Kraków selling land to Polish Orthodox Church at 95% discount to build new church

There is currently one Orthodox church in the city of Kraków in southern Poland, the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, though it is no longer sufficient for the city’s Orthodox flock, thanks in large part to an influx of immigrants from the east, especially Ukraine.

The new Civil Governor of Mount Athos was sworn in

The new Civil Governor of Mount Athos, Athanasios Martinos, was sworn in at noon on Wednesday, in the presence of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

Aristos Kasmiroglou, who is expert in ecclesiastical affairs and has served as civil governor of Mount Athos until August 2018, was sworn in as Deputy Civil Governor. Aristos Kasmiroglou was replaced by decision of the Greek government.

Relics of St Spyridon to be brought to Bucharest this Saturday

The Romanian Patriarchate has announced that the holy relics of Saint Spyridon will be brought from Corfu to Bucharest on Saturday, October 12, 2019.

A delegation of the Metropolis of Corfu, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios, will bring to Romania the right hand of Saint Spyridon the bishop of Trimythous and wonderworker for the feast of Saint Paraskeva, on October 11-17, 2019.

Why Metropolitan of Stara Zagora did not get permission to celebrate the Divine Liturgy

In response to press reports, the Holy Metropolis of Adrianopole said that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew did not give the canonical permission to the Metropolitan of Stara Zagora of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at a temple which comes under their canonical jurisdiction.

Serbian Patriarch Irinej on social engagement of the Church

In his interview given to the leading Belgrade newspaper “Politika” of the 29th September 2019 His Holiness expressed his opinion on the issue of social engagement of the Serbian Church:

Is the Serbian Church sufficiently engaged in social issues and efforts to give concrete solutions or responses to the issues of the modern world, starting from: emigration of young people, low birth rates, rise in domestic and family violence and any other type of violence,  up to the issues which are posed as global challenges: misuse of modern technologies and invasion of privacy, experiments with biotechnologies, environmental devastation.

There is the issue of wider social engagement of the Serbian Church, that is – the issue of establishing and maintaining balance between prayer and social activities.  The Church works very actively in solving some of the problems of modern society. For example, in my Diocese, in Belgrade as megalopolis, the Church provides daily foodfor thousands of the needy ones through the Faith Charity Stewardship organisation, its soup kitchen.