Anniversary Event At The Romanian Patriarchate: Three Years Of Patriarchal Service Of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel
On 30 September 2010, it is three years since the enthronement of His Beatitude Daniel as Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. On 12 September 2007, in the evening, the Holy Synod validated the election of the 6th Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in the person of His Eminence Daniel, Archbishop of Iasi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina. The enthronement ceremony of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel took place on 30 September 2007, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest.
On the occasion of this special event in the Romanian Patriarchate, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated today the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral, assisted by a group of twenty hierarchs, members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In the sermon delivered, the Patriarch of Romania emphasized the fact that Saint Gregory the Enlightener, Bishop of Armenia, celebrated today in the Romanian Orthodox Church, represents a model for today’s Christian.
“Having converted to Christianity, he never felt happy unless he shared the Gospel and faith in Christ with his people too. In other words, we learn from Saint Gregory the Enlightener that it is not enough to be Christians and enjoy the great dignity of the name of Christian and the many gifts that Christ gives to those who believe in Him and love Him, but this personal joy of ours should be shared with those who do not know Christ. So, we see that Saint Gregory the Enlightener becomes a missionary just because he wants to share the joy of the faith in Christ with all his people. So, due to this fact, he calls us to be missionaries”, said His Beatitude, as Trinitas TV station informs us.
After the Divine Liturgy, a Te Deum was celebrated today in the Patriarchal Cathedral, as thanksgiving to the beneficence bestowed over our Church, over the Romanian people and over His Beatitude during his third year of patriarchal service. The religious service was celebrated by His Grace Varlaam Ploiesteanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch.
“At this anniversary time, we, the hierarchs who assisted you today, at the Divine Liturgy, Your Beatitude’s collaborators from the Patriarchal Administration and from the Administration of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, representatives of the state authorities, the faithful present in this church, as well as the millions of faithful who share our joy today through the Radio and Television stations, wish Your Beatitude, at this anniversary time, good health, and renewed power, so that many years of hierarchic service that lie in front of you be adorned with achievements as beautiful”, said His Grace.
Many members of the Holy Synod, local and state authorities were present at the event.
The celebration of three years of service of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel continued through a festive moment dedicated to this event, in “Europa Christiana” room of the Patriarchal Palace. It was here that the messages of congratulations on behalf of the state central institutions were conveyed. Presidential counselor Alexandru Gussi read the message of the President of Romania. Further on, His Grace Ciprian Campineanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, read the message on behalf of the Chamber of Deputies. Then, Mr. Adrian Lemeni, State Secretary for Religious Affairs, read the message on behalf of the Romanian Government. Present at the anniversary, Mr. Daniel Funeriu, Minister for Education, Research, Youth and Sport, addressed, in his turn, a message to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, on behalf of the institution he runs.
After listening to the congratulation messages, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel delivered a short thanksgiving speech. As for the relationship between State and Church, His Beatitude said that they both have the same vocation.
“We, those who run church institutions, have a common vocation, namely to create signs of hope, no matter the responsibility, even when we pass through great difficulties. We badly need to ask for the help of God and rely on the work of God so as to become the hands of the love of Christ. God-the-Son was incarnated; He is the Head of the Church, ascended to the Heavens, but He is present through the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in that of the faithful people.
And as Saint Paul the Apostle says: “The Church is the mysterious body of Christ”. This theological formulation becomes a reality when our hands become the hands of Christ”, also said His Beatitude Patriarchal Daniel.
The Patriarch of Romania added the fact that in this time of crisis, the cooperation between Church and State should be much stronger.
“We pass through a period of crisis, the crisis is “judgment” in Greek, the judgment for things that have not been made well or worked not well enough. So, the period of crisis as judgment for a thing not done in due time or wrong done is an examination that comes from God, but not to punish us, but wishing to improve us. It is a review of the parameter values, it is a period of selecting the values and especially of the priorities, and a period of saving the material gifts received from God. The crisis has especially a pedagogy of God, namely to have a good start. So, we suffer because of the crisis on one hand, but we must also hope. Thus, here is the most necessary cooperation between the Church and all the public institutions and organizations, to remain in the middle of sufferance and show signs of hope. And the strongest signs of hope are those of solidarity”, said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
The Primate of our Church also thanked all those who supported the Church in all her activities.
State officials, central and local public authorities, representatives of the Royal House of Romania, hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church, representatives of some other religious cults, professors, counselors of the Patriarchal Administration and of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, as well as other personalities of the native social, cultural and political life attended the event.
The events occasioned by the anniversary of three years of patriarchate continued in “Patriarch Teoctist” Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace. Here, all those present watched, for one hour, a film made by Trinitas TV station about the activity of the Romanian Patriarchate and of the Archdiocese of Bucharest from October 2009 – October 2010: “Canonical visits, ordinations, consecrations and constructions of churches, care for patrimony, attention to create values, the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation, encouragement of the priests and parishes, responsibility for the funds administration, solidarity with those in need and charity well organized, catechesis, culture and communication. This is the activity the Romanian Patriarchate unfolded from 2009 – 2010 with the direct blessing and involvement of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The life of the Romanian Orthodox Church is unfolded under the sign of faith and witness, of love of God and of people.”
It was also in “Patriarch Teoctist” Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace of Bucharest that the book “The titles and honorary distinctions the Patriarchate of Constantinople conferred to the metropolitans of Wallachia (14th – 18th centuries)”, drafted by Acad. Emilian Popescu, was launched today. The new editorial publication also comprises a summery in the French language, as well as several annexes with illustrations, having been printed in special graphic conditions.
On 12 September 2007, the Church Electoral College elected His Beatitude Daniel as Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and Locum Tenens of the Throne of Caesarea of Cappadochia. The enthronement took place on Sunday, 30 September 2007.
