Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Ambassador Muraru visits two of the oldest Romanian parishes in the US

Romania’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Andrei Muraru, visited two of the oldest Romanian Orthodox parishes on American soil. The ambassador met with Romanians at St Mary’s and St Stephen’s churches in St Paul, Minnesota. The visit was part of Ambassador Muraru’s “50 States, One Community” tour throughout the United States. The two…

Apr 20, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Let us pray fervently for an end to the fratricidal war in the vicinity of our country, Bishop Justin urges in 2022 Easter message

His Grace Bishop Justin of Maramureș and Sătmar used his Easter pastoral letter to call for continual prayer and support for the Ukrainian neighbours suffering from war. “Let us pray fervently for an end to the fratricidal war waged in the vicinity of our country. May God give the leaders thoughts of peace, understanding, dialogue…

Apr 20, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

The sad spectacle of today’s world cannot overshadow the splendour of Pascha, Bishop Sofronie says

In his Easter encyclical this year, His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea points to the sad state of today’s world “in agony” compared to the splendour of the “Empress of feasts,” which cannot be overshadowed by anything. “We celebrate with great joy, but also with great, but measured, pomp, with enthusiasm, the Resurrection of Christ,…

Apr 20, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

“Peace is the only option for people,” Bessarabia Metropolitan Petru urges in 2022 Easter encyclical

In his pastoral message for Holy Pascha 2022, His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia urges prayer for peace among peoples. “I urge you to increase your prayers for peace among peoples so that the God of peace and mercy may enlighten through the Light of Resurrection the minds of the leaders of this world to…

Apr 20, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel’s 2022 Easter pastoral letter: Christ’s Resurrection is the foundation of the resurrection of humankind

In his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha 2022, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel stressed that “the light of the grace of the Most Holy Trinity, which links the Holy Mysteries of the Church with the mystery of the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of human deeds on earth and the joy of eternal life…

Apr 19, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Holy Fire to arrive from Jerusalem to Romania on Holy Saturday

The tradition inaugurated by Patriarch Daniel in 2009 to bring the Holy Fire to Romania will also continue this year. The Holy Fire will be brought from Jerusalem on Saturday evening, April 23, 2022, by Archimandrite Teofil Anăstăsoaie, the superior of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Settlements at the Holy Places. As before, the Holy Fire will…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Religious art exhibition in Iași highlights sacred bond between Moldavia and Ukraine

An exhibition entitled “Portraits, icons and books for the soul: Moldovans in Ukraine, Ukrainians in Moldavia. Sacred art testimonies – 16th-19th centuries” was opened last week at the Metropolitan Museum in Iași. At the event, Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina stressed that there is “a kind of perichoresis, an intertwining of holiness” between the…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Bucharest Theology Faculty graduate elected bishop in Bulgaria

The Very Rev. Archimandrite Makary Chakarov from Rila Monastery, a graduate of the Patriarch Justinian Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest, will become a bishop in Bulgaria. During its working session on April 13, 2022, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church elected Archimandrite Makary as assistant bishop to Metropolitan Naum of Ruse, with…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Honouring the Saviour with objects of great price must not be put in opposition to helping the poor

Speaking about the anointing of the Saviour’s feet with precious myrrh, Patriarch Daniel emphasised during his sermon on Palm Sunday that honouring God with objects or gestures of great price should not be put in opposition to helping the poor. The Patriarch of Romania recounted the Sunday Gospel passage, which recalls how the sister of…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Bucharest Palm Sunday Procession 2022: Photo Gallery

Hundreds of priests and thousands of faithful participated in the Palm Sunday Procession in Bucharest on Saturday, 16 April 2022, on the eve of the great feast of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. The procession resumed after two years of interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu Follow us…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Believers gather in large numbers for Bucharest Palm Sunday Procession: It is a work of confession, Patriarch Daniel says

“After two years of pandemic, when we lived in isolation and showed love for our neighbours by keeping them at a distance, God made us worthy to resume the tradition of pilgrimage on the eve of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem,” Patriarch Daniel said on Saturday evening at the Palm Sunday Procession in Bucharest. His…

Apr 18, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu