International

Miraculous church of Panagia Plataniotissa in Kalavryta

At the village of Plataniotissa, 30km northwest of Kalavryta, at a beautiful green location, is one of the holiest and most unique pilgrimages of Greece, Panagia Plataniotissa (All Holy Virgin of the Plane Tree) which is tucked inside the hollow of a large plane tree, Greek City Times reports. It’s a special and natural phenomenon which…

Sep 24, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Joint declaration of Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw regarding the situation of Ukraine

Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw signed Friday a joint declaration in which they appeal ‘to all on whom depends the elimination of the church misunderstandings regarding the acquisition of autocephaly by the Ukrainian Church: please, do whatever is within your might to stave off the conflict concerning the question in order…

Sep 24, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Poland’s sole Orthodox hermitage celebrates 500 years of its holy site

The Skete of Sts. Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves in Ordynki, near the town of Narev, the only Orthodox hermitage in Poland, celebrated 500 years of the holy site on which it is built. On Saturday, the feast of Sts. Anthony and Theodosius, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the skete with pilgrims…

Sep 21, 2018Sorin Ioniţe

ARTE TV has released a video that highlights the painted monasteries in Romania

Please find available online and below until October 14th, this film by Arte on the painted monasteries of Bukovina in Romania, more precisely on that of Suceviţa, reports Orthodoxie.com. Click on the Video Settings (bottom right corner of the video) to get English subtitles. Excerpt from the presentation: “In the extreme north of Romania, not far from the Ukraine…

Sep 20, 2018Iulian Dumitraşcu

Patriarch of Alexandria begins 5-day visit to Polish Orthodox Church

The Patriarch of Alexandria Theodoros II was festively greeted by representatives of the Polish Orthodox Church yesterday as he landed in Warsaw for a five-day fraternal visit to the Polish Orthodox Church. The patriarch is accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Savvas of Nouvias and an Archimandrite Sylvester, reports the site of the Polish Orthodox Church. The…

Sep 20, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Orthodoxy has become second biggest religion in Austria

Orthodoxy has become the second biggest religion in majority-Catholic Austria, reports Der Standard. While intense debate is underway in Austria on the growing Muslim population, Orthodoxy has quietly and discreetly grown into the second largest religious community in the country. Islam has held the first place in terms of migrants to Austria in recent years. According…

Sep 18, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Greek Orthodox Church Attempting to Reclaim Centuries-Old Manuscripts in U.S. Collections

More than a century after being removed from a historic monastery in northern Greece, rare ninth-century Christian manuscripts have been located in the United States, where a team representing the Greek Orthodox Church is waging a tiresome legal battle to return them to the library from which they were taken, pappaspost.com informs. At the moment,…

Sep 18, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Turkey’s Sümela Monastery to open its doors after three years of restoration

Turkey expects to open the Sumela Monastery in Black Sea province of Trabzon after restoration works end soon, Culture and Tourism Minister said according to Anadolou Agency. The Sümela Monastery, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of the leading touristic locations in the Eastern Black Sea area. Located in the Macka…

Sep 16, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Turkish court rejects request to convert Hagia Sophia into mosque

The Turkish Supreme Court has rejected the request of one religious group to convert the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, currently a museum, into a mosque again, reports Interfax-Religion, cited by Orthochristian. The court rejected the application based on the formal mistakes that appeared in it. In its plea, the religious association had argued that barring Islamic prayers at…

Sep 15, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Elder Amphilochios Makris to be proclaimed a Saint during 4-day manifestation in Patmos

The canonization of St. Amphilochios (Makris), proclaimed by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on August 29, will be celebrated next week on the Greek island of Patmos, where the holy elder labored in monasticism. His canonization will be celebrated over a 4-day period, September 17-20, at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian…

Sep 14, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

Church of Cyprus responds to bill on “legal recognition of gender identity”

On Monday, August 27, the Cypriot Ministry of Justice launched a public consultation for a new bill on the legal recognition of gender identity. This represents the first stage in a long process before the bill, providing for anyone over 18 to legally change their gender, can become law, reports Cyprus Mail Online. Those wishing to…

Sep 13, 2018Gheorghe Anghel