The 10-year anniversary of the establishment of a care center for expectant mothers in Moldavia, operated by the Orthodox Metropolis of Bessarabia of the Patriarchate of Romania, was commemorated this week. The center offers support to both expectant mothers and single mothers who face problems, as well as vocational training. The center is the product…

Members of the Archdiocese of America’s Holy Eparchial Synod met on Wednesday in an extraordinary video conference, at the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, with the exclusive objective being to discuss the issue of an official proposal to change the pension program of Church hierarchs. A communique later issued by the Holy Eparchial Synod…

Prof. Vladimir Leposavic, a member of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral’s legal council, this week detailed the persecutions faced by the Orthodox Church in the small Adriatic country, the international reactions against continuing state harassment, as well as what he called Germany’s responsibility, as that country now holds the rotating EU presidency. Prof….

The Greek government on Wednesday evening issued another joint ministerial decision extending social distancing measures for places of worship until August 21. The measures aim to prevent exposure to the Covid-19 virus. The new decision was on the agenda of today’s extraordinary session of the Permanent Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece,…

Only days, if not hours, remain before Turkey’s Council of State releases a decision regarding a petition to reconvert the iconic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, with Turkish media appearing confident that the ruling will overturn a landmark 1930s presidential decree that changed the monument’s status into a museum. According to Turkish journalist Mehmet…

Great house with Christian symbols in the Byzantine town of Pi Metzuba also had a mosaic with pagan motifs, including animals and a goddess The remains of what was once a prosperous Christian town that was destroyed by Persian forces about 1,400 years ago have been uncovered in northern Israel, archaeologists say. The Byzantine rural…

edited by Stelios Koukos) Archimandrite Avgoustinos Katsambiris had repeatedly asked the Elder (Saint Païsios the Athonite) to pray that the newly-revealed Saint Vlasios, from Sklavaina, would appear to him. The archimandrite wanted to know what Saint Vlasios looked like, so that he could paint an icon of him. It was 21 January, 1980, the Sunday…

Part I – September 9 Beginning at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time 1.Opening Session Will include the Keynote Address of Archbishop Elpidophoros as well as greetings of the Ecumenical Patriarch and other dignitaries. 2.Finance Committee Meeting 3.Administration Committee Meeting 4.Archdiocesan Presbyters Council Meeting 5.Ministry Webinars “Responding to COVID-19” a.Parish Software b.Center for Family Care c.Youth Safety…

The Steering Committee of the “Patriarchal Network” The novel coronavirus has brought an overwhelming strain on public health systems throughout the world, causing physical and emotional pain to millions. It has jolted the world’s economy, bringing on poverty and sparking a global hunger crisis. It has aroused untamable fear and paranoia, causing unprecedented political, social…