His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel was ordained to the episcopate at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timisoara 34 years ago.
On July 22, 1951, in Dobreşti village, Bara commune, Timiş County, patriarch Daniel, the sixth head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was born as the third child of educator Alexie and his wife Stela Ciobotea.
He pursued doctoral studies at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Bucharest from 1974 to 1976 under the supervision of Rev. Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae. He continued his studies abroad at the Faculty of Protestant Theology, University of Human Sciences in Strasbourg, France, and at Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
The dissertation he defended at the University of Strasbourg on 15 June 1979 was titled Réflexion et vie chrétiennes aujourd’hui. Le rapport entre la spiritualité et la théologie est abordé. The thesis was formulated with the mentorship of two eminent French professors, André Benoit and Gerard Ziegwald.
In 1987, he commenced his monastic vocation at Sihăstria Monastery in Neamţ County, assuming the name Daniel under the mantle of Elder Cleopas Ilie. The day after his ordination to the diaconate on August 14, 1987, he received his priestly ordination.
He was bestowed with the title of Bishop of Lugoj upon his ordination as Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Timişoara on March 4, 1990. He was elected Archbishop of Iaşi and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina on June 7, 1990. The enthronement ceremony took place the following month.
Metropolitan Daniel was elected Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudja, Locum Tenens of the Throne of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church by the Church Electoral College on September 12, 2007.
The Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest hosted the enthronement ceremony of His Beatitude on Sunday, September 30, 2007, which coincided with the feast of Saint Gregory the Enlightener of Greater Armenia.
The new National Cathedral in Bucharest serves as the culmination of numerous significant undertakings, such as the canonization of dozens of Romanian saints, the formation of several dioceses for Romanians living abroad, the allocation of hundreds of million euros towards philanthropic and social initiatives, and the establishment of the Basilica Media Centre, among many others.
The exceptional theological and pastoral perspectives of Patriarch Daniel were on full display throughout the Holy and Great Council of Crete. He advocated for the canonical standard of conciliarity to be upheld throughout the Orthodox Church.
In observance of the one-hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Romanian Patriarchate, preparations are underway for the consecration of the mosaic painting from the National Cathedral and the canonization of several revered clergymen, confessors in Romania’s communist prisons. Notable among these are Father Dumitru Stăniloae and Cleopas Ilie, two individuals who significantly influenced the life of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
Photos: Basilica.ro Files
