Aurelian Iftimiu

World Syriac Congress opens in Bucharest, highlights Christian heritage and peacebuilding

More than 400 scholars, religious leaders, and academics from 35 countries assembled on Monday for the opening of the World Syriac Congress and the International Conference on Arab Christian Studies in Bucharest. The opening ceremony took place in the Ion I. C. Brătianu Hall of the Palace of Parliament. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, Director General of the…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Nicolae highlights St. John Jacob’s ties to Romanian Orthodox faithful in America

Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Romanian Orthodox Protection of the Mother of God Monastery in Allegan, Michigan, where he highlighted St. John Jacob of Neamț’s connection with Romanian Orthodox faithful in North America. The service marked the monastery’s early celebration of St.…

Aug 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Fr. John Breck recalls first encounter with Orthodoxy: “At last, I had come home”

Fr. John Breck, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), recalled his first encounter with Orthodoxy in an interview published by Words to Youth, a magazine edited by Putna Monastery. “I had a very profound feeling and the conviction that, at last, I had come home,” the American priest said. Fr. Breck explained…

Aug 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel blesses reliquary for newly canonised nuns of Văratec Monastery

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church blessed on Monday the reliquary that will house the relics of the newly canonised Venerable Mothers Nazaria, Olympias, and Elizabeth (Safta) Brâncoveanu of Văratec Monastery. The service took place at the historic St. George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. The silver reliquary was crafted…

Aug 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

UNESCO adds Sebastia archaeological site in West Bank to World Heritage List

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has inscribed the archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank on the World Heritage List. The decision was adopted during the Committee’s 48th session, held in Busan, South Korea. More than three millennia of continuous habitation According to the nomination dossier, Sebastia has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000…

Aug 4, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox abbot in US: Monastic vocation is God’s gift, not human achievement

Archimandrite Ieremia Berbec, abbot of the Romanian Orthodox Monastery of St. Demetrius the New in Middletown, New York, recently gave an interview to a youth magazine edited by Putna Monastery. In his conversation with Iulian Tomeac, former president of ASCOR Suceava, the archimandrite reflected on the meaning of monasticism and how one discerns the calling…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Paisie: Christ’s peace is victory over the storm, not the absence of it

“Christ’s peace is not the absence of the storm, but victory over it,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia explained on Sunday. “God has not promised us a life without trials, but His presence in every trial.” The Evangelist thus shows that true peace is not simply the disappearance of hardships, but Christ’s presence in…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Benedict urges faithful to leave behind ‘the noise of the outside world’ during Dormition Fast

“Let us set aside, for a time, the noise of the outside world, give shape to the power of communion, and bear witness to the joy of our Orthodox faith,” Bishop Benedict of Sălaj said in a message at the beginning of the Dormition Fast. “We are all called—priests, monastics, and faithful alike—to add greater…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Macarie urges faithful to entrust families to the Mother of God during Dormition Fast

“Let us entrust our families, our children and young people, our parents and the elderly, the sick and the lonely, our homes, our journeys, our worries, our trials, and all our needs to the Mother of God,” Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe said in a message marking the beginning of the Dormition Fast. The bishop…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: The Church overcomes history’s storms only through Christ

“Only Christ saves the praying Church when she finds herself amid the stormy sea of history and in the darkness of times hostile to the light of the Gospel of salvation,” Patriarch Daniel emphasised on Sunday in his sermon on the Gospel reading of Christ calming the storm. “No matter how many worthy ministers the…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Mihail introduces Australia’s new assistant Bishop: ‘Together we will renew our ministry’

His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand introduced the diocese’s first assistant bishop, Iachint of the Pacific, to the faithful on Sunday. The hierarchs concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the “Life-Giving Spring” Monastery at the Episcopal Residence in Melbourne, Australia. “We hope that, together, we shall serve with great dedication and renew our…

Aug 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu