Society

Three Romanian metropolitans at international meeting for peace: HE Serafim explains that peace comes from the heart

Romanian Orthodox Metropolitans Ioan of Banat, Iosif of Western and Southern Europe and Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe participated in the International Meeting “Imagine Peace” organized by the Sant’Egidio Community between September 22 and 24 in Paris. The event brought together laypeople and religious leaders from many countries and cultures of the world.…

Sep 26, 2024Ștefana Totorcea

Oradea Orthodox Bishop attends official opening of Eastern Catholic Bishops’ Meeting in Europe

On Monday, the Romanian Orthodox hierarch of Oradea, His Grace Bishop Sofronie, participated in the official opening of the Meeting of Eastern Catholic Bishops of Europe, held this year in Oradea on September 16-19. On this occasion, the Bishop of Oradea expressed gratitude for the hospitality shown by the Roman Catholic Church to Romanian communities…

Sep 19, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Dialogue between Orthodox Church and Oriental Churches resumes after 31 years in Cairo

Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches resumed in Cairo this week after a 31-year hiatus. The joint dialogue commission’s meetings took place on September 16-17 at the Monastery of Abba Bishoy in Cairo, a monastic settlement belonging to the Coptic Church. His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate…

Sep 18, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Oltenia Metropolitan’s call to educators, parents, and students at the start of new school year

Metropolitan Irineu of Oltenia delivered a message at the beginning of the new school year, stating that the Church and School “unite in one heart, aiming to educate and train good Christians and future specialists by cultivating the authentic traditional values of our people.” The hierarch’s message is structured in three parts and explicitly appeals…

Sep 12, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

European Christian scholars gather in Warsaw to mark 1,700 Years since the First Ecumenical Council

Members of various Christian churches and denominations from across Europe gathered in Warsaw from September 5 to September 10 for the Academic Meeting of the European Society for Ecumenical Research—Societas Oecumenica. This year’s event commemorated the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council (Nicea, 325 AD). The meeting’s theme focused on the contemporary reception of…

Sep 11, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox parishes in the US show strong post-pandemic recovery, outperforming other denominations

A recent study published by the Hartford Institute for Religion revealed that Orthodox parishes in the US experienced a smaller decline in congregational numbers during the pandemic than other religious denominations and have been more successful in attracting new members during this period. Nationally, all liturgical communities in the US, regardless of denomination, lost an…

Aug 28, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Most migrants in Europe are Christian, recent study shows

According to the latest study published by Pew Research Center, most migrants in European countries originate from within the European continent and are predominantly Christian. In 2020, 53% of the non-native population living in Europe was born in another European country. The rest were born in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Due…

Aug 26, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Kenyan students experience Romania: Cultural and educational trip

Forty young Kenyans visited the Cultural-Missionary Centre of the Archdiocese of Târgoviște at the Peștera Ialomiței Monastery on Monday, along with other landmarks in the Bucegi Mountains. The students are from two schools in Kenya that won an inaugural football tournament organized on Europe Day. The students received a specialized training camp in Romania, fully…

Aug 21, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Representatives of different monastic traditions gather in Romania under the theme “Blessed are the peacemakers”

In the serene mountain setting of Sambata de Sus Monastery, near Sibiu, Romania, a significant ecumenical and inter-monastic gathering took place from July 3 to 9. Organized by the Orthodox Archdiocese of Sibiu, the event brought together young disciples from various nations and representatives of monastic communities from across Europe. The theme “Blessed are the…

Jul 24, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Georgian Ambassador attends St Anthimos Monastery patronal feast: Georgia and Romania have a common saint

Her Excellency Tamar Beruchashvili, Georgia’s Ambassador to Romania, attended the patronal feast of St Anthimos Monastery in Bucharest last Sunday. The ambassador posted photos on her X.com profile. “I attended the Sunday service at the historic St Anthimos Monastery in Bucharest dedicated to All Saints Day.” pic.twitter.com/gbDrzTLmuY — Tamar Beruchashvili – თამარ ბერუჩაშვილი (@tberuch) June…

Jul 3, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Cambridge Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies marks 25th anniversary

On Sunday, June 9, the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS) in Cambridge celebrated its 25th anniversary since it officially registered as a company in the UK. Fr. Dragoș Herescu, a Romanian, currently serves as the educational institution’s director. On this occasion, the Institute commissioned an anniversary icon of the Saviour Jesus Christ, which includes…

Jun 11, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu