Church National Assembly Estimated and Approved the Church Activity in 2012 and Projects for 2013
The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:
On 27 February 2013, the annual working session of the Church National Assembly, the deliberative body of the Romanian Orthodox Church for administrative, social, cultural, economical, and patrimonial issues, was held in Patriarch Teoctist Aula of the Patriarchate Palace, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
The members of the Church National Assembly (hierarchs of the Holy Synod and three representatives, one clergy and two laics for each eparchy) examined and approved the General Annual Report of the Church National Council on the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2012 in regard to the pastoral-liturgical and social-philanthropic, monastic life, theological education and teaching religion in the public schools, editorial activity and mass-media, church-cultural patrimony, constructions of new places of worship relations with other religious cults, care for the Romanian Orthodox communities abroad, inter-church and inter-religious relations etc.
While examining the rich church activity gone off in 2012, the following aspects were pointed out: manifestations at the Romanian Patriarchate on the occasion of the feast of Saint Pious Dimitrios the New, Protector of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest, when the Way of the Saints pilgrimage was organised on the “Joy Hill”, in the presence of the relics of Saint Nectarie from Egyna, healer of diseases and the Centre of palliative care of “Saint Nectarie” was consecrated; the intensification of the catechetic-educational activity with the children and young people, especially through the national programmes entitled “Christ Shared with the Children” and “Choose School!” (in order to prevent and combat the school abandon), as well as approval of the new Regulations for the organisation and functioning the Commission of Church Painting of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Most of all the social-philanthropic work of the Romanian Patriarchate was underlined, unfolded through 678 social institutions, out of which: 154 social canteens and bakeries with 16.139 beneficiaries, 44 medical institutions and chemists with 16.735 beneficiaries, 61 daily centres for children with 2.715 beneficiaries, 34 educational centres with 1.199 beneficiaries, 22 daily centres for aged people with 1.089 beneficiaries, 34 residential centres for aged persons with 786 beneficiaries, 20 community centres with 1.989 beneficiaries, 37 centres of family type with 528 beneficiaries, 34 afterschool type social kindergartens with 965 beneficiaries, 14 protected dwelling places with 126 beneficiaries, 105 centres of information, counselling and resources with 35.563 beneficiaries, 4 educational institutions for adults with 580 beneficiaries, 18 emergency centres, (for homeless persons, victims of the domestic violence and of the trafficking in persons) with 910 beneficiaries, 12 camps with 3.489 beneficiaries and 86 other social institutions with 6743 beneficiaries.
767 social projects and programmes are being implemented in the eparchies of the Romanian Patriarchate at present, out of which: 561 subsidised from their own funds, 22 with external subsidizing, 24 with public subsidizing and 160 with joint subsidizing.
895.350 social services were granted to 211.495 beneficiaries within the social—philanthropic settlements and through the social programmes and projects, as follows:
– 166.397 social services for 105.717 children in the social settlements of the Church and of the State, especially for poor families with no possibilities of maintenance or with parents gone to work abroad;
– 40.987 social services for 19.143 disabled people (speaking, sight and hearing deficiencies, drug addicts of other kinds of addicts, HIV infected persons);
– 640.694 social services to 74.752 aged persons from the church social settlements, from social temporary centres and night shelters, single old people, not transportable, abandoned by their families and suffering from serious bad health;
– 47.272 social services to 11.883 victims of the trafficking in persons, victims of the family violence, prisoners released, victims of natural calamities, and unemployed.
In order to support the social-philanthropic activity in 2012, the Romanian Orthodox Church spent 69.474.776 lei.
The members of the Church National Assembly appreciated the efforts of the Romanian Patriarchate to finish the most important works of the infrastructure of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel expressed the gratitude of the Romanian Patriarchate for the financial aid provided by hierarchs, clergy and faithful within the framework of the national collect for building the new Patriarchal Cathedral, as well as for the support of the central and local state administration authorities for building the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation during this period of economical and financial crisis.
