Aurelian Iftimiu

U.S. Orthodox Bishops: Restoration of icons meant restoration of Church unity

The restoration of holy icons was more than a historical event — it was the restoration of the unity of the Church itself, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America said in its encyclical for the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The Assembly, of which His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan…

Feb 27, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Sunday of Orthodoxy Encyclical 2026: Church affirms the unique and eternal value of every person

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy—the first Sunday of Great Lent—the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church released its annual pastoral encyclical, signed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and all members of the Synod. The letter, traditionally read in every parish during the Divine Liturgy, centres on the theme: “Man is the living icon of…

Feb 27, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian priest in Italy reflects on growth of Forlì parish and diaspora identity

Fr Florin Haniș, parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox community in Forlì, Italy, spoke in an interview with the Romanian publication Formula AS about the beginnings and development of the Romanian community in the Emilia-Romagna region. “The Romanian Orthodox Parish of Saint Gregory the Theologian in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, was born only around 2006, after we…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie addresses London Police, says faith ‘supports and ennobles public service’

The Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland addressed London police officers on Monday during the event “Orthodox Easter 2026,” stressing that for Orthodox Christians, “faith is not separate from public service, but supports and ennobles it.” The event took place at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service (New Scotland Yard). Among…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie: Great Canon is ‘Adam’s lament’ and a biography of the soul

“The Great Canon has been called Adam’s Lament—that is, the lament of the man who realised that, in losing God, he lost himself. For this reason, the Canon is the biography of each of our souls, written in the form of prayer,” said patriarchal auxiliary bishop Paisie of Sinaia on Tuesday evening at the Patriarchal…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Monastery marks 68 years since arrival of ‘Syriac’ Wonder-working Icon of the Theotokos

On 25 February 1958, the wonder-working icon of the Mother of God known as the “Syriac” Icon of the Theotokos was brought to Ghighiu Monastery near Bucharest by Metropolitan Basil Samaha of Sergiopolis, from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Over the 68 years the icon has been kept at the…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian community in northern Italy to inaugurate new parish church built in 18 months

The Romanian community in Settimo Torinese, Italy, is preparing to inaugurate its new parish church, built in just a year and a half. The inauguration is scheduled for Saturday, 14 March, at 3:30 p.m. The wooden church was constructed in Romania by craftsmen specialised in woodwork, while the carved interior elements were created by master…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate begins talks with Israeli authorities to reopen Jordan River Hermitage closed since 1967

The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and superior of the Romanian establishments in Jerusalem, Jericho and at the Jordan River, announced that the first official meeting with Israeli authorities regarding the restoration of the Romanian Hermitage on the Jordan River—closed since 1967—took place on the first…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Ioan of Banat Calls for Renewal of Family Life at Start of Great Lent

His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat issued a pastoral message at the beginning of Great Lent urging the faithful to use the season as a time for renewing family life, in the context of the Romanian Orthodox Church’s Solemn Year of Pastoral Care for the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Fasting is ‘a school of spiritual self-restraint and gradual liberation from selfish passions’

“Fasting is not a simple exercise in hygiene or aesthetics, but a school of spiritual self-restraint, a school of purification or gradual liberation from selfish passions in order to acquire the humble and merciful love found in Jesus Christ, Who became obedient unto death—even death on the Cross,” said Patriarch Daniel on Clean Monday. The…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

125 years after his birth, Patriarch Justinian remembered for wisely guiding Church under communism

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești on Sunday highlighted the decisive role of Patriarch Justinian in the history of Romanian Orthodoxy, saying he “was called by God to guide the ship of the Church in its most turbulent times.” Bishop Varlaam delivered the remarks during a memorial service marking 125 years since the birth of…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu