Dioceses

Archbishop Calinic points to 3 conditions for Nativity Fast to achieve its intended purpose

Archbishop Calinic of Suceava and Radauti sent a message at the beginning of the Nativity Fast reminding that ‘fasting is an opportunity to free the body from the bondage of matter, which tends to manifest itself on the soul as well.’ ‘There are three inseparable conditions for fasting to achieve its intended purpose: forgiveness, almsgiving…

Nov 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

New church to be built in Căușeni in honour of Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs

The Bishop of Southern Bessarabia laid the foundation stone for a new church in honour of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs in Căușeni, Republic of Moldova, during a ceremony held Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Orthodox parish operates in a temporary place of worship, a chapel built in 2014. This is currently the only church in the…

Nov 16, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Banat Metropolitan sends ‘vital message to divided society’: Adoration of the Magi is a call to unity and cooperation

In a message considered vital to a divided society, the Metropolitan of Banat referred to the adoration of Baby Jesus by the Magi as an impetus for unity, communion, and cooperation. “The Nativity of the Lord is an event that has blessed the history of the human race. The coming and the adoration of the…

Nov 16, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Assistant Bishop Timotei: Nectarios is becoming a popular child name in Romania. The Saint teaches us friendship with God

Hundreds of people from Bucharest and all across Romania flocked to Radu Voda Monastery to venerate the holy relics of Saint Nectarios of Aegina during a three-day celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the Saint’s blessed repose in the Lord. During the festive Divine Liturgy celebrated on St Nectarios’ feast day, Nov. 9, the assistant…

Nov 10, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Six Saints among contenders for title of greatest Romanian philanthropist

Among the contenders for the designation of the Greatest Romanian Philanthropist are six saints of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The campaign, initiated by the Metropolis of Transylvania, currently includes 48 names, including a number of ecclesiastical and secular figures. Nominations are being accepted through November 20 and can come from dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox…

Nov 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Timișoara Orthodox nuns sew 2,600 towels for hospitals in one night

The nuns from the Diocesan Centre of the Archdiocese of Timișoara sew 2,600 disposable towels overnight and offered them to the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of local hospitals. 1,400 towels were delivered to the County Hospital and other 1,200 to the “Victor Babeș” Infectious Diseases Hospital. “We wish to thank the Metropolis of Banatului for…

Nov 4, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

US Embassy in Chisinau congratulates Metropolis of Bessarabia for philanthropic work during pandemic

The philanthropic work carried out by the Orthodox Metropolis of Bessarabia during the coronavirus pandemic was praised by the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Chisinau. Congratulations were conveyed by Robert Keane, Human Rights Officer at the US Embassy to the Republic of Moldova, during a virtual meeting with the Metropolitan’s representative,…

Oct 29, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Cultural tour of 160 wooden Orthodox churches launches in Romania

A tourist-cultural route of wooden churches in Romania was officially launched on Tuesday, October 27, at an event dedicated to the protection and cultural valorization of the historical monument of the wooden church in Valea Crișului, Bihor County. The event was attended by representatives of the local public administrations registered in the cultural route and…

Oct 29, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Teofan on St Parascheva’s Feast: The pandemic challenges us to ask ourselves inevitable questions

In his homily on the feast of St Parascheva of Iaşi, Metropolitan Teofan offered some answers to the challenges of the present times. To stop the community spread of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus, Romanian authorities imposed harsh restrictions for this year’s celebrations: pilgrims from outside the city of Iași were denied access to the cathedral where…

Oct 21, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Archbishop Calinic calls human trafficking the ‘handcuffing in which others throw the weak, killing the soul’

During his Sunday homily, the Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti referred to human trafficking, calling it ‘an outrageous sin that cries to heaven,’ adding that it leads to spiritual death. ‘Spiritual death comes too often from the handcuffing in which other people throw away the weak. They steal their identity, present and future. They rob…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

European Anti-trafficking Day: The vulnerable man next to you is the priority here and now, says bishop Damaschin

European Day Against Trafficking in Human Beings is “a day of gratitude, awareness and memory,” His Grace Assistant Bishop Damaschin of Dorna said on Saturday in a message urging everyone to be more present, more attentive to what is happening to their neighbour. “We are all responsible,” he wrote. “The Church supports, in word, action…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu