Simone de Giuseppe, a pastor with the Evangelical Baptist Union of Italy, recalled how his time at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute became a formative experience in his life.
Residents of near and far gathered in a small village of Bărbătești in Romania to celebrate the consecration of a new Orthodox church, a significant sign of hope in the region recently confronted with economic emigration.
As church bells resounded over Paralimni, Cyprus on Sunday, the congregation gathering at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint George welcomed into their midst representatives of a wide range of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches around the world.
Orthodox Christians are ready to celebrate Easter, finding deep reasons for joy even amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As people gather in-person or online to worship together, different nations and diverse communities are coping with vastly different circumstances and challenges. Even amid this, Orthodox communities are drawing together to celebrate the risen Christ and the value of the human person.
Prayers for unity took on a different look and feel this year, but they weren’t stopped by widespread restrictions on face-to-face gatherings. From prayer cards to personal reflections, online gatherings to new connections, the images worldwide convey the spiritual richness of an ecumenical family that came together in prayer.
