His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel sent an official message that was read during the funeral of Archbishop Pimen, in which he remembered the late hierarch as a ‘Father of Bukovina and a friend of the Putna Saints.’
Expressing his deep sorrow for the loss of the former Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti, Patriarch Daniel highlighted the Archbishop’s activities carried out with ‘missionary zeal.’
‘Following the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Church Fathers, His Eminence Pimen endeavoured to multiply the deeds of merciful love in the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti, by establishing several social-philanthropic institutions and settlements for financially disadvantaged families (3 children’s homes), as well as to help the elderly or other disadvantaged people, offering shelter in 9 retirement homes.’
‘A coronation of his work as the spiritual father of Bukovina,’ the Patriarch noted, ‘was the canonization proclamation of Saints Silas, Paisios, and Nathan of Sihastria Putnei, on May 14, 2017.’ This solemn event was attended by the majority of the members of the Holy Synod.
‘The pastoral and missionary conscience of His Eminence Pimen combined the personal piety of a diligent and merciful hierarch with the dynamic work for the common good; the appreciation for the work of his predecessors, with a sense of moral duty to continue their work today.’
Finally, the Patriarch of Romania addressed ‘fatherly condolences’ to the priests, monastics and lay-believers in the Archdiocese of Suceava, asking the risen Christ ‘to place the soul of Archbishop Pimen in the light, peace, and love of the Most Holy Trinity, in the choir of His ministers, who proclaimed the Gospel of salvation and eternal life to the entire world.’
„The history of Putna is the history of the Romanian nation.”
– Abp Pimen
Photography courtesy of Doxologia / Tudorel Rusu
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