Members of the St. George Greek Orthodox congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, showed their appreciation for their parish priest, Fr. Dimitrios Antokas, and his tireless holding of Easter Week services in an empty cathedral, by holding a drive-by procession in front of the church after Easter Sunday. In a statement to local media, parishioner Frances Solovieff…

Turkey’s official tourism agency has again featured Greek Orthodox religious sites, many now being feverishly renovated, in its promotion campaign, called, interestingly enough, “Turkish Spirituality”. The latest such video posted on YouTube shows the iconic church of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in the wider Antalya region of southern Asia Minor, and specifically at the…

Today, April 22, marks the sad seven-year anniversary since the abduction of Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, of the Patriarchate of Antioch’s Archdiocese of Aleppo, and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo Yohanna Ibrahim. Both hierarchs were abducted by Islamist militants while traveling by car to negotiate the release of two other kidnapped priests. No confirmed reports of…

The annual Bright Tuesday litany of the miracle-working icon of the Panaghia Mighty Protection, conveyed by the monks of Mount Athos’ Koutloumousiou Monastery, was limited this year to the courtyard in front of the monastery’s Catholicos, or main cathedral. The shortened litany was due to precautions against exposure to the coronavirus. The Holy Icon, depicting…

Today is Renewal Wednesday, the third day after Holy and Great Easter Sunday, midway through Bright Week. The Church today venerates the memory of the Apostle Nathaniel, one of the 12 Disciples. He achieved the crown of martyrdom in ancient Armenia.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and EC President Ursula von der Leyen discussed in a telephone conversation the European Union’s plans and options for emerging out of the Covid-19 crisis as well as concrete measures for the rapid recovery of the economies of the countries of the community. Borissov also informed the President of the…

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bulgaria has shown a unique global example of the unity of society, the church and the government. This opinion was expressed in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio by Priest Kalistrat from the Bulgarian Zografski Monastery in Sveta Gora (Mount Athos) in Greece. He expressed satisfaction with the…

Few people took part in the renowned icon procession at Bachkovo Monastery, in which the icon of the Holy Virgin was taken from the monastery church to Kluviata locality. The particiopants in the procession wore masks and kept the necessary distance. Because of the restrictive measures, the icon was placed in a car so it…

Admitting the strange situation due to coronavirus outbreak, PM Rama emphaised that this Easter Sunday is being celebrated without churches open but with God near every family. “Orthodox Easter comes in this strange time of locked temples. Churches aren’t open but God is near every family that celebrates. Happy Easter Sunday,” Rama states.   Source