Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești

Theology students in Bucharest celebrate Patron Saint Catherine at University Chapel

On Monday, Orthodox theology students in Bucharest honoured Saint Catherine, the patron saint of the Chapel of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Secretary of the Holy Synod, along with an assembly of clergy who are also faculty members. “On behalf of…

Nov 26, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Holy Synod secretary meets with representatives of Montenegrin Embassy to Bucharest

His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Secretary of the Holy Synod, welcomed His Excellency Mr Dalibor Đurović, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro in Bucharest, at the Patriarchal Palace on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Mr. Đurović was accompanied by Ms. Diandra Iluțan Podăreanu, head of the Ambassador’s office at the Montenegrin Embassy…

Nov 6, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop warns of unprecedented challenges facing youth as new parish centre opens to support spiritual and community growth

On Sunday, His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești blessed the new auxiliary missionary centre of Bucharest’s Dorobanți Parish, emphasising its purpose of providing a supportive environment for youth engagement and spiritual growth. “This centre’s primary mission is youth activities,” Bishop Varlaam noted on Nov. 3. “By hosting appealing Christian activities here, we hope…

Nov 6, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop meets with Deputy Ambassador of Israel to strengthen bilateral ties

On Monday, November 4, 2024, His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Secretary of the Holy Synod, welcomed His Excellency Mr. Rami Teplitskiy, Deputy Ambassador of the State of Israel to Bucharest, at the Patriarchal Palace. Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești extended a warm welcome to the Israeli Deputy Ambassador at the Romanian Patriarchate, noting…

Nov 4, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Varlaam discusses situation of Christians in Palestine with Palestinian Foreign Minister

On Friday, October 18, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești held a meeting at the Patriarchal Palace with Her Excellency Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. The discussions focused on the situation of Christians in Palestine amid the ongoing military conflict in the region. Among the officials accompanying the…

Oct 22, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Varlaam explains the tradition of venerating holy relics: It does not lack biblical justification

On Monday, His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the “St Petka” Church in the Drumul Taberei neighbourhood of Bucharest. During the service, the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop spoke about the tradition of venerating holy relics and emphasized the scriptural foundations of this practice. “This is not a gesture without…

Oct 15, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

“The Transfiguration of the Lord: A Call to Transform Our Lives” – Reflections by Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești

“The Transfiguration of the Lord is an exhortation for each of us to cleanse and transform our lives because He promises those pure in heart that they will see God,” said His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești on Tuesday. “The Hesychast Fathers, the great ascetics of Egypt, considered that the purpose of Christian…

Aug 7, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Christ dismantles prejudices and complexes, Bp Varlaam explains

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest and underlined that the encounter between the Saviour Christ and the Samaritan woman illustrates the dismantling of specific prejudices and complexes. By speaking with the Samaritan woman, Jesus “overcomes this complex of the superiority of the Jewish…

Jun 5, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiești awarded Order of Crown of Romania

The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiești was among the personalities and institutions decorated by Her Majesty Margareta, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, during a special ceremony at the Royal Palace in Bucharest on March 30. The Royal Order of the Crown of Romania in the rank of Knight was bestowed upon bishop Varlaam…

Apr 6, 2023Aurelian Iftimiu

Bp Varlaam to theology students: Society needs well-prepared priests

His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St Catherine University Chapel to inaugurate the new academic year at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest on Monday, October 3, 2022. The patriarchal auxiliary bishop also officiated a Doxology, during which he prayed to God to bless theology students and…

Oct 7, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu

Welcomed or rejected by people, Christ continues to knock patiently at the door of our hearts, Bishop Varlaam says

In his sermon on Sunday at the Patriarchal Cathedral, the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești contrasted the expulsion of the Saviour from Gadara with His warm welcome in Sychar and detailed how these two ways of relating to God have persisted in history until today. “The city of Gadara came out to meet Jesus…

Jul 19, 2022Aurelian Iftimiu