Ambassadors Of Great Britain And Israel Received At The Patriarchate

17/11/2010

Department for Church and Inter-Religious Relations and the Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate inform us:

On 17 November 2010, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church received at the Patriarchal Residence, His Excellency Mr. Martin Harris, the new Ambassador of Great Britain in Romania, on an introduction visit.

The new Ambassador thanked for reception and manifested interest in the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church and in the Romanians in the country and abroad.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel briefly presented the multiple pastoral-missionary, social-charitable and cultural-educational activity that the Romanian Orthodox Church unfolds in the Romanian society and Diaspora. In this context, the Patriarch of Romania emphasised the importance of the co-operation between the religious cults and the Romanian State, which recognises their role of social partners and factors of social peace.

The Ambassador underlined, in his turn, the fact that the involvement of the religious cults in the issues that need to be solved within today’s pluralist societies contributes to social cohesion and better mutual knowledge.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also emphasised the importance of the inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue between the Christian Churches and other religious cults, in the promotion of the religious values in the European contemporary society. In this sense, the Patriarch of Romania mentioned the need of practical co-operation in pastoral, social and cultural matters, as well as the defence of the person and family dignity, combat of poverty, prevention of marginalization etc.
Today, 17 November 2010, too, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel received the new Ambassador of Israel in Bucharest, His Excellency Mr. Dan Ben-Eliezer, at the beginning of his diplomatic mission in Romania.

The Ambassador thanked for reception and appreciated the very good relations between Romania and Israel, as well as between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Jewish community of our country. In this sense, Mr. Dan Ben-Eliezer said that his diplomatic mission in Romania had a special significance too, because His Excellency’s mother was born in Iaşi, hence she left for Israel in 1944.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel underscored the importance of the continuation of the co-operation between the two peoples through meetings and mutual visits and especially through pilgrimages to the Holy Land. In this sense, the Patriarch of Romania mentioned the intensification during the last few years of the pilgrimages that the specialised offices of the Romanian Patriarchate organise to the holy places of Israel.

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