Romanian Communion in Time of Economical Crisis

Message of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on the Occasion of the Romanian Immigrants’ Sunday 21 August 2011:

The main purpose of the Immigrants Sunday is to increase fraternal communion and co-operation among the Romanians who work or study far from the country and those remained in Romania, as well as to promote a harmonious cohabitation with the citizens of the countries of adoption, especially now, when the economical spiritual crisis is manifested in many parts of the world through tensions and street fights that can change into inter-ethic and inter-religious conflicts. On the other hand, this Sunday is the call addressed to the Romanian Orthodox faithful to intensify and reaffirm their fidelity towards the ancient Church, the Orthodox faith and Romanian spiritual culture, to cultivate the unity of the conjugal family in a world more and more secularised and individualistic. The hierarchs and priests of the Romanian Orthodox communities of Diaspora contribute a lot to the preservation of their national confessional unity and identity as well as to their integration in the host countries. This is why they deserve more support on behalf of the Church and of the Romanian State, especially through common programmes dedicated to these priests, as well as to the Romanian children and youth living outside our frontiers. We are glad to inform the Orthodox Romanians who work or study abroad that a new symbol of our Romanian Orthodox communion, co-operation and dignity is the construction of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation, which will include in its paintings and mosaics icons of saints and images of some representative places of worship from all the Romanian provinces as well as from some Romanian communities outside Romania.

The construction of this new Cathedral is both a practical need and a symbolic work for the benefit of the Romanian people in the country and outside it, implemented through the contribution of all the Orthodox Romanians and of every one of them too.

The fund raising, already begun in the eparchies of the Romanian Patriarchate, show that many Romanian Orthodox faithful although poor from a material point of view are rich in faith and generous in co-operation offering every month their gift edifying the walls and souls.

The construction of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation is based on auction or selection providing jobs for the persons qualified in the field, while every dime is used with great attention and responsibility.

“The new Cathedral will include in its precincts hostels and canteens for pilgrims, a social cultural centre for youth and adults, and a medical centre for diagnosis and treatment for the poor pilgrims. So, the spiritual or liturgical work of the Cathedral will be intertwined with the social one. In spite of some hostile tendentious attitude of the press, the construction of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation is strongly supported by the righteous people, especially by the Romanian Orthodox clergy and faithful who contributed to the construction of some other churches during the last 20 years. They represent at present the nation of princes, founders of places of worship, supporters of the Christian Romanian culture, who build churches useful not only for themselves but also for the future generations.

Our Church is very grateful remembering every day in her prayers all those who built or helped churches calling them “the blessed and always remembered founders”.

This is why we urge you to join them and help the construction of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation, offering a gift for eternity, because our love for the Church is the foretaste of the eternal life.

We also urge you to help the poor, sick and lonely, the old people, orphans, and the mourning ones living in your Romanian native places, because the good deeds become a source of joy and blessing of the man on the earth and in heaven.

We wish you all good health and salvation, peace and joy, a pleasant vacation and we assure you of all our fatherly esteem and blessing.

† Daniel
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church