Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia said on Friday that there is growing conviction among intellectuals, cultural figures and Church servants in the Republic of Moldova that Bessarabia’s destiny lies in communion with Romania, as the 108th anniversary of the Union was marked.
“We observe with great joy that, in the conscience of intellectuals in the Republic of Moldova, of cultural figures, of Church ministers and of all those responsible for the future of this nation, there is an increasingly strong conviction that the destiny of Bessarabia lies in communion with the Motherland,” the Metropolitan said.
He noted that the Union of 1918 was the fruit of faith, national consciousness and historical memory, with that generation preserving “language, tradition and national identity”, convinced that a people’s identity rests on faith, culture and continuity.
“The members of Sfatul Țării acknowledged the historical truth and the indestructible bond between Bessarabia and Romania, understanding that unity represents the natural framework for the spiritual and cultural development of this land,” he added.
Stronger Ties Across the Prut River
More than a century after the Union, relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania are strengthening through educational, cultural and social partnerships, as well as through a shared language and faith, the Metropolitan said.
“In schools, universities, parishes and cultural institutions, there is an increasingly clear desire to live in full communion, within a space of Romanian values, strengthened through cooperation and respect for the heritage of our forebears.”
Call to Uphold the Values of the Great Union
Metropolitan Petru stressed that the memory of 1918 calls each generation to responsibility and fidelity to the values that underpinned the Great Union, recalling the sacrifice and courage of those who acted in decisive historical moments.
“On the foundation of this legacy, the Romanian people ‘from the Dniester to the Tisza’ strengthen their awareness of unity and project their future towards the fulfilment of the ideal of national reunification,” the message said.
In conclusion, the hierarch called for prayer for the clergy and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church, for leaders on both sides of the Prut River, and for all those working towards strengthening Romanian unity.
“May this anniversary awaken in every heart reverence for the sacrifice of our forebears and the resolve to strengthen the consciousness of Romanian unity,” Metropolitan Petru said, concluding: “Many years, Romania! Many years, Romanians everywhere!”
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
