His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, received the visit of Her Excellency Mrs. Sofia Grammata, the Ambassador of Greece to Bucharest, at his Patriarchal Residence.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Patriarch of Romania appreciated Her Excellency’s rich diplomatic experience and wished success in her mission in our country.
In this context, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also expressed the gratitude of the Romanian Orthodox Church for the scholarships that the Greek Orthodox Church grants to young Romanian students at university centres in Athens and Thessaloniki.
The Ambassador thanked for the reception and noted that, during her diplomatic mission in Romania, she observed the central role that the Romanian Orthodox Church has in Romanian society and mentioned the contribution of Orthodoxy in affirming spiritual values, including the importance of the traditional family.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel highlighted the good traditional ties between Romanians and Greeks and stressed the importance of knowing Byzantine culture, as a common heritage, in areas such as iconography and church music.
Furthermore, the Patriarch of Romania pointed out that, in the context of the challenges of contemporary society, when the whole world was so severely affected by the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, it is necessary to cultivate communion, concrete solidarity in the family and concerning those suffering.
In this sense, the Romanian Orthodox Church has actively contributed to overcoming many difficulties caused by the pandemic by involving clergy and parishioners, especially young volunteers, thus expressing the Church’s solidarity with those affected by the consequences of the pandemic.
In conclusion, hope was expressed that the fraternal ties between the two peoples and the sister Orthodox Churches in Romania and Greece will continue to develop for the common good.
Department for External Church Relations of the Romanian Patriarchate
Photography courtesy of Lumina Newspaper / Mihnea Păduraru
Follow us on Twitter: @BasilicaNews
