President of the Lebanese Republic on a Visit to the Romanian Patriarchate

1/3/2012

The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:

On 29 February 2012, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel received at the Patriarchal Palace His Excellency Michel Sleiman, President of the Lebanese Republic, who is paying an official visit to Romania.

The President of Lebanon thanked for reception and appreciated the very good traditional relations between the two peoples. Further on His Excellency made a brief presentation of the political social and cultural-religious life of Lebanon and emphasised the observation of the rights and freedom of the 18 national religious minorities, as well as their representation in the state central and local institutions. In Mr. President Michel Sleiman’s opinion, the constitutional guarantee of the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity ensures the peace and social harmony of all citizens.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel appreciated the way in which the Lebanese authorities ensure the observation of the rights and freedom of the minorities and pointed out the importance of the observance of human dignity and freedom, as well as of the social co-responsibility.

The Patriarch of Romania presented the most important pastoral-social and cultural-missionary activities (social programmes for looking after the sick, assistance granted to the families affected by the migration phenomenon etc.) and mentioned the presence of the Romanian Orthodox communities in Beirut and Damasc that have been entrusted to the pastoral care of a Romanian missionary priest ever since 2009.

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