The Holy Prophet Daniel, a pastor for his people during the Babylonian exile, is the spiritual protector of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, who leads the Romanian Orthodox Church during the most extensive spread of Romanians on all meridians of the globe.
Intrinsically, the Prophet Daniel is a source of inspiration for the many initiatives coordinated by Patriarch Daniel for the benefit of Romanians abroad and an intercessor to God in terms of their success.
In his speech, Patriarch Daniel especially appreciated the fact that St. Daniel, “being among the foreigners, as a minority, nevertheless kept the ancestral faith and astonished by his wisdom, but also by his faith.” His Beatitude constantly urges Romanians in the diaspora to follow this model by maintaining their national faith and identity.
“Daniel” means “God is my Judge” in Hebrew. Highlighting the meaning of his name, Patriarch Daniel said that “we must always have a sense of responsibility before God for all words, all deeds, all thoughts.”
“From Baptism, I had the name Dan Ilie, and Elder Cleopas, when I became a monk, concentrated the two names, Dan and Ilie, in one, Daniil – as he said”, evoked His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on his name’s day in 2017.
Patriarch Daniel was born on July 22, 1951, in the village of Dobreşti, Timiş County. The mentors of His Beatitude include Archimandrite Cleopas Ilie, his monastic godfather, and Father Dumitru Stăniloae, his doctoral supervisor.
He entered monasticism in 1987 at Sihăstria Monastery in Neamț County, where he received the monastic name of Daniel.
As a hierarch, he was for a short time an Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Timisoara, then Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina for 17 years, and from 2007 until now the Patriarch of Romania.
The name day of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrates on December 17, 2021, in a restricted setting. The official holiday of His Beatitude is September 30, the day of his enthronement as Patriarch of Romania.
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro Files
