedicate as much of it as possible to the…
Open Doors says persecution hits 388 mln Christians worldwide, families face growing pressure
According to the World Watch List 2026 report published by Open Doors, religious persecution targeting Christians has a direct impact on family life, with converts facing pressure, abuse and marginalisation even from their own relatives.…
Digital Matericon: Women Saints of January (II)
This second January instalment of Digital Matericon continues our monthly series dedicated to the women saints commemorated in the Orthodox calendar. Because January contains an especially rich number of holy women—martyrs, monastics, ascetics, mothers, confessors,…
Egypt discovers Byzantine-era monastery remains in Sohag, shedding light on Upper Egypt monastic life
Recent archaeological excavations in Egypt’s southern Sohag governorate have uncovered traces of a Byzantine-period monastery, offering new insights into the organisation and daily life of monastic communities in Upper Egypt. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and…
Bessarabia’s Metropolitan Petru says Baptism is the seal of the Holy Spirit at Theophany service in Chisinau
Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia celebrated on Monday the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Waters at the Metropolitan Chapel of St John the Theologian in Chisinau, as believers in the Republic of Moldova mostly…