“The Holy Spirit is the most precious Gift that Christ the Lord offers us—after His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven—and the source of all gifts,” declare the members of the Metropolitan Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe in their Pentecost Pastoral Letter.
The Romanian hierarchs affirm that the presence of the Holy Spirit within us shapes us from the inside, transforms our attitudes, and renews our lives:
“From old people, fearful and enslaved by sin, he makes us new people, in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“God’s answer to our weaknesses, to our shortcomings and our troubles, is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which we received at Baptism and which Christ the Lord renews at every Holy Liturgy. ”
Unity in Diversity
“The Holy Spirit does not cancel out cultural or personal differences, but harmonises them, creating unity in diversity,” write the Romanian hierarchs serving in Western and Southern Europe.
“This is the mystery of the Church, and we are called to recognise and testify to the work of God in her. This testimony is needed in our world today, wounded by wars, polarisation and division. God trusts us and calls us to be workers with Him in the great and holy work of salvation of the world.”
Faith United with Love Heals Division
The archpastors emphasize that the Holy Spirit opens the mind to a fuller knowledge of God:
“The multitude of languages and peoples is called to a single confession of faith. The Holy Apostles, who once did not understand the full meaning of the words of the Saviour Christ, have now become teachers of the nations. They preach the Scripture and the prophecies in the light of Him in whom all things find their fulfilment.”
“And their preaching is understood by all, each hearing in his own language the wonders of God. If at the Tower of Babel tongues became an occasion for division, at the Descent of the Holy Spirit they became the path of unity,” the letter states.
“When faith is alive, it smooths differences and heals divisions. But when differences prevail over faith, it is diluted. Only an authentic faith, united with love, can dispel contradictions and enmities between us.”
Centenary of the Romanian Patriarchate Calls for Deeper Responsibility
A significant part of the message is dedicated to the 2025 Solemn and Commemorative Year in the Romanian Patriarchate. This year marks both the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate and the Commemorative Year of Romanian Orthodox Confessors and Spiritual Fathers of the 20th Century.
“This initiative is not only a simple commemoration of the past – that is, 140 years of autocephaly of our Church and 100 years since it was elevated to the rank of Patriarchate – but also an opportunity to strengthen spiritual and national identity, in which the church mission is combined with the challenges of this tumultuous century,” the bishops write.
“By evoking the confessors of the faith and the sacrificial work of our predecessors, the Church calls us to a deeper awareness of the gift of freedom in which we live today and to a responsible assumption of the spiritual heritage that has been entrusted to us.”
A Call to Living Testimony
“Especially for us, those of us in Western Europe, this commemoration becomes a call to living confession, to preserving the unity of faith, where God has placed us, thus continuing the work of those who, in times of trial, guarded the treasure of faith at the cost of their lives,” the hierarchs add.
The canonization of sixteen new Romanian saints provides “luminous and contemporary figures to follow,” the message continues.
“They not only root us deeper in the Tradition of the Church, but also become mediators and guides on our path today, showing that holiness is not a distant ideal, but a living and possible reality even in times of suffering and pain, where hearts remain steadfast in love for Christ and the Gospel.”
The pastoral letter is signed by:
- Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe
- Archbishop Atanasie of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
- Bishop Siluan of Italy
- Bishop Timotei of Spain and Portugal
- Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland
- Assistant Bishop Marc of Neamț (Archdiocese of Western Europe)
- Assistant Bishop Teofil of Iberia (Diocese of Spain and Portugal)
This Sunday, the Orthodox Church celebrates Pentecost (also known as the Descent of the Holy Spirit). It marks the founding of the Church, whose Head is Jesus Christ.
Photo: Basilica.ro Files / Mircea Florescu
