On February 23, Local Orthodox Churches entered Great Lent. In their messages on Forgiveness Sunday, primates reminded the faithful that fasting is not merely an external restriction, but a time of repentance, reconciliation, and inner transformation.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow stressed that abstinence is meaningless without prayer and participation in the sacraments, noting that true fasting is inseparable from acts of mercy.
Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia emphasized that the Christian ascetic effort cannot be reduced to a “diet,” but aims at a change of heart and renewed communion with God and neighbor.
Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw highlighted the unity of bodily and spiritual discipline, explaining that physical restraint strengthens the spirit.

Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia called for sincere forgiveness and cleansing of conscience through confession, underscoring that reconciliation is essential on the path to Pascha.
Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America urged spiritual sobriety amid ideological pressures and what he described as a “dictatorship of opinions,” encouraging Christians to remain faithful to the Gospel.
Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria spoke of forgiveness as liberation from inner burdens, bringing peace and joy beyond external achievements.
Patriarch Daniel of Romania noted that fasting opens the way to societal renewal through personal conversion, while Archbishop John of Albania warned that even the strictest asceticism loses meaning without humility and love.

Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk, a hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra, was released from custody this week and placed under house arrest after spending one year and ten months in detention.

His arrest drew significant public attention. Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and international human rights advocates had called for legal review of the case. According to Ukrainian media reports, church attorney Robert Amsterdam thanked supporters involved in the campaign for the metropolitan’s release, noting that the effort united Ukrainian lawyers and UOC supporters in the United States and other countries.

Tensions intensified in Moldova over the status of church property. Authorities announced plans to return more than 800 historic church buildings to state ownership, with a final decision expected from the Supreme Court.

The dispute involves the Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Church and the Orthodox Church of Moldova, a self-governing part of the Moscow Patriarchate. Opposition figures and hierarchs of the latter described the developments as pressure on the canonical Church. In the village of Dereneu, an attempt to transfer a church building led to clashes between parishioners and police, resulting in detentions.

The African Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church continued humanitarian efforts in East Africa following natural disasters. In Kenya’s Naivasha region, food supplies and essential goods—including hundreds of kilograms of grains, oil, clothing, and household items—were distributed to flood victims after a church service.

Similar assistance was sent to Madagascar following Tropical Cyclone “Gezani,” which destroyed tens of thousands of homes. The Church provided food, building materials, and spiritual support to those affected.

In Russia, the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission aided residents of the Belgorod region after gas supply disruptions caused by damage to a gas distribution facility in Borisovka. Volunteers delivered gas cylinders, generators, heaters, and essential goods, traveling to border settlements to provide targeted support.

Since 2022, Church-led humanitarian programs have supported civilians in border regions, Donbas, and newly incorporated territories, processing hundreds of thousands of requests and distributing thousands of tons of aid.