Archbishop Atanasie

Romanian Orthodox Archbishop celebrates Divine Liturgy at UK prison, offers Paschal message of hope

Archbishop Atanasie of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Bright Tuesday, at Maidstone Prison in Kent. Attendees included Romanian nationals and detainees of various nationalities. The archbishop explained that salvation is not limited by external circumstances, and that Christ brings peace and a new beginning to…

Apr 15, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie says Resurrection is ‘true life’, calls for faith and stability in families

“The Resurrection is not merely a consolation for the soul, not just a beautiful thought that comforts us for a moment, but is life itself—the true life,” said Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in his Easter pastoral letter. In his message, the archbishop emphasised that the Resurrection transforms and gives meaning to…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie addresses London Police, says faith ‘supports and ennobles public service’

The Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland addressed London police officers on Monday during the event “Orthodox Easter 2026,” stressing that for Orthodox Christians, “faith is not separate from public service, but supports and ennobles it.” The event took place at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service (New Scotland Yard). Among…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie says forgiveness is the key to Great Lent

“Whoever understands the mystery of forgiveness understands that the Lord came to wipe away the sin of this world,” Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said on Sunday in his message at the beginning of Great Lent. Referring to the well-known liturgical hymn “Open to me the doors of repentance,” chanted during the…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Orthodox youths are the Church’s living present, not only its future, says UK’s Romanian Archbishop

“Young people are not only the future of the Church; they are its living present,” said His Eminence Atanasie, Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in his message for International Orthodox Youth Day. The Archbishop expressed his gratitude to Orthodox youth, especially those living outside their home countries. Young people in the…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie elevates abbot of Scotland’s only Orthodox male monastery during pastoral visit

Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland elevated Father Seraphim Aldea, abbot of the Monastery of the “Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints of the Isle of Iona,” to the rank of archimandrite. The monastery is the only Orthodox monastic brotherhood in Scotland. Between January 28 and January 30, Archbishop Atanasie…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Archbishop in UK calls Triodion season a “school of repentance and humility”

In a pastoral message issued at the beginning of the Triodion period, Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said that this liturgical season is “a true school of repentance and humility, a school of prayer, and also a school of spiritual asceticism, which reopens for us the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven.”…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

UK’s Romanian Orthodox Archbishop Atanasie calls for spiritual vigilance at start of New Year

“This passage between years is also a time of watchfulness. We are not called to judge our lives with harsh severity—which leads to discouragement—but to place them before God with sincerity,” noted Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a message marking the turn of the year. “The year now drawing to a…

Jan 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Whoever receives Christ receives the courage to love: Archbishop Atanasie’s first Christmas pastoral letter

“Whoever receives Christ receives the courage to love, to forgive, and to live without fear. In Him, fear is transformed into trust, and loneliness into a sacred encounter,” noted His Eminence Archbishop Atanasie in his first pastoral letter for the feast of the Nativity since his enthronement as shepherd of Orthodox Romanians in Great Britain…

Dec 22, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese joins UK faith network supporting prisoner reintegration

The Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has taken a significant step in strengthening its social mission by joining The Welcome Directory, a UK-based interfaith initiative dedicated to supporting the social reintegration of people released from prison. The Welcome Directory is a charitable organisation that connects former prisoners with welcoming and safe…

Dec 16, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Archbishop blesses new Consulate headquarters in Birmingham

The new headquarters of the Consulate General of Romania in Birmingham was blessed on Monday by Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The blessing ceremony took place in the presence of the Consul General Mihaela Savu and members of the consular staff. During the event, speakers highlighted the importance of ongoing dialogue between…

Nov 27, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu