Vasile Banescu, a spokesman for the Romanian Patriarchate, denounced billboards depicting doctors and nurses as “saints” with coronavirus-shaped halos as a blasphemous “visual mistreatment of Christian iconography” on Wednesday. The posters, created by Romanian artist Wanda Hutira for the McCann Worldgroup ad agency’s “Thank you doctors” campaign and posted throughout Bucharest, have also offended the…
According to the law promulgated by president Klaus Iohannis on April 3, schools are required life and health education programs, including sex education classes, at least once per semester. The Romanian Patriarchate has advocated for the optional character of the classes, calling for the school curricula related to them to be elaborated according to moral…
The Romanian Patriarchate has announced that the amount of aid offered by the Church to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic exceeded 470,000 Euros (2,278,396 Lei) in the week of April 20-27. That brings the total aid offered by dioceses since the beginning of the health crisis to 3,080,015 Euros (14,876,474 Lei). The full text…
According to the information sent today by the medical team that takes care of His Eminence Archbishop Pimen, his general health condition has significantly improved,’ the Romanian Patriarchate’s spokesperson told the Basilica News Agency on Tuesday. ‘Hospitalization and appropriate treatment are still required for a period that depends on the pace and evolution of the…
The 7-km subway line serving the residents of Drumul Taberei neighborhood in western Bucharest will become operational in June, Transport Minister Lucian Bode confirmed for Mediafax. The Romanian official has offered more information on the subject in a recent TV Show, G4 Media informs. The dynamic tests and the final reception are to take place…
Prayer and hope were the main topics on which Patriarch Daniel’s sermon focused on Bright Friday when the Orthodox Church marks the feast day of the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said that especially now when the world experiences a sad and difficult period due to the coronavirus pandemic, we need…
On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the United Nations Organization (UNO) has focused its message on preventing infectious diseases at work, in particular, those with the new coronavirus SARS-Cov-2. The European Commission published last week a guide on how to get back to work after mandatory isolation so as to prevent…
As a token of love and honour for those who sacrificed their lives during the First World War, the Romanian priest in Munster, Germany, went to the memorial cemetery in Dülmen with Easter candles and prayed for the souls of the departed. ‘This year, on the second day of Easter, I went together with our parish’s…
The Holy Apostle Thomas can be considered the patron saint of those who want to inform themselves directly from the source, the bishop of Husi said on Sunday during his sermon which focused on the personality of Christ’s doubting apostle. St Thomas wanted to dispel any doubt through direct interaction with Christ himself. He tried…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel thanked Pope Francis in a letter sent on April 23 for the medical equipment donated to the St John the New Hospital in Suceava. The donation, consisting of five lung ventilators, 200 overalls, 900 FFP2 masks, and 5,000 sanitary masks, was offered on the feast day of Saint George the Trophy-bearer,…
‘The Holy Great Martyr Gorge is for us today a great helper in times of tribulation,’ His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said on Bright Thursday celebrating the patronal feast of the historic chapel of the patriarchal residence. “As he overcame the demons who worked through the persecuting pagan emperors and conquered all temptations and sufferings, so…
The assistant bishop to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti urged the clergy and believers to join prayers for the recovery of the 90-year-old Archbishop Pimen who is hospitalized at Matei Bals Hospital in Bucharest after testing positive for coronavirus. ‘We have this spiritual duty to His Eminence Archbishop Pimen, as one who also carried…
In these days illuminated by the joy of Christ’s Resurrection, and by the pleasure of finding Orthodox Christians in communion and solidarity through the reliable support of people severely affected by the current pandemic, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel thanks the hierarchs, priests, deacons and believers of the Romanian Orthodox Church who responded to the call…
Carrying on a centuries-old Orthodox tradition of religious processions in times of suffering and need, the relics of St. Filofteia of Argeş, known as the “Protectress of Romania,” were carried in procession throughout Argeş County on Wednesday, April 22, with prayers to end the coronavirus pandemic. Her miraculous relics are treasured at the Archdiocesan Cathedral…
On Saturday, the Romanian Orthodox Church marks its 135th anniversary of autocephaly. After Romania gained its state independence in 1877 and was declared a Kingdom in 1881, the prestige of the Romanian Orthodox Church increased, making necessary the formal recognition of its autocephaly, long denied by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On November 23, 1882, the Holy…
On Bright Tuesday, the third day of Holy Pascha, the wonderworking Axion Estin (It is Truly Meet) Icon of the Mother of God from Romania’s famous Sihăstria Monastery was carried in procession, with the monks entreating God for relief from the coronavirus pandemic and drought. The procession took place after the celebration of the Divine…
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day…
His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada has urged the clergy and faithful within his jurisdiction to pray in the coming days for all those affected – living or asleep, by the tragic event that took place in the province of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada: Christ is risen! With great sadness, the Romanian Orthodox…
In a recent interview, French theologian Jean-Claude Larchet, well-known to Romanians through his numerous books on illness and suffering, places the Covid-19 pandemic in historical context and discusses the challenges to religious practice which stemmed from it and spurred controversy among the Orthodox faithful. The extensive interview approaches hotly debated topics such as the issue…
During the Agape Vespers on Easter Sunday, also known as the Second Resurrection, Patriarch Daniel spoke about the characteristics of the Saviour’s risen body stressing that the marks of His Passion remained in his glorified body. The Patriarch of Romania explained why the risen Lord passed through the locked doors to meet his disciples. ‘He…