Orthodox Churches

Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi meets with President Putin

Abbot of Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos Archimandrite Ephraim met with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. According to monasterium.ru, Fr. Ephraim, one of the most influential spiritual fathers on the Holy Mountain, noted in the conversation with the head of state that all are in need of spiritual communication—janitors and officials, oligarchs and presidents.

Talks between Primates of Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches

October 26, 2017 – His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania held talks at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest. Before the talks began, Patriarch Daniel showed Patriarch Kirill the interior of the Patriarchal Palace.

Participating in the bilateral talks were: from the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Patriarchal Press Service; and Archpriest Andrey Bondarenko, acting head of the Patriarchal Protocol Service.

The Patriarch of Jerusalem visits His Holiness the Pope of Rome

On Monday 10th/23rd October 2017, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III visited His Holiness Pope Francis of Rome at the Vatican.

The Feast of the Translation of the relics of St. Savvas The Sanctified in the Holy Land

On Thursday, 13th/26th October 2017, the Patriarchate observed the memory of the translation of the relic of our Father among the Saints Savvas the Sanctified in his Holy Lavra. This feast has been established in the Church of Jerusalem since 1965, when on 13th/26th October of that year, the holy relic of St. Savvas was returned from Venice, where it had been transferred by the Crusaders.

Patriarch Ilia proposes building Seminary where relics of St. Maximus The Confessor repose

According to His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, he has spent a lot of time contemplating the idea of building a seminary and hotel in Lechkumi in northwestern Georgia, where the relics of St. Maximus the Confessor are kept, to help increase the number of foreign visitors coming to the area to venerate the holy places and objects, reports pia.ge.

“There are few spiritual figures who have left such an indelible trace on the Christian world as has St. Maximus the Confessor,” His Holiness stated on the “Public Broadcaster” show.

Four Primates of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches concelebrate the Divine Liturgy on the feast of St Demetrius the New

Friday morning thousands of believers prayerfully honoured Saint Demetrius the New, Protector of Bucharest and of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

His Beatitude Russian Patriarch Kirill presided over the festive Divine Liturgy in the celebration of Their Beatitudes Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania and Metropolitan Rastislav of Czech Lands and Slovakia.