Last Sunday, the patronal feast of the Romanian Orthodox Chapel in Zagreb, Croatia, brought together the Romanian community in Croatia, but also officials from Romania. The Church plays an essential role in the unity of Romanians abroad, stressed the Romanian Ambassador to Croatia.
Father Nicolae Ceruță celebrated the Divine Liturgy and spoke to the faithful about Christ healing the blind man.
“Healing is exclusively a gift of God to man, and blindness of the soul is much more dangerous than blindness of the body,” said the Romanian parish priest of Zagreb.
Father Nicolae Ceruta also spoke about the development of the Church of Christ through the inspired actions of Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena, who, through the Edict of Milan, gave Christians the freedom to publicly confess Christ.
After the service, Father Nicolae Ceruță presented His Excellency Constantine Mihail Grigorie, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Croatia, with the Diploma and the Order of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena.
Patriarch Daniel awarded the diplomat the distinction at the end of his seven years of mission in Zagreb, as a sign of appreciation for his initiative to establish the Romanian Orthodox parish in the Croatian capital and for his constant promotion of the Romanian community and values.
“In all my missions I have tried to promote the cause of Romanians, the cause of Romania and, at the same time, the cause of our Church”, said HE Constantin Mihail Grigorie. “I am glad that the Good Lord has helped us.”
The ambassador thanked with gratitude Patriarch Daniel for the award and for providing the church of the Romanians in Zagreb with the necessary equipment for the services.
“It makes me happy to see you here at this moment, with the thought that your souls are more fulfilled, more full of joy and truth, as we can pray in this wonderful place,” His Excellency said.
“I would like to underline here the unity of our community, in which the Church plays an essential role: we come together to be stronger, to love each other and not to forget that we represent a wonderful country which is Romania.”
Throughout his career, HE Constantin Mihail Grigorie was instrumental in the efforts to obtain the first church in Rome used by the Orthodox Romanian, as well as a church for the Romanian Orthodox community in Turkey.
The diplomat was also awarded by Patriarch Teoctist with the “Patriarchal Cross”, the highest distinction of the Romanian Orthodox Church, for his decisive contribution to the renovation of the church of the Romanians from Bulgaria and for establishing a dialogue between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian state.
After the end of his mandate in Zagreb, Constantin Mihail Grigorie will remain to serve the Romanian state as Director of the Centre for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC), an international organisation whose members are the Balkan states.
The liturgy was followed by a Te Deum service for the Romanians in the Balkans, marking the Day of Balkanic Romanians (10 of May).
Ilie Bolojan, President of Bihor County Council, who was visiting Zagreb, and members of the diplomatic corps of the Romanian Embassy and the Georgian Embassy in Zagreb were also present.
The Romanian Orthodox Parish in Zagreb operates in a historic chapel provided by the Roman Catholic diocese. It was consecrated in 2017 by the Romanian Orthodox Bishop Siluan of Hungary. In the same year, the parish was visited by Patriarch Porphyry of Serbia, then Metropolitan of Zagreb.
The parish was established at the meeting of the National Church Council on March 16, 2017, and is dedicated to “The Birth of St. John the Baptist” and the “Holy Emperors Constantine and Helena”.
Photo credit: Romanian Orthodox Parish in Zagreb
Follow us on Twitter: @BasilicaNews
