{"id":566599,"date":"2026-04-11T12:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T09:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=566599"},"modified":"2026-04-11T12:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T09:08:14","slug":"metropolitan-petru-easter-message-bessarabia-family-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/metropolitan-petru-easter-message-bessarabia-family-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Bessarabia Metropolitan urges Christians to live for God and others in Easter pastoral letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cA person who believes in Christ the Risen One no longer lives for himself, but for God and for his neighbour. He lives out his vocation as a witness to the light, a bearer of peace and a servant of truth,\u201d Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia said in his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

His Eminence underlined that the Resurrection of the Lord is the foundation of Christian faith and unity. \u201cEach year, it reminds us that every community, every parish, every monastic settlement and every soul is a precious member of the Mystical Body of Christ, which grants us new life and equips us with the strength to live it, helping us to attain the life to come,\u201d he said, citing Saint Nicholas Cabasilas.<\/p>\n

Thus, the Resurrection \u201cflows into the concrete life of the faithful, shaping the family, the community and society as a whole,\u201d the metropolitan added.<\/p>\n

Fundamental role of the Christian family<\/h2>\n

The hierarch also noted that this year has been dedicated by the Romanian Patriarchate to the pastoral care of the family<\/a> and the commemoration of holy women<\/a>, highlighting the essential role of the Christian family.<\/p>\n

He listed the challenges affecting families in Bessarabia, including separation caused by labour migration, the need for moral formation among young people and the need for deeper communion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Church has the vital role of offering spiritual support and consolation, communion and solidarity, so that every believer, regardless of age, may find understanding, guidance and support,\u201d Metropolitan Petru said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIn the same context, the Christian family is called to become a small church, a space in which Christ is present through common prayer, participation in the Divine Liturgy and the cultivation of evangelical principles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Women as bearers of faith<\/h2>\n

\u201cA special place in this work belongs to faithful women, who throughout the history of salvation have been bearers of faith and models of self-sacrifice,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

It is no coincidence, he added, that the first heralds of the Resurrection were the Myrrh-bearing Women.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the history of our people, we also encounter many women who preserved the faith in difficult times and passed it on to the generations they raised,\u201d Metropolitan Petru said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Bessarabia, during years of persecution and the atheist regime, many mothers, grandmothers, and daughters were true confessors of the Christian tradition, teaching children unceasing prayer, the sign of the Holy Cross and love for God.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He pointed to Saint Blandina the Confessor of Ia\u0219i, recently canonised by the Romanian Patriarchate, as a contemporary example.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, in contemporary society, the role of the Christian woman is essential. She is a mother, educator, and family support, often a pillar of balance in community life. Through care for children, prayer and self-giving, the woman contributes to forming a generation capable of living according to sound values,\u201d Metropolitan Petru concluded.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Photo: Metropolis of Bessarabia<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cA person who believes in Christ the Risen One no longer lives for himself, but for God and for his neighbour. He lives out his vocation as a witness to the light, a bearer of peace and a servant of truth,\u201d Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia said in his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha. His Eminence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":549361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[2009,19172,32787,9780,22455,37043],"class_list":["post-566599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dioceses","tag-christian-family","tag-easter-pastoral-letter","tag-holy-women","tag-metropolis-of-bessarabia","tag-metropolitan-petru","tag-saint-blandina-of-iasi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=566599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}