Orthodox Catholic Church

In the Orthodox Church, December 26 marks a significant celebration dedicated to the Holy Mother of God and Saint Joseph, commemorating their roles in the life of Jesus Christ.

Many Ukrainians will on Monday celebrate Christmas Day on Dec. 25 for the first time, after the government changed the date from the Orthodox Church observance of Jan. 7 in a snub to Russia.

Ukraine passed a law in July moving the celebration to Dec. 25, the day when most of the Christian world marks Christmas.

Greece's center-right government said Thursday it would fulfill a commitment to legalize same-sex marriage, sidestepping staunch opposition from the country's influential Orthodox Church.

The legislation would be brought to parliament during the house's current term, which ends in 2027, said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.

He came to our meeting with his three companeros. He had just arrived at the mission's offices in Thessaloniki from Colombia and he greeted me singing, "Hello, Mother Saloniki," a song by popular singer Zafiris Melas.

Spanish police said on Oct. 23 they have seized centuries-old gold artefacts worth over 60 million euros ($64 million) that were stolen and taken out of Ukraine illegally.

The 11 pieces, including necklaces, bracelets and earrings, were displayed at a Kiev museum between 2009 and 2013, and were smuggled out of Ukraine before 2016, police said in a statement.

In response to the conspiracy theories that have led to protests, mostly by very religious people and some clerics, over the new identity cards, the Permanent Holy Synod of Church of Greece said in a statement Wednesday that it is a matter for the country's judiciary and concerns the administrative issue of state-citizen relations.

Day 515 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Digital Fallout of June Prides: Unveiling Violations of Digital Rights

In June, Pride Parades were held, among others, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Croatia, highlighting the struggle for LGBT rights in these countries.

Today is All Souls' Day. It is celebrated the day before the great Christian holiday of Pentecost.

Following the completion of meticulous restoration works conducted by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the 174-year-old Virgin Mary Church in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir has been opened to visitors.

The historic Orthodox church, built in 1849, was used as a house of worship for Orthodox Greeks in the region until 1924 and served as a prison between 1950 and 1983.