His Eminence Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia, on Wednesday, received an official visit at his residence in Chişinău from a delegation from Bucharest led by Adrian Felician Cozma, Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies in Romania’s Parliament.
The official was accompanied by Lavinia Felicia Năstase and Claudiu-Ion Chelcea, First Secretary at the Romanian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova.
Archdeacon Iurie Saganovschi, secretary of the Metropolitan Chancellery, presented the work of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Bessarabia, outlining its pastoral, missionary, social and construction-related achievements, as well as the challenges faced by Romanian communities between the Prut and the Dniester rivers.
The Church’s role as a factor of stability, social cohesion, and public responsibility was highlighted, while the hosts expressed appreciation for the steady support provided by Romanian state institutions to the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the Republic of Moldova’s European path.
Discussions also covered the relationship between the Metropolis of Bessarabia and the current government in Chişinău, with both sides underscoring shared commitments and efforts to promote social peace, solidarity and the common good.
Support and gratitude
During the talks, Cozma said he was ready to act as a link between the authorities in Bucharest and the Metropolis of Bessarabia, with a view to ensuring the smooth implementation of joint projects and strengthening spiritual, cultural and identity ties between Romanians on both banks of the Prut.
As a sign of appreciation for the Metropolis’s pastoral activity and its contribution to preserving and promoting Romanian cultural, spiritual and identity values in Bessarabia, Cozma presented Metropolitan Petru with a certificate of recognition.
In turn, Metropolitan Petru offered the Romanian official a book on the history of the Metropolis of Bessarabia and an icon of Saint Stephen the Great.
The metropolitan thanked the authorities in Bucharest for their substantial support for the Metropolis of Bessarabia, as well as for their continued care for local communities and Bessarabian society as a whole.
He also expressed gratitude to the Romanian Embassy in the Republic of Moldova for its cooperation and ongoing institutional support.
Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia
