Christmas 2020

Patriarchate’s Spokesperson Bănescu comments on EU recommendations regarding Christmas ceremonies: They can’t impose anything

Vasile Bănescu, the spokesman of the Romanian Patriarchate, commented on the recommendations of the European Commission Christmas services should be replaced with online ceremonies. “The European Commission does not decide and cannot impose anything in the essential sphere of religion; it can only issue recommendations (!) related to encouraging and intensifying protection from the new…

Dec 3, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Nativity Fast: Let Christ show us how He sees the world, Metropolitan Iosif urges

‘Let Christ show us how He sees the world, how He sees our neighbour and each of us, and let Him look through our eyes,’ urged Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe in a message at the beginning of the Nativity Fast 2020. The Romanian Metropolitan stressed that the effort during the fasting period…

Nov 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Calinic points to 3 conditions for Nativity Fast to achieve its intended purpose

Archbishop Calinic of Suceava and Radauti sent a message at the beginning of the Nativity Fast reminding that ‘fasting is an opportunity to free the body from the bondage of matter, which tends to manifest itself on the soul as well.’ ‘There are three inseparable conditions for fasting to achieve its intended purpose: forgiveness, almsgiving…

Nov 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Banat Metropolitan sends ‘vital message to divided society’: Adoration of the Magi is a call to unity and cooperation

In a message considered vital to a divided society, the Metropolitan of Banat referred to the adoration of Baby Jesus by the Magi as an impetus for unity, communion, and cooperation. “The Nativity of the Lord is an event that has blessed the history of the human race. The coming and the adoration of the…

Nov 16, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

2020 Romfilatelia Christmas stamps show National Cathedral mosaic of Virgin Mary

Two special stamps have been issued by Romfilatelia for Christmas this year, with the designs telling the story of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and the Nativity of the Lord through mosaic icons. The stamps see Virgin Mary receiving the good news of Christ’s incarnation from the Archangel Gabriel and Mary cradling the new-born Jesus…

Nov 16, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Nativity Fast begins: “Let us prepare our souls to become the cave in which Christ will be mystically born”

On the first day of the Nativity Fast, Sunday, November 15, 2020, Patriarch Daniel explained that we should use his fasting season as a time for preparing our souls to become a luminous cave in which Christ the Lord will be mystically born. “To the merciful love of God Who sent His only Son in…

Nov 15, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu