A solemn meeting of the Holy Synod was organized on Monday at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest during which the main activities carried out by the Romanian Orthodox Church related to this year’s solemn and commemorative topics were reconsidered.
The meeting was chaired by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel at the Patriarch Teoctist Aula Magna.
The Holy Synod declared the year 2019 as Solemn Year of the Romanian Village (of priests, teachers and diligent mayors) and Commemorative Year of Patriarchs Nicodim Munteanu and Iustin Moisescu, and of the translators of church books in the Romanian Patriarchate.
Patriarch Daniel offered the opening remarks noting that the declaration of the year as solemn year of the Romanian village was ‘inspiring.’
“It has had a positive effect not only in the Church, that is, in church units, but also in society.”
“People of culture, people of arts and even local and central administrations were sensitized by this topic of the Romanian village that had been less debated.”
The Patriarch added that ‘this calls us to more responsibility and more care to preserve and transmit the perennial values of the Romanian village.’
The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti read out the summary report entitled ‘2019 – Solemn Year of the Romanian Village (of priests, teachers and diligent mayors) and Commemorative Year of Patriarchs Nicodim Munteanu and Iustin Moisescu, and of the translators of church books.’
At the end of the meeting, the Patriarch of Romania honoured three persons with distinctions of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Paulina Popoiu, the general director of the “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum, received the Patriarchal Cross for lay persons, the highest distinction of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Literary critic and Trinitas TV producer Alexandru Stefanescu was bestowed the Patriarchate’s Order of Saint Anthimos the Iberian, while Fr. Constantin Vanatoru, researcher on vegetable farming, was honoured with the Order of Saint Stephen the Great for clergymen.
The granddaughter of Patriarch Iustin Moisescu was presented with the commemorative diploma of Patriarchs Nicodim and Iustin.
The meeting was attended by the members of the Standing National Church Council, representatives of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, professors and students at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest and other guests.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
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