Patriarch Daniel Urges Closer Ties Between Science and Spirituality for Human Health

Basilica News and OCP News Service – 07/06/2025

Bucharest-Romania: His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church today emphasized the vital need for enhanced collaboration between science and spirituality in the pursuit of healing and human care. The Patriarch delivered this message during the conference “Romanian Tradition and Continuity: 100 Years of the Romanian Patriarchate, 70 Years of Antibiotice Iași.” (Source: Aurelian Iftimiu, Basilica.ro, June 5, 2025).

Reflecting on the Church’s historic commitment to both spiritual and physical well-being, Patriarch Daniel lauded Antibiotice S.A. Iași, a leading Romanian pharmaceutical company celebrating its 70th anniversary. He highlighted the two-decade-long partnership between the Church and the company as a prime example of constructive cooperation. “We must work together for the health of the soul and the body of the people to whom we belong,” the Patriarch stated, underscoring the Church’s mission to care for the whole human person, created in the image of God. He recalled that Jesus Christ himself healed the sick and taught that “those who are ill need a physician.”

The Patriarch’s message also noted the symbolic synchronicity of Antibiotice S.A. Iași’s founding year, 1955, with the canonization of several Romanian saints and the nationwide veneration of Saint Paraskeva of Iași. This connection links significant spiritual and medical milestones in Romania’s history, reinforcing the idea that spiritual and physical healing have always been interwoven with medical knowledge throughout the ages.

Patriarch Daniel reaffirmed the Romanian Orthodox Church’s commitment to developing its own network of social and medical institutions, while remaining open to partnerships with state bodies and NGOs in healthcare. He offered warm congratulations to Mr. Ioan Nani, Director of Antibiotice S.A. Iași, and his team, praying for their continued success in pharmaceutical research and production guided by the principle of “science and soul.”

Source: Basilica News