His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday at Saint Catherine University Chapel to mark the opening of the new academic year at the Orthodox Theology Faculty in Bucharest. Following the Divine Liturgy, the bishop read His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel’s blessing message and urged the young theology students to…
Work on the Romanian Orthodox Church in Legnago, Italy, has advanced swiftly since Bishop Siluan of Italy blessed the foundation in July. Although the parish was established in 2011, the approximately 600 Romanians in the area have not had their own place of worship. Since August 1, construction has focused on the structural walls, the…
On September 30, 2024, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church addressed leaders and representatives of Romania’s recognized religious denominations, underscoring the need for ongoing consultation and cooperation to benefit society. During the event, attended by dignitaries including the Apostolic Nuncio and the Secretary of State for Religious Affairs, the Patriarch emphasized the vital role…
The Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church convened on Monday, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, to plan events for the year 2025, which marks the 140th anniversary of the Church’s recognition of autocephaly and the 100th anniversary of its elevation to Patriarchal status. “We have decided to convene the Permanent Synod…
Bucharest, 27 September 2024 His Holiness Karekin II, Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Your Holiness, With love in Christ the Lord, we have received Your Holiness’ invitation to delegate His Grace Varlaam of Ploiești, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch and Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, to the events organized…
Her Excellency Gabriela Dancău, the Romanian Ambassador to the Republic of Italy, visited the Sardinia region on September 23-24 to mark the establishment of Romania’s Consular Agency in Cagliari. During the visit, Ambassador Gabriela Dancău visited the “Hieromartyr Anthimos the Iberian” Parish and assured the community members of the support of the Romanian Embassy in…
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Americas rededicated the “Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen” Church in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, marking the church’s 100th anniversary. The church was also placed under the protection of Saint Stephen the Great, the Holy Prince of Moldavia. The event continued with the Divine Liturgy, during which His Eminence…
The Louvre Museum will inaugurate a new department dedicated to Eastern Christian art in 2027, the museum’s director, Laurence des Cars, announced during a visit to Athens last week. The museum’s ninth department will showcase nearly 20,000 Byzantine art objects of great religious and social significance and introduce visitors to the complexity of Byzantine civilization.…
Although he is one of the few Romanian hierarchs active on social media, Bishop Ignatie of Huși expressed his scepticism regarding the use of social platforms during the diocese’s annual monastic synaxis on Tuesday. His Grace Bishop Ignatie began by referring to Saint Silouan the Athonite, commemorated on Sept. 24, who said, “A monk should…
Romanian Orthodox Metropolitans Ioan of Banat, Iosif of Western and Southern Europe and Serafim of Germany, Central and Northern Europe participated in the International Meeting “Imagine Peace” organized by the Sant’Egidio Community between September 22 and 24 in Paris. The event brought together laypeople and religious leaders from many countries and cultures of the world.…
His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, Exarch of the Territories, welcomed His Excellency Nikolaos Krikos, the newly appointed Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Moldova, at the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău on Wednesday. The meeting was held in light of the recent inauguration of the Greek Embassy in Chișinău. The dialogue focused…
At the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel extended a message of blessing and encouragement to students and professors in universities across Romania. In his message, he highlighted the importance of cooperation between the Church and the University, encouraging a deeper dialogue between theology and science. He noted that this can…
On Monday, September 30, 2024, the Romanian Orthodox Church will mark the 17th anniversary of the enthronement of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The program begins with the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. Following the liturgy, at 11:00 AM, a Te Deum service will be held in the Cathedral as…
Sunday, September 22, marks World Car Free Day in cities around the world, an older initiative that gained popularity in the 1990s. Car-free days were established in some Western countries during an oil crisis in the 1970s. But it was not until October 1994, at the International Conference on Accessible Cities in Toledo, Spain, that…
The international conference “The Beginnings of Christianity in Romania” brought together theologians, historians, and archaeologists from Romania and Germany in Bucharest. One goal was to raise awareness in the West about the antiquity and uniqueness of Christianity in Romania. The conference, which took place at the patriarchal palace on September 16-17, focused mainly on Scythia…
On Monday, the Romanian Orthodox hierarch of Oradea, His Grace Bishop Sofronie, participated in the official opening of the Meeting of Eastern Catholic Bishops of Europe, held this year in Oradea on September 16-19. On this occasion, the Bishop of Oradea expressed gratitude for the hospitality shown by the Roman Catholic Church to Romanian communities…
Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches resumed in Cairo this week after a 31-year hiatus. The joint dialogue commission’s meetings took place on September 16-17 at the Monastery of Abba Bishoy in Cairo, a monastic settlement belonging to the Coptic Church. His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate…
A group of German researchers who came to Bucharest for an international and interdisciplinary conference on “The Beginnings of Christianity in Romania” were received in an audience at the Patriarchal Residence on Tuesday. Welcomed in the Hall of the Romanian Saints, the guests were greeted with appreciation by Patriarch Daniel, who spoke about the ancient…
Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj and Archbishop Irineu of Alba Iulia consecrated the “Saint Michael the Archangel” Church in the Mărăști neighbourhood of Cluj-Napoca on Sunday. In his sermon to the hundreds present at the event, Archbishop Irineu warned that the world is moving at a dizzying pace today and that “without the fear of God,…
With nearly 480,000 followers on TikTok, Eleni Mazlou has decided to dedicate her life to Christ and embrace monastic life. The 23-year-old influencer made the announcement by sharing photos from her monastic tonsure on social media. Before publicly revealing her new mission, the former content creator removed all posts from her personal channels that did…