pastoral care of families

Patriarch Daniel urges stronger pastoral support for Christian families

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church on Monday called for renewed pastoral support for the Christian family, warning that contemporary society faces profound spiritual, demographic, and moral crises that threaten family life and the transmission of faith between generations. The Patriarch delivered the message at the opening of the spring pastoral and…

May 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox Church highlights support for families on Christian Family Sunday

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church instituted in 2009 a Sunday dedicated to the Christian family. It is observed on the Sunday closest to 15 May, which the United Nations designated as the International Day of Families. This year, Christian Family Sunday fell on 17 May, the feast day of the Holy Apostles…

May 18, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

International Day of Families highlights social inequality and child wellbeing in 2026

The International Day of Families is observed annually on 15 May. The theme for 2026 highlights the impact of social and economic inequalities on family life and child development. The International Day of Families is marked under a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. The UN warns that many families face…

May 15, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian charity priest says family dysfunction and isolation fuel addictions

Fr Alin Nica, coordinator of the hospital and charity clergy within the Archdiocese of Bucharest, said on Sunday in an interview with Radio România Cultural that many addictions emerge when dysfunctions exist within the family. The priest explained that interpersonal relationships are increasingly affected by today’s culture, which emphasises immediate, effortless satisfaction. “Many addictions appear…

May 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Ioan Casian: ‘Joy is the first gift Christ offers the Myrrh-bearing Women’

“The first thing Christ wishes to share with the Myrrh-bearing Women early in the morning is joy,” writes Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada in his pastoral message for Holy Pascha. “Joy springs from the encounter with the Son of God, who grants us salvation. It is the shared joy of communion once lost and restored…

Apr 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian priest warns individualism undermining family life

Fr. Narcis Stupcanu, a priest serving at the St. Paraskeva Parish in Berceni, Bucharest, said in an interview with Trinitas TV that one of the main problems affecting families today is individualism. “We have become very selfish and expect more from the other person than from ourselves,” the priest said. He noted that many people…

Mar 13, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Only parental love makes a child fully human, says Romanian priest building Family Centres

Fr Ioan Ardelean, parish priest in Desești, a town in the northern Romanian county of Maramureș, stated in an interview that a child’s foremost need is parental love and that this conviction led him to launch projects to support families facing hardship. The priest affirmed that when we alleviate someone’s suffering, we can behold God in that person.…

Feb 17, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu