Sacraments of the Catholic Church

A recent statement by Metropolitan Ieronymos, bishop of Athens and all Greece, regarding the baptism of children from same-sex couples has ignited a debate within the Greek Orthodox Church. Ieronymos declared that the church would baptize these children once they reach a certain age and express a desire for the sacrament.

The Greek Orthodox Church would agree to baptize children of same-sex couples, if they so desire, Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, said on Thursday.

On January 6, Bulgarians celebrate Epiphany or St. Jordan's Day (Yordanovden) - one of the biggest Christian holidays in the Bulgarian calendar.

In a rare event done only once a decade, the Fener Greek Patriarchate has lit the caldrons to prepare some 350 to 400 kilos of the Holy Myron oil, which will be sent to all the Orthodox churches worldwide to be used in baptism.

The cauldrons were lit for three days after Easter on April 17, with the clergymen mixing some 57 different ingredients.

Ombudsman Renate Weber had a meeting with leader of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church (BOR) on baptism, bringing to attention several aspects that could be considered by the BOR Holy Synod, including analysing the opportunity of some classes in the liturgical practices of baptism, and establishing ways of performing the ritual adapted to each case.

The authorities of the monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece said in a statement on Wednesday that they recognize the necessity of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus but also noted, however, that the sacrament of Holy Communion "is absolutely necessary for the spiritual life" of worshippers.