The consecration of the iconography in Romania’s National Cathedral will be a moment when “heaven and earth once again touch in a mysterious embrace of grace,” said Archbishop Atanasie, head of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in a message ahead of the event.
According to the Archbishop, Sunday’s celebration represents “God’s answer to the prayer of a people — a people who have borne their cross with dignity through the waves of history, who have built light from suffering and victory from tears.”
Archbishop Atanasie noted that the Cathedral stands as a symbol of community and communion:
“The Cathedral is not raised against anyone, but for everyone — for those of yesterday who fought and sacrificed; for those of today who seek meaning in the world; and for those of tomorrow who will learn here that a people lives through faith and is saved through communion and self-giving.”
He added that it is “a Cathedral of identity and hope, a Cathedral of unity in Christ.”
“Under its vaults, the prayer for the nation will unite with the prayer for the world, and the remembrance of heroes will remain a lesson in eternity — for death does not have the last word, but sacrificial love,” the Archbishop concluded.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
