As the Romanian Patriarchate celebrates a century of existence, this year also marks an important milestone for Lumina Newspaper, the first and only daily Orthodox newspaper in the world. Established on February 7, 2005, as a visionary project of the Church’s mission, Lumina Newspaper has grown from a regional publication to a nationwide and global platform, offering Orthodox perspectives on contemporary issues.
On this special occasion, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel reflected on the newspaper’s role in preserving and promoting Orthodox values, its contribution to ecclesiastical journalism, and its commitment to fostering dialogue between faith and society.
He highlighted the paper’s historical significance, its dedication to truth and spiritual enlightenment, and its mission to connect tradition with the challenges of the modern world.
With gratitude for two decades of dedicated work by journalists, theologians, and contributors, the Patriarch’s message is both a tribute to the past and a vision for the future of Orthodox media.
He called for continued faithfulness to the Church’s teachings, wisdom in engaging with societal issues, and a deep commitment to serving the spiritual needs of readers across generations.
Two Decades of Orthodox Daily Journalism in a Century of the Romanian Patriarchate
In the very week when we began celebrating the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, Lumina Newspaper marks two decades since the publication of its first issue on Monday, February 7, 2005. This date also coincided with the 90th birthday of Romania’s fifth patriarch, Teoctist Arăpașu (1915–2007) of blessed memory, and saw the launch of this Christian daily newspaper in Bucharest as a symbolic gift from the Metropolis of Iași to the entire Church.
This was the fulfillment of a long-anticipated missionary project envisioned as early as the period of ecclesiastical unification. It stood alongside other great initiatives, such as the construction of the National Cathedral, on the agenda of the first Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Miron Cristea.
As the number of printed publications multiplied in the early 20th century, the desire for an Orthodox daily newspaper was explicitly expressed in The Romanian Orthodox Church magazine and other ecclesiastical periodicals.
That aspiration of our predecessors was finally realized twenty years ago with the founding of Lumina Newspaper in Iași, initially as a regional newspaper for the first two years before expanding nationwide and, through its online presence, reaching a global audience.
As the most dynamic part of the LUMINA publications triad, Lumina Newspaper operates in harmony with Lumina de Duminică (The Sunday Light) and Vestitorul Ortodoxiei (The Herald of Orthodoxy). While maintaining the tradition of print media, the newspaper coordinates its work with the central periodicals of the Romanian Patriarchate and diocesan publications. Through its online edition and social media presence, it collaborates with all branches of the BASILICA Media Centre, including audiovisual and digital media.
Of the Romanian Patriarchate’s 100-year history, the past two decades have been documented in detail through the articles and images of Lumina Newspaper. At the same time, its role as a church daily intertwines with its openness to dialogue with society, offering a Christian perspective on many contemporary issues: spiritual and physical health, the education and catechization of new generations, family life, the spiritual and social consequences of migration, the challenges of secularization and globalization, Orthodox pastoral care in the diaspora, the impact of new technologies on personal and social behavior, dialogue between science, philosophy, and theology, inter-Orthodox cooperation, and interfaith and interreligious dialogue, among others.
The efforts of the editorial and technical teams over these two decades have been enriched by contributions from esteemed collaborators—hierarchs from Romania and the diaspora, academics, theologians, historians, doctors, educators, writers, and artists with Christian convictions.
Built upon the foundation of nearly 6,000 published editions, Lumina Newspaper is called to nurture the link between tradition and renewal, between faithfulness to Orthodox doctrine and the vigilance required in a multicultural and ever-changing media landscape.
On this anniversary occasion, marked by the Church Press Colloquium on the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, we offer prayers of thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity for all the luminous gifts bestowed upon people’s souls through our printed publications and modern means of communication in the first 100 years of the Patriarchate.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Lumina Newspaper, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all its current staff and collaborators, who continue to serve the only daily newspaper of its kind in the Orthodox world today. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the World (John 8:12), may bless all readers and supporters of the newspaper with the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit.
With deep appreciation and paternal blessings,
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
