Metropolitan Varnavas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis of the Orthodox Church of Greece brought a fragment of the venerable wood of the Holy Cross to the Church of St. Paraskeva and the Life-Giving Spring (Union Cathedral) in Focșani, Romania, on Sunday.
Archbishop Ciprian of Buzău and Vrancea celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the Greek hierarch.
Archbishop Ciprian recalled that the relic of the Holy Cross was brought to the diocese nine years ago for the patronal feast of the Lord’s Ascension at the Archdiocesan Cathedral in Buzău.
The Cross and the Resurrection
Metropolitan Varnavas expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and explained that a defining characteristic of Orthodoxy is that it is “the Church of the Cross and the Resurrection”, emphasising that “through the Cross, joy has come to all the world”.
His Eminence also offered a theological reflection on Jesus Christ as the “King of Glory”, highlighting the unique and paradoxical nature of His kingship: He possesses no earthly army and compels no one to follow Him.
As a gesture of gratitude, Archbishop Ciprian of Buzău and Vrancea presented his guest with an icon depicting St Paraskeva of Iași, the protectress of Moldavia.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the two hierarchs blessed the new building of the Focșani I Deanery.
Photo: Archdiocese of Buzău and Vrancea
