Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said on Wednesday that the victims of the Fântâna Albă massacre “deserve remembrance,” marking 85 years since the tragedy. In a message posted on social media, the minister stressed that the events of April 1, 1941, remain an open wound in the collective conscience: “Not all wounds heal with the…
Hundreds of Romanians from northern Bukovina gathered on Wednesday to commemorate the victims of the Fântâna Albă massacre at the site of the tragedy in Ukraine’s Chernivtsi region. The memorial service took place in the Varnița forest, where a monument stands in memory of the thousands of Romanians who, on April 1, 1941, following the…
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said the Akathist Hymn is “a magnificent ode to freedom” at the opening of a conference marking 1,400 years since its first chanting. The event took place on Thursday, March 26, at the Marasli Patriarchal Urban School in Istanbul, Turkey, and was attended by hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, clergy, diplomatic…
Two sisters from the community of Mull Monastery in Scotland received the monastic tonsure on the Eve of the Annunciation, according to announcements shared on the monastery’s Facebook page and by Archimandrite Serafim Aldea, abbot of the neighbouring monastery on the Isle of Iona. Sister Teodora received the name Mother Thaney, while Sister Maria became…
Representatives of the Orthodox sister Churches and European Union institutions on Wednesday marked the 1,400th anniversary of the first chanting of the Akathist Hymn of the Mother of God at an event in Brussels. The gathering was organised by the Committee of Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) and took place…
His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia, on Sunday, underscored the importance of serving one’s neighbour and cultivating brotherly love as essential to ensuring peace in the world. The hierarch celebrated at the Chapel of the National Cathedral, explaining that “the Gospel read today shows the Saviour Christ making His final journey to Jerusalem…
Archimandrite Hrisostom Ciuciu of Putna Monastery said in an interview with Trinitas TV that young people have a distinctive way of understanding the spiritual life, noting that “they are the first to recognise true fasting”. The archimandrite emphasised that young people do not act out of constraint, but from inner conviction: “They do nothing unless…
On Saturday, 4 April 2026, on the eve of the great feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), the Romanian Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of Bucharest will organise the Palm Sunday Procession in Bucharest, with the participation of hierarchs, priests, monastics and lay faithful from Romania’s capital and Ilfov County. This…
Leaders of the Christian communities in Jerusalem, including the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, issued a Paschal message calling for peace amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem underscored the gravity of the situation, stating that “a new and devastating regional war has once again plunged the…
His Grace Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the “Saint Anthimus the Iberian” Parish in Auvers-sur-Oise, in the Paris metropolitan area, marking the 10th anniversary of the community’s establishment. The bishop explained the Gospel of the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, concerning the request of the sons of Zebedee.…
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas called for honouring Christian mothers during an address delivered at the Romanian parish in Olmsted Township, Ohio, United States. On March 25, Metropolitan Nicolae celebrated the Divine Liturgy to mark the patronal feast of the Annunciation Parish. “Through this calling and this acceptance,…
His Grace Bishop Visarion of Tulcea took part in “Green Week” activities at the “Vasile Bacalu” Professional School in Mahmudia, where he explained to pupils that nature is a gift from God to humanity. The hierarch told the children that human beings bear responsibility for the environment, as reflected in the Church’s teaching and the…
Wednesday, 1 April, marks 85 years since the Fântâna Albă massacre, an event often referred to as the “Romanian Katyn”. In April 1941, Northern Bukovina was part of the Soviet Union following the ultimatum issued to the Kingdom of Romania in June 1940. The predominantly Romanian population was subjected to a campaign of arrests and…
The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Moldova, Jaromír Plíšek, highlighted the role of the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia in community life during an official visit last Friday to the diocesan centre in Cahul. His Excellency was accompanied by Daniela Dragalin, development projects coordinator at the Embassy. The delegation was welcomed by…
On Sunday, the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Gyula, Hungary, marked the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Hungary. On this occasion, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea, the first Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Hungary, together with His Grace Bishop Nicodim of Severin and Strehaia…
Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe baptised a 26-year-old Swedish man, Alexander-Orest James, on Sunday at the Diocesan Metochion in Gothenburg. The baptism took place after the Divine Liturgy celebrated by the Romanian hierarch on the fifth Sunday of Great Lent. “I give glory to the All-Merciful God that our Swedish brother, Alexander, has now received…
“Prayer united with repentance and fasting helps sinners become saints, as shown in the life of Saint Mary of Egypt,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said. The Patriarch took part on Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.…
An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a vast religious complex dating back around 1,500 years at the Al-Qalāyā site in Beheira Governorate in the Nile Delta, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Cairo said on Monday. Researchers believe the complex represents the second-largest known monastic centre in Christian history, a discovery considered significant for…
Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia was commemorated on Wednesday, nine days after his repose, during a memorial service at the Patriarchal Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi. The service was officiated by Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku, together with members of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church, in the presence of Georgia’s president, prime…
Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești said on Friday evening at the Patriarchal Cathedral that true freedom is found through trust in God, the Mother of God and the saints. “Only with the help of God, of the Mother of God and of the saints can we feel truly free, entrusting our lives into the…