Patriarch Daniel @15 : Diaspora and Low Birth Rate Among his Priorities

OCP News Service – 02/10/2022

Bucharest-Romania: On the 15th anniversary of the enthronement, HB Patharich Daniel of Romania celebrated liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest. Members of the holy synod with priests and faithful took part in the anniversary celebration.

Patriarch Daniel & the Resurgence of the Romanian Orthodox Church

In his address to people at the liturgy, Patriarch Daniel expressed his concerns about the near future: the diaspora and the low birth rate.

“We always look at the past only to thank God and the people through whom God worked. But when we look at the present and the future, the needs and works of the Church, we see how much more there is to do. That is, many activities are in progress, but new ones are also needed.”

“That’s why we draw inspiration from the life of other Churches, but also the life of our dioceses and parishes abroad because here in Romania, we are the majority, but the Orthodox from the Romanian diaspora are a minority, and they are under more pressure than us to seek pastoral methods, to look for support, to look for local solutions for the multitude of problems faced by those who left Romania and are in the Romanian diaspora.”

“Some, few, have returned to the country, but there are still many Romanian Orthodox believers abroad. Last year was dedicated especially to the pastoral care of Romanians abroad, and we observed how many activities these dioceses developed. One thing that contrasts with what is in Romania is the demographic growth of Romanians in the diaspora.”

“The number of baptisms and weddings in the Romanian diaspora is much higher in proportion to the number of people compared to Romania because in some Western countries there are more favorable conditions for the development and support of families.”

“Therefore, an immediate and long-term preoccupation is encouraging families to have more children and to educate them in faith and love for the country.” – Reported Basilica.ro

HB also expressed his future priorities of ties with other denominations and continues training of priests.

Source:
Basilica News and OCP News Service