Aurelian Iftimiu

Romania’s first Metropolitan-Primate remembered as ‘a man who did a lot of good’ on 145th anniversary of repose

Romania’s first Metropolitan-Primate Nifon Rusaila was remembered as ‘a man who did a lot of good,’ during a memorial service held Tuesday at Radu Voda Monastery in Bucharest marking the 145th anniversary of the Metropolitan’s repose. ‘Metropolitan Nifon Rusaila was a man who did a lot of good. He fulfilled this commandment of helping others,’…

May 8, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Spokesperson explains what is behind National Cathedral’s name change on Google Maps

On Saturday, a lot of messages appeared online from the believers saddened to find that, when searching for the name “Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation” on Android mobile devices, the Google Maps application returned the correct location of the site, but with an offensive title: ‘Cathedral of National Stupidity’. The name of “Romanian…

May 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Normalization of social life also means to attend church services, considering protective measures – Patriarchate’s Spokesperson

The Romanian Patriarchate’s Spokesperson Vasile Banescu said that the return to a normal social life also implies to allow people ‘to exercise their fundamental right to public religious life, that is, inside the places of worship.’ ‘The Romanian Orthodox Church, like the other religious denominations in Romania, will take natural and rigorously argued steps to…

May 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate to open Annunciation kindergarten this year

The Annunciation Kindergarten of the Romanian Patriarchate will open its gates this year as part of the programs organized by the Church to reflect the pastoral care to parents and children. Through this initiative, the Romanian Church wanted to highlight the importance of Christian education for contemporary society. The Annunciation Kindergarten will offer before- and…

May 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

The Week in Pictures: April 27 – May 3, 2020

Beyond restrictions, life goes on with the hope that things will soon come back to normal and we will be able to glorify God for giving us the strength to overcome this difficult period. Here is our selection of pictures from the Orthodox world during the previous week.  Follow us on Twitter: @BasilicaNews and on…

May 4, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Stavropoleos Monastery launches virtual tour

Stavropoleos Monastery located in Bucharest’s old city centre has partnered with Scanbox Integrated visual solutions to build a complete virtual tour of the Monastery, giving unprecedented access to monastery church, courtyard and facilities. Now available on the Stavropoleos Monastery’s website, the Virtual Tour takes users on a digital tour of the church, library, refectory and…

May 1, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel expresses gratitude to Christian women for being ‘models of faith and courage in times of trial’

In his annual message occasioned by the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel expressed his gratitude to Christian women for being ‘models of faith and courage in times of trial.’ The message that will be read throughout the Romanian Patriarchate this Sunday reminds of the presence of the myrrh-bearing women at Christ’s tomb…

Apr 30, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Church condemns posters of doctors as saints. ‘A blasphemous act’

Vasile Banescu, a spokesman for the Romanian Patriarchate, denounced billboards depicting doctors and nurses as “saints” with coronavirus-shaped halos as a blasphemous “visual mistreatment of Christian iconography” on Wednesday. The posters, created by Romanian artist Wanda Hutira for the McCann Worldgroup ad agency’s “Thank you doctors” campaign and posted throughout Bucharest, have also offended the…

Apr 30, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate advocates for optional character of life education school programs

According to the law promulgated by president Klaus Iohannis on April 3, schools are required life and health education programs, including sex education classes, at least once per semester. The Romanian Patriarchate has advocated for the optional character of the classes, calling for the school curricula related to them to be elaborated according to moral…

Apr 29, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Pimen’s health condition has significantly improved: Patriarchate Spokesperson

According to the information sent today by the medical team that takes care of His Eminence Archbishop Pimen, his general health condition has significantly improved,’ the Romanian Patriarchate’s spokesperson told the Basilica News Agency on Tuesday. ‘Hospitalization and appropriate treatment are still required for a period that depends on the pace and evolution of the…

Apr 28, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarch recommends prayer and hope amidst the pandemic

Prayer and hope were the main topics on which Patriarch Daniel’s sermon focused on Bright Friday when the Orthodox Church marks the feast day of the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said that especially now when the world experiences a sad and difficult period due to the coronavirus pandemic, we need…

Apr 28, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu