Thousands of Albanians pay last respects to Orthodox Christian Archbishop Anastasios

Tirana, Albania AP Thousands of Albanians gathered in the capital on Thursday to pay their last respects to Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Christian Church after the fall of the country’s communist party in 1990. Anastasios, who was the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania and also head of the Autocephalous Orthodox […]
Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the Orthodox Church in Albania, dies at 95

Tirana, Albania AP Albania’s Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Church after the fall of the communist regime in 1990, has died, the church said on Saturday. He was 95. Anastasios, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania and head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, died in the intensive care unit […]
Postcards: Warm weather threatens Epiphany ice water plunges for Russia’s Orthodox Christians

AP News reports from Moscow where thousands have been forced to cancel the traditional – and bracing – cold water dip as part of Epiphany celebrations due to rising temperatures…
In pictures: Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas

AP Ethiopian pilgrims pray during a Mass service for Ethiopian Christmas at the Bole Medhane Alem cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, 6th January, 2025. PICTURE: AP Photo. Christian Orthodox believers burn dried oak branches, the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas Eve, in front of St Luke Church in Belgrade, Serbia, on […]
Postcards: Epiphany celebrations in Bulgaria…and Brazil

In a special Postcards, AP reporters take a look at how Orthodox believers in Bulgaria and Catholics in rural Brazil celebrate the holy day…
Wounded Ukrainian soldiers find solace in Greek monasteries

Mount Athos, Greece Reuters The Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Greece with marks of war – one with a head scar, another with both legs amputated above the knee, some with invisible mental wounds from a three-year conflict that has ravaged their homeland. The men, 22 in all, had taken a bus more than 1,000 kilometres […]
Essay: How American converts complicate Syrian Orthodox Christians’ future

KATHERINE KELAIDIS says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that Syria’s Christians face an uncertain future, caught between shifting alliances both in the sphere of global politics and the petty preferences of the West’s culture wars…
Wow!: Experts believe study of 700-year-old handwriting unveils leading Byzantine painter’s true identity

COSTAS KANTOURIS and NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, of Associated Press, report on how modern crime-solving techniques may have revealed the true identity of a renowned Byzantine painter who has played a key role in the development of Orthodox religious art…
Pope Francis set to visit Turkey for Council of Nicaea anniversary in 2025, ANSA reports

Rome, Italy Reuters Pope Francis said on Thursday he planned to visit Turkey’s Iznik next year for the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church, Italian news agency ANSA reported. Pope Francis gestures on the day of the weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on 27th November, 2024. PICTURE: […]
Learning about God from dogs: Orthodox monks breed and train canines in upstate New York monastery

GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, visits the monks of New Skete in upstate New York…