Her Excellency Gabriela Dancău, Romania’s Ambassador to the Italian Republic, received the Order of St Maria Brâncoveanu on Thursday, an honour conferred by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
The ambassador said she dedicates “this distinction to the Romanians in Italy, in whose service I carry out my mandate as ambassador.”
The Patriarchal decoration was presented by Bishop Siluan of Italy during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy in Rome, attended by diocesan clergy and representatives of Romania’s diplomatic authorities.
The order was awarded in recognition of Ambassador Dancău’s support for the Romanian community in Italy and her contribution to securing the Intesa, the agreement between the Italian State and the Romanian Orthodox Church granting legal recognition to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy.
“A moral landmark”
In her address, Ambassador Dancău reflected on the spiritual significance of the distinction.
“I receive this high distinction with profound gratitude and humility. An order bearing the name of St Maria Brâncoveanu goes beyond the dimension of a personal recognition: it represents a moral landmark and a call to a more demanding measure of one’s own mission.”
The ambassador emphasised that the Italian state’s official recognition of the diocese was the result of many years of institutional effort and would provide lasting benefits for the Romanian community.
“The official recognition of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese by the Italian State, the fruit of an institutional process built with perseverance, provides our community with lasting rights and guarantees for preserving its faith and its spiritual and cultural identity.”
Concluding her remarks, she added: “I receive this distinction with gratitude to God and with the responsibility to continue the mission entrusted to me.”
Earlier this month, the Italian Senate unanimously approved the legislation granting legal recognition to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, after the bill had already been adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, completing the legislative process required to approve the agreement between the Italian State and the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Photo: Facebook / Embassy of Romania to Italy
