Metropolitan Varnavas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis of the Orthodox Church of Greece brought a fragment of the venerable wood of the Holy Cross to the Church of St. Paraskeva and the Life-Giving Spring (Union Cathedral) in Focșani, Romania, on Sunday. Archbishop Ciprian of Buzău and Vrancea celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the Greek hierarch. Archbishop…
Restoration work at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople has revealed nine kilometres of underground tunnels. Parts of the network could be opened to visitors once restoration is complete, Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, has announced. “However, there are collapses and areas that prevent passage. We are currently continuing cleaning and restoration work…
Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina presented an award to Fr Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus at Durham University in the United Kingdom, in recognition of his contribution to the study and promotion of patristic theology. Last Friday, the Moldavian Cross, the highest distinction awarded by the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina, was presented during the…
The Romanian Government’s Department for Romanians Abroad has announced that it is preparing to launch the “Support for Romanian-Language Education in Ukraine – 2026” programme, which will provide three forms of financial assistance for pupils, university students and teachers. Each eligible pupil, student, or teacher will receive 2,000 RON in financial support. The grants will be…
“It unites us with Christ, who transforms pain into joy, suffering into hope, loneliness into communion and weakness into spiritual victory,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said of the Holy Cross on Sunday at the historic Chapel of the Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence. Reflecting on the Saviour’s call to take up one’s cross,…
Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to organise future projects. The meeting was held at the Ambiorix Orthodox Centre and chaired by Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium, Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Fr Sorin Șelaru and Fr George Vâlcu, representatives…
Friday marks 65 years since the repose of Hieromartyr Hilarion Felea, who confessed the Orthodox faith through his pastoral and teaching ministry as well as during years of imprisonment under Romania’s communist regime. He was born on 21 March 1903 in Valea Bradului, Hunedoara County, Romania, into a priest’s family. After completing his primary and…
“It shows us the perspective from which we should view at least the Church Year that is beginning, if not our entire lives,” Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada said in a reflection on the Holy Cross. The bishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Monday at the Cathedral of Sts Constantine and Helen and St Paraskeva…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church received Riley Barnes, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, at the Patriarchal Residence on Thursday, 17 September 2026. Darryl Nirenberg, United States Ambassador to Romania, also attended, along with representatives of the US Department…
This Akathist honours our Holy and Venerable Father Sofian of St Anthimos Monastery (16 September), a priest, confessor, spiritual father and iconographer formed by the Jesus Prayer. He celebrated the Divine Mysteries reverently, painted holy icons, guided spiritual children and cared for the afflicted. He remained steadfast during persecution and endured imprisonment. The hymn praises…
The Bishop Chesarie Theological Seminary in Buzău marked 190 years since its establishment on Tuesday. “We are committed to continuing to prepare servants of the Church and good, responsible and loyal people,” Fr Cristian Dima, the institution’s director, told the Basilica News Agency. The programme began with a Te Deum service and continued in the…
Firefighters from Timiș County gathered at Partoș Monastery on Tuesday to honour St Joseph the New of Partoș, Romania’s spiritual protector of firefighters. On the saint’s feast day, Timiș firefighters prayed for protection and help in carrying out their missions, and to be kept safe from danger. “Today, we thank him for his protection and…
Archbishop Casian of Lower Danube blessed firefighters in Galați on Tuesday on the feast of St. Joseph the New of Partoș, their spiritual protector. “We rejoice in this wonderful army of good,” His Eminence said. Officers, non-commissioned officers, and other personnel from the General Eremia Grigorescu Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Galați attended the service,…
His Grace Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand blessed the new social and cultural hall at St Ignatius the God-Bearer Parish in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday, as the project nears completion. On the occasion, His Grace celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross together with parish…
“During the dark years of communism, Antim Monastery was a lamp that remained continually burning, a light of resurrection here in the heart of Bucharest, while St Sofian was a prophet, an apostle and a father of this city, to whom both the most accomplished intellectuals and ordinary people would turn, seeking his kindness, forgiveness…
“It is time to draw closer to one another, so that common prayer and active love may prepare the way for communion and unity within our ancestral Church,” Metropolitan Antonie said on Monday as the Metropolis of Bessarabia marked 34 years since its reactivation. Metropolitan Antonie celebrated a Te Deum service at the Metropolitan Chapel…
The Greek state will support the restoration, conservation and digitisation of the heritage of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem over the next ten years under a memorandum of cooperation concluded with Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Culture. The document was signed in Athens in June 2026 and ratified by the Greek Parliament last…
Faithful from Constanța and pilgrims from several regions of Romania venerated the reliquary containing the right foot of St Anne, the mother of the Mother of God, on Sunday. The sacred relic was brought from St George the New Church in Bucharest to the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Constanța. The holy relics, which belong to Koutloumousiou…
Romanians in Munich, Germany, marked the 10th anniversary of the consecration of St Mary Church of the Annunciation Parish at the end of last week. Many faithful attended the celebrations, along with retired priest Fr Simion Felecan, who served the community for more than three decades and helped build the church. The Annunciation Parish organised…
Christians worldwide are marking the 2026 Season of Creation, held this year under the theme “Living Water”. According to the guide prepared for the observance, one in four people worldwide lacks access to safe drinking water. The Season of Creation is an annual ecumenical Christian initiative held from 1 September to 4 October, marked by…