Middle East Christians

Orthodox bishops in Benelux condemn attack on Jordanian church, discuss Christian persecution

Assistant Bishop Marc of Neamț, of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe, attended the 33rd meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Benelux, held on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium. The hierarch attended as the representative of Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe. Other participants included Metropolitan Isaak (Patriarchate of Antioch), Bishop…

Nov 5, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Antiochian Orthodox Church to study social media’s role in spreading the Gospel

During its meeting at Balamand Monastery in Lebanon from 20 to 24 October 2026, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch examined social media’s role in the Church’s mission and reaffirmed the importance of lay participation in ecclesial life. Meeting under the presidency of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, the bishops reviewed…

Oct 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister meets Romanian Orthodox bishop to discuss Christian heritage and religious freedom

Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești received Ioannis Loverdos, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, at the Palace of the Patriarchate in Bucharest on Thursday, 22 October 2026. Her Excellency Evangelia Grammatika, Ambassador of Greece to Romania, and Eleni Kyriakopoulou, Director of the Deputy Minister’s Diplomatic Office, also attended the meeting. During…

Oct 22, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Assyrian Patriarch Mar Awa III makes first visit to Romania for Syriac studies congress

His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, made his first-ever visit to Romania from August 3 to 7. According to a press release from the Levant Institute, the visit took place in conjunction with the 14th World Congress for Syriac Studies and the 12th International Conference on Christian Arabic…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

World Syriac Congress opens in Bucharest, highlights Christian heritage and peacebuilding

More than 400 scholars, religious leaders, and academics from 35 countries assembled on Monday for the opening of the World Syriac Congress and the International Conference on Arab Christian Studies in Bucharest. The opening ceremony took place in the Ion I. C. Brătianu Hall of the Palace of Parliament. Cătălin-Ștefan Popa, Director General of the…

Aug 7, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Canada’s Romanian Orthodox bishop urges stronger inter-church solidarity for Middle East Christians

Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada emphasised at the gala of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) on November 7 that supporting Christians in the Middle East requires “greater solidarity among all Churches,” given the ongoing conflicts that keep their situation fragile. He added that such gatherings are not only fundraising events but also opportunities…

Nov 22, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu