Archbishop Atanasie of Great Britain and Northern Ireland welcomed Fr Ciprian Ioniță, Patriarchal Adviser and Coordinator in the Social-Philanthropic Department of the Patriarchal Administration, and president of the Filantropia Federation, as well as Igor Belei, Executive Director of the Diaconia Social Mission in the Republic of Moldova, to his residence in Enfield on Monday.
Representatives responsible for the Archdiocese’s charitable activities also attended the meeting.
Opening the discussions, His Eminence Archbishop Atanasie presented the Archdiocese’s main achievements since its establishment, with particular emphasis on organising and developing its social outreach.
Fr Ciprian Ioniță highlighted how cooperation between Church institutions and specialised organisations can address needs such as poverty, social isolation and limited access to healthcare services.
Filantropia UK
The discussions explored opportunities to organise courses and training programmes in areas including addiction, domestic violence prevention and support for people in vulnerable circumstances.
Participants also expressed a desire for closer cooperation between the Filantropia Federation and the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland through joint projects.
In this context, they discussed establishing a non-governmental organisation called Filantropia UK.
Such an organisation could help coordinate social and charitable initiatives and draw on the Philanthropy Federation’s experience to serve Romanian communities in the United Kingdom.
Diaconia Social Mission
Igor Belei then presented the work of the Diaconia Social Mission, an organisation that has carried out social and charitable projects in the Republic of Moldova for 25 years.
During the discussions, representatives of the Archdiocese and the two charitable organisations expressed their desire for closer cooperation that would go beyond exchanging experiences.
“The meeting at the Archdiocesan Residence in Enfield thus marks an initial step towards closer cooperation between the three organisations, opening up opportunities for joint projects and improved coordination of social and philanthropic activities,” the Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stated.
