His Beatitude Daniel Ciobotea, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was born on July 22, 1951, in Dobre\u0219ti-Bara, Timi\u0219 County, as the third child in the family of the teacher Alexie and Stela Ciobotea. He attended primary school in the native village (1958-1962), Dobre\u0219ti, secondary school in L\u0103pu\u0219nic (1962-1966), Timi\u0219 County. In 1966, he attended high school in the town of Buzia\u0219 and then in Lugoj, at the “Coriolan Brediceanu” High School (1967-1970). After the baccalaureate examination, he enrols at the Institute of Theology in Sibiu (1970-1974), where he graduates with a thesis in New Testament.<\/p>\n
During 1974-1976, he enrols in the doctorate programme at the Institute of Theology in Bucharest, within the Systematic Theology Department, under the guidance of Rev. Professor Dumitru St\u0103niloae. He continues the studies abroad: two years at the Faculty of Protestant Theology – University of Human Sciences in Strasbourg (France) and two years at the “Albert Ludwig” University in Freiburg im Breisgau, the Faculty of Catholic Theology (Germany).<\/p>\n
On June 15, 1979, he presents the doctoral thesis at the University of Strasbourg, called: R\u00c3\u00a9flexion et vie chr\u00c3\u00a9tiennes aujourd’hui. Essai sur le rapport entre la th\u00c3\u00a9ologie et la spiritualit\u00c3\u00a9 (424 p.). The thesis was prepared under the guidance of two famous French professors: Gerard Ziegwald and Andr\u00c3\u00a9 Beno\u00eet, receiving the maximum grade. He became Theology Doctor of the University of Strasbourg. An extended version of this thesis was prepared under the guidance of his mentor, Rev. Professor Dumitru St\u0103niloae, and was presented on the October 31, 1980, at the Institute of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest, entitled: Theology and Christian Spirituality. The connection between them and the present situation. After the presentation of the thesis, the Doctorate candidate Dan Ilie Ciobotea was awarded the title of Doctor in Orthodox Theology, also with the maximum grade.<\/p>\n
Rev. Professor Dumitru St\u0103niloae declared then: “The examination of the thesis proved to the Commission that it has before it a well prepared candidate, well informed and, most of all, striving to live a theological life of spiritual deepness. We need this kind of people, persons who live in the teaching of our Church. The true spirituality of the priest of today is this: to live in such a way that he can respond to the questions of the human person of today, but to still remain a true priest. With a clergy without theological culture and without the conscience of the dignity and sublime mission of priesthood, the faithful people will become alienated from the Church”.<\/p>\n
In 1987, he enters the monastic life at the Sihastria Monastery, Neam\u021b County, with the name Daniel, under the spiritual guidance of his monastic godfather, Reverend Archimandrite Cleopa Ilie. He is ordained hierodeacon on August 14, 1987 and hieromonk on August 15, 1987. In 1988 he is blessed protosingel and appointed Patriarchal Counsellor, Director of the Department of Contemporary Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue. The same year he became junior professor within the Department of Christian Mission at the Orthodox Theological Institute of Bucharest.<\/p>\n
He is chosen auxiliary bishop of the Timi\u0219oara Archdiocese, and ordained bishop on March 4, 1990. On June 17, 1990 he is chosen Archbishop of Ia\u0219i and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina. The enthronement took place on July 1, 1990. A rich pastoral-missionary, cultural and social-charitable activity ensued, between 1990-2008, in the new office of Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina.<\/p>\n
On September 12, 2007, the Church Electoral College has elected him Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Wallachia and Dobrudja, locum tenens of the see of Caesarea Cappadocia and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The enthronement of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel took place on 30 September 2007, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
His Beatitude Daniel Ciobotea, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was born on July 22, 1951, in Dobre\u0219ti-Bara, Timi\u0219 County, as the third child in the family of the teacher Alexie and Stela Ciobotea. He attended primary school in the native village (1958-1962), Dobre\u0219ti, secondary school in L\u0103pu\u0219nic (1962-1966), Timi\u0219 County. In 1966, he attended…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anniversaries-and-commemorations"],"yoast_head":"\n