All these gifts and surprises were possible through the involvement of all deaneries, eparchial NGOs, and Religion teachers, who responded to Archbishop Ioachim’s initiative, according to the eparchial website.

4,606 of the 5,479 gifts were offered by deaneries (Bacău – 3,289, Moinești – 507, Onești – 500, Roman – 160, Sascut – 150) and 873 gifts were offered by 8 eparchial NGOs. The gifts amounted to a total value of approximately 300,000 Lei (60,000 Euros).

Roman Deanery also collected hygiene products, clothing for newborns, and money to help mothers in difficulty. The gifts were donated to the Roman Municipal Emergency Hospital on December 20, 2023.

Around 10,000 packages of sweets, worth about 200,000 Lei (40,000 Euros) were offered during the Christmas celebrations to just as many children from the 150 parishes in the Bacău Deanery.

Also, more than 350 pairs of boots were given to children and young people from the social centers in Onești and Tg. Ocna, through a project of the Onești Deanery, which was entitled “Be a Little St Nicholas!”. In addition, more than 1,500 parcels were given in parishes, worth over 30,000 Lei (6,000 Euros).

The 2,400 Christmas parcels from Moinești Deanery had a total cost of approximately 48,000 Lei (9.600 Euros), while the Deanery of Sascut offered to 300 children gifts in value of 6,000 Lei (1,200 Euros).

The children from disadvantaged families were identified with the help of parish priests or representatives of diocesan NGOs. The children wrote letters or drew the objects they wanted to receive for Christmas and wrote their names, ages, and towns on the back of their letters or drawings.

Some of the gifts were offered by children or families identified within the communities as being able and willing to offer small gifts to other children in need.

Photo credit: Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău
Source: basilica.ro

“In behalf of all gathered here, including these children and all of you, my dear brothers and sisters, I extend my gratitude for your heartfelt welcome. Your words resonate beyond just an old dialect; they hold truth,” expressed the Patriarch in his address.

“Our prayers to God must seek His peace among all people, within our nation and beyond, bringing down His peace and love upon us. We must understand that perceiving others as unnecessary, viewing them as targets or enemies, desiring their elimination—this creates turmoil. We need to pray for God’s peace to fill our hearts,” he emphasized.

“There can be no peace around us if turmoil resides within us. Intolerance, hatred, or aggression create an absence of inner peace, joy, and serenity. They only burden us with a distressing weight,” he pointed out.

Concluding his remarks, the Serbian Patriarch stated, “As a faithful and Christian people, we acknowledge our faults in how we treat ourselves and others. We pray to God for the strength to rise from these failures. We aim to be a community of open hearts, promoting peace, love, and hospitality, understanding ourselves and others.

May this holiday be a time for our spiritual rejuvenation, both individually and collectively, fostering unity, forgiveness, and empowerment. Our strength lies in fostering peace among ourselves and extending our prayers for peace with the Albanians. We are interconnected, all sharing the same humanity and blood.”

In his visit, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized the importance of spiritual renewal and unity, urging for forgiveness and understanding to build peace within the community and extend it to others, fostering a sense of shared humanity.

Source: Serbian Orthodox Church / Article translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas

As per the statement, the Ecumenical Patriarch will preside over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church on Saturday, January 6. During this service, he will perform the ordination of Deacon Andrew as a presbyter and Monk Ephraim as a deacon. Both individuals come from the brotherhood of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner Essex of Great Britain. Following the Doxology, the Ecumenical Patriarch will conduct the Great Blessing of the Waters ceremony. Subsequently, upon the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, he will perform the “Diving for the Cross” ceremony at the Phanar dock.

“The Ecumenical Patriarchate and we personally dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of peace and reconciliation, firm in our belief that ‘peace from above,’ the spiritual and inner peace bestowed by Christ, is fundamental to external peace—the harmony of the whole world and the universe. Our endeavors in 2024 will persist through interfaith dialogues, which play a pivotal role in eradicating prejudices and fostering mutual trust. When religions manifest their deepest essence, they become agents of peace and solidarity,” added the Ecumenical Patriarch.

As part of the occasion, the Ecumenical Patriarch blessed the Holy Vasilopita of the Galata School Foundation, while a concert featuring the renowned artist Manolis Mitsias, accompanied by the Women’s Choir “Saint Kassiani the Hymnographer” of the Holy Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, directed by Maria Charalambidou, unfolded.

Warm appreciation was extended by the Ecumenical Patriarch to Metropolitan Barnabas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis for organizing the event and orchestrating the concert, as well as to the esteemed artist Manolis Mitsias for delivering an outstanding performance.

In his address, among other reflections, he articulated, “Believers do not seek to escape time, for in time and history, the Word of God was made flesh. The Church, as the vessel and means of Christ’s redemptive presence in the world, sanctifies our lives through doctrinal teachings, liturgical practices, spirituality, love, and service, ushering us into the approaching Kingdom of God.

The Mother Church of Constantinople bears witness to creation, proclaiming and elucidating the Christian Gospel, endeavoring faithfully, per Christ’s heavenly commands, toward the divine transformation of the world. Gratefully acknowledging that Christ bestows upon humanity supreme value, ‘true freedom,’ unyielding sanctity, and an eternal destiny,” he concluded.

The event drew the presence of hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, clergy, numerous Greek expatriates, and visitors from around the globe.

Article translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas

The upcoming visit of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to the Athonite Community has sparked considerable agitation among its members.

According to information from orthodoxtimes.gr, the article that leaked from a specific media outlet in the USA has caused significant discontent within several monasteries of Mount Athos. The article claims that Archbishop Elpidophoros is deemed an “undesirable person” (persona non grata) in the Garden of the Virgin Mary, stirring unrest among the Athonite monks.

According to the letter that orthodoxtimes.gr brings to light today, the Athonite Community does not mention at any point its intention to rebel and, therefore, not to welcome Archbishop Elpidophoros.

The letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was sent on December 15/28 of the previous year.

The tone and substance of the letter, for anyone who knows to read, are unequivocal. It is short, simple and clear. The photos published after the now well-known baptism of the child of a same-sex couple give the wrong impression about the stance of the Church on same-sex marriage.

This was the “objection” of the Athonites, which can in no way be considered as a refusal to welcome a Hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, no matter how much some seek to “read behind the lines”.

This letter, according to credible sources within the Athonite Community, does not pertain to Archbishop Elpidophoros. Rather, it voices concerns about the confusion of a same-sex couple’s baptism photos amid ongoing societal debates in Greece on same-sex marriage and adoption.

The same sources, that spoke to Orthodox Times, suggest that the letter’s genesis lies within a specific monastery, seeking to express its concerns after Archbishop Elpidophoros’s visit and deliberately orchestrating its leak to a chosen media outlet.

It would be followed by its reproduction – as it was – by the well-known blogs that are used to republishing “church news”.

Contrary to the insinuations of the letter, several circles from the Archdiocese, invited to comment on the fact the Archbishop was deemed as “undesirable”, highlight widespread enthusiasm surrounding Archbishop Elpidophoros’s visit. They underline the excitement on both sides of the Atlantic due to the visit’s program and the large accompanying delegation.

Regarding the article disseminated by a Greek diaspora media outlet in New York, which was also reproduced by some Greek websites, circles within the Archdiocese dismiss it as an expected attempt at disinformation. They perceive this as a systematic effort of the same author who serves the plans of those who fiercely seek to undermine relations between the Greek diaspora, the Greek state, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, specifically targeting Archbishop Elpidophoros.

Initially, Metropolitan Cleopas guided his visitor to the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm, where he informed him about the history and works of the restoration of the church, and then received him at the Museum of Greek-Christian Heritage, where they had an hour-long discussion on issues of mutual interest.

The Archbishop conveyed to Fr. Antonios the paternal wishes of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and Fr. Antonios conveyed the greeting of Patriarch John X of Antioch.

The Archbishop invited Fr. Antonios to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral on the last Sunday of January, and offered him the commemorative volume of his Patriarchal Visit to Stockholm and the publication of the Holy Metropolis with the Divine Liturgy in three languages (Greek, Swedish and English). They also exchanged wishes for the feasts of the Epiphany and the New Year.

The atmosphere was notably friendly as they engaged in discussions touching upon various crucial matters.

During their meeting, the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his gratitude to Nikos Androulakis for his upcoming presence in Constantinople for the imminent feast of the Holy Epiphany. Additionally, he extended his appreciation for Androulakis’s enduring interest in the affairs of the Mother Church and in the significance of the Greek Diaspora in Constantinople, Imbros, and Tenedos.

Article translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas

Following the eucharistic synaxis, Bishop Iakovos cut the traditional Vasilopita (cake in memory of St Basil) while sharing words of encouragement and paternal love on the occasion of the commencement of a new year. The Archim Lazarus Georgiou, a visiting clergyman from the Metropolis of Limassol in Cyprus, preached the sermon, at the well attended Hierarchical liturgy of St Basil.

In their post, the Patriarchate hailed the Patriarch as a beacon of unwavering faith, embodying Christ-like virtues of humility, love, kindness, gratitude, patience, forgiveness, and a profound dedication to caring for others.

Expressing gratitude to God for blessing the Georgian nation and the Church with such an exceptional and resilient spiritual leader, the Patriarchate highlighted the significance of his guidance during crucial times for the country and the faith.

In its post, the Patriarchate fervently prayed for the continuous guidance and spiritual fortification of the Georgian Orthodox Church under the leadership of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of All Georgia, as they steer towards the profound truths of Christ, fostering the spiritual growth of the Georgian people.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew warmly reciprocated, emphasizing his hope for peace in the Middle East and extending congratulations to the Patriarch for the reestablishment of communion between the Churches of Antioch and Jerusalem.

In addition, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew extended an invitation to Patriarch John of Antioch to visit the Phanar in the near future, fostering a spirit of unity.