His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel lamented the situation of villages in Romania and urged support for the inhabitants of rural settlements.
“We particularly pray that Christ the Lord will give His help and blessing to all the inhabitants of villages, and may we who live in the cities help the inhabitants of the villages according to our possibilities,” the Patriarch of Romania said.
His Beatitude’s remarks were made on Sunday, Sept. 25, in the chapel of his Patriarchal Residence.
Patriarch Daniel added: “Unfortunately, many Romanian villages are almost deserted due to the emigration of many Romanians abroad, but also because life in the village is often more difficult, as there are not always all the necessary things for a decent life.”
His Beatitude’s appeal to support the rural dwellers was made on the Day of the Romanian Village.
Romanian Village Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of September.
The Patriarch of Romania has spoken on numerous occasions about the value and state of the Romanian village and has made concrete proposals for its revitalization:
- Twinning programs between generous urban parishes and poor parishes in rural areas. This involves offering brotherly spiritual and material help.
- Encouraging book donations to organize libraries in the villages.
- Offering grants to intelligent and industrious students to continue their studies in rural areas and eventually in cities.
- Buying, renovating and equipping village houses with gardens by city parishes to be used as holiday homes and develop profitable activities for the village.
- Encouraging villagers and helping them concretely to keep and honour the memory of their ancestors by taking care of the cemetery, the heroes’ memorial cross, and providing information to write the monography of every Romanian village today.
- Organizing youth camps in the villages to carry out pilgrimages, as well as cultural, social-philanthropic and ecological activities in the countryside in partnership with village priests and local authorities.
- Encouraging young people to develop rural economic projects such as profitable family farms.
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