His Beatitude Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia will be laid to rest on Sunday, 22 March, at the Sioni Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Tbilisi, the Georgian Orthodox Church announced. The decision was presented by Metropolitan Jobi of Urbnisi and Ruisi, who described the late patriarch as “an epochal figure” with immeasurable…
March 18 marks 70 years since the blessed repose of Saint Nikolai Velimirović, a Serbian Orthodox hierarch whose life was defined by sacrifice, witness and devotion to the Serbian people and the Orthodox Christian faith. He was born on 23 December 1880 in Serbia. His early education began in the family and continued at Ćelije…
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has officially established Romanian Language Day in Ukraine, to be celebrated annually on 31 August, according to a presidential decree. The decision was taken during the Ukrainian president’s visit to Romania on 12 March. The decree states that the holiday was introduced “to promote mutual understanding, mutual respect and cooperation in Ukrainian-Romanian…
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, issued a message of condolence on Tuesday evening following the passing of His Beatitude Ilia II, Patriarch of Georgia. The Primate of the Romanian Church refers to Patriarch Ilia II as “a venerable personality of contemporary Orthodoxy and a steadfast confessor of the faith, who shepherded…
Bishop Macarie Drăgoi of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe arrived in Greenland on Monday, where he will spend a week celebrating the Divine Liturgy and baptising local people who wish to enter into communion with the Church. In a message posted on the diocese’s Facebook page, the bishop said the mission is taking…
Baumit, a leading construction materials company, has entered the National Cathedral of Romania project into the Life Challenge 2026 competition, in the non-residential buildings category, which rewards the most striking Baumit façades across Europe. “The National Cathedral is a landmark of Romanian religious architecture, combining Byzantine tradition with local elements. Its façades, structured with arches…
His Grace Assistant Bishop Teofil of Iberia of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal warned on Sunday that the Holy Cross does not offer a magical protection if a Christian’s life contradicts the Gospel. He delivered a sermon during the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Cross Parish, Alcalá del Júcar – Casas-Ibáñez in…
Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia said on Sunday at Aiud Monastery that the martyrs of the communist prison in Aiud transformed their prison hell into a spiritual ascent. Speaking on the monastery’s patronal feast, the archbishop recalled the sacrifice of those who endured persecution in communist prisons. “Today we remember with reverence all Romanians who…
Aris Servetalis, who portrayed Saint Nectarios of Aegina in the film Man of God, will play Saint Joseph the Hesychast in a biographical television series to be broadcast in Greece by Mega Channel, according to ope.gr. The role of the Athonite saint will be portrayed at two stages of life: the younger Joseph will be…
Members of the Romanian Orthodox Parish of Tokyo have begun building a wooden church in Maramureș style in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture, after purchasing land and establishing the first Orthodox cemetery in Japan at the site. The foundation stone was blessed at the end of last week. The service was officiated by the parish priest, Daniel…
The St Maximos the Greek Institute of Vatopedi Monastery and the Ormylia Foundation of Simonopetra Monastery on Mount Athos will organise the International Theological Symposium “In Memory and Honour of Elder Aimilianos of Simonos Petras: A Witness to the Glory of God and a Guide in the Spirit” in Athens from 8–10 May 2026. The…
Bishop Macarie Drăgoi of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe ordained Swedish deacon Serafim Lundqvist to the priesthood on Sunday during the Divine Liturgy at the parish of Sts Theodore the Viking Martyr and his son John, in Leksand, Sweden. Fr Serafim Lundqvist said the moment of his ordination was both a great blessing…
Around 1,000 pupils from 37 schools at all levels of education in Thessaloniki chanted hymns to the Virgin Mary at the city’s Hagia Sophia Church. The pupils, together with the choir of the Hellenic Army Officers’ School and the Eirmos Byzantine Children’s Choir of the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, provided the liturgical responses on Friday, 13…
Denis Vlad, a religion teacher and parliamentary adviser, has urged young people to recognise the importance of faith in God for coping with life’s challenges and for healing. He said there are numerous examples showing that a strong faith in God provides not only emotional resilience but also physical strength. “We have many examples, books…
Kim Hyeonwoo, a 25-year-old medical student from South Korea, was baptised into the Orthodox faith last Thursday at a church in Vaslui County, in eastern Romania. The sacrament was officiated by Archpriest Andrei Mereuță, dean of Bârlad, while the young man’s sponsors were Fr Sabin Apopei and his wife Maria, who guided him on the…
“Self-denial, taking up or accepting the cross and following Christ are the three conditions for being Christians and attaining salvation or eternal life through the union of man with God, the source of eternal life,” said Patriarch Daniel of Romania on Sunday. The head of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained that Christian life cannot be…
The Ukrainian community in Romania marks 36 years since the re-establishment of the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate in Romania on Monday. Following the fall of the communist regime, Orthodox Ukrainians in Romania initiated steps to obtain the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church for the restoration of the Ukrainian Vicariate, which had…
The Faculty of Orthodox Theology and Educational Sciences of Valahia University of Târgoviște hosted an academic conference on Thursday, attended by professors from Tbilisi and members of the university’s teaching staff. The discussions focused on the theme “The Church of Georgia in the 19th–20th Centuries”. Among the invited speakers were Dimitry Gegenava, vice-rector of Sulkhan-Saba…
Fr. Narcis Stupcanu, a priest serving at the St. Paraskeva Parish in Berceni, Bucharest, said in an interview with Trinitas TV that one of the main problems affecting families today is individualism. “We have become very selfish and expect more from the other person than from ourselves,” the priest said. He noted that many people…
Hierarchs of the Metropolis of Bessarabia met in a working session on Thursday at the Metropolitan Residence in Chisinau, where they approved the text of the Akathist to St Blandina of Iași and set the date and location for the local proclamation of her canonisation: 23 May 2026 in Chisinau. The meeting was chaired by…