“Those who listen to us do not seek perfect people, but sincere ones,” emphasized the Bishop of Sălaj last week during the patronal feast of the church in Șimleu Silvaniei. His Grace Bishop Benedict recalled that this year marks 1,700 years since the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, speaking about the gathering of bishops in…
Ciprian-Vasile Olinici, State Secretary for Religious Affairs in the Romanian Government, visited the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău last Thursday, where he was received by the Metropolitan of Bessarabia. The discussions focused on the pastoral, social, and cultural activities of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, as well as on projects supported by the Romanian state. Father Gabriel-Andrei…
His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași, where he spoke about the Iași Byzantine Music Festival as a sign of gratitude for the legacy bestowed upon Moldavia through the labors of Saint Constantine the Great. “A few venues in the city, in Botoșani, and in Piatra…
On Monday, Nicușor Dan took the oath of office as President of Romania before the joint chambers of the Romanian Parliament. The solemn oath, established by law, was the following: “I solemnly swear to dedicate all my strength and wisdom to the spiritual and material advancement of the Romanian people; to uphold the Constitution and…
The hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja met on Tuesday at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, who also serves as Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobruja. The agenda included several decisions and discussion topics. Among them were proposals to include two new…
At the historic patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel spoke about the deep respect that Emperor Constantine the Great showed toward bishops persecuted by his predecessors. Recalling the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, the Patriarch emphasized that Saint Constantine initiated and presided over the ecclesiastical event. “When…
Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved a law establishing May 16 as the National Day of Religious Freedom and the Contribution of Religious Denominations to Romanian Society. The Senate passed the bill at the end of last year, and the law’s final version was submitted on Wednesday to the Secretary-General for potential constitutional review.…
The Romanian Diaspora Festival was held on Saturday in Chelsea, Canada, near the capital. His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian offered his blessing to participants and emphasized the importance of organizing such events. “Today, through this festival, we give voice to the joy of being together. We remember Romania not as a geographic location but as…
Exactly 1,700 years ago, on May 20, the First Ecumenical Council (of the entire Church) was convened in Nicaea — a foundational moment in shaping Christian doctrine. The Arian doctrine, which claimed that God the Son does not share the exact nature as God the Father, was the main reason that made a universal meeting…
Two hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church were present on Monday at the meeting of Pope Leo XIV with delegations from various confessions and religions who had attended Sunday’s official inauguration of His Holiness’ pontificate. Metropolitan Joseph of Western and Southern Europe and Bishop Siluan of Italy congratulated the new Pope on behalf of the…
The Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada took part in the commemoration of the holy martyrs who sacrificed their lives for faith and country during the Armenian Genocide last Friday. The Romanian hierarch attended the event at the invitation of Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada. The event, marking the 110th anniversary…
His Eminence Metropolitan Job Getcha of Pisidia (Ecumenical Patriarchate) visited the Library of the Holy Synod last Friday, where he was guided by Archimandrite Policarp Chițulescu, the institution’s director. The Metropolitan was in Bucharest from May 13 to 17, 2025, to participate in the International Theology Symposium titled “The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325):…
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia met on Monday with Igor Grosu, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, at the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău. Vladimir Bolea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Father Gabriel-Andrei Gherasă, Administrative Vicar of the Archdiocese of Chișinău, and Archdeacon Iurie Saganovschi, Secretary of…
On Thursday, May 15, 2025, His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Secretary of the Holy Synod, received Brother Sabino Chialà, Prior of the Roman Catholic Monastery of Bose (Italy), in an audience at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest. During their discussions, Bishop Varlaam emphasized the long-standing cooperation between the Romanian Patriarchate and the…
On Tuesday, Presidential Advisor Cristian Diaconescu visited the Romanian Orthodox Church’s representation in Jerusalem, where he met with the Very Rev. Archimandrite Teofil Anăstăsoaie, the Romanian Patriarchate’s representative to the Holy Places. “We discussed several issues faced by Romanian pilgrims coming to the Holy Land, as well as the mission we run here on this…
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, delivered a keynote speech on Wednesday, during the opening session of the International Theological Symposium “The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325): The Orthodox Faith – The Basis of Church Unity”, held at Bucharest’s Patriarchal Palace between May 14-17, 2025. “The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea…
On Tuesday, the Patriarch of Romania received His Eminence Gianfranco Ghirlanda SJ, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church from Italy, at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. During the meeting, various aspects of the positive cooperation between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church—both in Romania and Italy—were discussed. Romanians in Italy In…
On Wednesday, Romania commemorates the Day of Remembrance for the Martyrs of Communist Prisons, established by the Romanian Parliament in 2017, in honour of those who lost their lives due to inhumane treatment and torture in communist-era prisons. Those arrested by the communist regime were not only former politicians but also wealthy peasants, intellectuals, students,…
Tuesday marks 119 years since the inauguration of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Sibiu, according to Turnul Sfatului. The initiative to build the cathedral belonged to Saint Andrew Șaguna, who also made the most substantial financial contribution—2,000 florins. The winning design, titled “Constantine and Helen – Hagia Sophia,” was submitted by architect József Kommer of Budapest and…
The Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Iași, part of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, has announced it will award Fr. Prof. Dr. John Behr, a world-renowned patristics scholar, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. The formal ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 14, starting at 10:00 AM, in the “Mihai Eminescu” Aula Magna of “Alexandru…