VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2007 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has written a Message to Metropolitan Daniel of Moldova and Bucovna for yesterday's enthronement ceremony in Bucharest, Romania, by which he became the new Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The election of Daniel as the new patriarch, to succeed His Beatitude Teoctist, took place on September 12.
A delegation representing the Holy Father was Present at the coronation ceremony, led by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He presented the new patriarch both with the Holy Father's Message and with the gift of a chalice.
In the Message, the Pope calls upon the Holy Spirit "to help the Romanian Orthodox Church in her development, that with renewed vitality she may face the challenges and the material and spiritual reorganization necessary for the period in which we are living, following the difficulties of the recent past, when there were numerous limitations to freedom and at times outright persecutions."
"May the Lord accompany you," the Pope continues, "that your Church may respond to the expectations of the Romanian people and give them the hope they need to travel the road of life, transmitting to young generations the fundamental moral and spiritual values they need to face the various ideological currents that currently attract a large number of our contemporaries."
The Holy Father expresses the hope that relations between Catholics and Orthodox "may grow stronger in order to respond to the current needs of Europe and the world, both in the religious and social fields. The joint witness of Christians is becoming ever more necessary in order to respond to our vocation and the urgent needs of our time."
After highlighting Patriarch Daniel's own desire to intensify dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics so as to ponder "crucial questions in our relationship," the Pope concludes by stressing the need "to resolve, with patience, reciprocal charity and hope, themes which are less important but which, at a local level, continue to hinder fraternal communion between Catholics and Orthodox."
MESS/ENTHRONEMENT/PATRIARCH DANIEL VIS 20071001 (350)
A delegation representing the Holy Father was Present at the coronation ceremony, led by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He presented the new patriarch both with the Holy Father's Message and with the gift of a chalice.
In the Message, the Pope calls upon the Holy Spirit "to help the Romanian Orthodox Church in her development, that with renewed vitality she may face the challenges and the material and spiritual reorganization necessary for the period in which we are living, following the difficulties of the recent past, when there were numerous limitations to freedom and at times outright persecutions."
"May the Lord accompany you," the Pope continues, "that your Church may respond to the expectations of the Romanian people and give them the hope they need to travel the road of life, transmitting to young generations the fundamental moral and spiritual values they need to face the various ideological currents that currently attract a large number of our contemporaries."
The Holy Father expresses the hope that relations between Catholics and Orthodox "may grow stronger in order to respond to the current needs of Europe and the world, both in the religious and social fields. The joint witness of Christians is becoming ever more necessary in order to respond to our vocation and the urgent needs of our time."
After highlighting Patriarch Daniel's own desire to intensify dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics so as to ponder "crucial questions in our relationship," the Pope concludes by stressing the need "to resolve, with patience, reciprocal charity and hope, themes which are less important but which, at a local level, continue to hinder fraternal communion between Catholics and Orthodox."
MESS/ENTHRONEMENT/PATRIARCH DANIEL VIS 20071001 (350)
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