Saints Constantine and Helen are the heavenly patrons of more than 1.5 million Romanians. According to data from the Directorate for Persons Records within Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, 1,514,907 Romanians bear the names of Saints Constantine and Helen or related variants. Of these, nearly one million are women bearing the names of the two…
Fr Alexandru Popescu of the Romanian Orthodox Parish in Valletta took part in an interfaith event hosted by Malta’s President, Myriam Spiteri Debono, on Wednesday, May 13. The event brought together leaders and representatives of various religious communities, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Evangelical Baptist Church, the…
King Abdullah II of Jordan and Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem inaugurated on Monday the International Orthodox University “The Baptism Site”. According to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the higher education institution was built at the site where the Lord Jesus Christ was baptised by Saint John the Baptist. The area was designated a UNESCO World…
Tens of thousands of Georgians took part in family marches on Sunday in several cities across the country. Following the rally in Tbilisi, Patriarch Shio III of Georgia celebrated his first Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in the Georgian capital since his enthronement. “Why did God grant man family life? In order to lead…
The NEPSIS UK youth gathering concluded on Sunday at the Parish of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen in Bristol with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Archbishop spoke to the young participants about the Gospel account of the healing of the man born blind,…
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and His Beatitude Archbishop John of Albania concelebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Church of Saint Theodore Tyron in the town of Malakope (Derinkuyu), near an underground city once inhabited by Cappadocian Christians. “Coming here and celebrating the Mystery of the Church through the Divine Eucharist, we…
Thirty visually impaired people from Galați received parcels containing essential food items and copies of the New Testament in Braille on Sunday from the Archdiocese of Lower Danube. The initiative followed the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop Casian at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Galați. Spiritual enrichment The Archbishop of Lower Danube highlighted the day’s spiritual…
Romania’s Consul General in Barcelona, Sandra Gătejeanu Gheorghe, attended on Sunday the 25th anniversary celebration of the “Saints Constantine and Helen” parish in Figueres, Spain. In a message published on social media, the Romanian diplomat highlighted the importance of the Romanian community and parish life within the diaspora. “The event highlighted the important role that…
The relics of Saint Olympias of Fărcașa, mother of Saint Petronius of Prodromos Skete on Mount Athos, were uncovered on Monday in Fărcașa, Neamț County, Romania. The event took place in the presence of His Grace Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe, His Grace Assistant Bishop Nichifor of Botoșani from the Archdiocese of Iași, Archimandrite Petroniu…
Mount Athos has been digitally recreated on the OrthoCraft Minecraft server, a project dedicated to Orthodoxy that features reconstructions inspired by the architecture and spirituality of the Orthodox world. The creator of the OrthoCraft server told Basilica.ro that the project’s latest achievement is “a detailed reconstruction of Mount Athos, including several monastic buildings recognised from…
The local proclamation of the canonisation of Saint Blandina the Confessor took place on Sunday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași. The solemn event was held at the end of the Divine Liturgy celebrated by an assembly of seven hierarchs led by Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina. The Synodal Tomos proclaiming the canonisation was…
“Through this holy work of Jesus upon the blind man, he received physical sight, but also spiritual sight, namely faith,” Patriarch Daniel of Romania underlined on Sunday at the historic “St George” Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence. His Beatitude emphasised that through faith, man perceives the presence and work of God in creation and in…
Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, the Holy Synod’s general secretary, met on Thursday, May 14, at the Patriarchal Palace with representatives of the International Orthodox Christian Scouts Organisation “Desmos”. The bishop highlighted the importance of involving young people in educational and community activities amid the challenges of contemporary society. “It is very important that…
A possible biblical mystery may have been solved, with archaeologists claiming to have identified the village of Bethsaida in Israel. The locality is mentioned in the New Testament and associated with several miracles performed by Jesus Christ. Researchers began excavations a decade ago at the archaeological site of El-Araj, located on the north-eastern shore of…
A Romanian monastic cell dedicated to Saints Athanasius and Cyril is being built on Mount Athos. The monastic settlement is located within the Romanian Lakkoskete, which belongs to Saint Paul Monastery. The new cell is being constructed on land donated by the Lakkoskete, in a deep valley surrounded by chestnut forests, a setting suited for…
His Eminence Hon Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște and Patriarchal Exarch, received on Friday at the Patriarchal Palace a delegation of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The visit to the Patriarchal Palace formed part of the delegation’s broader programme, which also included an international symposium held on May…
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church instituted in 2009 a Sunday dedicated to the Christian family. It is observed on the Sunday closest to 15 May, which the United Nations designated as the International Day of Families. This year, Christian Family Sunday fell on 17 May, the feast day of the Holy Apostles…
Romania on Saturday marked for the first time the National Day of Religious Freedom and the Contribution of Religious Denominations to Romanian Society. The observance was established in 2025 following a proposal by Romania’s religious denominations during a meeting held on 10 April 2024 with representatives of the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs and other…
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, the first Romanian to fly into space, received on Thursday the Metropolitan Order of “Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest” on behalf of Patriarch Daniel. The distinction was presented to the astronaut by Protosyncellus Simeon Cuțui, Cultural Exarch of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, during a festive session of the Romanian Academy marking…
Romania’s national flower is celebrated annually on 15 May, with the peony recognised as a symbol of Romanian soldiers’ heroism. Efforts to secure official recognition for the peony were supported by the community “Bujorul Românesc – The Romanian Peony”, founded in 2015 by Cristina Turnagiu Dragna and Andreea Tănăsescu, creator of the “La Blouse Roumaine”…