The annual Sanctification of the Waters ceremony for the great feast of the Epiphany, or Theophany, was held on the Hudson River in northern New Jersey on Sunday, and specifically at the Edgewater yacht club. The service was officiated by Fr. Christos Papas, the parish priest of the Ascension Greek Orthodox Church of Fairview, New…

Montenegro’s new Parliament President, Aleksa Bečić, this week visited the historic coastal city of Bar, where among others, he met with representatives of the district’s three main religious faiths. The top lawmaker was received by Fr. Slobodan Zekovic, who represented the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, and later toured the Metropolitan Cathedral of St….

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, on Wednesday met separately at the Patriarchate’s Fanar district seat with top diplomats accredited to Turkey. Among others, His All Holiness received Greece’s new ambassador to Ankara, Mihail Christos DiAmessis, who was previously Athens’ envoy to Egypt. The Ecumenical Patriarch also received Italy’s consul general…

Stepped reactions by local residents and office-holders in a municipal district in the extreme northeast border prefecture of Evros greeted a decision by the country’s migration and asylum ministry to expand a temporary shelter for third country nationals who illegally entered the country. The Evros prefecture borders with Turkey in the Thrace province, and has…

Members of the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece convened on Wednesday for a second straight day. According to reports, hierarchs on Tuesday focused on instances of non-compliance with pandemic-related restrictions on public assembly during last week Epiphany services, as well as the fines imposed by Greek authorities on clerics and members…

The Church today venerates the memory of the Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus. These saints contested for piety’s sake during the reign of Licinius, in the year 314.   Reading Saints Hermylus and Stratonicus contested for piety’s sake during the reign of Licinius, in the year 314. Saint Hermylus was a deacon, and Stratonicus was…

Watch our news bulletin in English with Charilaos Tzannis: 

Due to the severe damage to the churches in Sisak and Petrinja, the believers celebrated Christmas in the churchyard. In the earthquake that hit Croatia at the end of 2020, all Orthodox churches in Banja were destroyed or severely damaged. The church of St. Petka, as well as the parish house in Sisak, are unusable…

On Monday morning, 29 December 2020/ 11 January 2021, the annual meeting of the Heads of Churches of Jerusalem on the occasion of the New Year was held through Zoom, due to the covid-19 measures. In it, H.H.B. Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos addressed the participating Heads of the other Churches, the Custos of the Holy…