His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church welcomed His Excellency Marios Kountourides, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Romania, on a presentation visit at the patriarchal residence on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
His Excellency thanked His Beatitude for the warm welcome and conveyed a message of friendship and appreciation from the people of Cyprus and especially from the new Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude George III.
The Ambassador further emphasised the strong historical links between the two Orthodox countries and their peoples, as well as between the two sister Churches.
At the discussion, Ambassador Marios Kountourides recounted the destruction of hundreds of churches in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and noted the efforts of Nicosia’s authorities to handle the influx of migrants, particularly from the southern Sahara region.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel appreciated the historical fraternal ties between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church of Cyprus and expressed the hope that the two Orthodox peoples will intensify their good collaboration in the future.
In this context, the Romanian Patriarch stressed the importance of the theological training of the clergy and especially of young people in the spirit of volunteerism to be actively involved in the life of the communities, especially in difficult times, such as during the pandemic or in support of refugees in Ukraine.
At the same time, His Beatitude deemed it essential to encourage pilgrimages to the holy sites in Cyprus through the Basilica Travel Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate in order to increase mutual understanding and strengthen cordial ties between the two Orthodox nations.
During the meeting, it was emphasised that the presence of a large Romanian Orthodox community in Cyprus (approximately 45,000 Romanians), the presence of an official representative of the Romanian Patriarchate, priest Matei Petre, and the existence of nine schools where the Romanian language is taught are key factors in fostering cooperation and solidarity between the two countries and their citizens.
Department for External Church Relations
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
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