The Bulgarian parliament’s religious affairs and human rights committee has approved amendments aimed to write-off arrears owed by religious entities to the state, worth several million leva. As such, arrears owed by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to the state, as well as by Muslim religious organizations, up until Dec. 31, 2018 are written off.

    Α hillside site in the Far East Russian city of Vladivostok – once chosen by Soviet authorities to build a huge statue of Lenin – will soon host an imposing monument to Christ. The 223-foot statue will be the tallest monument dedicated to Christ in the world, twice the size of the Christ…

  The coming period in Church-state relations is particularly crucial, with a second vote in Greece’s parliament coming this month over a Constitutional revision that aims to enforce the state’s neutrality to religion.   As reported on Thursday by the Orthodoxia news agency, the standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece will again convene…

On March 2, 2019, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and South-East Asia, Patriarchal Exarch for South-East Asia, acting administrator of the diocese of Thailand, began his visit to the Kingdom of Thailand. At the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, he was met by Archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin), secretary of the diocese of Thailand; Archpriest Daniel Vanna, chairman of…

The Metropolitan of Singapore and SE Asia and Russian Orthodox Exarch, His Eminence Sergiy, visited Thailand this week. The visit comes within the framework of a decision by the Patriarchate of Moscow  to create a Metropolis in Thailand.

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Irinej, this week expressed the Church’s disapproval of actions by women’s groups in Belgrade to place aprons featuring political slogans on monuments and statues in the Serbian capital. Protesters even targeted a monument dedicated to Serbian Patriarch Pavle, something Irinej said was “barbaric” and “shameful”.

The Romanian Orthodox Church this week announced initiatives to boost religious tourism, and as such, will participate in several international exhibitions. The Romanian Church, which retains several iconic Orthodox Monasteries and magnificent Cathedrals, desires to increase religious tourism to the SE Europe country.

The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His All Holiness and Beatitude, Ilia II, met with college students, professors and rectors of universities in the country. The meeting came after an initiative by the student unions of Georgia.  According to reports, representatives of the students expressed a desire for closer cooperation with the Georgian Patriarchate.

The Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, His Holiness John X, spoke on the advantages of fasting and forgiveness — in his message to the Orthodox faithful ahead of the commencement of the Great Lent. In his message ahead of the Great Lent, the 40-day period of fasting, prayer…