Romanians in Italy

Romanian ambassador to Italy receives patriarchal order of Saint Maria Brâncoveanu

Her Excellency Gabriela Dancău, Romania’s Ambassador to the Italian Republic, received the Order of St Maria Brâncoveanu on Thursday, an honour conferred by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The ambassador said she dedicates “this distinction to the Romanians in Italy, in whose service I carry out my mandate as ambassador.” The Patriarchal decoration…

Jul 31, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox parish in Venice Mestre buys its first church

The Romanian community in Venice Mestre, Italy, has acquired its own church building. The purchase documents were signed on Friday, 24 July, marking a milestone for the faithful of St. Agatha Parish. The property acquisition marks the culmination of an effort that started in 2023, when the community was compelled to leave its former place…

Jul 27, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Italian Parliament approves state recognition of Romanian Orthodox Diocese

Italy’s Senate has approved legislation recognising the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, following earlier approval by the Chamber of Deputies. The measure was adopted unanimously in the presence of Romania’s Ambassador to Italy, Gabriela Dancău, and His Grace Bishop Siluan of Italy. “The unanimous vote cast by the members of the Senate represents not only…

Jul 2, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Theology students graduate from Bucharest Faculty’s Rome Extension

A new class of Romanian students has completed its theological studies at the Rome extension of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest. The graduation ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Diocesan Centre of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy. The ceremony included the graduates’ oath of fidelity to the Romanian Orthodox Church, marking…

Jun 25, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox parish in Italy receives church building in Catholic donation

The Romanian Orthodox parish of Saint John the Baptist in Savona, Italy, has received its own church building through a donation from a local Catholic community, in what the clergy described as a historic moment for the parish. The deed of donation was signed on Monday by Father Domenico Vittorini, representing the Ligurian Augustinian community,…

Apr 24, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian sacred art exhibition in Italy raises funds for parish social home

A charity exhibition of Romanian sacred art inaugurated last weekend at Palazzo Chigi drew senior Romanian officials and art lovers, with proceeds aimed at supporting the renovation of a parish-run social centre. The exhibition, hosted in Ariccia near Rome, seeks to raise funds for Saint George House, a social home built by the Romanian Orthodox…

Apr 22, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian language courses in Italian schools open for 2026-27 enrolment

Romanian pupils in Italy will be able to take part in Romanian Language, Culture and Civilisation (RLCC) courses during the 2026–2027 school year under a programme aimed at preserving language and identity in the diaspora. Parents can enrol their children until May 8 by submitting a request to their school’s administration, asking that the school…

Apr 22, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Italian law students visit Romanian Orthodox parish as part of comparative religion course

Students from the Faculty of Law at the University of Trento visited the Romanian Orthodox Parish “Saint Mark the Evangelist” in the city on Monday. According to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, third- and fourth-year law students attended the visit as part of a Comparative Ecclesiastical Law course. Parish priest Ioan Lupășteanu presented the…

Apr 21, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Orthodox priests bring Easter light to inmates in Italian prisons

Romanian Orthodox clergy and faithful in Italy visited inmates at two Italian prisons on Bright Tuesday, causing tears to flow for several detainees. The Romanian Orthodox parishes of Fonte Nuova, Monterotondo, Roma 3, and Marcellina in Italy’s Lazio region visited the Rebibbia Nuovo Complesso penitentiary in Rome. Visit to Rome’s largest prison The visit required complex…

Apr 16, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

First Romanian-built Orthodox church in Italy marks patronal feast in Moncalieri

The Romanian Orthodox Church in Moncalieri—the first church built by Romanians on Italian soil—celebrated its patronal feast with a series of liturgical events held on Sunday and Monday. Archimandrite Maxim Drăguț from the Episcopal Chapel “Exaltation of the Holy Cross” in Turin celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday together with Fr Marius Floricu, dean of…

Mar 11, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian priest in Italy reflects on growth of Forlì parish and diaspora identity

Fr Florin Haniș, parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox community in Forlì, Italy, spoke in an interview with the Romanian publication Formula AS about the beginnings and development of the Romanian community in the Emilia-Romagna region. “The Romanian Orthodox Parish of Saint Gregory the Theologian in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, was born only around 2006, after we…

Feb 26, 2026Aurelian Iftimiu