His Grace Bishop Benedict of Sălaj proposed seven key pillars for building a spiritually robust personality, drawing on the Gospel reading at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The feast coincides with International Orthodox Youth Day. Reflecting on the verse “to present Him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22), the bishop underlined that “young…
In a fast-paced and overburdened world, the inner formation of children and adolescents has become one of the most difficult – and at the same time most essential – responsibilities of parents, educators and society as a whole. In an interview with Alexandra Nadane hosted by the Basilica News Agency, Father Liviu Vidican-Manci discussed the…
“Young people are not only the future of the Church; they are its living present,” said His Eminence Atanasie, Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in his message for International Orthodox Youth Day. The Archbishop expressed his gratitude to Orthodox youth, especially those living outside their home countries. Young people in the…
A religious education teacher told Basilica.ro that the real problem facing young people today is not artificial intelligence. He stressed that “their deepest thirst is for meaning and for love – and these can only be answered in the presence of another human soul, one that is healthy and responsible.” Denis Vlad has been teaching…
Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland elevated Father Seraphim Aldea, abbot of the Monastery of the “Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints of the Isle of Iona,” to the rank of archimandrite. The monastery is the only Orthodox monastic brotherhood in Scotland. Between January 28 and January 30, Archbishop Atanasie…
Bishop Mark of Gaborone and Botswana (Patriarchate of Alexandria) said on Sunday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași that the beginning of the Triodion period is a call to authentic repentance, stressing that “the Church calls us to repentance born of humility.” He warned that a true encounter with God does not come through displaying…
Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday that, in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the decisive criterion before God is not outward correctness, but humility of heart, stressing that “God prefers a humble sinner to an arrogant righteous man.” The Patriarch explained the meaning of the Gospel reading for the 33rd…
In a pastoral message issued at the beginning of the Triodion period, Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said that this liturgical season is “a true school of repentance and humility, a school of prayer, and also a school of spiritual asceticism, which reopens for us the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven.”…
The first week of February (1–7 February) is observed annually by the United Nations as World Interfaith Harmony Week. The initiative was proposed at the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2010 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and was adopted unanimously on 20 October 2010. The initiative is rooted in the 2007 A Common…
The Jerusalem Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced the start of restoration work at the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. According to a joint statement, the works will be carried out by the Italian company that recently oversaw the rehabilitation of the Church of the Nativity,…
Serbian Orthodox Bishop Irinej of Washington-New York and Eastern America offered the inaugural prayer at the 2026 March for Life held last week in Washington, DC. A delegation of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America (ACOB-US) attended, while Pope Leo XIV sent a support message. “We pray, Lord, for…
The Metropolis of Banat announced that it will provide spiritual and material support to the victims of the road accident that occurred on Tuesday in Timiș County, with a Greek-speaking priest set to offer spiritual assistance to those hospitalised. Metropolitan Ioan of Banat expressed his profound sorrow over the tragic road accident that took place…
Father Liviu Burlacu, a specialist in addiction recovery, recently gave an interview to Euro TV, urging those struggling with addiction to ask for help. Alcohol, drug or gambling addiction can be overcome when the affected person has the courage to seek and accept support, he said. “It is an act of dignity and humility to…
The Diocesan Assembly and Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy brought together more than 900 clergy, monastics and lay representatives on Tuesday in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. The proceedings of the Diocesan Assembly were presided over by Bishop Siluan, who presented the main directions of diocesan activity and oversaw the review of reports…
Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church has expressed deep sorrow and compassion following a tragic road accident in western Romania that claimed the lives of seven Greek citizens and left three others seriously injured. In a message released after the incident, the Patriarch of Romania conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and offered prayers…
The St Gregory the Theologian Parish in Schiedam/Rotterdam—the first Romanian Orthodox parish in the Netherlands—celebrated its patron saint and marked 45 years since its founding on Sunday. On this occasion, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe, together with the parish priest, Ioan Dură, and Fr. Laurent Van Damme…
The liturgical events at the Patriarchal Cathedral of “Saints Constantine and Helen” in Bucharest, marking the general proclamation of the canonisation of 16 Romanian holy women, will take place according to the following schedule: On Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., at the Patriarchal Cathedral, at the conclusion of Vespers, the final memorial service…
Clergy and lay representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand met on Saturday at the diocesan centre in Melbourne—at the Life-giving Spring Monastery—to review the diocese’s activity. The meeting was preceded by a Te Deum service marking the anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. The Diocesan Assembly was chaired…
His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Germany, Central and Northern Europe, attended the enthronement ceremony of the new Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Vienna, Josef Grünwidl, on Saturday. The installation took place at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the Austrian capital, in the presence of around 3,000 people. The ordination and installation…
The Diocese of Southern Bessarabia donated a mobile hospital to Ukraine’s Odesa region, with the official handover ceremony taking place on Saturday, when Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia presented the vehicle to the regional administration. During the visit, the bishop was accompanied by Claudiu Tătaru, Romania’s Consul General in Odesa; Alexandrin Moiseev, a member of…