Signs of hope in a sad context. New programmes of the Romanian Patriarchate

The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:

From 6 – 7 July 2010, the working session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church was held at the Patriarchal Residence under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel

We mention some of the decisions taken:

– Proclamation of the year 2011 as Homage Year of the Holy Baptism and of the Holy Wedding in the Romanian Patriarchate in order to strengthen and promote the values of the Christian family;

– The approval of the Social Pastoral Programme for the time of economical crisis proposed by the Romanian Patriarchate in order to aid the aged families with low pensions, the poor families with many children and low income and the poor sick people. The programme will be implemented in every eparchy at the level of the parish, monastery, deanery and eparchial centre by intensifying the social programmes unfolded and by organising new charitable canteens, getting donations of aliments, clothes and other products badly needed as well as money for aiding the disadvantaged social categories;

– Approval of some measures of support for the families of the priests in the poor parishes by setting up pastoral eparchial funds through solidarity contributions;

– The Holy Synod decided to launch a brotherly appeal to brotherly dialogue with the Romanian Church United with Rome (Greek – Catholic) for a common Christian witness in the Romanian contemporary society more and more secularised today, hoping to create a climate of trust and mutual respect between the two Romanian Churches. In this context, the hierarchs of the Holy Synod approved in principle a possible invitation of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Romania. In this sense, the Romanian Patriarchate will estimate the time of the invitation after consulting other factors involved.

The stage of the preparations for the construction of the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation was also presented during the synodal meeting. To end with the session, the hierarchs of the Holy Synod participated in the prize awarding ceremony of the winners of the design contest for the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation, held in the “Patriarch Teoctist” Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace. On this occasion, the site www.catedralaneamului.ro was officially launched, dedicated to the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation and achieved by the Basilica Press Centre in collaboration with the Department for Church Monuments and Constructions with the support of the IT Service of the Romanian Patriarchate.

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