Bishop Antonie of Bălți officiated a memorial service on Thursday in honor of the victims of Stalinist deportations. The commemorative event took place at a symbolic location in the city of Bălți – the train station from which thousands of people were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Dozens of candles were lit near the Monument…
His Grace Bishop Timotei of Spain and Portugal celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the “Sunday of All Saints” Parish in Bilbao, Spain. The community marked its patronal feast and the 20th anniversary of its founding. Among those attending was Bianca Miruna Gavriliță, Romania’s Consul General in Bilbao. In his homily, the bishop emphasized…
“In the context of the recent acts of war unfolding in the Holy Land, we inform you that our Romanian settlements in the Holy Land — the Representation in Jerusalem and the Romanian Settlement in the biblical city of Jericho — are safe,” announced Archimandrite Teofil Anăstăsoaie, the representative of the Romanian Patriarchate in the…
The four hierarchs of the Metropolis of Bessarabia met on Monday in Chișinău for a working session under the chairmanship of His Eminence Metropolitan Petru. The decisions made concern the celebration of the Centennial of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, theological education in the Republic of Moldova, canonizations, and ecclesiastical distinctions. The Synod decided to organize…
The Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate has received congratulations from Agerpres, Romania’s National News Agency, on its 17th anniversary. In a message from Director General Claudia–Victoria Nicolae, Basilica.ro is complimented for conveying “not just information, but also its deeper meaning.” “Over all these years, Basilica.ro has become a respected voice in the Romanian…
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel explained that the Sunday of All Saints follows immediately after Pentecost because “the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world is the sanctification of humankind.” The Patriarch emphasized that this feast primarily reveals the ultimate goal for which Christ founded the Church. “The Church of Christ was…
Monday marks nine years since the opening of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, which brought together hierarchs from ten autocephalous Orthodox Churches in Crete. The Romanian delegation included 25 hierarchs. The Council took place between June 16–26, 2016, preceded by a preparatory working committee from June 9–16. Key topics addressed included:…
Today marks 17 years since the Basilica News Agency, the media arm of the Romanian Patriarchate, published its first article. Established as a department on October 27, 2007, within the Basilica Media Center, the Romanian Patriarchate’s news agency began operating effectively the following year, with its first news story released online on June 16, 2008.…
The Senate’s Committee for Culture, Communication, and Media, the National Gambling Office (ONJN), and the National Agency for Drug and Addiction Policies (ANPCDA) organized a roundtable to launch the public policy document titled “National Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of Gambling Addiction.” The event was attended by Olivia Nicoleta Vișan, Program Coordinator at the…
The annual meeting of the Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops (CCOB) took place last week in Toronto at the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada under the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Most Orthodox jurisdictions in the country were represented, including Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada, who attended on behalf of the Romanian Orthodox Church. During…
At the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated Wednesday with priests from the Huși Deanery, His Grace Bishop Ignatie spoke about the damaging effects of selfishness and urged the faithful to glorify God rather than seek personal praise. His Grace recalled the example of a Desert Father who prayed that God would not glorify him before…
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church received at the Patriarchal Residence His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Chalkis, accompanied by Mr. Alexandros Katsiaras, Director of Theologia, the official journal of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel welcomed the Greek delegation to the…
The Tronos Byzantine Choir of the Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral represented the Romanian Orthodox Church at the “Musical Edict” International Festival of Sacred Music in Niš, Serbia. The event was held on the feast of Pentecost. Held under the patronage of the Serbian Patriarchate and with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Arsenije of Niš, the…
A bust of Romania’s national poet Mihai Eminescu was unveiled last Sunday during the patronal feast of the “Descent of the Holy Spirit” and “Saint Theodora of Sihla” Parish in Michigan, one of the oldest Romanian communities in the Detroit metropolitan area. Sculptor Cristi Bota, a native of Boian in Northern Bukovina, created the bronze…
Archimandrite Benedict Ghiuș, one of the founders of the “Burning Bush” Hesychast Movement, humbly reposed in the Lord on June 12, 1990. Born Vasile Ghiuș in 1904 in Domnești, Vrancea County, he studied at the Faculty of Theology in Cernăuți and later earned his doctorate in Strasbourg, France. In 1934, he embraced monastic life at…
Orthodox Christians from all canonical jurisdictions present in Germany now have access to a legal instrument that allows them to decide in advance what should happen to them in the event of cognitive decline or serious accident. Metropolitan Serafim of Germany, Central, and Northern Europe recommends that parish priests discuss this option with their communities.…
In anticipation of the year 2026, declared the Commemorative Year of Holy Women in the Calendar by the Romanian Patriarchate, we turn our attention to several notable figures of Romanian women who lived their lives with deep faith and dedication to God, becoming models of holiness. These women, through their virtuous lives, left a lasting…
On the feast of the Holy Trinity, which is also the patronal celebration of the Basilica Media Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel presented distinctions on Monday to employees of the institution who have shown faithful service. Among the recipients were two employees of the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate.…
A group of master’s students enrolled at the Chișinău extension of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest visited the Patriarchal Palace on Wednesday. The students were welcomed by Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia, who encouraged the young people from Bessarabia to become creators of unity. “I urge you, therefore, to preserve and cultivate…
The Romanian Orthodox Monastery in Mono Mills, Ontario, Canada, is urgently seeking support to pay off the mortgage on the land of its holy establishment to begin constructing its main church building. The remaining balance on the mortgage is $175,000 USD, and the monastic community is appealing to members of the Romanian diaspora to help…