Ștefana Totorcea

New financial and material support offered by the Romanian Patriarchate before the expiration of the state of emergency

The Romanian Orthodox Church has continued its extensive aid campaign in the context of the pandemic and the emergency state, the latter effectively ending in Romania this Thursday, May 14. The Church has offered substantial and diversified aid, through parishes and dioceses, to the elderly and the poor, the sick and disabled and to the…

May 14, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Participation of the faithful to open-air religious services allowed in Romania starting May 15

In a press statement on Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis spoke about relaxing the pandemic rules once the state of emergency is over, on May 15, and said it will be possible to attend religious services in the open air, provided certain requirements are met. “Religious services with believers can be resumed in the first phase…

May 14, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

The March for Life 2020 “For Life. For Parents. For Children” gets online on May 17

This year, the March for Life Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which has the theme “For Life. For Parents. For Children”, gets online. Pandemic restrictions determined organizers to reschedule it on May 17, the National Family Day in Romania. As public gathering restrictions will continue after the state of emergency, this edition will turn…

May 7, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

In pictures: Bucharest Archdiocese’s tailor shops produce polyester coveralls for volunteers

As soon as the state of emergency was instated, the Bucharest archdiocesan tailor shops, which usually produce priestly vestments and church objects, have started producing protection equipment for the Church volunteers who help the isolated during the pandemic. The archdiocese’s Vending Service started making 6,500 reusable protection masks and over 500 cotton coveralls. Then, on…

May 6, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Romanian Patriarchate offers another 470,000-Euros worth of aid between April 28 and May 4, 2020

The Romanian Patriarchate has announced that the amount of aid offered by the Church to overcome the coronavirus pandemic reached another 470,000 Euros (2,273,189 Lei) between April 28 and May 4. That brings the total aid offered by dioceses since the beginning of the health crisis to 3,551,390 Euros (17,149,663 Lei). The full text of…

May 6, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Study | Bucharest, the best city in the world for remote work

According to a British research, Internet speed, IT equipment costs, online shopping with home delivery and affordable costs of living make of Romania’s Capital the best city in the world for remote work. Broadband Deals, a British data company, has made a global city ranking which Bucharest tops, followed by Houston, Las Vegas and Atlanta,…

May 6, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Virtual tour of the monasteries on Mount Athos available online

Women and those unable to travel have the possibility to visit online the Holy Mount Athos. A website has made available the virtual panoramas of the Mount’s 20 monasteries. Panoramas of more sketes and cells and those of three caves will become available soon. The virtual tours can be found on the website Mountathos360.com, where…

May 3, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Romanian Patriarchate offers 470,000-Euros worth of aid between April 20 and 27, 2020

The Romanian Patriarchate has announced that the amount of aid offered by the Church to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic exceeded 470,000 Euros (2,278,396 Lei) in the week of April 20-27. That brings the total aid offered by dioceses since the beginning of the health crisis to 3,080,015 Euros (14,876,474 Lei). The full text…

Apr 29, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

The Week in Pictures: April 20 – 26, 2020

The period between the Lord’s Resurrection and St Thomas’ Sunday was marked in Romania by processions with holy relics and icons, praying for the cessation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is our selection of photographs from the Orthodox world between April 20 and 26, 2020. Follow us on Twitter: @BasilicaNews and on Instagram: @basilica.ro We…

Apr 28, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

April 28, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The European Commission’s “Back to the Workplace” guide

On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the United Nations Organization (UNO) has focused its message on preventing infectious diseases at work, in particular, those with the new coronavirus SARS-Cov-2. The European Commission published last week a guide on how to get back to work after mandatory isolation so as to prevent…

Apr 28, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

J.C. Larchet: The value of the Holy Communion does not depend on how it is offered to the faithful

In a recent interview, French theologian Jean-Claude Larchet, well-known to Romanians through his numerous books on illness and suffering, places the Covid-19 pandemic in historical context and discusses the challenges to religious practice which stemmed from it and spurred controversy among the Orthodox faithful. The extensive interview approaches hotly debated topics such as the issue…

Apr 21, 2020Ștefana Totorcea