Social

Romanian Archdiocese of Timișoara invested $1 million+ in philanthropic services in 2018

In addition to its spiritual role, the Romanian Orthodox Church is a great philanthropic force in the Orthodox nation. For example, the Archdiocese of Timișoara in western Romania spent more than $1 million in social endeavors last year alone. It was reported at the diocesan assembly on January 19 that 13,725 people were helped through…

Jan 24, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu

245 Million Christians experience high levels of persecution

A report by Open Doors, a Dutch charity that supports persecuted Christians showed that in total, 245 million faced violence or oppression in 2018, with 73 countries listed as danger zones for Christians, Daily Mail reports. Christians around the world suffered a huge increase in persecution last year – with around 30 million more people…

Jan 23, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Hundreds of thousands join pro-life march in Washington DC

While mainstream media portrayed the 2019 March for Life as being attended by “thousands” and “tens of thousands”, a time-lapse video of the Jan. 18 event from beginning to end paints a rather different picture which suggests a much higher number, Life Site reports.  Getting an accurate count of so large a crowd would be…

Jan 22, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Priorities of the Romania’s Presidency to the Council of the European Union

Pillar 1: „Europe of convergence” The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will aim to bring a contribution to ensuring convergence and cohesion in Europe, in order to achieve sustainable and equal development opportunities for all citizens and Member States, through increasing competiveness and reducing development gaps, promoting connectivity and digitalization, stimulating entrepreneurship…

Jan 10, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Banat Metropolitan celebrates his name day with homeless people

His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat honoured his spiritual protector, Saint John the Forerunner, by joining several homeless people at one of Timișoara’s housing charity shelter on Monday. ‘There is nothing exceptional. This is normality for me and we should do such actions as often as possible, because, you see, these people are abandoned, they…

Jan 8, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Britain commissions review of Christian persecution worldwide

Britain has commissioned an independent review into the persecution of Christians to find practical steps to support followers of a religion that it said has been subject to a dramatic rise in violence worldwide, Reuters reports. Some 215 million Christians worldwide faced persecution for their faith last year, it said, with Christian women and children…

Dec 30, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

1,000+ children receive Christmas gifts from Romanian Diocese of Huși

More than 1,000 children and their parents filled the courtyard at the diocesan building in Huși, Romania on Tuesday to enjoy a Christmas program and receive gifts from the Church. The 1,400 children from the diocese’s rural parishes filled the yard to overflowing. “I’m very glad that this yard is full of innocence, given the…

Dec 21, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

CROCEU on the link between religion and fundamental human rights

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Committee of the Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union issued a public statement, congratulating the UN for this remarkable achievement. The signatories emphasise the religious environment in which this declaration was baked and the need to…

Dec 14, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

NBR: Commemorative collector banknote dedicated to the anniversary of 100 years since the Great Union

Pursuant to the provisions of Law No. 312/2004 on the Statute of the National Bank of Romania, as of 1 December 2018, the National Bank of Romania will put into circulation, for numismatic purposes, a commemorative collector banknote with face value of lei 100 dedicated to the anniversary of 100 years since the Great Union on 1…

Dec 4, 2018Gheorghe Anghel

Rev. Constantin Necula on Romania’s National Cathedral: ‘It will change the life of those who constantly seek God’

The National Cathedral ‘includes in itself all our defeats and humiliations over the last 100 years. It rises as a victory. It will change only the life of those who constantly seek God with the persistence of the soldiers who know they are defending their family and nation.’ ‘For the others who are more superficial,…

Nov 15, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu

OCA issues updated Social Media Guidelines for Clergy

The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has recently published a document entitled “Social Media Guidelines for Clergy and Lay Leaders”. The document was approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops at their working session on October 24, 2018. The updated Guidelines are recommended by the Holy Synod for implementation by the Central Church Administration, ministries,…

Nov 7, 2018Aurelian Iftimiu