At the 56th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held from July 9-11, 2024, council members were informed about the ongoing persecution of clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Notably, a video statement from Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv, who himself is persecuted by the Kyiv authorities, was shown. The session also featured remarks from lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who was appointed by the Holy Synod of the UOC to defend the rights of believers. He noted that the persecution of UOC priests directly contradicts the Ukrainian constitution.

The Lithuanian Orthodox Church was not invited to the inauguration of the President of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Orthodox Church (LOC) was the only registered religious community in the country whose representatives were not invited to the inauguration of the newly elected President Gitanas Nausėda, which took place on July 12. The Lithuanian diocese expressed confusion over this omission.

This week, believers commemorated the feast day of the Holy Royal Martyrs—Emperor Nicholas II and his family. More than 40,000 people participated in the traditional Royal Procession in Yekaterinburg. The massive procession was led by Metropolitan Evgeny of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye and other hierarchs of the Russian Church. The procession featured the relics of the Holy Belt of the Theotokos and the relics of 14 saints of the Yekaterinburg metropolis. Additionally, a service in honor of the Romanov family was held in Montenegro—the liturgy took place in the Cathedral of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Nikšić, where the Romanov family had been involved in the establishment of the church.

In Minsk, a nationwide bike ride concluded, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Assembly of Belarusian Saints. The route covered 40 populated areas and was designed to pass through significant locations from the Great Patriotic War, where cyclists laid flowers. Participants also prayed for the liberators and sought the intercession of Belarusian saints in local churches. Believers from other cities joined the participants along the route. After the event, the Ministry of Sports announced that the bike ride was successful and plans to support this initiative in the coming years.

The Bulgarian Church is praying for those affected by wildfires. The Bulgarian Synod issued a special statement expressing support for firefighters, law enforcement officers, volunteers, and all those helping in the fight against the fires, as well as for all those who have lost their homes and need special assistance and protection. The epicenter of the fires is in the south of the country, on the border with Macedonia. Dozens of firefighters and soldiers are involved in the firefighting efforts.

The Romanian Church will canonize 16 20th-century saints. According to the Holy Synod, these are individuals who witnessed Christ during difficult times and in environments hostile to faith in God. In his address, Romanian Patriarch Daniel emphasized: “It is very important to honor the memory of spiritual leaders and priests from the period of communist persecution during the difficult moments of the 20th century.” Among the new saints are elders who suffered under the communists, such as theologian Dumitru Stăniloae and icon painter Sofian Bogiu.

In Sisak, Serbia, the first liturgy in honor of the group of child martyrs, who perished in 1942 at the hands of the Ustaše in the concentration camps of Jastrebarsko and Sisak, was celebrated. They were canonized by the Holy Assembly of the Serbian Church in May 2023. The service was led by Bishop Kirill of Buenos Aires and South-Central America, the acting head of the Zagreb-Ljubljana Metropolitanate, assisted by several priests and deacons. In his sermon, Bishop Kirill reminded that most of Christ's disciples suffered as martyrs, emphasizing that the path of the Church is a path of suffering but also of the joy of resurrection.

A large-scale baptism took place this week at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, where over 1,200 children were baptized by Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia. The Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri) of Senaki and Chkhorotsku blessed and congratulated the children and their parents and conveyed the Patriarch's blessing.