Dioceses

Qatar Ambassador meets Metropolitan Petru in Chișinău to discuss social and interfaith cooperation

His Eminence Petru, Archbishop of Chișinău, Metropolitan of Bessarabia, and Exarch of the Territories, received His Excellency Dr. Turki bin Abdullah Zaid Al-Mahmoud, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Moldova, on Wednesday at the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău. The meeting took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect, openness, and shared…

Jun 28, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Petru urges deeper faith on Sunday of All Romanian Saints: “Holiness is also our calling”

“Today is a call to deepen our awareness that the Church does not belong only to those present, but also to those who lived in the right faith, who struggled and were sanctified on the land of this nation,” said Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia on Sunday. “We owe to all the Romanian saints the inheritance…

Jun 26, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ignatie compares work of the Holy Spirit to system restart in tech-era sermon

His Grace Bishop Ignatie of Huși said that technology is a blessing from God, comparing the action of the Holy Spirit to a system restart on a digital device. In a sermon delivered in Bacău on the Sunday of the Romanian Saints, Bishop Ignatie used a modern metaphor to help younger generations understand the work…

Jun 25, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Sofronie urges more face-to-face communion: We don’t partake of Christ on Facebook or Instagram

His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea has urged families and community members to interact in real life and rely less on social media. In his sermon delivered on the Sunday of Romanian Saints at the Hidișelu de Sus II Parish, Bishop Sofronie explained that human relationships suffer if they are limited to interactions in the…

Jun 25, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

French Ambassador visits Metropolitan Petru to discuss Orthodox Church’s role in Moldova’s European Path

His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia received a visit on Wednesday from Her Excellency Dominique Waag, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the Republic of Moldova. The meeting marked the first official dialogue between the two institutions, intending to strengthen and develop future cooperation in spiritual, social, and cultural areas. Strengthening Cooperation…

Jun 20, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Local Synods propose canonization of five holy women from both sides of the Prut River

The Local Synods of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina and the Metropolis of Bessarabia convened jointly on Thursday in Iași, Romania. During the session, the hierarchs approved proposals for the canonization of five women recognized for their saintly lives, originating from both banks of the Prut River. The Synod of the Metropolis of Moldavia…

Jun 20, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Moldovan Culture Ministry and Bessarabia Metropolis sign historic preservation pact

The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and the Metropolis of Bessarabia have agreed to protect a historic monument in Dubăsarii Vechi. The partnership concerns the Church of “Archangel Michael” and the necropolis of the Donici and Macri families in Dubăsarii Vechi, both of which are listed in the official Register of Cultural Heritage of…

Jun 17, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Antonie leads memorial in Bălți for Stalinist deportation victims

Bishop Antonie of Bălți officiated a memorial service on Thursday in honor of the victims of Stalinist deportations. The commemorative event took place at a symbolic location in the city of Bălți – the train station from which thousands of people were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Dozens of candles were lit near the Monument…

Jun 17, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bessarabian bishops plan Centennial celebrations, canonizations, and theological education expansion

The four hierarchs of the Metropolis of Bessarabia met on Monday in Chișinău for a working session under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Petru. The decisions made concern the celebration of the Centennial of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, theological education in the Republic of Moldova, canonizations, and ecclesiastical distinctions. The Synod decided to organize…

Jun 17, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ignatie warns against ego worship, urges focus on divine glory

At the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated Wednesday with priests from the Huși Deanery, His Grace Bishop Ignatie spoke about the damaging effects of selfishness and urged the faithful to glorify God rather than seek personal praise. His Grace recalled the example of a Desert Father who prayed that God would not glorify him before…

Jun 13, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Foundresses of Văratec Monastery remembered as canonization proposed for 2026

Schema-nuns Olimpiada and Nazaria, the founding mothers of Văratec Monastery in Neamț County, were commemorated on Monday during a monastic synaxis. The two venerable nuns are among several saintly Romanian women proposed for canonization in 2026. His Grace Bishop Nichifor of Botoșani, Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Iași, participated in the gathering and offered…

Jun 11, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu