Dioceses

Six Saints among contenders for title of greatest Romanian philanthropist

Among the contenders for the designation of the Greatest Romanian Philanthropist are six saints of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The campaign, initiated by the Metropolis of Transylvania, currently includes 48 names, including a number of ecclesiastical and secular figures. Nominations are being accepted through November 20 and can come from dioceses of the Romanian Orthodox…

Nov 6, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Timișoara Orthodox nuns sew 2,600 towels for hospitals in one night

The nuns from the Diocesan Centre of the Archdiocese of Timișoara sew 2,600 disposable towels overnight and offered them to the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of local hospitals. 1,400 towels were delivered to the County Hospital and other 1,200 to the “Victor Babeș” Infectious Diseases Hospital. “We wish to thank the Metropolis of Banatului for…

Nov 4, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

US Embassy in Chisinau congratulates Metropolis of Bessarabia for philanthropic work during pandemic

The philanthropic work carried out by the Orthodox Metropolis of Bessarabia during the coronavirus pandemic was praised by the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Chisinau. Congratulations were conveyed by Robert Keane, Human Rights Officer at the US Embassy to the Republic of Moldova, during a virtual meeting with the Metropolitan’s representative,…

Oct 29, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Cultural tour of 160 wooden Orthodox churches launches in Romania

A tourist-cultural route of wooden churches in Romania was officially launched on Tuesday, October 27, at an event dedicated to the protection and cultural valorization of the historical monument of the wooden church in Valea Crișului, Bihor County. The event was attended by representatives of the local public administrations registered in the cultural route and…

Oct 29, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Teofan on St Parascheva’s Feast: The pandemic challenges us to ask ourselves inevitable questions

In his homily on the feast of St Parascheva of Iaşi, Metropolitan Teofan offered some answers to the challenges of the present times. To stop the community spread of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus, Romanian authorities imposed harsh restrictions for this year’s celebrations: pilgrims from outside the city of Iași were denied access to the cathedral where…

Oct 21, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Archbishop Calinic calls human trafficking the ‘handcuffing in which others throw the weak, killing the soul’

During his Sunday homily, the Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti referred to human trafficking, calling it ‘an outrageous sin that cries to heaven,’ adding that it leads to spiritual death. ‘Spiritual death comes too often from the handcuffing in which other people throw away the weak. They steal their identity, present and future. They rob…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

European Anti-trafficking Day: The vulnerable man next to you is the priority here and now, says bishop Damaschin

European Day Against Trafficking in Human Beings is “a day of gratitude, awareness and memory,” His Grace Assistant Bishop Damaschin of Dorna said on Saturday in a message urging everyone to be more present, more attentive to what is happening to their neighbour. “We are all responsible,” he wrote. “The Church supports, in word, action…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Church and religious art represent true cultural landmarks: CultMin Gheorghiu

‘The Church and the religious art in Northeastern Romania represent true cultural landmarks that attract visitors from all over the world,’ Romania’s Minister of Culture Bogdan Gheorghiu wrote on Facebook, AGERPRES reports. The statement was made following a meeting of the minister with a delegation of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti, held at the…

Oct 19, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

New priest ordained in Bucharest for Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate

The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti performed the ordination to the priesthood of Deacon Gheorghe Chascear during the Divine Liturgy at St Anthimos Monastery in Bucharest on Sunday, October 11, 2020. Father Gheorghe Chascear is of Ukrainian origin and will serve at Campulung la Tisa parish within the Romanian Patriarchate’s Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate. ‘We…

Oct 19, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Teofan warns against religious freedom violations as only locals can venerate relics of St. Parascheva

Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina has warned against the violation of religious freedom rights as authorities decided that only people domiciled in Iași are allowed to enter the Metropolitan Cathedral and venerate the holy relics of Saint Parascheva. “Moldavia is currently living one of the saddest periods in its history.” The Metropolitan released a…

Oct 9, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Archdiocese of Iași: Grievous that Romanians can come here for any purpose except annual St. Parascheva pilgrimage

The feast of St. Parascheva the protectress of Moldova on October 14 is one of the largest religious celebrations in the liturgical calendar in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Every year, tens of thousands of Orthodox faithful flock to the city of Iași to venerate the saint’s precious relics. Last year, the weekend-long celebrations drew more than…

Oct 8, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu