German Orthodox Christians will celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in 2025. The decision to mark the historical event in Nicaea was made at the last meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Germany (OBKD) that took place in October in Bonn. The program of events will most likely be…
The Romanian Orthodox Church in Tokyo was consecrated on Tuesday, on the feast of the transfer of St George’s relics to his church in Lydda. The service was officiated by Romanian Metropolitan Iosif of Western Europe and Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and Japan. The consecration concluded the restoration works which took several years. The Romanian…
Two Romanian films are registered in the Byzanfest Orthodox Film Festival, which is unfolding online between October 23 and November 8: a psychological drama where the main character turns out to be St Nicholas and a documentary showing an educational game with the children from the Orthodox Valea Plopului settlement. “500” is nominated for the…
Among the contenders for the designation of the Greatest Romanian Philanthropist are six saints of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The campaign, initiated by the Metropolis of Transylvania, currently includes 48 names, including a number of ecclesiastical and secular figures. Nominations are being accepted through November 20 and can come from dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox…
The nuns from the Diocesan Centre of the Archdiocese of Timișoara sew 2,600 disposable towels overnight and offered them to the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of local hospitals. 1,400 towels were delivered to the County Hospital and other 1,200 to the “Victor Babeș” Infectious Diseases Hospital. “We wish to thank the Metropolis of Banatului for…
A fire with unknown author consumed on Wednesday the Romanian-language Orthodox church in Prague. The flames caused the collapse of its 17-meter tower. Parish Priest Andrei Ioan Danciu declared for Radio Free Europe Moldova that Prague Municipality, who owns the building, will reconstruct it. “We need to keep on going, we cannot give up. I…
The life and work of Father Alexandru Octavian Balaban from St Parascheva Parish in Dăeni, county of Tulcea, unfolds under St Parascheva’s protection. The priest, whose story has been recently featured in Libertatea daily, told Basilica.ro how he transitioned from the “religion of football” to the ministry of priesthood. He grew up in the village…
Metropolitan Nicolae of the two Americas installed Protosyncellus Ieremia Berbec as the abbot of the Middletown Monastery, in the state of New York. The ceremony was held on October 24, when the patronal feast of the monastery was celebrated. The celebration was held in advance of the saint’s feast (October 27) to allow participation of…
The tragedy at Colectiv nightclub directly affected several hundred families but caused injuries – many still open – at the level of the entire Romanian society. The Church was not left untouched by the accusations either, some partially real and assumed, others totally unfounded that hover in the public space even 5 years after the…
The Patriarch of Romania said that the Parable of the unmerciful rich man and Lazarus is the most significant of the gospel readings and was proclaimed last Sunday to help us prepare for the Nativity Fast. “The unmerciful rich man loses his salvation.” This is the conclusion of the parable with many spiritual meanings. “In…
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Romania visited Putna Monastery on Friday and was impressed by the monastic settlement, the history of Bukovina, Saints Stephen the Great and Jacob of Putna. On his first visit to Bukovina, Ambassador Nurbakh Rustemov was accompanied by his wife and one of their daughters. The Ambassador especially appreciated the unique…
Fr Aurel Mihai, vicar at the Archdiocese of Bucharest, led a memorial service on Friday morning for the 65 victims of the deadly fire that broke out during a concert at the Colectiv Club in Bucharest in 2015. The service that was performed at Bucur Square next to the building that once housed the Colectiv…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sent a message of solidarity with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek people, following the strong earthquake that shook the island of Samos on Friday, Oct. 30. The message is addressed to Archbishop Hieronymos II of Athens and all of Greece: His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel expressed his grief over the losses suffered by Greece and Turkey after a powerful earthquake shook the neighbouring countries on Friday. His Beatitude sent a message of solidarity to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: His Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Your Holiness, We learned with deep sorrow about the…
A bust of the first Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Miron Cristea, was unveiled on an Alley dedicated to the Founders of the 1918 Great Union in Ploiești’s Bucov Park during a ceremony on Saturday, October 24, Q Magazine reports. The bronze bust was made by the sculptor George Dumitru, with the support of…
The philanthropic work carried out by the Orthodox Metropolis of Bessarabia during the coronavirus pandemic was praised by the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Chisinau. Congratulations were conveyed by Robert Keane, Human Rights Officer at the US Embassy to the Republic of Moldova, during a virtual meeting with the Metropolitan’s representative,…
Patriarch Daniel Tuesday warmly thanked the ‘beloved pilgrims’ for coming to the feast of Saint Demetrios the New and attending the divine services at the Patriarchal Cathedral with patience and ‘exemplary order’. ‘In the warmest way, we thank you, beloved pilgrims, who participated in the all-night vigil services, in the Divine Liturgies. Thank you for…
A tourist-cultural route of wooden churches in Romania was officially launched on Tuesday, October 27, at an event dedicated to the protection and cultural valorization of the historical monument of the wooden church in Valea Crișului, Bihor County. The event was attended by representatives of the local public administrations registered in the cultural route and…
During his sermon on Tuesday, Patriarch Daniel referred to two aspects of God’s presence and work in the world through Saint Demetrios the New: on the one hand, the delicacy and the miraculous help offered to the believers, on the other hand, the ‘bitter medicine’ administered to people for correction. The Patriarch of Romania highlighted…
The Basilica Media Center of the Romanian Patriarchate celebrates its 13th anniversary on October 27, on the feast of St Demetrius the New. This celebration always finds Church journalists at work. During the religious service, from the Patriarchate Hill, or from behind the computer screens, they report their whispered, yet firm “breaking news”. Although this…