International

Last farewell to Elder Ephraim of Arizona at ‘spiritual oasis’ he co-founded in Sonoran Desert

Thousands of Orthodox faithful, including hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and laity went on pilgrimage yesterday to St. Anthony’s Monastery in Florence, Arizona to bid farewell to their beloved Elder Ephraim, who peacefully reposed in the Lord in the evening of December 7. Geronda Ephraim is known as a faithful disciple of St. Joseph the Hesychast who served…

Dec 13, 2019Mihail Mere-Albe

165,000 visitors expected in Israel for Christmas

Israel’s Tourism Ministry is ready to welcome en estimated 165,000 faithful who are expected to arrive in Israel for the Christmas holiday. Starting at 2 PM on Christmas Eve, December 24, through 2:00 PM on Christmas Day, the Tourism Ministry will offer free roundtrip shuttle transportation, helping pilgrims who travel between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Buses…

Dec 13, 2019Mihail Mere-Albe

Decisions of 18th meeting of Orthodox Bishops’ Conference of Benelux (CEOB)

The Orthodox Bishops’ Conference of Benelux (CEOB) met at the seat of the Metropolis of Belgium in Brussels on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, chaired by Metropolitan Athinagoras of Belgium. Bishop Markos (Patriarchate of Romania) and Bishop Dositheus (Patriarchate of Georgia) also participated in the meeting. The bishops were briefed on the outcome of the Ecumenical…

Dec 12, 2019Mihail Mere-Albe

Bulgarian Church feeds 1,000s daily with social kitchens across the country

As the weather turns colder, there is an increased need for humanitarian and social aid, especially in cities, and the Local Orthodox Churches throughout the world have various programs for assisting those in need. Though there are no central statistics and data on the Bulgarian Church’s social organizations and activities, the site Dobrotoliubie carried out its…

Dec 12, 2019Sorin Ioniţe

Head of Polish Orthodox Military Ordinariate visits Romanian Patriarchate

The head of the Polish Orthodox Military Ordinariate, His Eminence Archbishop George (Jerzy) Pańkowski, paid a visit to Romania from Nov. 25 to Nov. 28, 2019. The delegation of the Polish Orthodox Church was invited to Romania by Fr. Florin Vladoiu, head of the Religious Assistance Section of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence. “It…

Dec 10, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona reposes in the Lord

Elder Ephraim of Philotheou and Arizona has reposed in the Lord, report katanixi.gr and the Orthodoxia News Agency. The Athonite elder loved throughout the entire Orthodox world, reposed at about 10:00 PM at St. Anthony’s Arizona in Florence, Arizona, which he founded in 1995. He founded 17 monasteries in all in America and Canada and remained the spiritual…

Dec 9, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu

His Beatitude Neophyte celebrates his 34th episcopal consecration anniversary

His Beatitude Neophyte, the Patriarch of Bulgarian Orthodox Church, celebrates Sunday his 34th episcopal consecration anniversary. Patriarch Neophyte (Bulgarian: Патриарх Неофит, secular name Simeon Nikolov Dimitrov; born 15 October 1945, Sofia) is the current head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 24 February 2013. Prior to his election, he was the Metropolitan of Ruse. After…

Dec 8, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu

Founder of first Romanian Church in Africa honoured with highest distinction during consecration ceremony

Ioan Cuemjiev, the founder of the first Romanian Church in Africa, was honoured with the highest distinction of the Romanian Patriarchate, during the consecration ceremony performed on the feast of St Andrew the First-Called in Johannesburg. The delegate of the Patriarch of Romania was His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe. The Divine…

Dec 4, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Iakovos of Mytilene meets with Greek community in Tulcea

His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mytilene on Sunday met with the Greek community in Izvoarele, a village in the eastern county of Tulcea. It has become a tradition for the Metropolitan of Mytilene as well as for other officials from Lesvos to visit Romania and meet with members of the Greek community in Tulcea every…

Dec 3, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Young Orthodox show solidarity with Finland’s Jewish community after anti-Semitic incidents

A group of Orthodox youth joined the Finnish community leaders who gathered at the gates of the Helsinki Synagogue to lay bouquets of flowers in a show of solidarity with Finland’s Jewish community, which has been subjected to a spike in anti-Semitic attacks this year. The action was prompted in part by a recent incident…

Nov 29, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Eugene Vodolazkin: Russia’s prize-winning novelist on main character: ‘Laurus brings together several lives of Saints’

Eugene Vodolazkin, one of today’s most famous Russian novelist, said that he was inspired by several lives of Saints when creating the main character of his best-selling novel Laurus. Eugene Vodolazkin and his wife Tatiana recently visited the Saint Nicholas –Tabacu church in Bucharest, the home of the Russian Orthodox Community in the capital of…

Nov 29, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu