Holy Synod establishes new parishes abroad, warns against risks of ideologized sex education

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church met for its working session under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel at “Patriarch Teoctist” Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace on Wednesday, July 21, 2021.

The Holy Synod resolved the following:

To include the name of Saint Nikephoros the Leper in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church on January 4 and to approve the Saint’s synaxarion, troparion, kontakion, service, Akathist and Supplicatory Canon.
To approve the decision of the Standing National Church Council of March 4, 2021, regarding the incompatibility of the clerical service with public positions and/or dignities, in accordance with the decision of the Holy Synod no. 1676 of March 6, 2008, which states that “bishops, priests, deacons, monks and nuns of the Romanian Orthodox Church are prohibited from holding positions of an official / civil servant at the central or local level in the Romanian state or in other states.”
The Holy Synod reminded that, according to the holy canons, the ordinations to the ranks of deacon and priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church can be performed by the diocesan bishop only for parishes and monasteries in the diocese he pastors according to the statutory provisions. The hierarch who will ordain a candidate belonging to another diocese than the one he pastors, without the consent of the hierarch from whom the candidate comes, will be sent to the trial of the first hierarchical Consistory, and the ordination will be declared invalid.
To approve the establishment of two new parishes for the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Both parishes will be under the direct authority of the Romanian Patriarchate.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has noted with concern the recent attempts to implement “sex education” as mandatory in the Romanian education system, as well as the European Parliament resolution of June 24, 2021, on the situation of sexual and reproductive health and related rights in the EU in the frame of women’s health (Matić Report). The Romanian Patriarchate reaffirms its position on maintaining the optional nature of classes on “education for life” and warns against the risks of a “sex education” with an ideological content contrary to the values of the Christian family and inappropriate for the age of children.

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu