Eastern Orthodoxy in Europe

Today, just before 8 a.m., the mortal remains of Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte were laid out for veneration at Patriarchal Cathedral "St. Alexander Nevsky".

In 2019 the Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Constantinople and Alexandria recognised the independence of the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Since then, Moscow has attempted to undermine not only the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but also the Patriarch of Alexandria, which claims exclusive jurisdiction over Africa and accuses the Russian church of meddling in the continent.

Patriarch Porfirije will serve the holy bishop's liturgy at the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Patriarchate of Pec.
Patriarch will serve the morning liturgy, starting at eight o'clock, Tanjug was told in the Serbian Orthodox Church.
In the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade, the celebration of Christmas will begin with the service of the midnight liturgy.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos, exchanged wished for the new year, state-run news agency AMNA reported on Tuesday.

Ieronymos called Bartholomew on New Year's Eve with both leaders expressing hope that the much-desired peace would prevail in the war-torn and conflict-ridden world in 2024. 

Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte has been admitted to the Military Medical Academy due to a lung ailment, as confirmed by the office of the Holy Synod on the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's website.

The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria has a property deed of the Russian Church - this confirmed the verification of the Registration Agency. The notary confessed to he transaction in 1997, according to Lovech Metropolitan Gavriil. Metropolitan Gavriil added that neither the Sofia Metropolitanate nor the Holy Synod owns such property.

Patriarch Neophyte has appointed priests from Sofia who will take over the usual services in the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, known as the Russian Church. This was announced by the Holy Synod.

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dacic summoned the UK's Charge d'Affaires to Belgrade Dominic Otway to a meeting on Wednesday and rejected recent claims by British MP Alicia Kearns, who has accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of weapons smuggling from central Serbia to Kosovo-Metohija.

The spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians said on Wednesday that Russia's powerful Orthodox Church shared responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine but that he stood ready to help in Russia's postwar "spiritual regeneration".

In what is seen as a blow to Moscow, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios stated on Tuesday that he will cooperate with Lithuanian authorities to establish a new branch in the Baltic country to ensure that people of faith are no longer only under the supervision of the Russian church.