This week, prayer services were held in most churches at the beginning of the school year. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia congratulated teachers and students of theological educational institutions on the start of their studies and called on them to defend Christian shrines and evangelical moral ideals, invariably showing a good example to neighbors and far.

The 20th anniversary of the Beslan school tragedy was commemorated in North Ossetia. Archbishop Gerasim of Vladikavkaz led a memorial liturgy in the Resurrection Church in Beslan, with Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany in attendance. The tragedy, in which 334 people, including 186 children, were killed during a terrorist attack, was remembered by thousands. Metropolitan Mark gifted the church with relics of St. Elizabeth and St. Barbara, while President Vladimir Putin donated an icon of the Holy Innocents to the church.

In Kosovo, the Serbian Orthodox Church condemned a theatrical performance at the Ulpiana Archaeological Park, where three crosses were burned. The Raška-Prizren Diocese viewed this as an insult to Christians and criticized the organizers for their irresponsibility, especially in a predominantly Muslim region.

In Dubai, a meeting of the working group between the Russian and Malankara Orthodox Churches took place, focusing on cooperation in several areas, including student exchange, social work, media, and support for persecuted Christians. One proposal discussed was the creation of a documentary film on the relationship between the two Churches.

A multi-day cross procession in the Primorye region of Russia, dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the Port Arthur Icon of the Mother of God, concluded this week. The pilgrimage covered over 2,500 kilometers, allowing more than 1,000 people to venerate the sacred icon.

In Estonia, the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP) and the Pyhtitsa Convent have filed lawsuits in the Tallinn Administrative Court. They seek to remove their names from a list of entities accused of supporting Russia's special military operation, arguing that the Church does not engage in politics.

In Ukraine, schismatics continue to seize churches from the canonical Orthodox Church. This week, a church in Zolotonosha was taken over by activists of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Despite legal disputes over church ownership, authorities acted in favor of the aggressors during an attack on believers in Kirovohrad, where raiders used tear gas during the altercation. The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues to face such challenges, maintaining its faithfulness to the broader Orthodox tradition.