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_ Patriarch Daniel addresses Romanians everywhere: Great geographical distances should not produce spiritual alienation
Patriarch Daniel addresses Romanians everywhere: Great geographical distances should not produce spiritual alienation
To commemorate the Day of Romanians Everywhere, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, released an address on Sunday, May 28.
In his message, Patriarch Daniel expressed his desire for Romanians to have harmonious coexistence with the citizens of the countries of adoption, “especially now when, in many places in the world, the moral, spiritual and economic crisis also manifests itself through social tensions that can degenerate into inter-ethnic conflicts.”, according to basilica.ro.
His Beatitude exhorted all Romanians to maintain a constant line of communication and communion with their family members at home so that “great geographical distances do not cause spiritual distance or alienation of some from others, but to preserve family unity.”
The message of the Patriarch of Romania was read out by Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe during the closing ceremony of the “Here-There” Festival at the Palace of the Patriarchate.
Day of Romanians Everywhere. Here-There Festival: full text
The last Sunday in May, starting in 2015, is designated as the Day of Romanians Everywhere, a unique day with profound spiritual importance, reaffirming the Christian roots and traditions of the Romanian people.
In this sense, the Romanian Patriarchate declared 2021 as the Solemn Year of the pastoral care of Romanians outside of Romania to have a new opportunity to intensify its pastoral mission and responsibility towards the Orthodox Romanians outside of Romania, whom it considers its faithful sons and daughters and an integral part of the Romanian Orthodox communion everywhere, but also to reassure them that we will always be concerned with the spiritual strengthening of all Romanian Orthodox believers who are far away from the country.
The pastoral care and the special attention shown by the Romanian Patriarchate towards the Romanians from the Romanian Orthodox communities outside of Romania have materialised through the establishment of numerous new parishes and dioceses, which will meet the spiritual needs of the Romanian Orthodox faithful from Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovenia, Central and Northern Europe, Western and Southern Europe, the two Americas, Australia and New Zealand, Jerusalem, Jordan and Jericho, Mount Athos, Cyprus, Turkey, South Africa, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
The Romanian Patriarchate currently has four archdioceses and nine dioceses under its jurisdiction outside of Romania’s existing borders, with the archdioceses acting as metropolitan centres.
In these dioceses, there are 1,483 parishes and non-parochial churches today, 71 Romanian Orthodox monastic settlements, served by 1,379 Romanian clerics.
In addition to their liturgical, pastoral-missionary, administrative, social-philanthropic and educational-cultural achievements, the activity of the Romanian Orthodox communities abroad affirmed the Romanian Orthodox values and, at the same time, supported the Orthodox Romanians outside Romania in preserving these values in the adopting societies, where they settled temporarily or permanently.
The Mother Church supports and encourages her spiritual sons and daughters outside of Romania and understands their challenges.
Romanians worldwide aspire to a prosperous future, but sometimes they live in increasingly secularised and individualistic societies. As a result, they are frequently viewed with coldness or suspicion, a fact that does not instil in them a sense of peace and inner contentment.
That is why, in Romanian Orthodox churches abroad, Romanians feel the joy of rediscovering and living their ancestral faith, participating in liturgical life, relieving their longing for their loved ones and birthplaces, and reaffirming their deep identity.
Through worship, but also cultural events and social-philanthropic activities organised by parishes in the Romanian diaspora, the permanent values of the Orthodox faith and the Romanian people are promoted, Romanian traditions are transmitted, and the Romanian language is cultivated.
All this contributes to the preservation of the cultural, ethnic and ecclesial Orthodox identity of Romanians outside of Romania.
Our Church prays daily, at every service, for the right-believing Romanian people everywhere, thus demonstrating fraternal communion and appreciation for all Romanians who live beyond Romania’s borders.
Promoting Romanian Orthodox identity supports social integration in the host countries without cultural assimilation and denationalisation.
We hope for a harmonious coexistence of Romanians everywhere with the citizens of the adopting countries, especially now when in many places in the world, the moral, spiritual and economic crisis also manifests itself through social tensions that can degenerate into inter-ethnic conflicts.
With much paternal love, we urge all Romanians everywhere to remain permanently in dialogue and communion with their loved ones at home so that the great geographical distances do not cause spiritual distance or alienation of some from others but to preserve the unity of the family.
Peace and joy, health and happiness, we wish to all Romanians everywhere!
With fatherly blessing and brotherly greeting,
† Daniel
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
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