coronavirus epidemic

Archbishop of Athens: Let’s turn our homes into churches

On the day of the Third Salutations to the Theotokos, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens asked the faithful to turn every house into a church. The Archbishop, stating that the right decisions have been made by the Hierarchy and the State, urged again the faithful to abide by the self-protection measures to prevent the spread of…

Mar 23, 2020Gheorghe Anghel

New measures regarding church services and social activities

Based on the Military Ordinance no. 1 of March 17, 2020, and the Military Ordinance 2 of March 21, 2020, which established successive measures to limit the freedom of movement and assembly of citizens, which also affects the public religious life of the believers, following the consultation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs on March…

Mar 23, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Mount Athos closes for pilgrims and visitors because of the coronavirus epidemic

Deputy civil governor of Mount Athos Aristos Kasmiroglou has suspended the entrance of outside visitors and pilgrims to the Athonite State until March 30, 2020, according to Orthodox Times, which quotes Greek website ethnos.gr. This decision excludes officials and employees of Athos. The Holy Community of Mount Athos accepted the government’s decisions as formulated in…

Mar 20, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Archim. Zacharias Zacharou: Pandemic as going out in the Desert. Christ is with us there by calling upon His Name

Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou from “St John the Baptist” Monastery in Essex, Great Britain, has sent spiritual advice to the faithful who are panicked by the current coronavirus epidemic. He gives the answer to the question how to face a possible interruption of the celebration of the Divine Liturgy? We should use this time for spiritual…

Mar 20, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Romanian Patriarchate calls for faith, temperance, and solidarity in face of coronavirus

Given Romania’s state of emergency due to the new coronavirus epidemic, the Romanian Patriarchate calls for responsibility, temperance and solidarity. The Romanian Patriarchate urges all priests of the Romanian Orthodox Church to implement with realism, lucidity and confidence the measures imposed by the state authorities, which temporarily affect the Church’s liturgical life. These regulations aim…

Mar 20, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu

Antiochian Archdiocese of America publishes service texts for faithful home reading

During the coronavirus outbreak, the Archdiocese has given the blessing to its faithful to read the texts of religious services at home. The faithful participation to church services has been banned in the United States during the instated state of emergency. Therefore, the Department of Liturgics of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America…

Mar 20, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Cluj Archdiocese gives food, accommodation for quarantined people

The four social canteens in the Archdiocese of Cluj can provide, upon request, free food for the elderly and the sick in self-isolation, the Archdiocese has announced. The Archdiocese is also ready to provide isolation spaces for those in need. The quarantine facilities are at the “Ioan Bunea” social missionary center in Sângeorz Băi city,…

Mar 20, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Romanian Bishop of Canada calls social distancing a difficult ascetic feat, urges reordering of priorities

In a pastoral message linked to the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada referred to the social distance (recommended as a preventive measure against infection) as to an ascetic effort on the #lentenpath. The Romanian hierarch advised the believers to observe the norms announced by the state authorities and called for a change of…

Mar 19, 2020Gheorghe Anghel

Metropolitan Ioan of Banat donates two oxygen concentrators to the Railway company’s Clinical Hospital in Timișoara

Metropolitan Ioan of Banat has donated two oxygen concentrators to the Railway company’s Clinical Hospital in Timișoara. The devices are useful in the treatment of patients with respiratory problems. The metropolitan has made the donation at the request of the hospital, reports the Metropolis of Banat. The devices supply oxygen at a higher concentration than the…

Mar 19, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Metropolitan Teofan: It is time to seek refuge in the privacy of our homes, until the wrath of this plague is past

While Romania instated state of emergency on Monday to contain the coronavirus epidemic, Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina sent a video encouraging message urging for prayer and calm which gathered more than 600,000 views on Facebook. The metropolitan quotes God’s words given to prophet Isaiah 26:20: “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut…

Mar 19, 2020Ștefana Totorcea

Holy Synod Chancellery publishes updated guidelines for parishes and monasteries

The Chancellery of the Holy Synod Wednesday published a set of updated guidelines for all parishes and monasteries within the Romanian Patriarchate in compliance with the new measures announced by the Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs to prevent infection with coronavirus. All parishes and monasteries have to respect the measures ordered by the public authorities…

Mar 18, 2020Aurelian Iftimiu