Eastern Orthodox Church

Bulgarian worshippers thronged Sofia's golden-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Friday to pay their last respects to Orthodox Christian Patriarch Neophyte, the first elected head of the church in the post-communist Balkan country, who died this week aged 78.

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.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is moving to a new calendar with a decision of the Synod, Ukrinform reported, citing BBC Ukraine.

"The Orthodox Church of Ukraine - the most popular religious organization in the country, has approved the complete transition to the new calendar," an official announcement states.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted a lunch for Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on Wednesday to discuss all fateful matters for the Serbs and Serbia, as well as looming difficulties in the international political arena, especially with regards to the Kosovo-Metohija issue.

"With His Holiness @patrijarh_porfirije and the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, I discussed all matters of vital importance for our people and country, as well as the difficulties ahead on the international political level, especially regarding Kosovo and Metohija.

Orthodox Easter messages delivered by two senior clerics in North Macedonia and Serbia have sparked criticism, with Metropolitan Petar of the Prespa-Pelagonija eparchy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church causing particular outrage with his suggestion that gender equality is "blasphemous" and a "poisonous and perverted ideology" that threatens society.

BELGRADE - In his Easter message, Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church called on all believers to multiply their prayers for peace and for keeping Kosovo-Metohija a part of Serbia, and noted that "an indirect or direct, a de facto or de iure alienation of the province from the state of Serbia is unacceptable."

In the calendar of our Orthodox Church, today is Great Tuesday - a day for humility and sermon.

In church services, the last moral instructions of Jesus Christ are remembered.

In the folklore calendar, Great Tuesday is the day of ritual carrying of "silent" water by the maidens, which our ancestors used for communion and healing.

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".

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Monday, extolling his efforts for dialogue with the Orthodox Church.