His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, welcomed His Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, after a Te Deum service officiated on Friday at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church emphasized the anniversary context of the visit, occasioned by the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate and the Consecration of the mosaic painting of the National Cathedral.
Patriarch Daniel also expressed His gratitude for the canonisation by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of several venerable Athonite saints of Romanian origin at this significant moment for our Church.
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Your Holiness BARTHOLOMEW, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch,
On behalf of the members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the clergy, and the Romanian Orthodox faithful, we extend to Your Holiness, with profound respect and fraternal love in Christ, a warm Welcome to Romania!
We joyfully recall your last fraternal visit to Romania in 2018, on the occasion of the consecration of the Altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest—a moment of deep spiritual significance, marking a unique and historic event in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church. And now, Your Holiness, we are once again together, in the historic Patriarchal Cathedral, as we prepare for the solemn service of the blessing of the painting in mosaic of the National Cathedral, which will take place on Sunday, October 26, 2025. The blessing of the painting in mosaic of the National Cathedral takes place in a very special context for the Romanian Orthodox Church, as the year 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of its elevation to the rank of Patriarchate, and the 140th anniversary of its Autocephaly.
Your Holiness’s presence in Bucharest, on the occasion of this solemn event, is a living testimony and a blessed opportunity for fraternal communion and pastoral and missionary cooperation between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Romanian Patriarchate.
The joy of Your Holiness’ presence in Bucharest is further increased by the fact that, recently, at our request, the Ecumenical Patriarchate included in the Church’s Synaxarion four Romanian venerable fathers who lived in the Holy Mount Athos: The Venerable Saint Niphon of Prodromou; the Venerable Saint Nectarios the Protopsaltis, the Venerable Saint Dionysios of Vatopedi from Colciu, and the Venerable Saint Petronius of Prodromou.
The proclamation of the holiness of these four Athonite fathers of Romanian origin, during the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate, expresses the unceasing spiritual bond between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Romanian Orthodox Church, between Athonite monasticism and Romanian monasticism. Therefore, we express our heartfelt gratitude to Your Holiness and to the members of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for this proclamation of the holiness of the four Romanian Athonite fathers.
Furthermore, on this occasion, we wish to thank Your Holiness for the special and constant care you show for the Romanian Orthodox community in Constantinople (Hasköy, Istanbul), which is under the spiritual protection of Saint Paraskevi the Martyr, as well as for the Romanian Orthodox pilgrims who annually visit the holy places within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, especially Mount Athos. The support of Your Holiness is a source of spiritual comfort and strength for the Romanian Orthodox faithful in Turkey and for all Romanian Orthodox pilgrims.
With these fraternal thoughts, we wish Your Holiness, along with the members of your accompanying delegation, a blessed visit to our country and our Church!
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo credit: Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene