With the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, from 2-3 February 2014, a delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate met in Jerusalem with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem, accompanied by Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina and Archbishop Methodios of Tabor for restoring full communion between the two patriarchates. This communion was broken, in May 2011, due to disagreements on the status of the Romanian pilgrims‘ house in Jericho.
After three rounds of talks (Bucharest, December 2012; Jerusalem, February 2013; Jerusalem, July 2013), conducted in a spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect a Patriarchal Agreement for restoration of full ecclesial communion was signed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Patriarch of Romania. This Agreement was signed in Bucharest by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, on the 2nd of February 2014, and in Jerusalem, by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, on the 3rd of February 2014.
The delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate consisted of His Eminence Metropolitan Nifon, Archbishop of Târgoviște and Patriarchal Exarch, the Very Reverend Father Professor Viorel Ioniță, honorary patriarchal counsellor, and the Very Reverend Father Michael Tița, patriarchal counsellor for church and interfaith relations. The meeting was attended by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Timotei Aioanei, cultural exarch of the monasteries within the Archdiocese of Bucharest and Great Ecclesiarch of the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, who was appointed as Patriarchal new Representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Holy Land.
On behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, His Eminence Metropolitan Nifon renewed the invitation to the Patriarch of Jerusalem to visit the Romanian Patriarchate in October 2014. His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos gladly accepted this invitation. At the end of the meeting, the Patriarch of Jerusalem offered a festive dinner to the delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate, as a symbol of restored communion.
Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate
