Romanian Patriarchate

Bishop Varlaam reminds that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world

At the all-night vigil service held in honour of St. Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher, a great martyr of the 4th century, the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploieşti spoke about the current persecutions against Christians and stressed that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. “Usually when we talk about persecution we refer to…

Oct 27, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Relics of Saint Demetrios the New placed for veneration outside Patriarchal Cathedral for three-day celebration

Marking the beginning of a three-day celebration in honour of Bucharest’s Patron Saint, four priests led by a bishop carried the relics of Saint Demetrios the New outside the patriarchal cathedral during a small procession on Sunday morning. The reliquary was placed in a baldachin next to the cathedral where pilgrims from Bucharest are expected…

Oct 25, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

For 5 years on social media: Five good reasons to follow us, one reason you should not

On October 20, 2015, the Basilica News Agency joined Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. A bit late, indeed. But we made up for it. We have tens of reasons to invite you to join the Basilica.ro community. We’ve chosen only five reasons, hoping to be sufficient. If you’re not convinced, please write to us, wherever you…

Oct 22, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox students pray for power and strength to profess true faith at Fr Dumitru Staniloae’s tomb

Marking Father Dumitru Staniloae’s 27 year memorial anniversary, the members of the Romanian Orthodox Christian Students Association (ASCOR) gathered at Cernica Monastery ‘to pray for the rest of the soul of the reverend professor and his generation, but also to receive power and strength to profess the true faith and fulfil our role in society,…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

When images meet holiness: The holy relics of Saint Demetrios the New

The Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest keeps a very important gift of Romanians: the holy relics of Saint Demetrios the New, Protector of Bucharest. Received from General Pyotr Saltykov, the holy relics have been blessing Romanians for over 240 years. In 1786, the relics of St. Demetrios were placed in a wooden reliquary, clad in silver…

Oct 19, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchate Spokesperson demands respect for most of the good and faithful people of the country: Pilgrimage is the expression of responsible religious freedom

The Romanian Patriarchate’s Spokesperson Vasile Bănescu commented on the decision to ban this year’s pilgrimage from Bucharest, on the patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral. The spokesman reminded that the pilgrimage is a manifestation of religious freedom and that pilgrims and the Romanian Orthodox Church deserve more respect and trust from the authorities. “The rigorously…

Oct 15, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

To to preserve religious freedom, sanitary measures must be taken with the utmost discernment: Patriarchate’s Spokesperson

The spokesman of the Romanian Patriarchate Vasile Bănescu reacted to the decision by which the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) announced that organizing events on religious holidays is allowed only with the participation of those who live or reside in that specific locality. The measure was motivated by the fact that the risk of…

Oct 8, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Memorial House of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae set up in Bucharest

The great Romanian theologian of the 20th century has now a museum in the heart of Bucharest, near kilometre zero. The museum dedicated to Father Stăniloae was set up by the Old St George Parish and is located on the ground floor of the parish house in the courtyard of the place of worship. …

Oct 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Holy Synod recommends intensification of activities dedicated to families

During its working session on Tuesday, the Holy Synod recommended to the parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church to intensify the activities dedicated to families. It urged the believers to cultivate Christian education and philanthropic spirit in their families and society through prayer and good deeds. Press release: New decisions of the Holy Synod of…

Sep 30, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Basilica.ro | 100,000 times the Good to Know

Once we entered the new ecclesiastical year, we also crossed another milestone, one whose weight encourages us and makes us feel more responsible. The WordPress platform informed us on September 1st, 2020 that we had just published the 100,000th article on Basilica.ro. So we have tried 100,000 times – and hope we succeeded every time…

Sep 3, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Center for Orthodox Studies publishes article on the Resurgence of the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Center for Orthodox Studies published an article signed by George Alexander, one of the founders of the Orthodoxy Cognate Page Society, which presents the mission of the Romanian Orthodox Church during the patriarchate of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The article entitled The Resurgence of the Romanian Orthodox Church – Personal reflections presents a brief…

Aug 26, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu