Holy Friday has become an official public non-working holiday in Romania. With Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’ signature on the completion of Paragraph 1 of Article 139 of the Labor Code, Romania joined 16 other EU countries where Holy Friday is already a public holiday. The bill was initiated by Deputy Szabo Odon of the Democrat Hungarian Union and adopted by the Senate on February 21 by a vote of 86-1 with one abstention. The Chamber of Deputies approved the legislation on February 28 by...

During the working session of the Holy Synod, chaired on 5 October by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, the members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church elected by a majority vote the new Bishop of Huşi. Last weekend, the Metropolitan Synod (Episcopal Assembly) of Moldavia and Bukovina proposed two candidates for the Diocese of Huşi: His Grace Ignatie of Mureş, Assistant Bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (5. Oktober 2017)

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held Thursday, 24 May 2018, its working session at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Given the insistent request of the clergy and lay believers of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, the Holy Synod elected by secret vote His Grace Antonie of Orhei, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Chișinău, as Bishop of Bălți.The Holy Synod proceeded to the election by secret vote of the V. R...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church met for its working session at “Patriarch Teoctist” Aula of the Patriarchal Palace on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The session was chaired by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The Holy Synod elected by secret ballot the Very Reverend Archimandrite Paisie Teodorescu, patriarchal vicar, in the dignity of patriarchal auxiliary bishop. The new patriarchal auxiliary bishop will bear the title of His Grace Bishop Paisie of Sinaia. Also, the Holy Synod elected ...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held this year's last working session on Monday, December 18, at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel chaired the meeting, during which the composition of the Permanent Holy Synod was established for the next year. For the year 2018, the following hierarchs were appointed as members of the Permanent Holy Synod: His Eminence Hon Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște, His Grace Bishop Ign...

At the beginning of the year, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church issued guidelines for clergy and believers regarding their participation in the 2024 European Parliament and local, legislative, and presidential elections. The guidelines reiterate the Romanian Orthodox Church’s stance on political life and electoral campaigns. Ultimately, the Synod offers ten guiding criteria for believers to assess candidates. The Holy Synod reiterates that “the Romanian Orthodox Church does not r...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has issued a pastoral letter on the first Sunday of the Nativity Fast recalling that the Romanian people bears the ‘seal of the mystery of Christ’s Cross and Resurrection.’ ‘The luminous fruit-bearing of Christ’s Gospel in the history and culture of the Romanian people is observed in the gift of national unity, freedom and dignity, gained through strong faith and sacrificial struggle over many ages of Christian suffering,’ the hierarchs point o...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working session on July 4-5, 2017, at the Synodal Hall of the patriarchal residence. His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, chaired the meetings. The following decisions were taken by the members of the Holy Synod: The Synod approved the establishment of a Sacred Art Department at the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology of the Lower Danube University in Galati, starting with the academic year 2017-2018. Weiterlesen auf basi...

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held this year's first working session on Thursday, February 15, at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. During the meeting, the members of the Holy Synod proceeded to the election of an assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy and an assistant bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal. The Holy Synod elected by secret vote the Very Reverend ...

A bit bruised but still standing, old Orthodox churches can be found around Bucharest, having escaped the frenzied demolition of the Romanian capital in the 1980s ordered by ex-communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. At least 10 jewels of Romania’s religious heritage from the 16th to 19th centuries survived due to an engineering tour de force: they were moved and hidden away. Engineer Eugeniu Iordachescu was head of an institute at the time that was confronted with the architectural whims of Ce...

Against the dramatic background of the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe it has caused, the Romanian Orthodox Church has been mobilized since the early days of this conflict unleashed by Russia against an independent and sovereign country, providing considerable aid to Ukrainian refugees who arrived on the territory of Romania, in the Republic of Moldova, as well as citizens remaining in Ukraine. Thus, the dioceses on Romania’s border with Ukraine, the Metropolis of ...

A group of tech-savvy Romanians are currently testing Sotiras, a new social platform that could be an Orthodox alternative to Facebook. Their initiative has the blessing of the Romanian monks from the Annunciation Kellia of the Romanian Lakkoskete on Mount Athos. The new social networking website ‘aims at promoting beauty, normality, and Christian values’, reads a statement of the founders published by Marturie Athonita. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (22. August 2019)

Am 1. April jährte sich zum 80. Mal das Massaker von Fântâna Albă, bei dem bis zu 3000 Menschen zu Tode kamen, wie der Pro Oriente-Informationsdienst berichtete. Im Rahmen einer Feierstunde im rumänischen Kloster Putna gedachten Kirche und Politik am Donnerstag der Opfer. Um 18:00 Uhr läuteten in der Bukowina in allen Klöstern und Kirchen der Erzdiözese Suceava und Rădăuţi die Glocken. Im Putna-Kloster wird das Andenken an die Opfer von Fântâna Albă besonders hochgehalten. Vor einigen Jahren ...

Romanians came out to vote on 6 and 7 October in a referendum to change the constitution to officially define marriage as between one man and one woman. However, not enough Romanians came out. The referendum needed 30% of the population to show up to be valid, but although the vote was extended to two days, only about 20% of registered voters actually cast ballots. At present, marriage is constitutionally defined as “between spouses.” Same-sex marriage is already banned in the Romanian civil ...

'We thank God and the people God works through', Patriarch Daniel said during the festive meeting held 28 September at the Romanian Saints Hall of the patriarchal residence in Bucharest. On 30 September 2017, His Beatitude Daniel celebrates his 10th anniversary of the enthronement as Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The first event to mark this anniversary was the festive meeting chaired by the Patriarch on Sept. 28. The meeting was attended by Their Graces Ieronim of Sinaia, Assist...

The unity of the Church is the gift of God and a co-responsibility of the clergy and the lay faithful. Message of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at the International Theological Conference “Panorthodox Unity and Synodality“, Iaşi, 9-12 January 2019: In contemporary society, characterised by increased secularisation, i.e. through relativisation of religious and moral values, a renewal of present Orthodox theology is more and more necessary, through a presentat...

An event was held on May 11 dedicated to the cultural-monastic landscape of Vânători-Neamț and the proposal to include the monasteries in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Vânători-Neamț is a commune in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania. The area includes 6 large monasteries, including the famous Neamț Monastery, and 10 dependent hermitages, with about 1,000 monastics. Between all the monasteries and churches in the area, there are 40 altars where the Holy Mysteries are served, which is u...

The largest mosaic depicting the More Spacious than the Heavens Icon of the Mother of God was applied on the half-dome that stands above the altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The team of specialists was coordinated by iconographer Daniel Codrescu. The Panagia Platytera ton ouranon measures 16 meters high and was created by a team of artists coordinated by iconographer Daniel Codrescu. It is the first icon that decorates the walls of the Romanian People’s Sa...

One year since the consecration of Romania’s National Cathedral we provide you with some figures to help you understand what this national project has meant until today: 110 million euros: Because the number of press materials increased with the cathedral’s building process, and most of the time the deep significance of this national project is overlooked, the amounts spent with the National Cathedral have been intensely discussed. Weiterlesen auf basilica.ro (26. November 2019)

The People's Salvation Cathedral (Romanian: Catedrala Mântuirii Neamului), also known as the National Cathedral, an Orthodox cathedral under construction in Bucharest, Romania, to serve as the patriarchal cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has a giant Orthodox iconostasis (23.8 meters length and 17.1 meters height and an area of 407 square meters), which sets the new world record for the Largest Orthodox Iconostasis, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY. The iconostasis will be cover...