The feast of Saint Joseph the Merciful brought together Orthodox hierarchs from both sides of the Prut River on Monday in Iași. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral by Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina, together with Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia, and Assistant Bishop Nichifor of Botoșani…
Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe celebrated the Mystery of Holy Baptism on Sunday for a 22-year-old Norwegian man and his newborn daughter. The service took place at the Romanian Orthodox church on the island of Skjervøya, in northern Norway. The church is dedicated to Saints Leontius of Rădăuți, Jacob of Putna, and Pachomius of Gledin.…
Archbishop Anastasios of Albania was prayerfully remembered on Sunday at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana, one year after his passing. The memorial service was led by the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop John, together with members of the Holy Synod. Archbishop John stressed that the annual commemoration is a…
His Grace Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland joined the faithful of the Romanian Parish of Limerick, Ireland, for the community’s patronal feast on Sunday. The occasion also marked Bishop Nectarie’s first pastoral and liturgical visit to this parish. The festive day marked not only the meeting of the local community with its bishop but…
In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, historian Dr George Enache presents a collection of short biographies documenting Romanian Orthodox bishops who supported and protected Jewish communities during the Holocaust, 1941–1944. Dr George Enache is a Professor at the Faculty of History, Philosophy, and Theology of the University of Lower Danube in Galați, Romania. Rooted…
Patriarch Daniel has issued a strong message calling for unity, social peace and the defence of human dignity as a representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church took part in ceremonies marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the commemoration of the anti-Jewish pogrom in Bucharest on Monday. The Patriarch underlined that authentic social harmony can only…
The Diocese of Southern Bessarabia recorded visible pastoral growth throughout 2025, alongside greater involvement of young people in diocesan life. Figures in the diocese’s annual activity report point to an encouraging development: 889 baptisms, 350 weddings and 870 funerals were recorded, with the number of those entering the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism exceeding…
Physicist Cristian Presură reflected on the relationship between science and faith in a Facebook post, starting from a definition of scientific knowledge formulated by St Gregory Palamas: “It is the most beautiful definition of science that I know, and the finest praise that can be given to it.” The researcher begins with a passage by…
Romanian Patriarch Daniel presented the general report on the Bucharest Archdiocese’s activities in 2025 during the annual meeting of the Archdiocesan Assembly on Thursday, January 22. The event opened with a Te Deum service celebrated by the Archdiocese’s Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova, in the Europa Christiana Hall of the Patriarchal Palace. Patriarch Daniel delivered…
The Diocese of Southern Bessarabia supported Romanians in Ukraine affected by the war by delivering dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid as part of a wide-ranging social and charitable campaign, according to its 2025 activity report. With the direct involvement of priests from the Ismail Deanery, humanitarian assistance was provided to the two Romanian parishes…
Marking the anniversary of the 24 January 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church issued a message of thanksgiving and national remembrance, describing the event as the “foundational union” that laid the groundwork for the modern Romanian state. In his statement, the Patriarch stressed that the union of Moldavia…
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia expressed hope that “brothers will live together again” in a message issued on the occasion of the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. According to Metropolitan Petru, the day represents “a work of divine Providence through which history was set on the natural path of unity”. “24…
His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina said on Saturday that the 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities was made possible with God’s help and through the vision of courageous people. However, he noted that the landmark event was also marked by sadness, because Moldavia was not whole when it united with Wallachia. “Where…
“Our world still bears the deep scars of division which, without prayer and without God’s help, lead to an increasingly alarming rise in misunderstanding and a sense of spiritual disconnection,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia said on Sunday. The hierarch represented Patriarch Daniel at the final prayer gathering of this year’s Week of Prayer…
“Without united families there can be no strong nation, and without an awareness of national unity there can be no shared future,” Assistant Bishop Teofil of Trotuș said on Saturday. The assistant bishop of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău led a Te Deum service at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Roman, marking 167 years since…
Aspazia Oțel Petrescu died eight years ago, on January 23, 2018. She was among the women who bore witness to Orthodox Christianity during Romania’s communist era. She was born on December 9, 1923, in Cotul Ostriței, in Northern Bukovina. Between 1944 and 1948, she studied at the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy of Babeș-Bolyai University…
Drug consumption is rising across the European Union, while the growing diversity of substances is making it harder for health authorities to respond effectively, according to a report by the European Union Drugs Agency. In response, anti-drug specialists and clergy are stepping up prevention and awareness programmes in schools, families and local communities, seeking to…
Human trafficking is a scourge affecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, and victims can come from any social background, regardless of age, ethnicity or economic status. In Romania, the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (ANITP) reported in its 2024 review that the number of victims rose compared with the past five years. Against…
“There is no greater illness in the Church than drifting away from the true faith,” Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bucovina said on Sunday, during the patronal feast of the Copou Monastery in Iași. The monastic community honoured its patron Saints Athanasius and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria. “The Church has set before us faces of…
The Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in London is hosting a photography exhibition dedicated to Constantin Brâncuși, the first of its kind in the past two decades, the Romanian Cultural Institute in London announced. The exhibition brings together photographs taken over three decades by the sculptor from Gorj County, most of them being shown in the United…