Holy Synod of the Romanian Church Recommends Intensification of Activities Dedicated to Families

Basilica News Agency – Aurelian Iftimiu – 2/10/2020

During its working session on Tuesday, the Holy Synod recommended to the parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church to intensify the activities dedicated to families. It urged the believers to cultivate Christian education and philanthropic spirit in their families and society through prayer and good deeds.

Press release: New decisions of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church held its working session entitled ‘Pastoral Care of the Christian Family Today’ under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel at the Patriarch Teoctist Aula Magna of the Patriarchate’s Palace on September 29, 2020.

The Holy Synod considered that in this year severely marked by the pandemic, the Church adapted its pastoral methods to a hard reality, transmitting the message of the Gospel including in the online environment. 

However, the insufficiency of media communication in relation to the state of communion that believers naturally experience through physical participation in the liturgical life of the community was ascertained.

Also, telework and online school are only a temporary solution until the state caused by the pandemic is overcome.

The closure of schools has significantly affected the educational process, with students and teachers not being sufficiently prepared to take online courses. Therefore, the Romanian Patriarchate, through the project Choose School! and its dioceses, came to the aid of students and teachers in disadvantaged communities, offering them almost 5,000 tablets or other electronic devices.

Taking into account the above, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church:

1. Takes note of the situation of family pastoral care in the current pandemic context and of the social-philanthropic actions undertaken by the Romanian Orthodox Church;
2. Calls on all parishes to intensify activities dedicated to family pastoral care, as well as to cultivate the relationship between the family and the Church;
3. Urges all believers to cultivate, through prayer and deeds of charity, the Christian education of children and young people, providing spiritual and material support, especially to disadvantaged families.

The Holy Synod also took note of the following recent legislative regulations:

• Law no. 137/2020 declaring Michael the Brave, Ruler of Wallachia and Moldavia and Prince of Transylvania, a martyr and hero of the Romanian nation. The day dedicated to the ceremonies for the ruler prince’s commemoration was set for May 27 of each year.
• Law no. 138/2020 declaring the historical personalities Horea, Cloșca and Crișan martyrs and heroes of the Romanian nation and commemorating the Romanian Martyrs from Beliș on November 8. The ceremonies for the commemoration of the three martyrs and heroes, Horea, Cloșca and Crișan, will take place every year on November 2, and the Remembrance Day of the Romanian Martyrs from Beliș will be commemorated each year on November 8.

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu

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