A group of students and professors from Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo was received on Thursday by Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest.
The Benedictine theologians said that, during their pilgrimage in Romania, they plan to study the works of Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, one of the most influential Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century.
Accompanied by Fr Gheorghe Militaru, diocesan vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, the group visited the Patriarchal Palace, where Bishop Varlaam highlighted key moments in the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church, noting that “we are the only Orthodox Church of Latin language and culture.”
The hierarch also highlighted milestones in the relationship between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, recalling the visits of Popes John Paul II and Francis to Bucharest.
“We know and deeply appreciate the Benedictine Order’s interest in Eastern liturgical life, and we are familiar with its translations and extensive liturgical scholarship,” Bishop Varlaam said.
Following the footsteps of Romanian saints
Fr Gheorghe Militaru explained the spiritual motivation behind the visit, saying that the Benedictine theologians had come to Romania for “a seven-day pilgrimage following the footsteps of Romanian saints.”
“We will visit monasteries in southern Romania, then travel to Pitești, Târgoviște, Sibiu, Sâmbăta de Sus, Sinaia and Ghighiu, after which our pilgrimage will conclude and we will return to Rome,” he said.
Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo is a pontifical university specialising in liturgical studies and monastic spirituality. Founded in 1887 by Pope Leo XIII, the institution is located at the Monastery of Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino in Rome and is administered by Benedictine monks.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
