Aurelian Iftimiu

Polish Orthodox bishops defend religious education amid changes to school curriculum

“Religious education supports the growth and development of the younger generation,” Polish Orthodox bishops said last week following the autumn session of the Holy Synod of the Polish Orthodox Church. “Education authorities, school headteachers and parents should be aware of this and make every effort to eliminate anything that does not contribute to human development,”…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox parishes emerge from chance encounters in Congo, Metropolitan Chariton says

His Eminence Metropolitan Chariton of Kananga, of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, recounted in a special edition of Trinitas TV how Orthodox communities emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following unexpected encounters with local people. The metropolitan explained that early Orthodox missionary work in certain regions of Congo faced numerous difficulties, from vast distances…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Heaven and hell begin in our souls during earthly life

“Hell or heaven begins in our souls even in this world,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel warned on Sunday, explaining the parable our Saviour Jesus Christ told about the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus. “Today’s Gospel teaches us that our eternal happiness or unhappiness beyond the grave depends on how freely we live out the mystery…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Embassy in Republic of Moldova welcomes election of new Bishop of Bălți

The Romanian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova issued a statement welcoming the election of Archimandrite Nicodim Petre as Bishop of Bălți. “His pastoral, missionary and educational experience, together with his consistent attention to young people, provides an important foundation for this new responsibility and for strengthening a ministry based on dialogue, trust and communion on…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bucharest clergy hold memorial services for victims of 2015 Colectiv nightclub fire

The Archdiocese of Bucharest held commemorative religious services on Friday in memory of the victims of the Colectiv nightclub fire. Priests from Bucharest’s Sector 4 and those serving in the capital’s public cemeteries prayed both for those who died and for those whose lives were irreversibly changed by the fire on 30 October 2015. The…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Iachint urges Christians to show compassion for those who suffer

“Let us not become accustomed to the suffering of those around us. Let us bear our cross with patience, like Lazarus, listen to God’s word while we still have time, and joyfully share what we have received as a gift, following the example of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian,” Assistant Bishop Iachint of…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew marks 35 years since enthronement

Monday marks the 35th anniversary of the enthronement of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. The 270th Patriarch of Constantinople was born on 29 February 1940 on the island of Imbros (Gökçeada, in present-day Turkey) and was given the name Demetrios at baptism. Education and academic activity He studied at the Gregorian University in Rome,…

Nov 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Russian Orthodox Church adds social media rules to ordination oath for clergy

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church has approved amendments to the oath priests and deacons take at ordination, introducing new provisions governing public communication online. The Synod adopted the decision at its meeting on 22 October. According to the document, the Commission for Church Administration, Pastoral Care and the Organisation of Church Life…

Oct 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Theophilos III visits wounded after attack on Orthodox church in Jordan

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem visited last Sunday the injured in the terrorist attack at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George in Hammoud, Al-Karak, Jordan. His Beatitude was accompanied by Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolias during visits to Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein Military Hospital and the Italian Hospital, where the injured were receiving…

Oct 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox military chaplains launch first choir to promote unity through sacred music

The Sacerdotes Militares, the military chaplains’ choir, the first ensemble of its kind in the Romanian Patriarchate, has been established to promote unity and communion in pastoral ministry through sacred music. The choir was established in the context of introducing Military Clergy Day, observed annually on 26 October, the feast of St Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher.…

Oct 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Family ties keep Romanian diaspora connected to home, survey finds

Family is one of the main links connecting Romanians living abroad with their country of origin, according to the Diaspora Barometer, a study conducted by INSCOP Research for Banca Transilvania Group. According to the research, 56% of Romanians have connections with the diaspora, whether through their own experience of migration, family members or other people…

Oct 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu