Basilica Interview

Romanian priest’s wife in Germany says diaspora ministry requires balancing parish mission and family life

Mihaela-Iuliana Păun is the wife of Fr. Ionuț Păun, the parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church dedicated to St. Parascheva and the Holy Martyrs Kilian, Coloman, and Totnan in Bamberg, Germany. She has lived there for almost seventeen years together with her husband and their four children. She teaches German in adult education, and…

Aug 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Patriarchate spokesperson urges fewer screens, deeper communion as Orthodox enter Great Lent

As Orthodox Christians prepare to enter Great Lent — the most profound and searching season of the Church year — the contrast between the stillness the Fast calls us to and the agitation of contemporary society becomes increasingly evident. In this context, Fr Adrian Agachi, Patriarchal Adviser and spokesperson of the Romanian Patriarchate, reflects on…

Feb 17, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Mother and priest’s wife in Munich: “Community is the safest support for a pregnant woman”

In an interview hosted by the Basilica News Agency, Alexandra Nadane, President of the Romania for Life Association, speaks with Bianca Deaconu — a mother of four and the wife of a priest at the Romanian Orthodox Church Centre in Munich — about the intertwined vocations of family life and ecclesial service in the diaspora.…

Feb 17, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Interview – Romanian Orthodox priest warns digital culture is reshaping children’s inner lives

In a fast-paced and overburdened world, the inner formation of children and adolescents has become one of the most difficult – and at the same time most essential – responsibilities of parents, educators and society as a whole. In an interview with Alexandra Nadane hosted by the Basilica News Agency, Father Liviu Vidican-Manci discussed the…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Young Brazilian who converted to Orthodoxy says Romania brings him peace: Interview

Pedro Faidiga Passos, a Brazilian who converted to Orthodoxy and settled in Romania, says that God “fished him” through his Romanian wife and thus revealed to him “the full beauty of the Christian faith.” He said he finds a lot of peace in Romania. Pedro Faidiga Passos is 27 years old and was born in…

Sep 17, 2021Aurelian Iftimiu

Athonite Chef Epiphanios of Mylopotamos: I would be happy to cook for the Patriarch of Romania (EN / GR)

In addition to many lay personalities, the Chef of Mount Athos has so far cooked for four Primates of Orthodox Autocephalous Churches including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch and Russia. In an exclusive interview with the Basilica News Agency marking the International Chefs’ Day (October 20), Father Epiphanios of the Mylopotamos…

Oct 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Women in the Byzantine music – Exclusive interview with presbytera Paula Cautis, conductor of Filomelos choir

For almost 13 years, Filomelos Byzantine Women’s choir from Borzeşti has occupied a special place in the hearts of Byzantine music lovers. Presbytera Paula Cautiş, the conductor of the Byzantine choir, told the story of the Filomelos Choir in an interview with Basilica.ro. How it all started? How they overcame obstacles? But also, what are…

Jun 18, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Firefighter-turned-priest Dorin Giurgiu: I have never felt my life endangered

He was a volunteer firefighter before being ordained to the priesthood and sees a very close connection between the two missions. He says he never feared the flames, being always protected and strengthened by God, and the hardest situation he went through was hearing that his grandmother’s house was on fire. In the context of…

Sep 20, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Nicolae Condrea in Interview: ‘Uprooted from native land, Romanians in America are looking for spiritual roots in Christ’s Church’

‘Uprooted from their native land, Romanians in America are looking for spiritual roots in the Church of Christ,’ the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Americas, Nicolae Condrea, said in an exclusive interview with Basilica.ro. ‘Not many are those who confess that they did not go to church in Romania or went only seldom, who therefore…

Jul 17, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu