The Fall of Constantinople occurred on May 29, 1453, after a siege which began on April 6. The battle was part of the Byzantine-Ottoman Wars (1265-1453) and is referred to as one of the darkest days in Greek history. Ascending to the Ottoman throne in 1451, Mehmed II began making preparations to reduce the Byzantine…
On Thursday, May 28 2020, Orthodox Christians worldwide celebrated the Ascension of the Lord. In the Romanian Orthodox Church this feast day is also a commemoration day of all the heroes of the nation. In Belgium, this occasion was marked at the Military Cemetery in Mons, where a commemorative service was served by Rev. Fr.…
Metropolitan Nicolae and the fellow members of the Executive Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America (ACOB-USA) sent an appeal to several governors to insist on the equitable treatment of religion in the reopening of their states. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas stood by…
The Bucharest Transport Company (STB) has announced that fares can be paid by contactless banking card during the travel. The Bucharest City Mayor, Gabriela Firea, explained that the project, implemented in cooperation with BCR Bank, aims to install last-generation validators on all the new vehicles. The devices are already functional on the Express routes 780,…
The secular forests in Romania will be taken out of the economic circuit and will be placed under protection at national level, according to environment minister Costel Alexe. “We made a national decision: the secular forests in Romania leave the economic circuit and come under protection. The secular forests we have will be protected and…
Memorial services will be held Thursday, May 28, 2020, in all cathedrals, churches, monasteries, cemeteries and at all heroes’ monuments across Romania and abroad to mark the feast of the Ascension of the Lord and National Heroes’ Day. The services will be officiated after the Divine Liturgy in compliance with current regulations in the national…
Six priests from Suceava’s Archdiocese and two employees of a funeral company dressed in white overalls and wearing protective gloves carried the coffin of Archbishop Pimen during his funeral. The 90-year-old Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti died last week after testing positive for the new coronavirus. One of the priests was Fr. Bogdan Cojoleanca, the…
The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York has launched a presentation of the Liturgical Banner of Ruler Prince St. Stephen the Great, as part of the Project “The History of Romania in One Object”, organised in partnership with The National History Museum of Romania. The presentation was held online by Dr. Cristiana Tătaru, art historian,…
The coronavirus pandemic did not only generate panic and fear. It was also the source of constructive, useful projects, a true materialization of Christian love and creativity. The “Minute of Religion” is one such example, an atypical way for a teacher to address his students on religious topics using short animated videos. “In the context…
Locked-down would-be tourists who are longing to visit Greece can still enjoy the magnificent views of the Meteora monasteries and even walk alongside the monks of Mount Athos using a new app called “VR Pilgrim.” Just by using their own smartphone, tourists can enjoy 360-degree views of two of Greece’s most spectacular sites, the Meteora…
A former bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church was held for 30 days after the prosecutors have charged him with sexual abuse on a former student of his at the Orthodox theological seminary in Huși, Eastern Romania, where he used to work as a professor. The former bishop of Huși, Corneliu Onilă, held this dignity…
Patriarch Daniel focused his sermon on Sunday, May 24, on the way God can work through an invalid person, the blind man who became an enlightener of many, a teacher for us and a confessor of Christ. ‘Sickness is not always a consequence of sin, but it can also be an opportunity for God’s secret…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sent an official message that was read during the funeral of Archbishop Pimen, in which he remembered the late hierarch as a ‘Father of Bukovina and a friend of the Putna Saints.’ Expressing his deep sorrow for the loss of the former Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti, Patriarch Daniel highlighted the…
Christian life means happiness, even in tribulations. We live our lives with much anxiety and much pain because of our sins according to God’s providence. God calls us to Him through both troubles and sorrows, because in this way we can become wise, we better understand the will of God, which is the sanctification of…
A memorial Divine Liturgy and a funeral service were held last Friday for the Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti at St John the New Monastery. Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Rădăuți reposed in the Lord on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at the Matei Balș Infectious Diseases Institute in Bucharest following a second heart attack. He was transported…
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae Condrea of the Americas wrote a message for the feast of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen, focusing on St Constantine’s calling to grant freedom to humankind. His Eminence noted that through Saint Constantine the Great we received freedom in God, ‘spiritual liberty which was hidden, held captive in a world…
Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis sent an official letter of condolences to Patriarch Daniel to express his sorrow for the death of Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Radauti. In his message, President Iohannis expressed his appreciation for the Romanian Orthodox Church’s role in tackling the new coronavirus pandemic. The following is the full text of the…
The bishops of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina expressed ‘much sorrow’ over the death of the 90-year-old Archbishop Pimen, feeling confident that ‘we have gained an intercessor in heaven at the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity.’ ‘He was dedicated to the point of neglecting himself in the work of supporting the suffering and,…
Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Radauti reposed in the Lord during the night of May 19-20 at a hospital in Bucharest. He was 90 years of age and was the eldest Romanian hierarch. Patriarch Daniel has sent a condolence message to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti of which His Eminence Pimen was former Archbishop.…
The Romanian Patriarchate’s Spokesperson Vasile Banescu announced Wednesday that the burial of Archbishop Pimen will take place at Sihăstria Putnei Monastery, in Suceava. Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Rădăuți, 90, reposed in the Lord on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at the Matei Balș Infectious Diseases Institute in Bucharest following a second heart attack. “The Romanian…