The current primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church celebrates his name day. Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian is the spiritual protector of His Beatitude Arch. Anastasios. His Beatitude Arch. Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, was born on November 4, 1929, in Piraeus, Greece. Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) Professor of History of Religions (1972-92) and Dean…

His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Albania received an honorary award of the Athanassios Botsis Foundation for the Promotion of Journalism during a ceremony held at Sarogleio Palace in Athens on Thursday, January 17, 2019. The award was handed over to the Albanian Archbishop by His Excellency, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, President of the Hellenic Republic, for His…

For the first time in history, an Ecumenical Patriarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Triglia (Tirilye), in the Province of Bursa, and the ceremony of the Blessing of the Waters with the diving for the Cross in the Sea of Marmara. It was the first time for 97 years that a diving for the Cross…

His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem celebrated the great feast of Theophany today in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Notably, he did not concelebrate with any representatives from the Ukrainian schismatic church. OrthoChristian reported on January 11 that His Beatitude and the Jerusalem Patriarchate were under heavy pressure from the Patriarchate…

Leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy has said the first synod of the new Ukrainian church will be held after the enthronement of its head. “The preparations are underway for those things that have already been voiced, because we are preparing for enthronement,” he said in…

Ukraine’s Verkhovnaya Rada has passed a bill outlining a mechanism governing changes in subordination for religious communities. The bill, which amends the laws on subordination of religious organizations and procedures of state registration of religious organizations with the status of legal entity, was supported by 229 MPs at a plenary session of the Verkhovnaya Rada…

The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II held a memorial service for victims of a powerful explosion that took place in Didi Dighomi district of Tbilisi on January 16. The civil funeral of the victims is being held at Kashveti Church. Family members, relatives and ordinary citizens are gathered in the…

The number of Christians suffering high to extremely high persecution is 14 percent more in 2019, Open Doors reported, counting 245 million individuals globally. Persecution driven by Islamic extremism and Communist authoritarianism in the world’s two most populous countries, India and China, marked the increase, Open Doors said today (Jan. 16) in releasing its 2019…

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II commemorated victims of a powerful explosion that took place in Didi Dighomi district of Tbilisi on January 16 during a festive liturgy. The festive liturgy is being held at Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral in Tbilisi on the occasion of Epiphany. The powerful explosion in Didi…