International

Patriarch of Bulgaria: Autocephaly is a measure of a local Church’s maturity

“Autocephaly is a measure of the maturity of a local Church in indissoluble communion with the other local Churches, members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,” noted Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria last Saturday, as the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marked the 80th anniversary of its autocephaly recognition. His Beatitude emphasized that the world is…

Feb 26, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Bishop meets Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during pilgrimage in Asia Minor

Bishop Iustin of Maramureș and Sătmar, leading a group of 52 pilgrims, visited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at his residence in Constantinople on Saturday. His Holiness welcomed the Romanian pilgrims and highlighted the strong ties between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Romanian Orthodox Church. He also spoke about the modern Christian’s responsibilities in today’s globalized…

Feb 11, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Albania bids farewell to Archbishop Anastasios as Orthodox leaders gather in Tirana

The entire Orthodox world bid farewell on Thursday to Archbishop Anastasios, the man who revived the Church of Albania after years of suffering and persecution under communism. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led the funeral service at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana. Joining the full synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church, the funeral was attended…

Jan 31, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Archimandrite Ambrose, Abbot of Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos, falls asleep in the Lord

Archimandrite Ambrose, Abbot of Zograf Monastery on Mount Athos, passed away on Monday at the age of 85, as announced by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Father Ambrose (Tyrolenkov) graduated from the Sofia Theological Seminary near Cherepish, Bulgaria. In 1973, he entered Bačkovo Monastery as a novice, and four years later, he was tonsured as a monk.…

Jan 28, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Five days of Church mourning in Albania: Funerals of Archbishop Anastasios to be held Thursday

The Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church convened on Saturday for an extraordinary session and declared a five-day period of mourning in memory of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania, who passed away earlier that morning. The body of the late Archbishop will be brought to the “Resurrection of Christ” Cathedral in…

Jan 27, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Anastasios of Albania reposes in the Lord aged 95

Archbishop Anastasios, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 95, according to a statement published on the official website of the Albanian Orthodox Church. His Beatitude had been hospitalized in Tirana on January 3 due to a viral infection and was later transferred to Athens. “The…

Jan 25, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox Church representatives meet in Brussels to plan EU agenda

Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the EU met on Tuesday for the first time this year during a working session held at the Orthodox Ambiorix Center in Brussels. Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium chaired the meeting, which brought together representatives of the Romanian and Bulgarian Patriarchates and the Orthodox Church of Greece. The Romanian Orthodox…

Jan 16, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanians in Zagreb begin the New Year united in prayer during the Epiphany Season

During the Epiphany season, Romanians in Zagreb gathered in prayer to usher in the New Year at the city’s Romanian church. The liturgical program began last Saturday evening with the Great Vespers service and continued on Sunday through Tuesday with the Divine Liturgy. Following Sunday’s Liturgy, Fr. Nicolae Ceruță, the parish priest of the Romanian…

Jan 14, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Greek Metropolitan Iakovos welcomes collaboration with Ireland’s first Romanian Orthodox Bishop

His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Ireland (Ecumenical Patriarchate), has expressed openness to collaborating with His Grace Bishop Nectarie, who is set to be enthroned on Saturday in Dublin as the first Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Ireland and Iceland. “I wish him all the best for the new assignment!” conveyed Metropolitan Iakovos…

Jan 8, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Religious sites in Greece face rising attacks in 2023, report reveals

A 2023 report on incidents targeting religiously significant sites in Greece shows an increase in attacks compared to previous years. The report, published on the last day of 2024 by the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs under the Greek Ministry of Education, details cases involving not only places of worship but also other religious buildings…

Jan 6, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Holy Community of Mount Athos announces new measures for pilgrim access

The Holy Community of Mount Athos has officially announced new measures regarding the access of pilgrims, which will come into effect from January 1, 2025. The decision was made due to the increasing number of visitors and to not disrupt monastic life and the prayer schedule. According to the new regulations, the maximum number of…

Dec 30, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu