International

Orthodox Church of Albania: Tree Planting in Gjinar

This past week (March 2nd-March 10th, 2019) the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, in cooperation with OCMC and OCF, hosted a group of 6 university students from the United States and Canada. This team of students learnt about the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in Albania after the persecutions she has suffered. They were also…

Mar 12, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

St David’s Day: Portrait created from daffodils and bark

A portrait of Wales’ patron saint made from 1,000 real daffodils and garden bark has been created in Pembrokeshire to mark St David’s Day, BBC reports. Welsh artist and Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Nathan Wyburn, created the portrait within the central courtyard of St Davids Bishop’s Palace. It comes as part of heritage group Cadw’s…

Mar 7, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu

Ecumenical Patriarch’s Lenten Message focuses on ascetism as common vocation for all faithful

Ascetism takes center stage in Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s Lenten message this year, which represents a common vocation for all faithful without exception. ‘Asceticism is Christianity in its entirety,’ Patriarch Bartholomew wrote in his catechetical homily at the opening of Holy and Great Lent published March 4, 2019. ‘The purpose of ascesis is the transcendence of…

Mar 5, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria conveyed his condolences for the train crash in Egypt

Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria expressed, from Addis Ababa where he is at the moment, his personal and all Orthodox Church of Africa’s deep sorrow for the tragic accident at the Cairo Railway Station, which eventually caused 22 deaths and injured at least 40 people. In his statements, he sent his sincere condolences to Egyptian…

Mar 1, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

First Athonite church dedicated to St. Paisios consecrated

While there are already churches dedicated to the great 20th-century ascetic St. Paisios the Athonite, the Holy Mountain itself now has its first consecrated church built in his honor. The church was consecrated by His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Xanthi on Sunday, February 24th. The church is located in Kapsala, in the area between Karyes…

Feb 27, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

The new Metropolitan of Kananga, Theodosius, has been enthroned

On Sunday, February 24, the new Metropolitan Theodosius of Kananga was enthroned by Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa, Romfea informs. The enthronement took place at St Andrews Cathedral in Kananga. The Patriarch of Alexandria spoke warmly about the enthroned Metropolitan of Kananga and gave him advice, promptings and instructions for the pastoral care…

Feb 26, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria visited the city of Dolisie in Congo

On the morning of February 18, Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa, accompanied by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Brazzaville and Gabon and Bishop Theodoros of Babylonia, arrived in Dolisie, the third most populous city of the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville. After the ceremonial visit to Governorate, the Patriarch of Alexandria went to the Parish Community…

Feb 21, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Metropolitan Nektarios: If we say today that we are Orthodox, we will have the finger pointed at us

Unfortunately, we are running everyday the risk of mutation of the Greek society in order to conform to the standards of the so-called post-modern world, said the Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu, Paxos and the Diapontia Islands. Speaking at an event for the poet Giorgos Sarandaris, Metropolitan Nektarios said that in order to mutate the Greek…

Feb 20, 2019Sorin Ioniţe

Dobre Dobrev 1st death anniversary: Bulgarian priest remembers Sofia’s saintly beggar

Marking Dobre Dobrev’s 1st death anniversary, Fr Kiril Sinev, a Bulgarian priest who serves in Ruse, told the Basilica News Agency how people remember the saintly grandfather who devoted himself to raising money for Bulgaria’s Orthodox Church. Father Kiril Sinev said that even the Elder’s name Dobre (which derives from the Bulgarian word dobar, good)…

Feb 19, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Ecumenical Patriarchate establishes Synaxis of All Military Saints

During its working session on February 14, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate established a new feast dedicated to all the Orthodox Saints who were soldiers and who died as martyrs for Christ. The Synaxis of All Military Saints will be celebrated every year on July 8 by the Church of Constantinople. The proposal…

Feb 18, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Bulgarian Orthodox Church deletes opinion on National Strategy for the Child from website

A controversial opinion purported to be from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod urging a ban on terminations of pregnancy, for religion to be a compulsory subject in schools, no sex education, and opposing the full ban on corporal punishment in schools, has been deleted from the church’s official website, Sofia Globe reports. The opinion, posted…

Feb 14, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu