Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel has called for “shared responsibility” among religious communities and state institutions in promoting mutual respect, social peace and interreligious dialogue, warning that antisemitism, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance have no place in public life. In a message addressed to a working meeting between representatives of Romania’s recognised religious denominations and…
Representatives of the religious denominations officially recognised in Romania and government officials met on Friday to discuss the prevention and combating of antisemitism and other forms of intolerance. The delegate of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, the Holy Synod’s general secretary.…
The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, the representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places, attended on Monday the official New Year reception hosted by His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, and First Lady Michal Herzog. The event took place at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem, in the presence of the Director General…
The Youth Department of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has announced the projects it plans to implement in 2026. Among the department’s initiatives are the organisation of introductory training courses in youth work for priests and youth workers, the running of camps and pilgrimages, the coordination of educational and cultural…
Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia drew attention during his homily last Sunday to the challenges posed by the demographic crisis, highlighting the essential role of the Christian family in the birth, upbringing and education of children. His Grace emphasised the need to encourage women and mothers in order to strengthen the family and promote childbirth,…
“A spiritual father needs to distinguish between a mental disorder and a spiritual disturbance,” Father Justin Mihoc said in an interview for the Hristocentric project, underlining the need for dialogue between theology and psychology in contemporary society. Father Justin Mihoc is the parish priest of the Romanian community in Durham, in northern England. He is…
More than two-thirds of the world’s population lives in countries where religious freedom is restricted or violated, according to a 2025 report published by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International). The document notes that interreligious dialogue and cooperation between communities can help reduce discrimination and promote social peace. Analysing the situation in 196…
Interest in Christianity is increasing among young people in the United Kingdom, according to data from a report published by the Bible Society. Participation in religious life among those aged 18 to 24 has increased fourfold over the past six years. The report highlights that this growing interest is particularly visible among young people from…
His Grace Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland marked on Sunday one year since his enthronement as head of the diocese, an occasion that highlighted the expansion of Romanian Orthodox church life in Ireland. The Bishop of Ireland and Iceland celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Parish of “Saint Columba and the Holy Great Martyr…
The Romanian Patriarchate expresses deep concern and disapproval regarding an initiative aimed at legalising prostitution, considering such an approach incompatible with Orthodox Christian teaching and with respect for human dignity. Prostitution represents a serious form of exploitation and commercialisation of the human body for financial gain, with profound negative consequences for both the individual and…
Romania is the European Union country with the largest number of citizens living outside its borders. More than 3 million Romanians reside legally in EU member states, according to Eurostat data. The real number is higher, however, given that not all Romanians in the diaspora appear in official statistics, especially those who have acquired citizenship…
On the Feast of the Theophany of the Lord, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel delivered a comprehensive and deeply theological sermon on the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the River Jordan and its direct and living connection to the baptism of every Christian. Rooted in Holy Scripture and the patristic tradition of the Orthodox Church, the…
The Very Rev. Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, Representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places and Superior of the Romanian Orthodox establishments in Jerusalem, Jericho, and the Jordan Valley, met late last year with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. On behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, the archimandrite presented Patriarch Theophilos with a…
Metropolitan Ioan of Banat marked his patronal feast last week alongside patients at the Psychiatric Hospital and Security Measures Facility in Jebel, where he also laid the foundation stone for a new church. On Wednesday, January 7, His Eminence brought the patients more than 300 items of clothing, food, and other essential goods needed for…
On Sunday, one year was marked since the enthronement of His Grace Bishop Nectarie as the first Romanian Orthodox bishop of Ireland and Iceland. The date also coincides with the hierarch’s birthday. He was born on January 11, 1980, in Vălenii de Munte, Prahova County, to his parents, Ion and Anișoara Petre. At his baptism,…
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has declared the year 2026 the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women in the Church calendar. Accordingly, we invite you to discover each month the faces of holy women—mothers, wives, nuns, and martyrs—who are models of the Christian life from all ages. Saint Emilia, mother of Saint…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel offered a New Year’s message on January 1, following the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, during a solemn ceremony marking the proclamation of 2026 as the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women of the Church calendar…
Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe on Friday conveyed condolences to the families of victims of the deadly fire at the Crans-Montana mountain resort in Switzerland, which broke out on New Year’s Eve and claimed dozens of lives. Swiss authorities have said the blaze killed at least 40 people and left 119…
Seventy-six years have passed since the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Ephraim the New at the monastery where he was martyred, near the town of Nea Makri, Greece. In 1945, the nun Makaria settled among the ruins of the former Monastery of the Annunciation, where she began rebuilding the monastic settlement in which…
Metropolitan Ioan of Banat told worshippers gathered at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timisoara on New Year’s Eve that time is like a life lived between two verbs: “to pass” — which denotes biological ageing and the sombre perception of years slipping away — and “to come”, a verb referring to the way a person responds…