His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, on Wednesday, received an official visit at his residence in Chişinău from a delegation from Bucharest led by Adrian Felician Cozma, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies in Romania’s Parliament. The official was accompanied by Lavinia Felicia Năstase and Claudiu-Ion Chelcea, First Secretary at the Romanian Embassy in the…
In about a month, on February 23, Orthodox Christians will enter Great Lent, also known as the Great Fast. The Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord (Holy Pascha) will be celebrated on April 12 this year. On February 1, the liturgical season of the Triodion begins, including three preparatory weeks for Great Lent, followed…
“The face of Schema-nun Elisabeta (Lazăr) shines like the example and life of the hermits of old. She urges each of us to value time and dedicate as much of it as possible to the Lord,” said Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova from the Archdiocese of Bucharest, on Friday, January 16, at Pasărea Monastery in…
According to the World Watch List 2026 report published by Open Doors, religious persecution targeting Christians has a direct impact on family life, with converts facing pressure, abuse and marginalisation even from their own relatives. The report points to a worsening of anti-Christian persecution worldwide, both in scale and intensity, with direct consequences for family…
This second January instalment of Digital Matericon continues our monthly series dedicated to the women saints commemorated in the Orthodox calendar. Because January contains an especially rich number of holy women—martyrs, monastics, ascetics, mothers, confessors, and “fools for Christ”—the month is presented in two parts, allowing each figure to be remembered with due attention. In…
Recent archaeological excavations in Egypt’s southern Sohag governorate have uncovered traces of a Byzantine-period monastery, offering new insights into the organisation and daily life of monastic communities in Upper Egypt. Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi, said the discovery reflects the richness of the country’s historical heritage and the diversity of its religious…
Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia celebrated on Monday the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of Waters at the Metropolitan Chapel of St John the Theologian in Chisinau, as believers in the Republic of Moldova mostly follow the unrevised Julian calendar. The service was held together with an assembly of clergy from the diocesan centre, on…
“The peace the Lord offers is different from the peace we observe, or that is presented to us in various forms. It is not the apparent quiet of cemeteries, nor the fragile balance of powers that neutralise one another,” Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova said on Tuesday. The assistant bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest…
The Week (Octave) of Prayer for Christian Unity opened on Monday at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Bucharest. Representing the Patriarch of Romania, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești attended the event, accompanied by Archimandrite Augustin Coman, Patriarchal Adviser in the Department for Christian Relations, Interreligious Affairs and Romanian Communities Abroad of…
His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea warned in an interview with Agerpres that drugs pose a major danger to young people because they promise “quick highs” but deliver “inner collapse and depression” in return. According to the bishop, narcotic substances are a substitute for authentic good, sought by people to replace the love and meaning…
Wednesday marks 35 years since the repose of Mother Alexandra, born Princess Ileana of Romania, daughter of King Ferdinand I “the Unifier” and Queen Marie. She was born at Cotroceni Palace on 23 December 1908 (sometimes given as 5 January 1909 under the revised calendar). Through her mother, she was related to the royal families…
On Tuesday, 20 January 2026, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania received Israel’s Ambassador to Bucharest, Lior Ben Dor, at the Patriarchal Residence. The ambassador was accompanied by Erez Golan, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Israel in Bucharest. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel expressed his joy at meeting the ambassador again and praised…
His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat on Sunday urged prayer for families and called for an end to violence against women. “I would raise a prayer to God to bless our country, Banat and the whole world,” the metropolitan said. “To you, my brothers, I have one request: let us pray for families, because in…
Israeli Ambassador to Romania Lior Ben Dor visited the “Metropolitan Nifon” Theological Seminary in Bucharest on Tuesday, expressing appreciation for the students’ solid theological education and for the institution’s broader formation in both the humanities and sciences. During the visit, the ambassador met Archimandrite Nectarie Șofelea, the seminary’s director, abbot of Radu Vodă Monastery, and…
The Baptism of the Lord was celebrated on Monday, according to the unrevised calendar, within the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis concelebrated alongside Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. From the Holy Land, further details were provided for Basilica.ro by Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, representative of the Romanian Patriarchate at the Holy Places and Superior…
After nine years of sustained efforts, Romanians in South Carolina took part on Sunday in the consecration of the Church of St Gregory the Theologian in Easley, the only Romanian parish in this U.S. state. The consecration service was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas, together with…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday at the historic chapel of St George at the Patriarchal Residence that gratitude is a state of humility and spiritual well-being. The Patriarch referred to the Gospel reading on the healing of the ten lepers, noting that only one returned to give thanks. “Immediately after he was healed,…
Venerable Evloghia Țârlea is, for the nuns of this monastery and for nuns throughout the Orthodox Church—especially within the Romanian Orthodox Church—“an example of service,” Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova said last Thursday as the relics of St Eulogia were exhumed at Samurcășești-Ciorogârla Monastery in Ilfov County. The saint, canonised last year by the Holy…
Following the publication of journalistic materials raising the issue of an alleged “illegal” teaching of the subject Religion, the Romanian Patriarchate makes the following clarifications: 1. According to the Constitution of Romania, “The State shall ensure the freedom of religious education, in accordance with the specific requirements of each religious cult. In public schools, religious…
“The purpose of my life is to know the Lord,” Bishop Siluan of Italy told students at the Rome Extension of the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest. Earlier this week, the hierarch held a spiritual discussion with them. His Grace stressed that the meaning of life cannot be reduced to diplomas and…