His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina said on Saturday that the 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities was made possible with God’s help and through the vision of courageous people.
However, he noted that the landmark event was also marked by sadness, because Moldavia was not whole when it united with Wallachia.
“Where there is unity, there the Lord has commanded blessing and life forevermore, the Prophet David said millennia ago. The Union of 5 and 24 January 1859 was possible through God’s help from above and through courageous people with vision,” Metropolitan Teofan said.
“One sadness overshadowed the event of the Union: only part of Moldavia united with Wallachia. It may be the chance of the present generation to fulfil, even in part, what was not completed then or what was lost in the meantime,” he added.
Hopes for something better
The metropolitan asked God for forgiveness for the sins committed.
“With gratitude towards the architects of the Unions of 1859 and 1918, with longing for Romanians in the East or in the diaspora, and with hope for something better within the country, we ask God to inspire us, to forgive us, and to grant us strength, so that we may align ourselves with His plan for this country,” Metropolitan Teofan concluded.
The Day of the United Principalities was marked in Iași with a military ceremony attended by local and national officials, led by Romania’s President Nicușor Dan.
Photo: Doxologia
