repentance

Patriarch Daniel: Sts Peter and Paul are teachers of faith, repentance and the Church’s unity

“Sts Peter and Paul are for us teachers of faith and repentance, of forgiveness, of the unity of the Church and of the holiness of Christian life,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said on Monday, as the Church celebrated the feast of the two chief Apostles. “They teach us to pray without ceasing, to perform good…

Jun 30, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Paisie of Sinaia: St John the Baptist teaches us to make room for Christ

“Saint John the Baptist teaches us to make room for Christ in our lives,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia said on Wednesday at the Chapel of Romania’s National Cathedral. His Grace highlighted the unique mission of St John the Baptist in the history of salvation and the enduring relevance of his message. “The birth…

Jun 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel on St Mary of Egypt: Repentance and prayer transform sinners into Saints

“Prayer united with repentance and fasting helps sinners become saints, as shown in the life of Saint Mary of Egypt,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said. The Patriarch took part on Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.…

Mar 31, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Prayer united with fasting is liberating and powerful against passions and illness, says Romanian Patriarch Daniel

“Prayer united with fasting is necessary, living and powerful, liberating from passions, unclean spirits, illness and weakness,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said on Sunday. In his homily delivered at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George within the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest, Patriarch Daniel highlighted the contrast between…

Mar 24, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel: Fasting is ‘a school of spiritual self-restraint and gradual liberation from selfish passions’

“Fasting is not a simple exercise in hygiene or aesthetics, but a school of spiritual self-restraint, a school of purification or gradual liberation from selfish passions in order to acquire the humble and merciful love found in Jesus Christ, Who became obedient unto death—even death on the Cross,” said Patriarch Daniel on Clean Monday. The…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Metropolitan Petru says Great Lent re-places our being within the horizon of eternity

The season of Great Lent, which begins on Monday in the Orthodox Church, is a “time of inner examination, of clarifying the mind and of re-placing our being within the horizon of eternity,” Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia and Exarch of the Territories said in a pastoral message. “Beyond the outward exercise of bodily abstinence, we…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Archbishop Atanasie says forgiveness is the key to Great Lent

“Whoever understands the mystery of forgiveness understands that the Lord came to wipe away the sin of this world,” Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said on Sunday in his message at the beginning of Great Lent. Referring to the well-known liturgical hymn “Open to me the doors of repentance,” chanted during the…

Feb 23, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Ecumenical Patriarch says asceticism leads to genuine freedom in Great Lent message

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has issued a catechetical homily ahead of Great Lent 2026, emphasising that ascetic struggle — properly understood — reveals the true freedom of the Christian life. In his message, made public by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Patriarch Bartholomew described Great Lent as a time for repentance, prayer, humility and spiritual vigilance,…

Feb 19, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop Paisie of Sinaia says God restores, not humiliates, the repentant believer

Speaking on Sunday at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Paisie of Sinaia said that the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son does not reproach his child, does not humiliate him and does not demand explanations. “His gaze does not fall on the sin, but on the suffering that needs healing.…

Feb 10, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel says God meets repentant sinners through the Church, in sermon on the Prodigal Son

Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday that when a sinner turns back to God and takes the first steps of repentance, God Himself runs out to meet that person — and that the outstretched hands of God the Father are made visible in the saving and sanctifying work of Christ’s Church. “When a sinner returns to…

Feb 9, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Bishop of Gaborone and Botswana tells faithful in Iași Church calls believers to repentance born of humility

Bishop Mark of Gaborone and Botswana (Patriarchate of Alexandria) said on Sunday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași that the beginning of the Triodion period is a call to authentic repentance, stressing that “the Church calls us to repentance born of humility.” He warned that a true encounter with God does not come through displaying…

Feb 3, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu