Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Teofil urges prayer and charity for those unable to fast during Lent

Assistant Bishop Teofil of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău urged believers who are unable to fast during the Lenten period to intensify their prayer or perform more acts of charity. The hierarch celebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesday at the Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery in Caraclău, Bacău County.…

Mar 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Archimandrite tells soldiers military and monastic callings share spirit of sacrifice

Archimandrite Hrisostom Ciuciu of Putna Monastery addressed soldiers during a lecture titled “The Mystery of Confession and the Divine Liturgy for Authentic Orthodox Living”, held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Romanian Land Forces Staff in Bucharest. Opening his lecture, Fr Hrisostom Ciuciu highlighted the closeness between the military and monastic vocations, underlining their…

Mar 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Religious practice brings meaning and aids mental healing, says Romanian psychologist

Andreea Horoiță, a clinical psychologist who also teaches at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, told the hosts of the Hristocentric platform in an interview that religious practice can bring meaning where it is difficult to find and can effectively transform behaviours, thoughts and emotions. The specialist stressed the…

Mar 12, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Church of Greece urges families to support priestly vocations

The Church of Greece has called on families—especially wives—to support with love and understanding those who feel called to serve as ministers of the Church. The appeal was made by the Permanent Holy Synod of the Church of Greece in a pastoral message issued ahead of the Week of Priestly Vocations. In the encyclical letter,…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Southern Bessarabia bishop prayerfully marks 103rd anniversary of Cetatea Albă–Ismail diocese

His Grace Bishop Veniamin officiated a Te Deum service on Tuesday at the diocesan cathedral in Cahul to mark the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Cetatea Albă–Ismail, whose canonical successor today is the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia. The hierarch recalled the historical context of the diocese’s establishment, noting that the Great…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Anti-Communist political prisoners commemorated in Timisoara: ‘They chose to pray for their enemies’

Anti-communist political prisoners were commemorated on Monday in Timișoara in an event that coincided with the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. The memorial service was officiated by Fr Timotei Anișorac, eparchial vicar, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timișoara, marking the Day of Anti-Communist Political Prisoners from the 1944–1989 period. Former political prisoners, former…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

First Romanian-built Orthodox church in Italy marks patronal feast in Moncalieri

The Romanian Orthodox Church in Moncalieri—the first church built by Romanians on Italian soil—celebrated its patronal feast with a series of liturgical events held on Sunday and Monday. Archimandrite Maxim Drăguț from the Episcopal Chapel “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” in Turin celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday together with Fr Marius Floricu, dean of…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Relics of Saint Gregory Palamas carried in procession through the streets of Thessaloniki

The relics of Gregory Palamas were carried in procession through the streets of Thessaloniki on the second Sunday of Great Lent, which in the Orthodox Church is dedicated to the saint who defended hesychast spirituality. The religious procession took place on Sunday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the historic Greek city, where the relics of…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ignatie: Fairness without love can turn into inhuman legalism

“The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard reveals the mercy and goodness of God,” said Bishop Ignatie of Husi during his sermon on Monday, adding that people must learn to look upon this goodness with generosity of heart. Reflecting on the Gospel reading on the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, the bishop…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox bishops in Germany adopt new guidelines on handling abuse cases

Orthodox bishops in Germany have adopted new guidelines and procedural rules for handling cases of abuse and sexual harassment within the framework of the Conference of Orthodox Bishops in Germany (OBKD). According to a press release, the canonical Orthodox bishops in Germany held a working session on 7 March at the diocesan centre of the…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop urges faithful to follow example of Forty Martyrs at Bucharest monastery feast

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești on Monday urged believers to follow the example of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste while presiding at the patronal feast of Antim Monastery in Bucharest. “Looking with admiration at the example of the Forty Martyrs, let us follow their faith,” the bishop said during the Liturgy of the Presanctified…

Mar 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu